How often should employees wash their hands

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places—elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, handshaking with people, etc. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something.

• Wash your hands often with plain soap and water. The CDC recommends washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Learn more about safely using hand sanitizer.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face covering or non-surgical mask when around others. Find more information about how to select, wear, and clean your mask.
• Avoid crowds and practice social distancing (stay at least 6 feet apart from others).
• Get the COVID-19 vaccine when it is offered to you.

There are currently no drugs, including hand sanitizer, approved by FDA to prevent or treat COVID-19. The best way to prevent the spread of infections and decrease the risk of getting sick is by washing your hands with plain soap and water, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is essential, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing one’s nose. If soap and water are not available, CDC recommends consumers use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% ethanol.

While they are not alcohol-based, and thus not recommended by CDC, there are some hand sanitizer products containing benzalkonium chloride as an active ingredient that may be legally marketed if they meet the requirements for marketing under section 505G of the Food, medicine, and Cosmetic Act.

• Follow the policies and procedures of the employer related to illness, use of cloth masks, social distancing, cleaning and disinfecting, and work meetings and travel.
• Stay home if sick, except to get medical care.
• Practice social distancing by keeping at least 6 feet away from fellow employees or co-workers, customers, and visitors when possible.
• Wear cloth face coverings, especially when social distancing is not possible.
• Employees should inform their supervisor if they or their colleagues develop symptoms at work. No one with COVID-19 symptoms should be present at the workplace.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing noses, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place.
– Use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Avoid touch
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.

Evaluate your workplace to identify situations where employees cannot maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from each other and/or customers. Use appropriate combinations of controls following the hierarchy of controls to addresses these situations to limit the spread of COVID-19. A committee of both employees and management may be the most effective way to recognize all of these scenarios.

It is important to note that control recommendations or interventions assigned to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 must be compatible with any safety programs and personal protective equipment (PPE) normally required for the job task.

Remind employees that people may be able to spread COVID-19 even if they do not show symptoms. Consider all close interactions (within 6 feet) with employees, clients, and others as a potential source of exposure. Discourage handshaking, hugs, and fist bumps.

Encourage the use of outdoor seating areas and social distancing for any small-group activities such as lunches, breaks, and meetings.

For employees who commute to work using public transportation or ride sharing, consider offering the following support: If feasible, offer employees incentives to use forms of transportation that minimize close contact with others (e.g., biking, walking, driving or riding by car either alone or with household members)

Employees should take the following steps to protect themselves at work:

• Follow the policies and procedures of the employer related to illness, use of cloth masks, social distancing, cleaning and disinfecting, and work meetings and travel.
• Stay home if sick, except to get medical care.
• Practice social distancing by keeping at least 6 feet away from fellow employees or co-workers, customers, and visitors when possible.
• Wear cloth face coverings, especially when social distancing is not possible.
• Employees should inform their supervisor if they or their colleagues develop symptoms at work. No one with COVID-19 symptoms should be present at the workplace.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing noses, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place.
  • Use hand sanitizer

Designate workers to monitor and facilitate distancing on production or assembly line floors. For some monitoring activities, it may be possible to leverage closed-circuit television (camera systems) to remotely view facilities as opposed to physically visiting the location.

Stagger break times or provide temporary break areas and restrooms to avoid groups of workers during breaks. Workers should maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others at all times, including on breaks.

Stagger workers’ arrival and departure times to avoid congregations of workers in parking areas, locker rooms, and near time clocks. Provide visual cues (e.g., floor markings, signs) as a reminder to workers to maintain social distancing. Encourage workers to avoid carpooling to and from work, if possible.

Limit close contact with others by maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet, when possible. Limit the number of workers in small workspace areas such as job site elevators, trailers and vehicles, and spaces under construction if possible.

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas where there is significant community-based transmission of COVID-19.

Cloth face coverings may prevent people who don’t know they have the virus from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings are NOT surgical masks or respirators and are not appropriate substitutes for them in workplaces where masks or respirators are recommended or required.