Workplace Guidance

for
Coronavirus (COVID-19)

This guidance document has been developed to assist organisations

plan and prepare their workplaces for coronavirus (COVID-19). It
contains up-to-date information from World Health Organisation and
other health agencies. It is advised to frequently check for local and
international updates for advice on how to prevent and manage
coronavirus (COVID-19) within your organisation’s workspace. This
document is only intended as a guide, please consult with medical
agencies for detailed advice.
V1.0 - 01 March 2020
John Michael Cunniffe

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

Contents
FAQ ................................................................................................................................. 3
What is a coronavirus? ............................................................................................... 3
What is COVID-19? ..................................................................................................... 3
What are the symptoms of COVID-19? ...................................................................... 3
How does COVID-19 spread? ..................................................................................... 3
Can the virus that causes COVID-19 be transmitted through the air? ...................... 4
Can CoVID-19 be caught from a person who has no symptoms? .............................. 4
Protection measures for everyone ................................................................................. 5
Take care of your health and protect others by doing the following: ....................... 5
How long does the virus survive on surfaces? ........................................................... 6
Planning and Education .................................................................................................. 7
➢ Standard and Transmission Based Precautions ................................................ 7
➢ Outbreak management ..................................................................................... 7
Education and Training ............................................................................................... 7
Standard Precautions ..................................................................................................... 7
Control measures ........................................................................................................... 8
Infection control measures ........................................................................................ 8
Environmental Decontamination ............................................................................... 8
Staff ............................................................................................................................. 8
How COVID-19 spreads in the Workplace ...................................................................... 9
Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace ......................... 9
Make sure your workplaces are clean and hygienic .................................................. 9
Promote regular and thorough handwashing ............................................................ 9
Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace .............................................. 10
Travel Advice............................................................................................................. 10
Regular Communications and Briefings ................................................................... 10
Getting business ready for COVID-19 ....................................................................... 11
Contingency and business continuity planning ........................................................ 11

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

FAQ
What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or
humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections
ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The
most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered

coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in
Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some
patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or
diarrhoea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people
become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don't feel unwell. Most people
(about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1
out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty
breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood
pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. About
2% of people with the disease have died. People with fever, cough and difficulty
breathing should seek medical attention.

How does COVID-19 spread?

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread
from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are
spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on
objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by
touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People
can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who
coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter
(3 feet) away from a person who is sick.
WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is spread and will continue
to share updated findings. These will be available on www.who.int

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

Can the virus that causes COVID-19 be transmitted through the air?

Studies to date suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted
through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air. See previous
answer on “How does COVID-19 spread?”

Can CoVID-19 be caught from a person who has no symptoms?

The main way the disease spreads is through respiratory droplets expelled by someone
who is coughing. The risk of catching COVID-19 from someone with no symptoms at
all is very low. However, many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms.
This is particularly true at the early stages of the disease. It is therefore possible to
catch COVID-19 from someone who has, for example, just a mild cough and does not
feel ill. The World Health Organisation is assessing ongoing research on the period of
transmission of COVID-19 and will continue to share updated findings.

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

Protection measures for everyone
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO
website and through your national and local public health authority. COVID-19 is still
affecting mostly people in China with some outbreaks in other countries. Most people
who become infected experience mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe
for others.

Take care of your health and protect others by doing the following:

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash
them with soap and water. Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using
alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is
coughing or sneezing. Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid
droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you
can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has
the disease.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick
up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or
mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This
means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough
or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately. Why? Droplets spread virus.
By following good respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from viruses
such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek
medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health
authority. Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date
information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care
provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and
help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by
your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your
employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Why? National and
local authorities will have the most up to date information on whether COVID-19 is
spreading in your area. They are best placed to advise on what people in your area
should be doing to protect themselves.

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

How long does the virus survive on surfaces?

It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it
seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses
(including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for
a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type
of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).
If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus
and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or
wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

Planning and Education
Organisations should establish a team to lead on the prevention controls of the
coronavirus (COVID-19). This team should have the resources to adequately be kept
informed of infection prevention and control policies/guidelines and protocols and
managing the development and implementation of a prevention programme within
facilities.
Written policies/guidelines should be developed by organisations and should include:

➢ Standard and Transmission Based Precautions

➢ Including Droplet and Contact Precautions

➢ Outbreak management

To include contingency plans for staff shortages due to illness during the outbreak,
ensuring sufficient supplies e.g. where suitable the supply of personal protective
equipment (PPE), restriction of visitor access, with appropriate signage/posters to
communicate issues regarding facilities restriction and transmission reduction.

Education and Training

Organisation should ensure education and training in prevention and control is

provided to all staff, with regular updates provided to all staff. Topics to include in the
education programme are
➢ Facts on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
➢ Standard and Transmission Based Precautions including Droplet and Contact
Precautions
➢ Symptoms and signs of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
➢ Exclusion criteria for ill staff
It is recommended to routinely audit the influenza prevention and control programme.

Standard Precautions
Standard Precautions are routine infection prevention and control measures that
should always be practiced by all staff in all settings regardless of suspected or
confirmed infectious status. The importance of these precautions should be reinforced
during an outbreak.
The key elements of Standard Precautions are:
➢ Hand hygiene
➢ Occupational Health
➢ Personal protective equipment (PPE) (where suitable)
➢ Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
➢ Contact Precautions

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

Control measures
Infection control measures

Infection control measures should be tailored to the specific situation. This is done in
conjunction with infection prevention and control guidelines by local health officials.
Importantly, all staff should be notified of a potential local outbreak and management
should ensure that adequate supplies, i.e. liquid soap, paper towels, alcohol gel/rub,
tissues (where suitable, gloves, masks) are available as necessary.

Environmental Decontamination

Additional routine environmental cleaning is required to minimise the number of

micro-organisms in the environment.
Particular attention should be given to frequently touched surfaces and those most
likely to be contaminated e.g. lift buttons, door handles, handrails, shared telephones,
access keypads, common surfaces and shared equipment (printers, etc).
When using disinfectants, cleaning staff should follow the manufacturer’s instructions
for dilution and contact times

Staff

➢ In the context of a suspected coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, monitor

staff and volunteer absenteeism due to respiratory symptoms consistent with
coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
➢ All staff should be aware of what to do if they become ill. Ill staff should not attend
work until they are well enough to return, according to updated guidelines. Staff
should be advised to practice good respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette and hand
hygiene on return to work.
➢ Attempts should be made to minimise movement of staff between different
facilities.

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

How COVID-19 spreads in the Workplace
When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected
fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects - such as desks, tables
or telephones. People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or
objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within one
meter of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed
out or exhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu.
Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover.
However, some go on to experience more serious illness and may require hospital
care. Risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable
than those under 40. People with weakened immune systems and people with
conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious
illness.

Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace

The low-cost measures below will help prevent the spread of infections in your
workplace, such as colds, flu and stomach bugs, and protect your customers,
contractors and employees.
Organisations should start doing these things now, even if COVID-19 has not arrived in
the communities where they operate. They can already reduce working days lost due
to illness and stop or slow the spread of COVID-19 if it arrives at one of your
workplaces.

Make sure your workplaces are clean and hygienic

Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be
wiped with disinfectant regularly. Why? Because contamination on surfaces touched
by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.

Promote regular and thorough handwashing

Promote regular and thorough handwashing by employees, contractors and

customers. Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the
workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled

Notices

Display posters promoting hand-washing – check with your local public health
authority for these or look on www.WHO.int.

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from
occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings and information on the
intranet to promote handwashing.
Make sure that staff, contractors and customers have access to places where they can
wash their hands with soap and water. Why? Because washing kills the virus on your
hands and prevents the spread of COVID19.

Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace

Display posters promoting respiratory hygiene. Combine this with other

communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and
safety officers, briefing at meetings and information on the intranet etc.
Ensure that face masks1 and / or paper tissues are available at your workplaces, for
those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for
hygienically disposing of them. Why? Because good respiratory hygiene prevents the
spread of COVID-19.

Travel Advice

Advise employees and contractors to consult national travel advice before going on
business trips.

Regular Communications and Briefings

Brief your employees, contractors and customers that if COVID-19 starts spreading in
your community anyone with even a mild cough or low-grade fever (37.3 C or more)
needs to stay at home. They should also stay home (or work from home) if they have
had to take simple medications, such as paracetamol/acetaminophen, ibuprofen or
aspirin, which may mask symptoms of infection.
Keep communicating and promoting the message that people need to stay at home
even if they have just mild symptoms of COVID-19.
Display posters with this message in your workplaces. Combine this with other
communication channels commonly used in your organization or business.
Your occupational health services, local public health authority or other partners may
have developed campaign materials to promote this message
Make clear to employees that they will be able to count this time off as sick leave.

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe

Getting business ready for COVID-19

Getting your business ready in case COVID-19 arrives in your work community.
Develop a plan of what to do if someone becomes ill with suspected COVID-19 at one
of your workplaces:
The plan should cover putting the ill person in a room or area where they are isolated
from others in the workplace, limiting the number of people who have contact with
the sick person and contacting the local health authorities.
Consider how to identify persons who may be at risk, and support them, without
inviting stigma and discrimination into your workplace. This could include persons who
have recently travelled to an area reporting cases, or other personnel who have
conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness (e.g. diabetes, heart and lung
disease, older age).
Review local public health authority information for developing the plan.
Promote regular remote working across your organisation. If there is an outbreak of
COVID-19 in your work community the health authorities may advise people to avoid
public transport and crowded places. Remote working will help your business keep
operating while your employees stay safe.

Contingency and business continuity planning

Develop a contingency and business continuity plan for an outbreak in the

communities where your business operates. The plan will help prepare your
organization for the possibility of an outbreak of COVID19 in its workplaces or
community. It may also be valid for other health emergencies.
The plan should address how to keep your business running even if a significant
number of employees, contractors and suppliers cannot come to your place of
business - either due to local restrictions on travel or because they are ill.
Communicate to your employees and contractors about the plan and make sure they
are aware of what they need to do – or not do – under the plan. Emphasise key points
such as the importance of staying away from work even if they have only mild
symptoms or have had to take simple medications (e.g. paracetamol, ibuprofen) which
may mask the symptoms
Be sure your plan addresses the mental health and social consequences of a case of
COVID-19 in the workplace or in the community and offer information and support.
For small and medium-sized businesses without in-house staff health and welfare
support, develop partnerships and plans with your local health and social service
providers in advance of any emergency.
Your local or national public health authority may be able to offer support and
guidance in developing your plan.

Workplace Guidance (COVID-19) V1.0 - 01 March 2020 J.M. Cunniffe