Preventing Respiratory Infections at Work
Updated April 6, 2020
By Team Safesite*
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Email lindsey@safesitehq.com. See more at https://safesitehq.com/pandemic-checklists-meetings/
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Infection
Risks
The risk posed by viral illnesses outbreaks depend on factors like age, amount of close interaction with others, and pre-existing conditions..
Prevention and risk reduction is possible, thankfully, and we’ll outline a number of ways you can protect yourself and others at work in this presentation.
In This Meeting
Tips for protecting yourself and others in the case of an illness outbreak in the community or at work.
What’s a Pandemic?
There is a difference between an outbreak, a pandemic, and an epidemic.
An outbreak is a relatively small spread of an atypical (unusual) or formerly controlled illness.
An epidemic is a larger scale or regional spread of an atypical or formerly controlled illness.
A pandemic is a multi-national or international-scale spread of an atypical illness that very difficult to control or out of control.
What is a Pandemic?
A pandemic is NOT a reason to panic. It IS a reason to prepare.
Follow CDC, WHO, and company policies to protect yourself.
Illness Prevention Tips: Handwashing
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds; use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.
20-second songs or song choruses to sing to yourself while washing:
Wash your hands after sneezing, coughing, wiping a child’s nose, etc.
Wash hands before eating or touching your face.
Illness Prevention Tips: Handwashing
Illness Prevention Tips: Handwashing
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub until hand washing is possible.
When using an alcohol-based hand rub, apply liquid to palm of hand, cover all surfaces of the hands with the liquid, and rub hands together until dry.
Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes.
(Just keep trying.)
Illness Prevention Tips
Illness Prevention Tips: Coughing & Sneezing
Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or cough and sneeze into your elbow or upper sleeve(s).
Throw tissues into a "no-touch" wastebasket.
Clean your hands after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
Illness Prevention Tips: Disinfect Surfaces
Keep frequently touched common surfaces (e.g., phones, PPE, computer equipment, etc.) clean.
Try not to use a coworker's phone, desk, office, computer, or other work tools and equipment.
If you must use a coworker’s equipment, consider cleaning it first with a disinfectant.
Your phone may be 10x dirtier than a toilet seat, according to some studies
Illness Prevention Tips: General Health
Stay in shape.
Eat a healthy diet.
Get plenty of rest, exercise, and relaxation.
Get 20 mins of sun per day.
Illness Prevention Tips: COVID-19
In addition to the other tips listed, like frequent handwashing, practice social distancing by avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others.
Do not hold in-person meetings.
Do not practice a non-essential work activity within 6 feet of a coworker.
In areas with high activity, you may be instructed to shelter in place to reduce spread.
Illness Prevention Tips: COVID-19
Wear a facemask in public to help support the effects of 6-ft. social distancing.
Facemasks may be made from:
Do not use surgical masks or N-95 respirators, which are critical supplies.
How to make your own facemask: https://youtu.be/tPx1yqvJgf4
Illness Prevention Tips: Vaccines
Get your flu vaccine (unless it is contraindicated by your doctor).
Vaccination is the most important way to prevent the spread of the flu.
There is no vaccine for coronavirus yet, so speak with your doctor and find out if you are in a high risk category for seasonal flu, COVID-19, or other respiratory infections.
Illness Prevention: Our Policy
Our plan to prevent the spread of illness is:
Our handwashing stations, hand sanitizer stations, tissue boxes and other hygiene supplies are located at:
Know the Symptoms: Flu
Symptoms include fever*, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue.
*Not everyone who has the flu or other respiratory virus will have a high fever. Other symptoms could include a runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting.
Also common: chest pressure, head congestion, headache, nausea, shortness of breath, sore throat, or swollen lymph nodes
[Mayo Clinic]
Know the Symptoms: Coronavirus/COVID-19
The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
If you experience these symptoms, isolate yourself and call your doctor.
[CDC]
If You Feel Sick: Flu & Other Illnesses
Stay at home.
The CDC recommends staying at home until 24 hours after your fever ends (100 degrees Fahrenheit [37.8 degrees Celsius] or lower), without the use of medication.
Not everyone who has the flu or other respiratory virus will have a high fever. Other symptoms could include a runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting.
If You Feel Sick: Coronavirus/COVID-19
Those with suspected COVID-19 should call their medical providers for guidance. Self-isolate if symptoms are mild. Monitor your symptoms and seek immediate medical care if the symptoms worsen.
That means don't go to the jobsite, office, school or public areas, and avoid using public transportation or ride-sharing services.
If You Feel Sick: Our Policy
If you must remain home due to illness, we ask that you:
If someone in your family or close contacts gets sick, we ask that you:
If someone in your family or close contacts is tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you:
If Multiple Workers Get Sick: Our Policy
If multiple workers get sick, our plan to prevent the spread of illness and address our workload is:
Question for discussion:
What should you do when someone around you is sick?
What Do You Think?
What should you do when someone around you is sick?
Choose only one caregiver to take care of sick family members.
Keep the person with flu in a separate sick room if you can. Limit contact other than the caregiver.
If the sick person must leave the room, ask them to wear a facemask or cover coughs and sneezes.
Keep the air clean. Open a window in the sick room or use a fan to keep fresh air flowing.
Clean and disinfect the sick room each day.
Wash laundry with normal laundry soap and dry on a hot setting. Keep dirty laundry away from your face and body. Wash your hands right after touching dirty laundry.
Question for discussion:
What should you do if you get sick?
What Do You Think?
(This is not the right answer.)
What should you do if you get sick?
Stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible except to seek medical care.
Stay in a separate sick room if you can. Limit contact other than your caregiver, if you need one.
Wear a facemask if you must leave the room.
Those with COVID-19 should self-isolate if symptoms are mild but monitor their symptoms and seek medical care if their symptoms worsen, according to the CDC.
Don't go to the jobsite, office, school or public areas, and avoid using public transportation or ride-sharing services. Remember others may have a higher risk of complications than you.
Question for discussion:
How long are sick people contagious?
What Do You Think?
How long are sick individuals contagious?
The flu spreads via respiratory droplets. People with flu are most contagious in the first 3 to 4 days after their illness begins.
Some otherwise healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick with the flu.
Some people, especially young children and people with weakened immune systems, might be able to infect others with flu viruses for an even longer time.
COVID-19 spreads through person-to-person contact. Scientists are still determining how exactly the virus is spread.
People with COVID-19 may be contagious prior to the onset of symptoms and while they are symptomatic.
Medical testing is currently being used to release patients from isolation. Monitor the CDC for more information.
Stay Safe
Practice good hygiene and make good decisions.
We care about your safety, but no one should care more than you.
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