ccupational Health and Safety requires employers to provide a safe workplace for their employees.

Preventive measures could include:

• Ensuring that handwashing facilities are readily available and encouraging employees to practice good hygiene.
• Ensuring employees are aware of the symptoms and risk of the virus.
• Having a Health and Safety meeting with your committee or representative (if applicable) to review business policies and protocols.
• Posting safety measures and encouraging employees to follow them to help prevent person to person transmission.
• Permitting employees to work remotely where possible. Communicate this to employees, so they will feel comfortable working from home if they are feeling under the weather.
• Having safety products available (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, gloves, etc.).
• Paying additional attention to cleaning – disinfecting door handles, computer keyboards, telephones, etc.

Note: these measures also help prevent the spread of other infections such as colds, the flu, and stomach bugs.

Be wary of singling out an employee to stay home as a preventive measure, if other employees are continuing to come into the workplace. The reason to remove the employee from the workplace needs to be supported by facts, and be in line with public health guidelines, to avoid the possibility the move could be perceived as being discriminatory.

Employees must take the necessary steps to protect their own health and well-being and that of their co-workers. Employees must comply with any preventive measures put in place by the employer (use of personal protective equipment, hygiene requirements, etc.), and they must report hazards to their employers. The possibility they may have been infected with COVID-19 is a hazard that must be reported to the employer.

Having a small business sick policy or attendance policy is good business sense at all times, not just when there is a pandemic. Letting employees know exactly what they are entitled to, based on Employment Standards requirements and your own internal policies, will set expectations and reduce confusion and frustration.

Under Occupational Health and Safety legislation, employees have a right to refuse work if they have reasonable grounds to believe it is dangerous to their health or safety. Remind your employees of the preventive measures that have been put in place, and the safety products available to them. This may help mitigate instances of employees refusing to work due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Each employee has a duty to report any dangerous situation to their supervisor. The employer then has a duty to take remedial action by having the workplace health and safety committee and/or representative investigate. In some cases, a government health and safety officer may need to investigate as well.

The employer may choose to reassign work. In this case, the employee must receive the same wages and benefits as they would have received under their previous assignment.

Please review the OH&S legislation in your jurisdiction for guidance on further reporting responsibilities.

The federal government is requiring all travelers arriving from an international destination to self-isolate for 14 days. If the employee develops even a low-grade fever or mild cough they should avoid close contact with other people, and call their healthcare provider or public health department (contact information below).

If the employee is ill and still exhibiting symptoms, you can ask the employee to provide a note from a healthcare practitioner that gives them clearance to return to work, before the employee may return to their regular duties.

Under the Employment Standards an employer can refuse to give an employee time off. You may need to cover the money lost by the employee if you have previously granted permission (rules vary by jurisdiction).

It's also important to consider a Human Rights perspective. Ensure you are focusing on the virus and not on the employee’s race, ethnicity or place of origin. An employee could easily feel discriminated against if you refuse the time off.

As an employer, you have the obligation to ensure the health and safety of your employees. Ensure your employees are well informed of the risks associated with traveling to effected regions, and of your company policy regarding the potential of a quarantine requirement upon their return from their trip.  If the employee chooses to travel anyway, advise them the government will require them to quarantine for 14 days, and they may be required to provide clearance from a physician at the end of the 14 days in order to return to work, to ensure the health and safety of your workplace.

The federal government is recommending that all international travel be restricted. International flights will only be permitted to land at certain airports, and travellers arriving from international destination will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. It is also possible that travellers will find themselves quarantined in the country they are visiting.

Reducing meetings and the time that employees have to interact with each other can help mitigate the spread of the virus.

Advise your employees that anyone with a mild fever,cough or sneeze should stay home. As well, if an employee has to take medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) they should stay home. These medications can mask the symptoms of infection.

Keep informed of any emergency measures being put in place by the community. Ensure your business continuity or emergency preparedness plan is up-to-date. This will prepare you if a State of Emergency is made and the business is forced to close.