Occupational Health and Safety Practices at workplace during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) a highly contagious viral respiratory disease has been declared as pandemic due to its global spread across most countries. Social isolation (i.e. physical distancing) and strict embracement of personal hygiene are few demonstrated preventive methods of COVID-19 transmission. All countries, based on the recommendations of World Health Organization (WHO), have adopted lockdown strategy (promoting physical distancing) to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the community including workplaces. In the interest of economic sustenance, many countries have partially relaxed the lockdown policies, to resume selective functioning of factories / organizations / institutes / workplaces. However, in the absence of appropriate occupational health and safety policies, workplaces are a potential threat for COVID-19 transmission & outbreak. The following document reviews the conventional hierarchy of occupational safety and health control measures (i.e. engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE), necessary to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks at workplace, based on the current scientific evidences on COVID-19.