Social Distancing Advice for the Workplace

June 3, 2020 Roberta Garthwait

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued an alert listing steps employers can follow to implement social distancing in the workplace and to help protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

Safety measures employers can implement include the following:

• Isolate any worker who begins to exhibit symptoms until they can either go home or leave to seek medical care.
• Establish flexible worksites (e.g., telecommuting) and flexible work hours (e.g., staggered shifts), if feasible.
• Stagger breaks and rearrange seating in common break areas to maintain physical distance between workers.
• In workplaces where customers are present, mark six-foot distances with floor tape in areas where lines form, use drive-through windows or curbside pickup and limit the number of customers allowed at one time.
• Move or reposition workstations to create more distance and install plexiglass partitions.
• Encourage workers to bring any safety and health concerns to the employer’s attention.