How Outdoor Recreation Industry Employers Can Protect Their Employees and Visitors From Health Risks
Although outdoor recreational activities carry a reduced risk of transmitting viruses and illness due to the ease of social distancing and access to fresh air in outdoor spaces, employers at campgrounds, parks, and pools must continue to take precautions to protect their employees and visitors from ongoing and evolving health risks.
Campgrounds and trails can become crowded during holidays and warmer months. Shared facilities — including restrooms and visitor centers — must be regularly cleaned and ventilated to protect employees and visitors from health risks like COVID-19.
Protecting Against Ongoing Health Risks in Outdoor Recreation
Employers in recreational areas face difficult questions that they must address to protect the health of their employees and visitors, including:
What communication is needed to keep everyone informed of the preventative steps being taken?
What health and safety measures do we need to take regarding new virus variants?
How do we handle high-traffic crowd management throughout the recreational areas, including during peak times?
Our Healthier Workplaces guidance documents offer practical advice for how employers can address these challenges to improve their workplace safety. The guidance borrows from the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice and expert counsel from other leading health, government, and outdoor recreation industry organizations.
In the below “Resources By Type” under “Support Documents,” you will find the Healthier Workplaces: Guidance for the Outdoor Recreation Industry (Campgrounds, Parks, and Pools), 2nd edition, as well as other resources to access clear strategies to reduce the health risks your employees and visitors face, including guidance on:
Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting practices for outdoor recreation environments
Personal hygiene best practices for employees
Ways to enable physical distancing at campgrounds and parks, especially in shared facilities like restrooms, showers, and locker rooms
Self-monitoring practices for employees and visitors to identify potential illness
Additional Safety Resources For Outdoor Recreation
For more help and resources to understand and avoid the ongoing health risks of outdoor recreation work and activities, we recommend you explore the following resources and networks.
Resources by Type