High exposure risk jobs are those with high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of COVID-19.
Very high exposure risk jobs are those with high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of COVID-19 during specific medical, postmortem, or laboratory procedures that involve aerosol generation or specimen collection/handling.
Some examples of these risk categories include:
- Healthcare delivery and support staff (e.g., doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff who must enter patients’ rooms) exposed to known or suspected COVID-19 patients. (Note: when such workers perform aerosol-generating procedures, their exposure risk level becomes very high.)
- Medical transport workers (e.g., ambulance vehicle operators) moving known or suspected COVID-19 patients in enclosed vehicles.
What you can do:
- Some researchers at TC might fall into High or Very High Risk categories.
- Steps to care for yourself and others will be determined via the Job Safety Assessment (JSA) carried out by the Office of Environmental health and Safety
- The IRB will review your research with humans subjects protocol and make recommendations on how to mitigate risk and protect participants
- Researchers in these categories will undergo additional training and will be supported to implement risk management procedures and protocols as appropriate for their specific situation.
- To find out more about the JSA, and/or to schedule one for your research lab, space, or group, please contact the Office of Environmental Health and Safety
RISK LEVELS FOR TC RESEARCHERS ARE DETERMINED BY THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY.
RISK LEVELS FOR PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH STUDIES ARE DETERMINED BY THE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD.