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rules, regulations, or existing collective bargaining agreements. Staff interacting with members of the
public as part of their official responsibilities must also wear a high-quality mask or respirator in
workplaces located in a county where the COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level is High.
In areas of Low or Medium COVID-19 Hospital Admission Levels, in most settings, individuals do not
need to wear a mask or respirator in DOL facilities, except where required by DOL, GSA, Facility
Security Committee (FSC), or Federal, State, local, Tribal, or territorial laws, rules, regulations, or
existing collective bargaining agreements. Absent such requirements, individuals may choose to wear a
mask, when COVID-19 Hospital Admission Levels are Low or Medium.
Where a locality imposes more protective safety requirements related to COVID-19 than federal
requirements, those requirements are to be followed by DOL employees and onsite contractor
employees in DOL buildings, DOL-controlled indoor worksites, and on agency lands within that locality.
Additionally, all individuals must continue to follow current CDC guidelines on post-isolation and post-
exposure precautions including as it relates to wearing a high-quality mask or respirator after exposure
to COVID-19 or when returning to work after isolation after receiving a positive COVID-19 test.
Signs will be posted in DOL controlled workplaces to inform employees when mask-wearing is required
and when mask-wearing is optional.
space, DOL employees are expected to follow CDC guidelines and local regulations on wearing masks,
as well as those regarding increasing space and distance, while discharging their official duties in other
locations (for example, when entering a location to conduct an investigation).
Employees are expected to adhere to this policy, and failure to follow (absent an approved
accommodation) may result in disciplinary action. Supervisors who need assistance in addressing
employees who are not following Departmental COVID-19 safety protocols including, but not limited to
adhering to the Department’s masking and screening procedures, should contact the DOL Branch of
Employee Relations in the OASAM Office of Human Resources.
TYPES OF HIGH-QUALITY MASKS AND RESPIRATORS
High-quality masks or respirators include respirators that meet U.S. or international standards (e.g.,
N95, KN95, KF94), masks that meet a standard (e.g., ASTM), or “procedure” or “surgical”-style masks.1F
2
Respirators (such as KN95 and N95) offer the best protection. They are most effective when they seal
tightly to your face.
2
Wherever high-quality masks or respirators are required in this document, an individual may choose to use a filtering
facepiece respirator (e.g., N95). And any use of a filtering facepiece respirator is considered voluntary. Affected employees
who choose to wear a filtering facepiece respirator while at work need to review the information in Appendix D to OSHA’s
Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 C.F.R. 1910.134, available here.