MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In the coming days, businesses will begin to reopen and a partnership between workers and employers will help the process continue uninterrupted.
West Virginia University Extension Service Safety and Health Extension Professor Mark Fullen says new information about the virus is released nearly on a daily basis, so using what we know effectively will hopefully curtail spread of COVID-19.
An open relationship from the beginning about sick leave policies, understanding symptoms is the starting point for any successful plan.
“These are difficult times for everybody,” Fullen said. “In order for this thing to work the employer should be supportive and encouraging, and that will encourage the employees to be open and honest with you when they do have symptoms and are worried about coming to work.”
Workers who are symptomatic should not return to a shift until they are symptom-free for three days without the use of over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol. Further, workers should be encouraged to stay home when they are symptomatic to ensure safety of the members of the work shift.
“The alternative to that is they could be tested. Even if they are tested they still need to have three days with no symptoms, or they need a repeat test to make sure they don’t have the COVID-19 virus.”
Having hygiene policies and making sure workers know what proper hygiene is also very important. For some professions like construction, oil and gas or agriculture employers should have mobile hand-washing stations or access to hand sanitizer. Employers should spot-check hygiene on the job as well.
Face coverings and face masks are an essential part of keeping workers and members of the public safe, but the masks must be washed or replaced as needed to be effective.
“The recommendation on that (cloth masks) is to wash it after each use with laundry detergent in your washing machine,” Fullen said.”That’s what the CDC guidelines are showing us.”
Face masks should not be washed or treated, but if supplies are low workers may have reuse or use other methods to clean them.
In some industrial and construction settings “choke points” exist where workers must be closer than six feet apart, that’s where employers and employees need to work together closely.
“Clearly identify those areas and try to reduce that risk to the smallest amount of people possible,” Fullen said. “The people in those areas need to create a safe work practice, distance as much as possible, wear protective equipment and shorten the duration as much as possible.”
Fullen said the increased flow of safety information creates an environment similar to hitting a fast-moving target.
“Honestly, what we’re working on now are these areas where we haven’t figured out the right way to do it yet, we don’t know the safest way to do it yet. We’re trying to come up with good safe solutions and get them out there.”