The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, the only OSHA authorized OTI Education Center headquartered in northern California, is urging employers and workers to take advantage of interim guidance and important resources available from OSHA in response to COVID-19. OSHA’s webpage provides extensive workplace safety information about the evolving pandemic, including links to interim guidance, hazard recognition and many other resources for preventing exposures to, and infection with, the novel coronavirus.

“As employers and workers gradually venture out of sheltering in place and slowly resume work activities, it is vitally important that they know as much as possible how to protect themselves and others from contracting COVID-19,” said Cari Elofson-Callahan, assistant director of the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. “OSHA is deeply committed to helping employers and workers understand and follow the proper procedures and safety protocols to control and prevent the spread of this deadly disease.”

In order to make the wide array of information on this fast-evolving health crisis more accessible, OSHA has organized the material into several key categories:

News and Updates offers the latest OSHA COVID-19 resources, including "Seven Steps to Correctly Wear a Respirator at Work" and "COVID-19 Guidance for Restaurants & Beverage Vendors Offering Takeout or Curbside Pickup," available in both English and Spanish.

Hazard Recognition offers information on risk assessment for different industries, including "Classifying Risk of Worker Exposure to COVID-19" and "Identifying Potential Risks and Sources of Exposure."

Standards outlines how current OSHA standards apply to protect workers from COVID-19 and covers enforcement discretion guidance, enforcement directives and workers’ rights/employers’ responsibilities.

Medical Information answers many basic questions about COVID-19, including the following:

• What are the signs and symptoms of COVID-19?
• What should I do if I think I have been exposed to or infected with COVID-19?
• Am I at high risk for complications from COVID-19?

Control and Prevention provides general guidance for all workers and employers and additional interim guidance both for those at lower risk of exposure and those with increased risk of exposure.

The latest OSHA guidance, information and resources on how to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace is available on OSHA’s COVID-19 website.