How At-Home Service Providers Can Protect Themselves And Customers From Health Risks
At-home service providers face unique challenges in safely conducting work, given the ongoing risks of transmitting COVID-19 and other illnesses when completing services in or immediately around a customer’s home.
At-home service providers—including electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, carpenters, landscape workers, household cleaners, painters, pest control specialists, appliance repair technicians, and telecommunications technicians—all face common questions, including:
How do we protect ourselves from COVID-19 and similar illnesses while performing services in a client’s home?
How do we assure our customers that we are doing all we can to prevent the spread of illness?
What do we do if a customer asks a staff member to enter a customer's home who has tested positive for COVID-19 or a similar virus?
Protecting Against Ongoing Health Risks When Performing At-Home Services
Our Healthier Workplaces guidance documents offer practical advice on how at-home service providers can improve workplace safety, including recommendations for employers and employees. The guidance borrows from the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice and expert counsel from other leading health, government, and at-home service industry organizations.
In the below “Resources By Type” under “Support Documents,” you will find our “Healthier Workplaces and Schools eBook”, plus links to other resources and industry organizations that provide education about:
Personal hygiene best practices and the importance of washing hands or using hand sanitizer regularly while performing at-home services
Payment system considerations to discourage direct contact or the use of cash or checks
Considerations for personal protective equipment for at-home service providers, including the use of disposable barriers where appropriate
Best practices for handling communication with employees and customers to ensure they are aware of the job specifics and any special considerations or needs to protect their wellbeing
Strategies for reducing the use of a customer’s bathroom and kitchen
Self-monitoring practices and how to know if you should reschedule a house cleaner, electrician, plumber, or other at-home service provider
Additional Safety Resources For At-Home Service Provider Employers
We recommend exploring the following resources to help understand and avoid the ongoing health risks of performing at-home services.
Resources by Type
Publications
Healthier Workplaces and Schools eBook
The recent pandemic has taught us many important lessons about the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, RSV, and measles in indoor environments. As a result, we must take advantage of what we have learned to help ensure our places of work are and continue to be safe places for our workers, customers, and communities. Many of the steps you can take to help keep buildings and the people in them safer and healthier are simple and effective and can be adjusted to meet the current situation or infectious disease risk that exists. In this e-book, we will walk you through the different approaches to help mitigate the risk of spreading airborne infectious diseases depending on your workplace setting.