Coronavirus Disease-2019
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus (named “coronavirus disease 2019” or “COVID-19”) that was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and which continues to expand. This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated information as it becomes available, in addition to updated guidance, on the CDC website. The purpose of this page is to highlight resources available for the protection of workers.
- Personal Protective Equipment Burn Rate Mobile App
The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator is now available as an app. Facilities can use the NIOSH PPE Tracker app to calculate their average PPE consumption rate or “burn rate.” The app estimates how many days a PPE supply will last given current inventory levels and PPE burn rate. The app is available for both iOSexternal icon and Androidexternal icon devices. - Meat and Poultry Processing Guidance
Meat and Poultry Processing Guidance Multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 among meat and poultry processing facility workers have occurred in the United States recently. CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have published guidance for meat and poultry processing workers and employers. - Frequently Asked Questions
CDC has provided answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on general business that build on the Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers and Guidance for Critical Infrastructure Workers. Additionally, answers to FAQs for law enforcement and personnel are also available. - Industry-Specific Resources
CDC has published several new factsheets for workers who may be at risk for exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19.
plane solid icon Airport Workers
- Airline Customer Service Gate Agents
- Airport Baggage and Cargo Handlers
- Airport Custodial Support
- Airport Passenger Assistance Workers
- Aircraft Maintenance Workers
- Airline Catering Kitchen Workers
- Airline Catering Truck Drivers
- Airport Retail and Food Services Workers
building icon Small Business
building icon School
shuttle van solid icon Transit & Delivery Drivers
- Bus Transit Operators
- Rail Transit Operators
- Transit Maintenance Workers
- Transit Station Workers
- Mail & Parcel Delivery Drivers
- Rideshare, Taxi, Limo, and other Passenger Drivers-for-Hire
- Food & Grocery Pick-up & Delivery Drivers
badge icon First Responders
food icon Food & Grocery Workers
The following interim guidance is for: businesses and employers, public health authorities, and administrators of childcare programs and K-12 schools to help prevent exposures and spread of COVID-19.
- Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- General Business Frequently Asked Questions
Infection prevention and control procedures follow the hierarchy of controls approach. This approach includes engineering controls, administrative controls (or changes in work practices), and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), which are all necessary to prevent infections from spreading.
The interim infection prevention and control recommendations linked immediately below are intended only for: healthcare settings, home care, emergency medical services systems and 911 call centers, law enforcement personnel, and those responsible for the collection and submission of postmortem specimens from deceased persons.
- Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or Patients Under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings
- Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Protective Equipment
- Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators
- Interim Guidance for Implementing Home Care of People Not Requiring Hospitalization for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for 2019-nCoV in the United States
- What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know about Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Interim Guidance for Collection and Submission of Postmortem Specimens from Deceased Persons Under Investigation (PUI) for COVID-19, February 2020
General and specific biosafety guidelines for workers handling COVID-19 specimens are provided in the interim guidance, listed below.
- Interim Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 5th Edition
- Laboratory Biosafety Manual – Third Editionexternal icon
Interim recommendations for the commercial airline industry including crew on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are provided below. Also, provided is interim guidance on how to prevent, detect, and manage COVID-19 infections for ships originating from, or stopping in, the United States.
Healthcare personnel should refer to interim infection prevention and control recommendations and guidance for caring for patients with confirmed or possible COVID-19 for additional guidance related to PPE recommendations.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Healthcare Supply of Personal Protective Equipment
- Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Protective Equipment
- Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators
- Considerations for Optimizing the Supply of Powered Air-Purifying Respirators
- Elastomeric Respirators: Strategies During Conventional and Surge Demand Situations
Non-healthcare personnel should refer to the interim guidance for conserving and extending filtering facepiece respirator supply.
To understand the difference between surgical masks and N95 respirators and to learn more about N95 respirators recommendations, including a list of NIOSH-Approved N95 Respirators, the following resources are available:
- Infographic: Understanding the difference between surgical masks and N95 respiratorspdf icon
- NIOSH-Approved N95 Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators
- Recommended Guidance for Extended Use and Limited Reuse of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators in Healthcare Settings
- Infographic: Important Steps for Using NIOSH-Approved N95 Filtering Facepiece Respiratorspdf icon
- Infographic: Three Key Factors Required for a Respirator to be Effectivepdf icon
To learn how to properly put on and fit a respirator, the following resources are available:
- Infographic: Sequence for Putting on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) pdf icon
- Infographic: How to Properly Put on and Take off a Disposable Respirator
- Factsheet: Frequently asked questions about Respiratory Protection: Fit Testingpdf icon
- Filtering out Confusion: Frequently Asked Questions about Respiratory Protection, User Seal Checkexternal icon
To track how quickly personal protective equipment is being used, download and use our free calculator:
- OSHA Guidance on COVID-19external icon
- OSHA Respiratory Protecting eToolexternal icon
- Video: Respirator Safety (Donning (Putting on) and Doffing (Taking off) and User Seal Checks)
- OSHA Respiratory Protection Standardsexternal icon
- OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standardexternal icon
- Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19pdf iconexternal icon