OSHA/MiOSHA’s risk of exposure pyramid uses these definitions and examples.

Job Duties Affect Workers’ Exposure Risk Levels

As workers’ job duties change or they perform different tasks in the course of their duties, they may move from one exposure risk level to another. Additional examples of workers who may have increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 include those in:

• Other types of healthcare positions (including pre-hospital and medical transport workers, allied medical care professionals, and support staff)
• Emergency response (e.g., emergency medical and law enforcement officers)
• Research or production laboratory workers
• Retail operations, particularly those in high-customer-volume environments
• Construction
• Solid waste and wastewater management
• Environmental (i.e., janitorial) services
• In-home repair services
• Travel to areas where the virus is spreading
• Transit and delivery drivers, depending on their degree of close contacts with the public

This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

Lower Exposure Risk (Caution)

Jobs that do not require contact with people known to be, or suspected of being, infected with SARS-CoV-2. Workers in this category have minimal occupational contact with the public and other coworkers. Examples include:

• Remote workers (i.e., those working from home during the pandemic).
• Office workers who do not have frequent close contact with coworkers, customers, or the public.
• Industrial facility workers who do not have frequent close contact with coworkers or the public.
• Healthcare workers providing only telemedicine services.

Medium Exposure Risk

Jobs that require frequent/close contact with people who may be infected, but who are not known to have or suspected of having COVID-19. Workers in this category include:

• Those who may have frequent contact with travelers who return from international locations with widespread COVID-19 transmission.
• Those who may have contact with the general public (e.g., in schools, high population density work environments, and some high-volume retail settings).

High Exposure Risk

Jobs with a high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of SARS-CoV-2. Workers in this category include:

• Healthcare delivery and support staff (hospital staff who must enter patients’ rooms) exposed to known or suspected COVID-19 patients.
• Medical transport workers moving known or suspected COVID-19 patients in enclosed vehicles.

Very High Exposure Risk

Jobs with a very high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of SARS-CoV-2 during specific medical, postmortem, or laboratory procedures. Contact Renee Boelcke if there is a position that might fall into this category.