Workers at risk for COVID-19 exposure can access online training

The National Institutes of Health has launched a new website with educational resources for hospital employees, emergency first responders, and other workers at risk for exposure to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 virtual safety training program will be administered by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The virtual safety training program is intended for employees in high-risk occupations (e.g., frontline responders, including emergency medical personnel, firefighters, law enforcement officers, environmental cleanup workers, high-risk custodial service workers, food processing and delivery workers, sanitation workers, and health care facility employees) who need to protect their own health while serving the public during this emergency. The initial training delivers synchronized, just-in-time web-based training across the country.

"These men and women are so dedicated and as they work so hard to serve and protect the public during this COVID-19 pandemic, I want to make sure they know how to protect their own health too," Joseph "Chip" Hughes, leader of the NIEHS Worker Training Program, said in a statement. "We don't need them getting sick or taking the virus back to their families or their communities."

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