Businesses and Workplaces

In the event a worker tests positive for COVID-19, employers must follow the requirements outlined in Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations.

 

Step 1: Provide instructions to the COVID-19-positive worker and any close contacts

Work Exclusion & Isolation Period

Non-high-risk, non-congregate settings: The COVID-19 positive worker must be sent home immediately and instructed to isolate. Advise all positive, symptomatic, or exposed workers who had close contact with the COVID-19 positive worker to follow COVID-19 Guidelines for the General Public. 

The County of Santa Clara discourages employers from requiring a medical note from a doctor or healthcare provider for clearance to return to work after an employee has COVID-19. Employees are no longer considered contagious when isolation guidelines have been met. 

High-risk, congregate settings (healthcare settings or congregate living settings, such as jails or shelters): Healthcare workers in acute care hospitals or skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) should follow the isolation, testing, and work restriction guidance in AFL 21-08. Staff and residents in other high-risk settings* should follow the COVID-19 Guidelines for Staff and Residents in High-Risk Settings.

*Other high-risk settings include all healthcare settings not covered by AFL 21-08 and congregate settings such as shelters, correctional facilities, long-term care settings, and adult and senior care facilities. See CDPH for more information and refer to CDPH guidance for your facility type. All shelters should refer to the CDC's Guidance on Management of COVID-19 in Homeless Service Sites and in Correctional and Detention Facilities.

Note: In the workplace, employers are subject to Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations or in some workplaces the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) Standard (PDF), and should consult those regulations for additional applicable rquirements, including requirements related to testing and masking in the workplace. 

General Advisory & Symptom Monitoring for All Other Employees

All others present at the workplace, but NOT identified as close contacts, should be advised to self-monitor for symptoms and wear a mask for 10 days after the last day that the person diagnosed with COVID-19 was at work.

 

Step 2: Report Any Hospitalizations or Deaths to the Local Cal/OSHA District Office

Any serious injury, illness, or death occurring in any place of employment or in connection with any employment must be reported by the employer to the local Cal/OSHA district office immediately. For COVID-19, this includes hospitalizations and deaths among employees, even if work-relatedness is uncertain.

• Full details on what information needs to be reported (https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/report-accident-or-injury.html), contact information for district offices (https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/districtoffices.htm), and the Title 8 section 342 requirement (https://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/342.html) are available online.
• Cal/OSHA prefers calls by phone but will also accept email reports ([email protected]).

 

Step 3: Preventing Workplace COVID-19 Transmission

Employers must follow all Cal/OSHA requirements for preventing workplace COVID-19 transmission.

Face coverings must be worn at certain times and in certain settings as required by the State's Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings, a County Health Order Requiring Use of Face Coverings in Higher-Risk Settings, and Cal/OSHA.

Businesses are also recommended to encourage COVID-19 vaccination. The most important thing a workplace can do to decrease risk of COVID-19 in the workplace is to facilitate vaccination where feasible. All individuals ages 6 months and up are eligible for vaccination. More information about available vaccines and how to access them can be found at www.sccfreevax.org.