It is vitally important that AFS members take appropriate steps to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak on your facilities, workers, customers and the public. A list of resources is provided below to help you effectively manage your business, comply with applicable laws, and protect public health and safety during this rapidly evolving situation.
Additional documents will be added as needed. In the meantime, please email Steve Robison at srobison@afsinc.org with any questions.
Note – These documents and guidance are not legal or medical advice and should not be relied upon as legal or medical advice. You should contact an attorney or medical professional before taking action on the information.
Health & Safety
Webinars
AFS Members Only Webinar: COVID-19 Practical Guidance for Metalcasters
This webinar reviews recent COVID-19 developments and federal legal guidance targeted for manufacturers, including strategies to prevent workplace exposure, PPE, OSHA guidance, and employee leave. [Recorded March 19, 2020]
AFS Members Only Webinar: COVID-19 and OSHA Compliance
This webinar explains the necessary elements of a COVID-19 safety program for your foundry. The information is appropriate for health and safety professionals. [Recorded March 26, 2020]
- Follow-Up Resources, Q&A and Definitions from March 26, 2020, AFS COVID-19 Webinar (Download)
- Sanitization Plan -- TEMPLATE (Download)
- Coronavirus Building Flushing Guidance -- Protocols to flush plumbing prior to re-inhabiting vacated buildings
- Infectious Disease (COVID-19) Control Plan - TEMPLATE
- Employee Exposure Risk Assessment (COVID-19) -- TEMPLATE [Revised March 19, 2020]
- Coronavirus Safety Training For Low-Exposure Employees (PowerPoint) -- TEMPLATE
- Coronavirus Safety Training For Medium- and High-Risk Employees (PowerPoint) -- TEMPLATE
- COVID-19 Visitor Questionnaire -- TEMPLATE
OSHA- Putting On and Taking Off a Mask Correctly [2 Min.]
Respirator Issues Related to COVID-19
COVID-19 Has Caused a Shortage of Face Masks - What Can Foundries Do As They Face Shortages? -- Modern Casting article
3M: Resources on COVID-19
Find a variety of articles on respirators, surgical masks, respirator cleaning, etc.
FDA Approves Use of FFPs with Specific Performance Standards -- List
Counterfeit Respirators -- Pictures and Explanations
CDC & NIOSH- Additional Tips for Spotting Counterfeit Respirators
3M: Respirators Beyond Their Shelf Life – Considerations
Cleaning and Disinfecting Facilities
Tips for Cleaning and Disinfecting Reusable Respirators (Elastomeric Facepieces)
Facial Hair Allowed and Disallowed for Workers Who Wear Tight-Fitting Respirators (Infographic)
OSHA Respirator Guidance for Metalcasters
OSHA has come out with new guidance for metalcasters (General Industry) to help deal with the shortage of respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet the need to provide effective respiratory protection for workers with airborne exposures. Prior guidance was directed to healthcare workers but this document (and the two OSHA memoranda referenced within it) give employers prioritized options which may be exercised during the outbreak. The first memoranda gives employers relief, under certain circumstances, to reuse, extend the use, or use beyond the expiration date for NIOSH-approved respirators. The second memoranda allows employers, in certain circumstances, to use respirators approved by other countries, where NIOSH-approved respirators are not available. Please read the source documents in full for details and be notified that use of any of these options, though temporary during the outbreak, must be reflected in your respiratory protection plan.
- Summary of OSHA’s April 3rd and undated memos
- OSHA’s April 3rd Memo
- OSHA’s undated Memo believed to be released April 4th
- Appendix A- List of N95 Respirators Approved Under Foreign Jurisdictions, and Temporarily OSHA Approved for Use Within the U.S
Signage & Posters
Visitor & Vendor Stop Sign [Signage download]
Ten Steps for Workplaces to Reduce Exposure to COVID [Available in 13 languages]
Seven Steps to Correctly Put On and Take Off a Respirator [English]
Siete Pasos para Usar una Mascarilla Correctamente (Seven Steps to Correctly Don and Doff a Respirator) [Spanish]
COVID-19 Preventative Measures (Poster)
COVID-19: Stop the Spread (One-page handout)
Other Health & Safety Resources
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA Launches a COVID-19 National Emphasis Program, Plans to Ramp Up Coronavirus-Related Inspections [Updated March 16, 2021]
OSHA COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions [Updated Oct. 1, 2020]
OSHA: Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
A new OSHA alert and guidance document on COVID-19 provides general practices to help prevent worker exposure to coronavirus.
OSHA: Guía sobre la Preparación de los Lugares de Trabajo para el virus COVID-19 [Spanish]
How Should Your Business Handle Anti-Mask Guests? A 5-Step Action Plan
An Employee Has COVID-19 -- Now What? An Employer’s Quick 7-Step Guide
State-by-State and Federal Requirements for the Wearing of Masks
Ten Practical Steps Every Employer Must Implement to Ensure a Safe Reopening
Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Effective May 26, 2020, OSHA’s Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for COVID-19 will take effect. With new cases, new hospitalizations, and deaths decreasing in most parts of the country, many workplaces are planning to reopen. This document includes instructions to OSHA compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) on how to prioritize investigation, when to use enforcement discretion, and how best to provide abatement assistance and confirm abatement. It includes several attachments with specific guidance and examples of OSHA communications as follows: 1) Specific Guidance for COVID-19 Enforcement; 2) A Sample Employer Letter for COVID-19 Activities; 3) A Sample Hazard Alert Letter for COVID-19 Inspections 4) A Sample Alleged Violation Description for Citing the General Duty Clause, and 5) Additional COVID-19 Related References.
Link to OSHA’s COVID-19 webpage
OSHA - NEW Recordkeeping Guidance for COVID-19 Cases [April 10, 2020]
OSHA wants work-related COVID-19 cases to be reported on OSHA 300 logs under certain circumstances. Reference documents linked here.
OSHA Alert: Prevent Worker Exposure to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 Website
Safety tips, situation updates, disease background.
CDC’s Return-To-Work Standards on when a Person with COVID-19 may Discontinue Home Isolation – Link to guidance here and link to Fisher Phillips alert here [April 2, 2020]
CDC Issues New Interim Guidance for Critical Infrastructure Workers
On April 8, 2020, the CDC issued new interim guidance for critical infrastructure workers which includes 16 sectors of workers such as law enforcement, 911 call center employees, fusion center employees, hazardous material responders (both governmental and private), janitorial and custodial staff, and those in food, agriculture, critical manufacturing (i.e. some foundries), IT, transportation, energy, and government facilities. To ensure continuity of operations for these essential functions, these employees may be permitted to continue working after exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 under specific circumstances, if they remain asymptomatic and use additional precautions to protect coworkers and the community from further exposure. Several important practices must be implemented prior to, during, and after the work shift, as well as other considerations for an employee’s participation in the workplace.
CDC’s Safe Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers with Suspected or Confirmed Exposure to COVID-19 [April 8, 2020]
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)
Miscellaneous
COVID-19 Situation Dashboard
Daily tally of confirmed cases and deaths by nation
An Illustrated Scientific Summary of COVID-19
Ford Playbook for COVID-19 in manufacturing facilities [64 pages]
Ford Playbook for COVID-19 in non-manufacturing facilities [47 pages]
National Safety Council (NSC) COVID-19 Playbook Templates [NSC Return-to-Work Guidance for Closed Industrial Operations (Manufacturing, warehousing, retail, food/beverage)]
National Safety Council (NSC) COVID-19 Playbook Templates [NSC Return-To-Work Guidance for Open Industrial Operations (Roadway and Construction- outside projects)]
Lear's COVID-19 Safe Work Playbook
AIHA Clarifies Misinformation on PPE, Ventilation, and Disinfection [April 1, 2020]
Tips for Effectively Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility
NSC First Aid and CPR Modifications during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Surgeon General’s Video on How to Make a Face Covering
How to Don, Doff, and Store your Face Mask/Face Covering for Reuse
Environmental
EPA List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus-2019) [April 16, 2020]
EPA Announces Enforcement Discretion Policy During COVID-19 Pandemic [March 26, 2020]
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Issues Enforcement Discretion Policy to Address Civil Noncompliance during the COVID-19 Pandemic [March 26, 2020]
Addressing Concerns With Disposal of COVID-19 Waste [March 9, 2020]
Business & Employment
Webinars
COVID-19 Stimulus Law: New Federal Loan Options for Small and Medium-Sized Metalcasters -- Are You Eligible, How Do You Apply, and What are the Key Terms/Benefits? [Recorded April 6, 2020]
Other Business & Employment Resources
SBA Updates Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) FAQs
On Wednesday, May 13, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued an important new set of 47 Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQs ) which provides answers to a number of question, including on how it intends to review the good faith necessity certification required for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The safe harbor deadline for return of PPP loans expires now on Monday, May 18, 2020, and companies should carefully consider the newest guidance as they weigh whether to return loans.
State-by-State Reopening Guide
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently launched an interactive state map (with accompanying guides) to help track business reopening guidelines across each state and provide the latest information on reopening to America’s employers.
DHS Releases Second Update to its Guidance on Essential Critical Operations and Workers During COVID-19 [April 22, 2020]
Trump Administration Unveils Three-Phase Plan for States to Reopen Amid COVID-19 Pandemic [April 20, 2020]
SBA Issues Final Application Form for New Small Business Loans [April 3, 2020]
Paycheck Protection Program Borrower Application Form [Download]
Paycheck Protection Program -- Interim Final Rule -- U.S. Treasury Dept. [April 2020]
Navigating the Coronavirus: Best Practices for Employers [Laner Muchin™ – March 3, 2020]
How to address the impact of the virus on the workplace and what employers can and cannot do.
Comprehensive and Updated FAQs For Employers on the COVID-19 Coronavirus – [Fisher Phillips – March 16, 2020]
Comprehensive overview on the virus and dealing with OSHA-related questions.
COVID-19 Essential Employee Authorization to Travel - Sample Document (Download)
Coronavirus Update: Employees Wearing Masks at Work – [Michael Best – March 4, 2020]
Coronavirus Testing — Issues for Employers Reaching for Thermometer – [Duane Morris – March 11, 2020]
ACOEM Advises Suspension of Routine Occupational Spirometry Testing During COVID-19 Pandemic
EEOC: What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19
The EEOC has issued additional guidance regarding some of the measures that can be taken during a pandemic. The guidance confirms that employers may take employee temperatures to help protect workforces including:
- Employers can ask employees if they are experiencing symptoms of the virus (fever, cough, chills, shortness of breath, sore throat) while maintaining the confidentiality of such information (and so could ask employees to self-disclose if they are suffering from such symptoms)
- You can require employees who become ill with the symptoms to stay home
- If an employee is absent due to illness with the symptoms, you may require a doctor’s note certifying that the employee no longer has the virus
Complying With WARN Act Requirements During the Coronavirus Pandemic – [Faegre Drinker – March 18, 2020]
AFS Members Only Webinar: COVID-19 Practical Guidance for Metalcasters
This webinar reviews recent COVID-19 developments and federal legal guidance targeted for manufacturers, including strategies to prevent workplace exposure, PPE, OSHA guidance, and employee leave. [Recorded March 19, 2020]
EEOC: Employers Now May Take Employees’ Temperatures
Online Respirator Medical Screeners
DOL Indicates Shut-Down Employees Won’t Qualify for Emergency Paid Sick Leave or FMLA
IRS Provides New Guidance on Emergency Family Leave and Tax Credits
On April 1, 2020, the IRS released new guidance on tax credits authorized in the “phase two” COVID-19 legislation to help small businesses offset the cost of new paid leave requirements.
News & Updates
Virginia, First State to Implement a COVID-19 Standard
Congress Approves Historic Coronavirus Relief Package with Loans for Small Businesses
Congress Sends Covid-19 Response Bill to President, Implications For U.S. Metalcasters
Congress Finalizes COVID-19 Coronavirus Response Act: Prepare To Provide Paid Sick Leave And FMLA – [Fisher Phillips – March 18, 2020]
AFS: States Must Designate Metalcasting as Critical Manufacturing Sector
AFS Compiles Changes to Tax Filing Deadlines Due to COVID-19
AFS Urges Administration to Classify Metalcasting as Essential Industry
AFS Pushes for Key Provisions in Stimulus Package to Benefit Metalcasters
Other COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19 State Resources
Map of U.S. with links to key state COVID-19 resources.