{"id":303279,"date":"2020-04-24T15:16:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T19:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?p=303279"},"modified":"2023-11-08T20:21:38","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T01:21:38","slug":"looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"A five-layered defense for workplace reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"<header\n\tclass=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-article-header alignfull article-header is-style-full-width-text-below centered-image\"\n\tstyle=\" \"\n>\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Empty office.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Kate Sade\/Unsplash<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t<div class=\"article-header__content\">\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"article-header__category\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t<h1 class=\"article-header__title wp-block-heading \">\n\t\tA five-layered defense for workplace reopening\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"article-header__meta\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\tAlvin Powell\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">\n\t\t\tHarvard Staff Writer\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-24\">\n\t\t\tApril 24, 2020\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t5 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tChan School\u2019s Allen looks at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p><em>This is part of our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\"><em>Coronavirus Update<\/em><\/a><em> series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"add-drop-cap\">A Harvard healthy-buildings expert has laid out a lower-cost, five-layered approach for employers and building managers as they consider how to safely reopen their establishments and get America back to work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/ecpe\/faculty\/joseph-allen\/\">Joseph Allen<\/a>, assistant professor of exposure, assessment science at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/a> and director of the School\u2019s Healthy Buildings Program, said existing safety guidelines called the \u201chierarchy of controls,\u201d normally used to reduce risk in situations such as hazardous chemicals in the workplace, would be suitable for blocking exposure to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>The system used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) consists of five steps, with the use of personal protective equipment being the last, Allen said. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hazard elimination, which means keeping employees home, a tactic that works for some, but not others, and won\u2019t lead to full economic recovery.<\/li>\n<li>Personnel substitution, in this case initially bringing back just those key employees who need to be physically present to get and keep the business running.<\/li>\n<li>Engineering controls, including healthy-building strategies such as increasing the flow of outside air, using portable air purifiers, and swapping existing filters in air circulating systems for ones that can capture smaller particles.<\/li>\n<li>Administrative controls, such as de-densify buildings by having portions of the workforce come in on alternate days or staggering shifts within a day. This might also include spreading workers out in space and limiting the use of conference rooms for large gatherings.<\/li>\n<li>Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as the now-familiar cloth face coverings, respirators, and other gear in common areas and situations where other controls don\u2019t achieve the required level of safety.[gz_pull_quote attribution=&#8221;\u2014 Joe Allen&#8221;]\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk.&#8221;[\/gz_pull_quote]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t yet come across an environment where putting in sensible controls isn\u2019t able to significantly reduce the risk,\u201d said Allen, who is deputy director of the NIOSH Education and Research Center on Worker Health and Safety.<\/p>\n<p>There are additional actions that could be tailored to each workplace, Allen said. Employers could rearrange desks so workers would be offset instead of sitting directly across from each other; ensure hard surfaces are regularly disinfected; or position portable air purifiers near employees. Things like managing lines near elevators and ensuring PPE is used inside them would also be important.<\/p>\n<p>Allen, who spoke to the media on a conference call Thursday, said the guidelines constitute a relatively low-cost roadmap for employers thinking about bringing people back to work. He cautioned against assuming any one action will provide complete protection, but said it\u2019s rather a matter of understanding and managing risks, not just putting a mask on everyone who walks through the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no silver bullet here,\u201d Allen said. \u201cYou don\u2019t give someone a mask and say, \u2018Our responsibilities are done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allen also cautioned that managing risks doesn\u2019t mean there will be no transmission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide  size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1308\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg\" alt=\"Graphic.\" class=\"wp-image-303287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=150,78 150w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=768,402 768w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=1024,536 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=1536,804 1536w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=2048,1072 2048w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=61,32 61w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=122,64 122w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=1488,779 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg?resize=1680,879 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">\t\t\t<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Graphic by Josh Lasky.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\n\t\r\n\n<p>And these guidelines don\u2019t mean businesses should reopen before it\u2019s safe to do so. Several Chan School epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have urged current social-distancing restrictions remain in place until case numbers have declined, health care system capacity is sufficient to handle a new increase in cases, and adequate testing is in place to detect any new surge in cases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not talking about \u2018when,\u2019\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m talking about when they say it\u2019s clear, how you go about this safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>There\u2019s a common misperception that strategies will necessarily be expensive, he said, but simple things like installing more efficient filters, increasing the supply of fresh air, and enhancing disinfection are well within the reach of most business owners.<\/p>\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-935f3805-07d5-43e9-a573-238feb37054a\">\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Joe Allen.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/how-buildings-masks-can-be-barriers-to-coronavirus\/\">How masks and buildings can be barriers to the coronavirus<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-07\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 7, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2018\/02\/your-building-might-be-making-you-sick-joe-allen-can-help\/\">Your building might be making you sick.\u00a0Joe Allen can help.<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/edge-of-discovery\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">Edge of Discovery<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2018-02-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 14, 2018\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ambulance.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/health-care-disparities-in-the-age-of-coronavirus\/\">COVID-19 targets communities of color<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 14, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t7 min read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\r\n\n<p>\u201cThere are technology solutions that are being considered that are more expensive, require a big capital outlay, might take a couple of months to implement. But \u2026 I\u2019m being cognizant we have to put in right now strategies that people can take and deploy in almost any situation,\u201d Allen said. \u201cBroadly, these are strategies that people can put in and the costs are low or manageable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steps taken in the workplace, however, don\u2019t get everyone safely through their commutes. Those who drive or walk may have fewer concerns, but those who take public transportation face a tougher challenge, Allen said. For those taking car transport \u2014 taxis, Ubers, Lyfts \u2014 models have shown that simply opening a window three inches significantly decreases concentrations of airborne contaminants inside. For those whose commutes include time on subway trains and buses, however, he said more work still needs to be done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a vexing problem, everything about this pandemic is,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m confident that we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joseph Allen laid out how existing building safety guidelines might be adapted to make workplaces safer in the age of COVID.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131912115,"featured_media":303408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gz_ga_pageviews":13,"gz_ga_lastupdated":"2022-01-19 21:23","document_color_palette":"grey","author":"Alvin Powell","affiliation":"Harvard Staff Writer","_category_override":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39644],"tags":[3753,45410,11718,16124,16592,19905,26707,45760,45761],"gazette-formats":[],"series":[52963],"class_list":["post-303279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-alvin-powell","tag-covid-19","tag-economy","tag-harvard-t-h-chan-school-of-public-health","tag-healthy-buildings","tag-joseph-allen","tag-pandemic","tag-reopening","tag-workplace-safety","series-coronavirus"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.0 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes &#8212; Harvard Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Joseph Allen laid out how existing building safety guidelines might be adapted to make workplaces safer in the age of COVID.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Joseph Allen laid out how existing building safety guidelines might be adapted to make workplaces safer in the age of COVID.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-24T19:16:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-09T01:21:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lian Parsons\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lian Parsons\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/eb0a6f335aa1df1db33a426d73586ba4\"},\"headline\":\"A five-layered defense for workplace reopening\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-24T19:16:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-09T01:21:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/\"},\"wordCount\":855,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Alvin Powell\",\"COVID-19\",\"Economy\",\"Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health\",\"Healthy Buildings\",\"Joseph Allen\",\"Pandemic\",\"reopening\",\"workplace safety\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2020\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/\",\"name\":\"Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes &#8212; Harvard Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-24T19:16:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-09T01:21:38+00:00\",\"description\":\"Joseph Allen laid out how existing building safety guidelines might be adapted to make workplaces safer in the age of COVID.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\",\"width\":2500,\"height\":1667,\"caption\":\"Empty office.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/\",\"name\":\"Harvard Gazette\",\"description\":\"Official news from Harvard University covering innovation in teaching, learning, and research\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Harvard Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\",\"width\":164,\"height\":64,\"caption\":\"The Harvard Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/eb0a6f335aa1df1db33a426d73586ba4\",\"name\":\"Lian Parsons\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes &#8212; Harvard Gazette","description":"Joseph Allen laid out how existing building safety guidelines might be adapted to make workplaces safer in the age of COVID.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes","og_description":"Joseph Allen laid out how existing building safety guidelines might be adapted to make workplaces safer in the age of COVID.","og_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/","og_site_name":"Harvard Gazette","article_published_time":"2020-04-24T19:16:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-09T01:21:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2500,"height":1667,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lian Parsons","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/"},"author":{"name":"Lian Parsons","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/eb0a6f335aa1df1db33a426d73586ba4"},"headline":"A five-layered defense for workplace reopening","datePublished":"2020-04-24T19:16:12+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-09T01:21:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/"},"wordCount":855,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg","keywords":["Alvin Powell","COVID-19","Economy","Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health","Healthy Buildings","Joseph Allen","Pandemic","reopening","workplace safety"],"articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2020","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/","name":"Looking at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes &#8212; Harvard Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-24T19:16:12+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-09T01:21:38+00:00","description":"Joseph Allen laid out how existing building safety guidelines might be adapted to make workplaces safer in the age of COVID.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg","width":2500,"height":1667,"caption":"Empty office."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/","name":"Harvard Gazette","description":"Official news from Harvard University covering innovation in teaching, learning, and research","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization","name":"The Harvard Gazette","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg","width":164,"height":64,"caption":"The Harvard Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/eb0a6f335aa1df1db33a426d73586ba4","name":"Lian Parsons"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"A five-layered defense for workplace reopening","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg?w=150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg"},"articleSection":"Health","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lian Parsons"}],"creator":["Lian Parsons"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Harvard Gazette","logo":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg"},"keywords":["alvin powell","covid-19","economy","harvard t.h. chan school of public health","healthy buildings","joseph allen","pandemic","reopening","workplace safety"],"dateCreated":"2020-04-24T19:16:12Z","datePublished":"2020-04-24T19:16:12Z","dateModified":"2023-11-09T01:21:38Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"A five-layered defense for workplace reopening\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/story\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/story\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/looking-at-covid-19-through-healthy-building-eyes\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg?w=150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Health\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lian Parsons\"}],\"creator\":[\"Lian Parsons\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Harvard Gazette\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\"},\"keywords\":[\"alvin powell\",\"covid-19\",\"economy\",\"harvard t.h. chan school of public health\",\"healthy buildings\",\"joseph allen\",\"pandemic\",\"reopening\",\"workplace safety\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2020-04-24T19:16:12Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-24T19:16:12Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-09T01:21:38Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/news.harvard.edu\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg","has_blocks":true,"block_data":{"0":{"blockName":"harvard-gazette\/article-header","attrs":{"blockColorPalette":"","coloredHeading":"","creditText":"Kate Sade\/Unsplash","displayDetails":"","displayTitle":"","categoryId":39644,"mediaAlt":"Empty office.","mediaCaption":"","mediaId":303408,"mediaSize":"full","mediaType":"image","mediaUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg","poster":"","title":"A five-layered defense for workplace reopening","subheading":"Chan School\u2019s Allen looks at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes","centeredImage":true,"className":"is-style-full-width-text-below","mediaHeight":1667,"mediaWidth":2500,"backgroundFixed":false,"backgroundTone":"light","coloredBackground":false,"displayOverlay":true,"fadeInText":false,"isAmbient":false,"mediaLength":"","mediaPosition":"","posterText":"","titleAbove":false,"useUncroppedImage":false,"lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"Empty office.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Kate Sade\/Unsplash<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"Empty office.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Kate Sade\/Unsplash<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"<header\n\tclass=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-article-header alignfull article-header is-style-full-width-text-below centered-image\"\n\tstyle=\" \"\n>\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"Empty office.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kate-sade-2zZp12ChxhU-unsplash.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Kate Sade\/Unsplash<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t<div class=\"article-header__content\">\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"article-header__category\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t<h1 class=\"article-header__title wp-block-heading \">\n\t\tA five-layered defense for workplace reopening\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"article-header__meta\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\tAlvin Powell\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">\n\t\t\tHarvard Staff Writer\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-24\">\n\t\t\tApril 24, 2020\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t5 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tChan School\u2019s Allen looks at COVID-19 through healthy-building eyes\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p><em>This is part of our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\"><em>Coronavirus Update<\/em><\/a><em> series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"add-drop-cap\">A Harvard healthy-buildings expert has laid out a lower-cost, five-layered approach for employers and building managers as they consider how to safely reopen their establishments and get America back to work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/ecpe\/faculty\/joseph-allen\/\">Joseph Allen<\/a>, assistant professor of exposure, assessment science at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/a> and director of the School\u2019s Healthy Buildings Program, said existing safety guidelines called the \u201chierarchy of controls,\u201d normally used to reduce risk in situations such as hazardous chemicals in the workplace, would be suitable for blocking exposure to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>The system used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) consists of five steps, with the use of personal protective equipment being the last, Allen said. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hazard elimination, which means keeping employees home, a tactic that works for some, but not others, and won\u2019t lead to full economic recovery.<\/li>\n<li>Personnel substitution, in this case initially bringing back just those key employees who need to be physically present to get and keep the business running.<\/li>\n<li>Engineering controls, including healthy-building strategies such as increasing the flow of outside air, using portable air purifiers, and swapping existing filters in air circulating systems for ones that can capture smaller particles.<\/li>\n<li>Administrative controls, such as de-densify buildings by having portions of the workforce come in on alternate days or staggering shifts within a day. This might also include spreading workers out in space and limiting the use of conference rooms for large gatherings.<\/li>\n<li>Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as the now-familiar cloth face coverings, respirators, and other gear in common areas and situations where other controls don\u2019t achieve the required level of safety.[gz_pull_quote attribution=\"\u2014 Joe Allen\"]\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk.\"[\/gz_pull_quote]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t yet come across an environment where putting in sensible controls isn\u2019t able to significantly reduce the risk,\u201d said Allen, who is deputy director of the NIOSH Education and Research Center on Worker Health and Safety.<\/p>\n<p>There are additional actions that could be tailored to each workplace, Allen said. Employers could rearrange desks so workers would be offset instead of sitting directly across from each other; ensure hard surfaces are regularly disinfected; or position portable air purifiers near employees. Things like managing lines near elevators and ensuring PPE is used inside them would also be important.<\/p>\n<p>Allen, who spoke to the media on a conference call Thursday, said the guidelines constitute a relatively low-cost roadmap for employers thinking about bringing people back to work. He cautioned against assuming any one action will provide complete protection, but said it\u2019s rather a matter of understanding and managing risks, not just putting a mask on everyone who walks through the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no silver bullet here,\u201d Allen said. \u201cYou don\u2019t give someone a mask and say, \u2018Our responsibilities are done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allen also cautioned that managing risks doesn\u2019t mean there will be no transmission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p><em>This is part of our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\"><em>Coronavirus Update<\/em><\/a><em> series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"add-drop-cap\">A Harvard healthy-buildings expert has laid out a lower-cost, five-layered approach for employers and building managers as they consider how to safely reopen their establishments and get America back to work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/ecpe\/faculty\/joseph-allen\/\">Joseph Allen<\/a>, assistant professor of exposure, assessment science at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/a> and director of the School\u2019s Healthy Buildings Program, said existing safety guidelines called the \u201chierarchy of controls,\u201d normally used to reduce risk in situations such as hazardous chemicals in the workplace, would be suitable for blocking exposure to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>The system used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) consists of five steps, with the use of personal protective equipment being the last, Allen said. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hazard elimination, which means keeping employees home, a tactic that works for some, but not others, and won\u2019t lead to full economic recovery.<\/li>\n<li>Personnel substitution, in this case initially bringing back just those key employees who need to be physically present to get and keep the business running.<\/li>\n<li>Engineering controls, including healthy-building strategies such as increasing the flow of outside air, using portable air purifiers, and swapping existing filters in air circulating systems for ones that can capture smaller particles.<\/li>\n<li>Administrative controls, such as de-densify buildings by having portions of the workforce come in on alternate days or staggering shifts within a day. This might also include spreading workers out in space and limiting the use of conference rooms for large gatherings.<\/li>\n<li>Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as the now-familiar cloth face coverings, respirators, and other gear in common areas and situations where other controls don\u2019t achieve the required level of safety.[gz_pull_quote attribution=\"\u2014 Joe Allen\"]\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk.\"[\/gz_pull_quote]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t yet come across an environment where putting in sensible controls isn\u2019t able to significantly reduce the risk,\u201d said Allen, who is deputy director of the NIOSH Education and Research Center on Worker Health and Safety.<\/p>\n<p>There are additional actions that could be tailored to each workplace, Allen said. Employers could rearrange desks so workers would be offset instead of sitting directly across from each other; ensure hard surfaces are regularly disinfected; or position portable air purifiers near employees. Things like managing lines near elevators and ensuring PPE is used inside them would also be important.<\/p>\n<p>Allen, who spoke to the media on a conference call Thursday, said the guidelines constitute a relatively low-cost roadmap for employers thinking about bringing people back to work. He cautioned against assuming any one action will provide complete protection, but said it\u2019s rather a matter of understanding and managing risks, not just putting a mask on everyone who walks through the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no silver bullet here,\u201d Allen said. \u201cYou don\u2019t give someone a mask and say, \u2018Our responsibilities are done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allen also cautioned that managing risks doesn\u2019t mean there will be no transmission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p><em>This is part of our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\"><em>Coronavirus Update<\/em><\/a><em> series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"add-drop-cap\">A Harvard healthy-buildings expert has laid out a lower-cost, five-layered approach for employers and building managers as they consider how to safely reopen their establishments and get America back to work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/ecpe\/faculty\/joseph-allen\/\">Joseph Allen<\/a>, assistant professor of exposure, assessment science at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/a> and director of the School\u2019s Healthy Buildings Program, said existing safety guidelines called the \u201chierarchy of controls,\u201d normally used to reduce risk in situations such as hazardous chemicals in the workplace, would be suitable for blocking exposure to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>The system used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) consists of five steps, with the use of personal protective equipment being the last, Allen said. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hazard elimination, which means keeping employees home, a tactic that works for some, but not others, and won\u2019t lead to full economic recovery.<\/li>\n<li>Personnel substitution, in this case initially bringing back just those key employees who need to be physically present to get and keep the business running.<\/li>\n<li>Engineering controls, including healthy-building strategies such as increasing the flow of outside air, using portable air purifiers, and swapping existing filters in air circulating systems for ones that can capture smaller particles.<\/li>\n<li>Administrative controls, such as de-densify buildings by having portions of the workforce come in on alternate days or staggering shifts within a day. This might also include spreading workers out in space and limiting the use of conference rooms for large gatherings.<\/li>\n<li>Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as the now-familiar cloth face coverings, respirators, and other gear in common areas and situations where other controls don\u2019t achieve the required level of safety.[gz_pull_quote attribution=\"\u2014 Joe Allen\"]\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk.\"[\/gz_pull_quote]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t yet come across an environment where putting in sensible controls isn\u2019t able to significantly reduce the risk,\u201d said Allen, who is deputy director of the NIOSH Education and Research Center on Worker Health and Safety.<\/p>\n<p>There are additional actions that could be tailored to each workplace, Allen said. Employers could rearrange desks so workers would be offset instead of sitting directly across from each other; ensure hard surfaces are regularly disinfected; or position portable air purifiers near employees. Things like managing lines near elevators and ensuring PPE is used inside them would also be important.<\/p>\n<p>Allen, who spoke to the media on a conference call Thursday, said the guidelines constitute a relatively low-cost roadmap for employers thinking about bringing people back to work. He cautioned against assuming any one action will provide complete protection, but said it\u2019s rather a matter of understanding and managing risks, not just putting a mask on everyone who walks through the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no silver bullet here,\u201d Allen said. \u201cYou don\u2019t give someone a mask and say, \u2018Our responsibilities are done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allen also cautioned that managing risks doesn\u2019t mean there will be no transmission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/image","attrs":{"sizeSlug":"full","align":"wide","id":303287,"caption":"","creditText":"Graphic by Josh Lasky.","blob":"","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg","alt":"Graphic.","lightbox":[],"title":"","href":"","rel":"","linkClass":"","width":"","height":"","aspectRatio":"","scale":"","linkDestination":"","linkTarget":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":[],"borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide  size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg\" alt=\"Graphic.\" class=\"wp-image-303287\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t","innerContent":["\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide  size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg\" alt=\"Graphic.\" class=\"wp-image-303287\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t"],"rendered":"\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide  size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg\" alt=\"Graphic.\" class=\"wp-image-303287\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">\t\t\t<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Graphic by Josh Lasky.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t"},{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>And these guidelines don\u2019t mean businesses should reopen before it\u2019s safe to do so. Several Chan School epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have urged current social-distancing restrictions remain in place until case numbers have declined, health care system capacity is sufficient to handle a new increase in cases, and adequate testing is in place to detect any new surge in cases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not talking about \u2018when,\u2019\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m talking about when they say it\u2019s clear, how you go about this safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>There\u2019s a common misperception that strategies will necessarily be expensive, he said, but simple things like installing more efficient filters, increasing the supply of fresh air, and enhancing disinfection are well within the reach of most business owners.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>And these guidelines don\u2019t mean businesses should reopen before it\u2019s safe to do so. Several Chan School epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have urged current social-distancing restrictions remain in place until case numbers have declined, health care system capacity is sufficient to handle a new increase in cases, and adequate testing is in place to detect any new surge in cases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not talking about \u2018when,\u2019\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m talking about when they say it\u2019s clear, how you go about this safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>There\u2019s a common misperception that strategies will necessarily be expensive, he said, but simple things like installing more efficient filters, increasing the supply of fresh air, and enhancing disinfection are well within the reach of most business owners.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n<p>And these guidelines don\u2019t mean businesses should reopen before it\u2019s safe to do so. Several Chan School epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have urged current social-distancing restrictions remain in place until case numbers have declined, health care system capacity is sufficient to handle a new increase in cases, and adequate testing is in place to detect any new surge in cases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not talking about \u2018when,\u2019\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m talking about when they say it\u2019s clear, how you go about this safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>There\u2019s a common misperception that strategies will necessarily be expensive, he said, but simple things like installing more efficient filters, increasing the supply of fresh air, and enhancing disinfection are well within the reach of most business owners.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"harvard-gazette\/supporting-content","attrs":{"id":"935f3805-07d5-43e9-a573-238feb37054a","align":"left","allowedBlocks":[],"style":[],"lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"harvard-gazette\/featured-articles","attrs":{"autoGenerate":false,"className":"is-style-grid-list","inPostContent":true,"numberOfPosts":3,"postIds":[300128,238124,302271],"showExcerpt":false,"title":"More like this","category":"","carouselOnDesktop":false,"isEditor":false,"linkText":"See all book reviews","passPostIds":false,"postOverrides":[],"postTypeOverride":"post","receivePostIds":false,"series":"","showCategory":true,"showDate":true,"gridColumns":2,"showDropShadow":false,"showFormat":true,"showImage":true,"showImageZoom":false,"showSeries":true,"showReadMore":true,"showReadTime":true,"tags":[],"useCurrentTerm":false,"lock":[],"metadata":[],"align":"","style":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[],"rendered":"\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Joe Allen.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/how-buildings-masks-can-be-barriers-to-coronavirus\/\">How masks and buildings can be barriers to the coronavirus<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-07\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 7, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2018\/02\/your-building-might-be-making-you-sick-joe-allen-can-help\/\">Your building might be making you sick.\u00a0Joe Allen can help.<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/edge-of-discovery\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">Edge of Discovery<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2018-02-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 14, 2018\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ambulance.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/health-care-disparities-in-the-age-of-coronavirus\/\">COVID-19 targets communities of color<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 14, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t7 min read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t"}],"innerHTML":"<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-935f3805-07d5-43e9-a573-238feb37054a\"><\/div>","innerContent":["<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-935f3805-07d5-43e9-a573-238feb37054a\">","<\/div>"],"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-935f3805-07d5-43e9-a573-238feb37054a\">\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Joe Allen.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/how-buildings-masks-can-be-barriers-to-coronavirus\/\">How masks and buildings can be barriers to the coronavirus<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-07\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 7, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2018\/02\/your-building-might-be-making-you-sick-joe-allen-can-help\/\">Your building might be making you sick.\u00a0Joe Allen can help.<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/edge-of-discovery\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">Edge of Discovery<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2018-02-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 14, 2018\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ambulance.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/health-care-disparities-in-the-age-of-coronavirus\/\">COVID-19 targets communities of color<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 14, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t7 min read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>"},{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>\u201cThere are technology solutions that are being considered that are more expensive, require a big capital outlay, might take a couple of months to implement. But \u2026 I\u2019m being cognizant we have to put in right now strategies that people can take and deploy in almost any situation,\u201d Allen said. \u201cBroadly, these are strategies that people can put in and the costs are low or manageable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steps taken in the workplace, however, don\u2019t get everyone safely through their commutes. Those who drive or walk may have fewer concerns, but those who take public transportation face a tougher challenge, Allen said. For those taking car transport \u2014 taxis, Ubers, Lyfts \u2014 models have shown that simply opening a window three inches significantly decreases concentrations of airborne contaminants inside. For those whose commutes include time on subway trains and buses, however, he said more work still needs to be done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a vexing problem, everything about this pandemic is,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m confident that we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n","innerContent":["\n<p>\u201cThere are technology solutions that are being considered that are more expensive, require a big capital outlay, might take a couple of months to implement. But \u2026 I\u2019m being cognizant we have to put in right now strategies that people can take and deploy in almost any situation,\u201d Allen said. \u201cBroadly, these are strategies that people can put in and the costs are low or manageable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steps taken in the workplace, however, don\u2019t get everyone safely through their commutes. Those who drive or walk may have fewer concerns, but those who take public transportation face a tougher challenge, Allen said. For those taking car transport \u2014 taxis, Ubers, Lyfts \u2014 models have shown that simply opening a window three inches significantly decreases concentrations of airborne contaminants inside. For those whose commutes include time on subway trains and buses, however, he said more work still needs to be done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a vexing problem, everything about this pandemic is,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m confident that we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n"],"rendered":"\n<p>\u201cThere are technology solutions that are being considered that are more expensive, require a big capital outlay, might take a couple of months to implement. But \u2026 I\u2019m being cognizant we have to put in right now strategies that people can take and deploy in almost any situation,\u201d Allen said. \u201cBroadly, these are strategies that people can put in and the costs are low or manageable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steps taken in the workplace, however, don\u2019t get everyone safely through their commutes. Those who drive or walk may have fewer concerns, but those who take public transportation face a tougher challenge, Allen said. For those taking car transport \u2014 taxis, Ubers, Lyfts \u2014 models have shown that simply opening a window three inches significantly decreases concentrations of airborne contaminants inside. For those whose commutes include time on subway trains and buses, however, he said more work still needs to be done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a vexing problem, everything about this pandemic is,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m confident that we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\r\n\t\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\r\n\t","\n\t\r\n","\r\n","\r\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p><em>This is part of our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\"><em>Coronavirus Update<\/em><\/a><em> series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"add-drop-cap\">A Harvard healthy-buildings expert has laid out a lower-cost, five-layered approach for employers and building managers as they consider how to safely reopen their establishments and get America back to work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/ecpe\/faculty\/joseph-allen\/\">Joseph Allen<\/a>, assistant professor of exposure, assessment science at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/a> and director of the School\u2019s Healthy Buildings Program, said existing safety guidelines called the \u201chierarchy of controls,\u201d normally used to reduce risk in situations such as hazardous chemicals in the workplace, would be suitable for blocking exposure to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>The system used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) consists of five steps, with the use of personal protective equipment being the last, Allen said. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hazard elimination, which means keeping employees home, a tactic that works for some, but not others, and won\u2019t lead to full economic recovery.<\/li>\n<li>Personnel substitution, in this case initially bringing back just those key employees who need to be physically present to get and keep the business running.<\/li>\n<li>Engineering controls, including healthy-building strategies such as increasing the flow of outside air, using portable air purifiers, and swapping existing filters in air circulating systems for ones that can capture smaller particles.<\/li>\n<li>Administrative controls, such as de-densify buildings by having portions of the workforce come in on alternate days or staggering shifts within a day. This might also include spreading workers out in space and limiting the use of conference rooms for large gatherings.<\/li>\n<li>Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as the now-familiar cloth face coverings, respirators, and other gear in common areas and situations where other controls don\u2019t achieve the required level of safety.[gz_pull_quote attribution=\"\u2014 Joe Allen\"]\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk.\"[\/gz_pull_quote]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t yet come across an environment where putting in sensible controls isn\u2019t able to significantly reduce the risk,\u201d said Allen, who is deputy director of the NIOSH Education and Research Center on Worker Health and Safety.<\/p>\n<p>There are additional actions that could be tailored to each workplace, Allen said. Employers could rearrange desks so workers would be offset instead of sitting directly across from each other; ensure hard surfaces are regularly disinfected; or position portable air purifiers near employees. Things like managing lines near elevators and ensuring PPE is used inside them would also be important.<\/p>\n<p>Allen, who spoke to the media on a conference call Thursday, said the guidelines constitute a relatively low-cost roadmap for employers thinking about bringing people back to work. He cautioned against assuming any one action will provide complete protection, but said it\u2019s rather a matter of understanding and managing risks, not just putting a mask on everyone who walks through the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no silver bullet here,\u201d Allen said. \u201cYou don\u2019t give someone a mask and say, \u2018Our responsibilities are done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allen also cautioned that managing risks doesn\u2019t mean there will be no transmission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has to be really clear. There\u2019s no such thing as zero risk,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide  size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/JAllen.Harvard.Back-to-Work-Layered-Defense_2500.jpg\" alt=\"Graphic.\" class=\"wp-image-303287\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">\t\t\t<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Graphic by Josh Lasky.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\n\t\r\n\n<p>And these guidelines don\u2019t mean businesses should reopen before it\u2019s safe to do so. Several Chan School epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have urged current social-distancing restrictions remain in place until case numbers have declined, health care system capacity is sufficient to handle a new increase in cases, and adequate testing is in place to detect any new surge in cases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not talking about \u2018when,\u2019\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m talking about when they say it\u2019s clear, how you go about this safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>There\u2019s a common misperception that strategies will necessarily be expensive, he said, but simple things like installing more efficient filters, increasing the supply of fresh air, and enhancing disinfection are well within the reach of most business owners.<\/p>\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-935f3805-07d5-43e9-a573-238feb37054a\">\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Joe Allen.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/020918_Allen_1029_2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/how-buildings-masks-can-be-barriers-to-coronavirus\/\">How masks and buildings can be barriers to the coronavirus<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-07\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 7, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_14_02_sick_buildings_2500px_5.png?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2018\/02\/your-building-might-be-making-you-sick-joe-allen-can-help\/\">Your building might be making you sick.\u00a0Joe Allen can help.<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/edge-of-discovery\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">Edge of Discovery<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2018-02-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 14, 2018\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ambulance.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ambulance-2500.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/\">\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/04\/health-care-disparities-in-the-age-of-coronavirus\/\">COVID-19 targets communities of color<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__series series-badge__header wp-block-heading no-series-logo\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__logo\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<a class=\"series-badge__title\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/series\/coronavirus\/\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__part-of\">Part of the<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-name\">The Coronavirus Update<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"series-badge__series-text\"> series<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-04-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 14, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t7 min read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\r\n\n<p>\u201cThere are technology solutions that are being considered that are more expensive, require a big capital outlay, might take a couple of months to implement. But \u2026 I\u2019m being cognizant we have to put in right now strategies that people can take and deploy in almost any situation,\u201d Allen said. \u201cBroadly, these are strategies that people can put in and the costs are low or manageable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steps taken in the workplace, however, don\u2019t get everyone safely through their commutes. Those who drive or walk may have fewer concerns, but those who take public transportation face a tougher challenge, Allen said. For those taking car transport \u2014 taxis, Ubers, Lyfts \u2014 models have shown that simply opening a window three inches significantly decreases concentrations of airborne contaminants inside. For those whose commutes include time on subway trains and buses, however, he said more work still needs to be done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a vexing problem, everything about this pandemic is,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI\u2019m confident that we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":307894,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/06\/harvard-expert-outlines-recommendations-for-school-reopenings\/","url_meta":{"origin":303279,"position":0},"title":"Healthy buildings expert outlines recommendations for school reopenings","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"June 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"As school officials worry about whether they can safely reopen their districts in the fall, Joseph Allen, a Harvard healthy buildings expert has an answer: yes.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/062520_School_Reopens_04_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/062520_School_Reopens_04_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/062520_School_Reopens_04_2500.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/062520_School_Reopens_04_2500.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":316087,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/11\/higher-ed-officials-have-renewed-hope-under-biden-administration\/","url_meta":{"origin":303279,"position":1},"title":"Looking at what the election will mean to education policy","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"November 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hosted by the Graduate School of Education, Harvard experts look at the election\u2019s impact on politics and policies that affect young people, families, schools, and communities.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nation &amp; World&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nation &amp; World","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Education panel.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111020_ElectionPanel_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111020_ElectionPanel_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111020_ElectionPanel_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111020_ElectionPanel_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":313487,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/10\/is-the-slow-approach-to-reopening-schools-failing-kids\/","url_meta":{"origin":303279,"position":2},"title":"Is go-slow schools\u2019 reopening failing kids?","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"October 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Harvard Chan School\u2019s Joseph Allen gives America an \u201cF\u201d on school reopening efforts, and says we\u2019re in danger of losing thousands of virtual dropouts and wasting mild late summer\/early autumn weather we could use to boost in-person learning.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Joseph Allen.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/100920_COVIDSchool_020jpg_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/100920_COVIDSchool_020jpg_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/100920_COVIDSchool_020jpg_2500.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/100920_COVIDSchool_020jpg_2500.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":317259,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/how-covid-experiences-will-reshape-the-workplace\/","url_meta":{"origin":303279,"position":3},"title":"How COVID experiences will reshape the workplace","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"February 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As organizations prepare for a return to their old workplaces, Harvard Business School faculty say the pandemic has permanently changed the way we work.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Work &amp; Economy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Work &amp; Economy","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/business-economy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Man working on computer in casual setting.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaleidico-Working-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaleidico-Working-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaleidico-Working-unsplash.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaleidico-Working-unsplash.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":321739,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/04\/how-covid-19-turned-his-life-into-a-year-of-never-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":303279,"position":4},"title":"A year of \u2018never off\u2019","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"April 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As director of the Harvard Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Joseph G. Allen offers special insight on how the pandemic affected him, his work, and his family.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Campus &amp; Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Campus &amp; Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Joseph Allen and his family.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/022421_Allen_01251.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/022421_Allen_01251.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/022421_Allen_01251.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/022421_Allen_01251.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":338309,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2022\/02\/turning-the-page-in-pandemic-playbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":303279,"position":5},"title":"New page in pandemic playbook","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"February 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Risk assessment experts offer tips for balancing pandemic risks, as government restrictions ease.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pedestrians in Boston chat as they cross street with masks lowered.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220216_risk-reopening_2500_AP_22040727663774.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220216_risk-reopening_2500_AP_22040727663774.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220216_risk-reopening_2500_AP_22040727663774.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220216_risk-reopening_2500_AP_22040727663774.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131912115"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303279"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":303409,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303279\/revisions\/303409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303279"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=303279"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}