Employers should reopen only when they can do so safely, the National Safety Council (NSC) said in response to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for office workers returning to work during the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for reopening offices during the COVID-19 pandemic include wearing cloth masks throughout the workday; maintaining social distances of six feet, including in elevators; positioning workstations six feet apart or installing plastic partitions; and removing communal coffeepots.

California employers now must protect worker from both COVID-19 infections and heat illness as the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued extreme heat warnings for several parts of the state.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued interim guidance for protecting employees in hospitals from exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and a guide to the state’s Aerosol Transmissible Disease (ATD) standard.

Building owners reopening vacant buildings as stay-at-home orders expire may need to flush plumbing fixtures weekly to prevent harmful organisms from growing in plumbing, according to a pre-press research study.