Guidance for Businesses and Employers

• Encourage employees to get the updated fall 2023 COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and reduce the spread of the virus. Vaccination is the best way to protect employees from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying from COVID-19 and helps to reduce COVID-19 outbreaks in the workplace and in the community.
  • Updated fall 2023 COVID-19 vaccines are now available for everyone 6 months and older. The updated vaccine can increase prior protection (from previous vaccination or infection) that may have decreased over time.
  • Encourage employees to follow up with their healthcare provider, pharmacist, or visit ph.lacounty.gov/vaccines to find a convenient location near work or home.
  • They can call 1-833-540-0473 or 2-1-1 if they need help making an appointment or are homebound.
• Make it easier for your workers to get vaccinated.
  • Host a vaccination event for your organization. Search for a vaccine provider here.
  • Consider providing paid time off to get vaccine doses.

• Follow face mask rules.
  • Employers must follow the County indoor masking rules and recommendations that are published on the LA County COVID-19 Response Plan website. These change based on how many people are newly hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the County. This level is reported weekly as the COVID-19 Hospital Admissions Level by the CDC. In addition, see Mask Wearing Rules and Recommendations for the general public.
  • Employers are required to follow the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention regulations or, in some workplaces, the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Disease Standard. Cal/OSHA has more protective masking rules for workers in certain situations. A couple of examples include:
    • Workers who are returning to work after having COVID-19 infection are required to wear a mask around others through Day 10.
    • If there is an outbreak in a workplace, all exposed employees are required to wear a mask when indoors, or when outdoors and less than six feet from another person.
    Employers should consult the Cal/OSHA regulations for all workplace masking requirements.
  • When masks are required for workers by Cal/OSHA or CDPH, employers must provide them for free and ensure that they are worn. See Cal/OSHA standards 3205(f)(1).
  • Businesses, employers, transit providers, venues may choose to continue to require indoor masking for everyone to protect workers, even when not required by the County, Cal/OSHA, or CDPH.
• Allow employees and customers/visitors to wear masks even if they are not required.
  •  All individuals may choose to wear a mask, including a respirator for voluntary use without fear of discrimination or retaliation.
• Provide employees with well-fitting respirators for voluntary use, if requested, and basic training to employees on their use.
  • Upon request, employers must provide NIOSH-approved respirators (e.g., N95 masks) for voluntary use to all employees who are working indoors or in vehicles with more than one person. Employers must provide instructions, encourage their use, and ensure the respirator is the correct size for the employee. Training must include how to properly wear the N95, perform a seal check and the fact that facial hair interferes with a seal. See Cal/OSHA FAQs for additional details.
  • Consider sharing with workers the LAC DPH Know which Masks Provide the Best Protection one-pager (see Resources for multiple languages).

  Free and low-cost PPE packages, including N95 masks for are available through PPE Unite^TM. Learn more at www.ppeunite.org or call (833) 773-8648. Membership fees apply.

  
  

• Employers/facilities need to have a way to communicate that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 must not enter the premises.
  • Consider using clearly visible signage at the entrance to your business to not enter the premises if sick.
• Actively encourage and support employees to stay home when sick.
  • Continue to educate employees about the symptoms of COVID-19 and what to do if they are sick, including the importance of not coming to work, getting tested for COVID-19, and seeking COVID-19 treatment.
  • Ensure that employees are not penalized when they stay home due to illness. Review your workplace leave policies and modify them if possible.
  • Make sure that your employees are aware of any benefits they may be eligible for such as paid sick leave or workers’ compensation.
  • Share resources with employees about how they can obtain COVID-19 testing and treatment.
• Exclude infected employees from the workplace and require them to mask upon return.
  •  COVID-19 cases must be excluded from the workplace until they meet all return to work requirements.
  • Ensure that all COVID-19 cases returning to the workplace wear a well-fitting mask through Day 10 (Day 0 is symptom onset day; if they have no symptoms, Day 0 is the test collection day of first positive test).
• Appropriately manage COVID-19 exposures in the workplace.
  • Employers are required to investigate and respond once it is known that an employee with COVID-19 was at work during their infectious period. See DPH Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace.

• Increase ventilation to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 viral particles spread between people more readily indoors than outdoors. Effective ventilation is one of the most important ways to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 through the air. Refer to the following resources:
  • LAC DPH Ventilation Guidance: 6 Steps to Cleaner Air (also available in Spanish)
  • CDPH Interim Guidance for Ventilation, Filtration, and Air Quality in Indoor Environments
  • Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulation FAQs-Ventilation
  • CDC Ventilation in Buildings

Hand Hygiene

• Hand hygiene is one of the best ways to prevent employees from getting sick and spreading germs to others in the workplace. Handwashing reduces the risk illnesses such as COVID-19, flu, colds, and diarrheal diseases.
• Provide adequate handwashing facilities and supplies for employees and, where appropriate, the public. Increase access to sinks that is accessible to all employees and in places such as bathrooms, food preparation areas, or in eating areas.
• Provide soap, water, and a way to dry hands (e.g., paper towels, hand dryer) so employees can wash and dry hands properly.
• Place hand sanitizer dispensers with at least 60% alcohol near frequently touched surfaces, in areas where soap and water are not easily accessible, such as near elevators, shared equipment, building entrances and exits, etc.
• Ensure that employees have adequate time to wash their hands during work time.
• Put visual reminders, like signs and posters, to remind people to wash or sanitize their hands and show how to wash hands. How to wash hands posters are available in multiple languages in the Signage section.

Cleaning

• Regularly cleaning surfaces in your worksite helps prevent the spread of germs that make people sick.
• Employers should regularly clean frequently touched surfaces and objects such as pens, counters, shopping carts, door handles, stair rails, elevator buttons, touchpads, restroom fixtures, and desks. They should also clean other surfaces when they are visibly dirty.
• In addition to cleaning, the CDC recommends disinfecting areas where people have been obviously ill (for instance, vomiting on facility surfaces).
• Worksites should consult CDC When and How to Clean and Disinfect a Facility for more detailed information.