Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
The Massachusetts High Technology Council, a regional industry group, recently examined issues involved in reopening businesses and asking employees to return to work in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine summarized their conclusions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have updated their recommendations for reopening offices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their guidance includes wearing cloth masks throughout the workday; maintaining social distances of six feet, including in elevators; positioning workstations six feet apart or installing plastic partitions; and removing communal coffeepots.
Building owners and facility managers reopening vacant buildings as stay-at-home orders expire may need to flush plumbing fixtures weekly to prevent harmful organisms, such as the Legionella bacteria—which can cause Legionnaire’s Disease, a bacterial pneumonia—from growing in plumbing, according to a pre-press research study.
As states are weighing their options about extending stay at home orders or letting those orders expire, facility managers should begin taking steps to protect employees at higher risk of severe illness now, prior to reopening, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This article was last updated and reposted on July 20 in accordance with more up-to-date guidance and links to additional resources. The world has changed in an unprecedented way since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and employers have a lot of questions for our experts at Safety.BLR.com®. Read on to see how experts answered a […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued guidance on preparing workplaces for a COVID-19 outbreak. The guide explains how COVID-19 could affect workplaces and steps employers can take to reduce workers’ risk of exposure at their facilities.