In December of 2019, a new respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus started in China. This Coronavirus Disease 2019, known as COVID-19, has since spread to almost every country across the world. The pandemic has affected all aspects of daily life, including work, travel, trade, tourism, food supplies and financial markets.

To reduce the impact of pandemics such as COVID-19 on businesses, workers, customers, and the public, it is vital to prepare and plan as far in advance as possible of potentially worsening outbreak conditions. Areas of concern include exposure risks, sources of exposure, and routes of transmission. Lack of continuity planning can result in a cascade of failures as employers attempt to address challenges of a pandemic with insufficient resources and workers who might not be adequately trained for jobs they may have to perform under pandemic conditions.

Pandemic planning is based on traditional infection prevention and industrial hygiene practices, focusing on engineering, administrative, and work practice controls and personal protective equipment use. Employers and employees should use this training guidance to help identify risk levels in workplace setting, determine any appropriate control measures to implement, and take the necessary steps to ensure a safe workplace for all.

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