How to Stay Safe During a Pandemic
As seen by the rapid spread of COVID-19, we live under the constant threat of new global pandemics that can significantly disrupt our ability to live and work safely. With each new pandemic we face, however, we grow stronger in our ability to defend ourselves and more quickly address new illnesses.
To help individuals and families protect themselves from ongoing health crises, see the below ‘Resources by Type’ for support documents, websites, and other resources to learn how to stay safe in a pandemic situation, including cleaning and disinfection protocols, how to use personal protective equipment, and disinfectants to use against influenza.
Resources by Type
Infographics
Support Documents
- COVID-19 Professional Cleaning and Restoration Industry (5th Edition) (Guidance Document)
Websites
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit
- How COVID-19 Spreads (updated with airborne transmission information)
- Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility
- Clinical Questions about COVID-19: Questions and Answers
- NIOSH SARS-CoV-2 and the Workplace with John Howard (recorded webinar)
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator
- Resources for Businesses and Employers
- Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Protective Equipment
- Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators
- Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Persons with Potential Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Exposure in Travel-associated or Community Settings
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Expanded Temporary Enforcement Guidance on Respiratory Protection Fit-Testing for N95 Filtering Facepieces in All Industries During the Coronavirus
- Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 (Spanish)
- Prevent Worker Exposure to Coronavirus (Spanish)
- Worker Exposure Risk to COVID-19 (Spanish)
- Steps All Workplaces Can Take to Reduce the Risk of Exposure to Coronavirus (Spanish)
- Enforcement Guidance for Respiratory Protection and the N95 Shortage Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
- Temporary Guidance on the enforcement of OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standard:
- Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
- 1910.134 App D - (Mandatory) Information for Employees Using Respirators When not Required Under Standard
World Health Organization (WHO)
- FAQ: How is it transmitted?
- UPDATED Guidance for Health Workers and Administrators resource center
- Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19
- Severe Acute Respiratory Infections Treatment Centre PDF (Manual to set up/manage SARI treatment and screening facilities)
- WHO Risk Communication Resources for Epidemics
- WHO Daily situation reports (global)
- Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Rights, Roles, and Responsibilities of Healthcare Workers
- Infection Prevention and Control during Healthcare When Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) Infection Is Suspected
- ePROTECT Respiratory Infections (video): This two-hour online course provides a general introduction to acute respiratory infections and basic hygiene measures to protect against infection.
- COVID-19 risk communication package for healthcare facilities
Other Resources
- Cleaning and Disinfecting Efforts - To Reduce Risk of Transmission in the Workplace (Dropbox link) by HealthCare Consulting & Contracting (HC3)
- HPAE guide to spotting fake masks: Fake Face Mask Guide for HPAE Members
- NORA Manufacturing Sector Council COVID-19 Workgroup Ventilation Strategies to Reduce the Risk of COVID-19 in Manufacturing (PDF)
- ACGIH Ventilation for Industrial Settings during the COVID-19 Pandemic (white paper)
- Far UV-C in the 200 – 225 nm range, and its potential for disinfection applications (White paper from the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA))
- Operational Toolkit for Businesses Considering Reopening or Expanding Operations in COVID-19 (Johns Hopkins University)
- Annals of Internal Medicine: Why N95 Should Be the Standard for All COVID 19 Inpatient Care
- ILO issues guidance for safe, healthy, return to work during COVID-19
- N95DECON, a scientific consortium for data-driven study of N95 filtering facepiece respirator decontamination
- 3M video guide to filtering bioaerosols by filtering facepiece respirators
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Novel Coronavirus Resources list
- FEMA Coronavirus Emergency Management Best Practices
- AIP Webinar: The Truth About COVID-19 (YouTube)
- AAOHN and AFCI Partner to Launch “Face Covers for Worker Safety” Initiative (PDF)
- ISA Health & Safety Update for Manufacturing Facilities free webinar (Slide deck)
- National Council for Occupational Safety and Health Coronavirus Resources for Workers
- Prediction models from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
- EACO Emerging and Existing Pathogen Cleaning Best Practices (PDF) This guideline document is not specific to COVID-19. To allow for a wider use of this Guideline it was determined that the broader term “pathogen” was more appropriate.
- Restoration Industry Association, with the IICRC, releases report for restoration contractors offering disinfection services.
- EPA: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2
- How to disinfect frequently touched surfaces: free to download posters from American Chemistry's Council's Water Quality & Health Council
- 3M: Respiratory Protection for Airborne Exposures to Biohazards
- Council of Canadian Academies: Influenza Transmission and the Role of Personal Protective Respiratory Equipment: An Assessment of the Evidence
- The Change Foundation: Protecting the Faces of Health Care Workers: Knowledge Gaps and Research Priorities for Effective Protection Against Occupationally-Acquired Respiratory Infectious Diseases