A new study reveals that about 14.4 million Americans workers are exposed to disease and infection in the work place each week.

Healthcare workers were obviously the most at risk, but other public-facing employees such as police and fire-fighters, couriers, community and health care workers and even plumbers were cited to be in vulnerable groups.

According to Newsweek, one of the authors of the study, Marissa Baker, an assistant professor in the University of Washington School of Public Health said:

“Our findings serve as a reminder that the workplace should be a focus for public health intervention, especially during disease outbreaks like COVID-19.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued interim guidelines for workers in federal, state and local law enforcement, janitorial and custodial staff and any other workers in the food and agriculture, manufacturing or transportation industries. These directives to employers include:

• Pre-screening all employees by taking their temperature and assessing their symptoms prior to starting work.
• Making sure employees also monitor themselves regularly during the day to ascertain they don’t develop a temperature or symptoms.
• Providing masks. According to the CDC, all employees should wear a mask at all times while in the workplace.
• Maintaining social distancing. All employees should maintain 6 feet and practice social distancing as work duties permit.
• Cleaning and disinfecting all common areas such as offices, bathrooms, and shared electronic equipment.

“The large number of persons employed in occupations with frequent exposure to infection and disease underscore the importance of all workplaces developing risk response plans for COVID-19,” the study authors concluded.