As we are all adjusting to the “new normal” of social distancing and staying home, many workers continue to go to work to provide essential services to the residents of New Hampshire. While information is always changing, here are some basic resources for businesses and workers still providing these services.
The NH Occupational Health Surveillance Program is available to answer your questions about the health and safety of workers in a variety of industry and occupation groups. Please do not hesitate to contact us at karla.armenti@unh.edu / (603) 862-2923.
General Resources for Businesses and Employers
Resources for Specific Workplaces and Employees
Healthcare facilities and clinicians should prioritize urgent and emergency visits and procedures now. These actions can preserve staff personal protective equipment (PPE) and patient care supplies; ensure staff and patient safety; and expand available hospital capacity.
- General Guidance from the CDC
- Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment: Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used every day by healthcare personnel (HCP) to protect themselves, patients, and others when providing care. PPE shortages are currently posing a tremendous challenge to the US healthcare system because of the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC’s optimization strategies for PPE offer options for use when PPE supplies are stressed, running low, or absent.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator: CDC recognizes that healthcare and nonhealthcare systems may experience unprecedented strains on demand for PPE due to COVID-19. CDC designed a tool to help healthcare and nonhealthcare systems, such as correctional facilities, track how quickly PPE will be used at those facilities. The tool is based on input provided by healthcare systems on the use of PPE during responses to infectious disease outbreaks.
- Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators using Contingency and Crisis Capacity Strategies
- Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 911 Public Safety Answering Points for COVID19 in the US: Guidance for first responders, including law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and emergency management officials, who anticipate close contact with persons with confirmed or possible COVID-19 in the course of their work.
- What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know About Coronavirus Disease 2019: This new CDC fact sheet provides recommendations for personnel who may come in contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.
- Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs: Guidance for child care programs and schools is organized into three categories based on the level of community transmission: 1) when there is no community transmission (preparedness phase), 2) when there is minimal to moderate community transmission, and 3) when there is substantial community transmission.
- Improving Working Conditions for Frontline Workers: The Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health (WNYCOSH) has released guidance to improve working conditions for these frontline workers while at the same time reducing the risk of community spread.
- State-based Occupational Health Surveillance Clearinghouse: a collection of public health materials produced and shared by state programs.
The following organizations focus on offering resources to protect workers involved in a variety of jobs and industry groups where there is a potential risk of exposure to COVID-19.
- National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences
- National Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health
- Massachusetts Coalitional for Occupational Safety and Health COVID-19 Toolkit for Essential Workers
- Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Labor Occupational Health Program, UC Berkeley
