OSHA issues tips on reducing COVID-19 exposures at nursing homes

(OSHA has been issuing alerts intended to keep work places safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the recent alerts published provides guidance to nursing homes and long-term care facility workers as they work through the pandemic.

The following are some of the tips OSHA is giving to these operations so that they reduce their risk of COVID-19 exposure.

1. Family, friends and other people visiting the facility should be encouraged to contact the facility if they develop fever or other COVID-19 symptoms within 14 days prior to their visit.
2. Shared equipment and frequently touched surfaces in resident rooms, staff work stations and common areas should be cleaned and disinfected often.
3. Spread out break periods so that workers aren’t in break rooms at the same time.
4. Encourage sick workers to stay home and send employees home if they become sick at work.
5. Use hospital-grade cleaning chemicals that have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
6. Make sure workers have the personal protective equipment they need.
7. Train staff on how to protect themselves and other from the pandemic.
8. Provide handwashing faciltiies and hand sanitizer stations throughout the facility.

To read the rest of OSHA’s tips, click here.