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640 OSHA COVID-19 Plan: 1910.50 - Healthcare Requirements
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(g) Aerosol-Generating Procedures On a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19

When an aerosol-generating procedure is performed on a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 you must:

  • limit the number of employees present during the procedure to only those essential for patient care and procedure support;
Three people sitting around a table each wearing a face mask.
Adhere to social distancing guidelines.
  • ensure that the procedure is performed in an existing Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR), if available;
  • clean and disinfect the surfaces and equipment in the room or area where the procedure was performed.

(h) Physical Distancing

You must ensure that each employee is separated from all other people by at least 6 feet when indoors unless you can prove that it is not feasible for a specific activity (e.g., hands-on medical care). This provision does not apply to momentary exposure while people are in movement (e.g., passing in hallways or aisles).

If you prove it is not feasible for an employee to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from all other people, you must ensure that the employee is as far apart from all other people as feasible.

Physical distancing can include methods such as: telehealth; telework or other remote work arrangements; reducing the number of people, including non-employees, in an area at one time; visual cues such as signs and floor markings to indicate where employees and others should be located or their direction and path of travel; staggered arrival, departure, work, and break times; and adjusted work processes or procedures to allow greater distance between employees.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

1-8. You see two employees passing each other in a hallway. What is the social distancing requirement for the two employees?