Develop an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan

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If one does not already exist, develop an infectious disease preparedness and response plan that can help guide protective actions against COVID-19.

              Stay abreast of guidance from federal, state, local, tribal, and/or territorial health agencies, and consider how to incorporate those recommendations and resources into workplace-specific plans.

Plans should consider and address the level(s) of risk associated with various worksites and job tasks inspectors perform at those sites. Such considerations may include:

• Where, how, and to what sources of SARS-CoV-2 might home inspectors be exposed, including:

  • The general public, homeowners, occupants, real estate agents, neighbors, other inspectors, coworkers; and

  • Sick individuals or those at particularly high risk of infection (e.g., international travelers who have visited locations with widespread sustained (ongoing) COVID-19 transmission, healthcare workers who have had unprotected exposures to people known to have, or suspected of having, COVID-19).

• Non-occupational risk factors at home and in community settings.

• Inspector's individual risk factors (e.g., older age; the presence of chronic medical conditions, including immunocompromising conditions; and pregnancy).

• Controls necessary to address those risks.

 

Follow federal and state, local, tribal, and/or territorial (SLTT) recommendations regarding the development of contingency plans for situations that may arise as a result of outbreaks, such as:

• Increased rates of worker absenteeism.

• Interrupted schedules, canceled appointments, restricted access or movement, or delays.

• The need for social distancing, staggered work shifts, rescheduling or delaying inspection services, delivering services using video chat and remote communication technologies, and other exposure-reducing measures.

• Options for conducting essential operations with a reduced workforce, including cross-training employees across different jobs in order to continue home inspection operations. For example, if a home inspector gets sick, can another home inspector within the company take over their scheduled jobs or responsibilities? Can you subcontract out a home inspection job to a friendly competitor? If a lead trainer in the inspection company gets sick, can you move towards enrolling in online training such as internachi.edu?  

 

Plans should also consider and address the other steps that employers can take to reduce the risk of inspector exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in their workplace and properties being inspected described in the following pages.