NYS Association of Occupational Health Nurses

Protecting Workers from Exposure to Coronavirus

Posted over 5 years ago by Patricia Sadowski

Check out OSHA's new webpage on protecting workers from exposure to coronavirus:
 https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/novel_coronavirus/

Quick Facts

  • Existing OSHA standards apply to protecting workers from 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
  • Signs and symptoms of infection with 2019-nCoV include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
  • Some people who get the 2019-nCoV may experience only mild illness. However, the virus can also cause pneumonia, which may be severe.
  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes at this time that symptoms of 2019-nCoV may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus.
  • It is likely that some person-to-person spread will continue to occur.
  • CDC issued a warning notice to avoid all non-essential travel to China. CDC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have implemented enhanced health screenings to detect travelers with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing when entering the United States.