Leading health organizations on January 12, urged employers and employees to pledge to make their organizations and communities healthier and safer from COVID-19.
Businesses and public health organizations have taken the Commit To C.A.R.E. pledge including: National Safety Council, Society for Critical Care Medicine, the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare, and Indoor Air Quality Association Australia, among others.
AIHA, the association for scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring occupational and environmental health and safety in the workplace, in partnership with IBEC, The Integrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium, launched Commit To C.A.R.E., a new public education initiative that encourages employers and employees to commit to reducing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace and communities by minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19 and preparing buildings against the spread. The initiative is funded by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The economic toll on businesses and employees is immense," said AIHA CEO Lawrence Sloan. "To return to work safely, both employers and their employees play a role in keeping their work environments and communities safe. While vaccination is one way to reduce the transmission and severity of COVID-19, there are other steps organizations should take to mitigate its spread and protect what matters most — people.
According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, a quarter of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household has been laid off or lost a job because of the coronavirus outbreak, and 32% say they or someone else in their household has taken a pay cut due to reduced hours or demand for their work. And, most workers (60%) who lost wages during the pandemic are still earning less.
Commit To C.A.R.E. (Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Equity) strives to debunk myths about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, make the complexities of the science easier to understand through no-cost, engaging multi-media tools available in nine different languages, help prepare facilities against airborne viruses, and encourage businesses to pledge their commitment to C.A.R.E. for the health and well-being of their employees, clients, and customers.
The comprehensive resources include micro-training videos (i.e., addressing the importance of control strategies such as ventilation and respiratory protection), checklists, a web-based interactive assessment tool, other informational pieces on such topics as in-house vaccination and testing policy, and more.
"The resources included in Commit to C.A.R.E. align to most of the topic areas within the OSHA ETS and help create a common understanding of the issues across the workforce, building a solid framework for more detailed training within an organization," said Kenneth Martinez, Chief Science Officer at IBEC. "The resources go one step further by targeting the content specifically to key industries: general business, healthcare, and long-term care facilities," he added.
For more resources visit: www.BackToWorkSafely.org/CDC to download a tool kit of materials to get started.