The Interministerial Ordinance MTP/MS 14, published on January 25, amends Annex I of the Joint Ordinance 20/20, and updates the measures to be observed to prevent, control and mitigate the risks of transmission of covid-19 in work environments.

Among the main changes, the following stand out:

• updating the concepts of confirmed and contacting cases;
• reduction of the period of leave of workers;
• exclusion from sorting at the entrance of establishments;
• recommendations on remote work;
• ventilation in the work environment;
• mandatory supply of PFF2 masks to risk groups; and
• increase from three to four hours of mask change time.

In the comparative table, we indicate the main changes:

The other measures remain in force and must be fully observed by companies in order to minimize the risks of transmission and contagion among workers. We highlight below the main measures provided for by the ordinance:

Guidance measures

— Mandatory to disseminate informative guidelines or protocols to workers, indicating the necessary measures for the prevention, control and mitigation of the risks of transmission of covid-19. The guidelines should include:

• prevention measures in work environments, in common areas, such as in cafeterias, bathrooms, changing rooms, rest areas and in the transportation of workers, when provided by the employer;
• actions for early identification and removal of workers with signs and symptoms compatible with covid-19;
• procedures for workers to communicate, including remotely, signs or symptoms compatible with covid-19 or possible contact with confirmed case of covid-19;
• instructions on hand hygiene and respiratory label; and
• forms of contagion, signs, symptoms and care needed to reduce transmission in the workplace and in the community.

The organization should extend this information to outsourced workers and other organizations that enter the facility.

Instructions to workers can be transmitted during training or through security dialogues, physical or electronic documents, posters and internal regulations, avoiding the use of pamphlets.

Conduct that should be adopted in confirmed, suspected and contacting cases

— Immediately remove workers with confirmed cases, suspected cases and contacting cases close to cases confirmed for covid-19 from face-to-face work activities for a period of ten days.

For the purposes of the period of removal:

• in confirmed cases, the day following the onset of symptoms or molecular method test collection (RT-PCR or RT-LAMP) or antigen test should be considered;
• in suspected cases, the day following the onset of symptoms should be considered; and
• in cases of close contactants, it should be considered from the last day of contact with the confirmed case.

The period of leave may be reduced to seven days in the following cases:

• confirmed – provided they have been without fever for 24 hours, without the use of anti-thermal medication, and with remission of respiratory signs and symptoms;
• close contactants – provided molecular method test (RT-PCR or RT-LAMP) or antigen is performed from the fifth day after contact, if the test result is negative; and
• suspected – provided they have been without fever for 24 hours, without the use of anti-thermal medicine, and with remission of respiratory signs and symptoms.

— Guide workers away on the need to remain in their residence, maintaining remuneration during the period of leave.

— Establish procedures for identifying suspected cases, including communication channels for workers to report the appearance of compatible signs or symptoms and contact with confirmed or suspected case of covid-19.

— Collect information on contactants, activities, the workplace and common areas frequented by the suspected or confirmed worker of covid-19.

— Guide contactants close to suspected cases of covid-19 about contact and the need to report immediately to the company the emergence of any signs or symptoms related to the disease.

— Keep record up to date with the following information:

• workers by age group;
• workers with clinical conditions at risk for the development of complications related to more severe conditions of covid-19 (no specification of the disease, preserving confidentiality). Clinical conditions at risk for the development of complications of covid-19 are considered: severe or decompensated heart diseases (heart failure, infarcted, revascularized, patients with arrhythmias, decompensated systemic arterial hypertension); severe or decompensated pneumopathy (oxygen-dependent, moderate/severe asthma patients, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – COPD); immunosuppressed; advanced-stage chronic renal patients (grades 3, 4 and 5); diabetics, according to clinical judgment, and high-risk pregnant women;

• suspected and confirmed cases;

• close contactants on/who were on leave; and

• measures taken to adapt working environments to prevent covid-19.

— Forward suspected cases to the organization's medical outpatient clinic, when available, in order to carry out appropriate evaluation and follow-up. The care of symptomatic workers should always occur separately from the other workers, providing masks to all those present in the outpatient clinic.

— When the activities of a given sector or of the establishment itself are stopped as a result of covid-19, the following procedures shall be adopted before the return of activities:

• ensure the adoption of the preventive measures provided for in the annex to the Ordinance and the correction of situations that may have favoured the contamination of workers in the working environments;
• sanitize and disinfect the workplace, common areas and vehicles used;

• strengthen communication to workers; and

• strengthen the monitoring of workers to ensure the removal of confirmed, suspectedand contacting cases close to confirmed cases of covid-19.

Hygiene and cleanliness of the environments

— Sanitize and disinfect workplaces frequently, by cleaning the surfaces of tables, countertops and chairs in the interval between shifts or whenever there is the designation of one worker to occupy the job of another. The cleaning and disinfection of keyboards, handrails, door handles, payment terminals, elevator buttonens, tables and chairs should also be cleaned and disinfected.

Hand hygiene and respiratory label

— Guide employees to frequent hand hygiene, with the provision of resources for this purpose close to workplaces, including water, liquid soap, disposable paper towel and trash can (with manual contact-free opening) or hand-appropriate sanitizer, such as 70% alcohol.

— Advise on not sharing towels and personal products.

— Procedures should be adopted to ensure that, as far as possible, workers avoid touching surfaces with high frequency of contact, such as lift buttons, door handles and handrails.

— Workers should be instructed to avoid touching the mouth, nose, eyes and face with their hands and to practice respiratory label, including wearing disposable handkerchief for nasal hygiene, covering the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing and sanitizing their hands after sneezing or coughing.

— Specialized Services in Safety Engineering and Occupational Medicine (SESMT) and the Internal Commission for Accident Prevention (Cipa) should participate in the prevention actions implemented by the organization.

Social distancing

— Adopt measures to increase distance and reduce personal contact between workers and between them and the external public, with guidelines to avoid close contacts such as hugs, handshakes and unnecessary conversations.

— Establish a minimum distance of one metre between workers and between workers and the public. If the physical distance of at least one meter cannot be implemented to reduce the risk of transmission between workers, customers, users, contractors and visitors, it should be:

• for activities carried out in fixed work posts, maintain the use of surgical mask or fabric and adopt waterproof partitions or provide facial protection of the type plastic visor (face shield) or goggles; and
• for other activities, maintain the use of surgical mask or tissue.

— Adopt measures to limit the occupancy of elevators, stairs and restricted environments, including sanitary facilities and changing rooms.

— Demarcatise and rearrange the places and spaces for queues and waits at least one meter away between people.

— Take measures to avoid agglomerations in working environments.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other protective equipment

— Create and review procedures for the use, hygiene, packaging and disposal of PPEs and other protective equipment used, and employees are oriented on the use, cleaning, disposal and replacement of masks, hand hygiene before and after their use and even limitations of their protection against covid-19.

— Provide surgical or tissue masks for all workers, with required use in shared environments or in those where there is contact with other workers or the public (it is mandatory to use the masks and replace them every four hours or when they have been dirty or damp).

— Professionals of the medical service of the organization, when any, should receive PPE or other protective equipment, according to the risks, including respiratory protection mask type PFF2 (N95), in accordance with the guidelines and regulations of the Ministry of Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Health.

Ventilation of workplaces and common areas

— Natural ventilation in workplaces or measures should be taken to increase the number of air exchanges in the enclosures as much as possible, bringing clean air from outside and avoiding the recirculation of air conditioning.

— When split-type air conditioning system is used, it is recommended that doors and windows be kept open or that an air renewal system be added, in view of technical or operational feasibility.

— The exhaust systems installed must be kept in operation during office hours.

Risk groups

— Workers aged 60 years or older or presenting clinical conditions at risk for the development of complications of covid-19 should receive special attention, and telework or remote work may be adopted at the employer's discretion.

— Surgical masks or masks of type PFF2 (N95) or equivalent shall be provided when not adopted telework or remote work.

Common areas of the company

For the common areas, the published Ordinance updated the obligations and recommendations to be followed by employers, ranging from cafeterias to the transportation offered to workers.

Lunchrooms

— The sharing of glasses, plates and cutlery without sanitization is sealed.

— Self-service should be avoided or, where it cannot be avoided, control measures such as:

• hand hygiene before serving or supplying disposable gloves;
• hygiene or frequent exchange of kitchen utensils for shared use, such as shells, handles and spoons;

• installation of salivary protector on self-service structures; and

• use of masks and guidelines to avoid conversations during the service.

— Provide frequent cleaning and disinfection of the surfaces of tables, countertops and chairs, as well as adopt in the cafeterias minimum spacing of one meter between people in line and on the tables, guiding compliance with respiratory etiquette recommendations and the need to avoid conversations. When the frontal or transverse distance is not observed, a physical barrier should be used on the tables with a height of at least one and a half meters in relation to the ground.

— Distribute workers at different times at the places of meal.

— Deliver set of sanitized utensils, packed individually.

— Inclined jet drinkers should be adapted so that water consumption can only be used with the use of a disposable cup or individually used container.

Locker rooms

— Avoid crowding of workers at the entrance, exit and during use of the dressing room.

— Guide workers to keep the distance of one metre from each other during their use.

— Guide workers on the order of deparamentation of clothing and equipment, so that the last protective equipment to be removed is the mask.

— Provide a sink with water and liquid soap, as well as disposable towel or hand-appropriate sanitizer dispensers, such as 70% alcohol, at the entrance and exit of the changing rooms.

Transportation offered by the employer

— Implement procedures for communication, identification and removal of workers with symptoms before boarding, thus preventing the entry of symptomatic or contacting patients close to confirmed cases of covid-19 in the vehicle.

— Lay down the obligation to wear protective masks when boarding workers in the vehicle and use throughout the stay.

— Guide workers to avoid crowding in the boarding and disembarkation of transport, with the implementation of measures to ensure minimum distance of one meter between each person.

— Comply with the maximum capacity of passengers, limited to the number of seats of the vehicle.

— Maintain natural ventilation inside vehicles and, where the use of the air conditioning system is necessary, air recirculation should be avoided.

— Seats and other vehicle surfaces most often touched by workers should be sanitized regularly.

— Drivers should frequently sanitize their hands and their workstation, including the steering wheel and surfaces most often touched.

— Keep a record of workers using transport, listed by vehicle and travel.