Skip to main content

Work Safe 2.0: Principles to Guide Reopen Houston Safely

Published Apr 29, 2020 by A.J. Mistretta

H_GHP_Downtown_Freeways_2_2019

As the Houston region moves to reopen our economy, it is important that we do so safely, sustainability and successfully. To aid companies planning to reopen or expand their operations, the Greater Houston Partnership is sharing principles to help businesses develop plans to protect the health of their employees and customers by reducing the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

Businesses have a vested interest in getting this reopening right. All businesses should want to keep their employees and customers safe — and feeling safe – as they return to “normal” operations. Get industry-specific guidance, learn more about the Partnership's Houston Work Safe Program and pledge to employ these principles at your company today. 

This list of principles has been modified from the Partnership’s original Work Safe principles to reflect evolving federal and state guidance, and this list either meets, exceeds or expands on that guidance.

Work Safe 2.0 Principles

  1. Allow all but essential on-site employees to work from home. While companies may maintain on-site workers to complete specific business tasks, employers should continue to allow all but those necessary employees to work remotely.
     
  2. Create a safe work environment for all on-site employees.
    • Create physical separation. Health officials advise that all individuals should remain at least six feet apart to avoid possible transmission. Employers should establish protocols that allow all on-site employees to maintain a distance of at least six feet while working.
    • Close communal spaces. Where possible, employers should discontinue use of any communal spaces such as lunchrooms, breakrooms, meeting rooms and other gathering spaces to avoid unnecessary person-to-person exposure.
    • Expand cleaning operations. Companies where workers must remain onsite should increase cleaning protocols of all high-touch and high-traffic areas throughout the day.
       
  3.  Require workers with COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms to stay home. To minimize exposure to other personnel, all workers who are experiencing even mild symptoms (principally fever, dry cough, sneezing) should avoid entering the workplace, report the situation to their supervisor and remain home.
    • Companies should consider adjusting paid sick leave (PTO) policies. Employers should remove disincentives from people self-reporting illnesses. It is to a company’s advantage for sick employees to stay home.
       
  4. Encourage proper hygiene. Employers should provide sufficient hand sanitizing stations, guidelines for proper hand washing and soap at all hand-washing stations to ensure proper hygiene at the workplace.
     
  5. Apply industry best practices to your reopening and expanding operations. National, state and local trade associations, along with leading companies in most business sectors, have developed robust sector-specific best practices to successfully and safely operate in this environment and have shared these resources online.
     
  6. Employ virtual meeting technology. To avoid unnecessary exposure, employers should implement online video conferencing and other virtual meeting and messaging tools to conduct meetings. No one should feel the need to meet in person, even if they are in the same physical office.
     
  7. Create alternate teams. Employers with on-site staff should create alternating teams (i.e. morning/afternoon shifts, day/evening, every other day) so that operations may continue if one team becomes exposed and is required to quarantine.
     
  8. Restrict on-site access. Employee guests and other visitors should only be allowed access to any office or worksite when absolutely needed. For customer-oriented businesses, customers should be allowed access only provided they follow the safety protocols established by the business.
  9. Encourage employees to observe safe travel guidance. Employers are strongly encouraged to follow the direction of public health officials to guide travel decisions outside of the Houston region. Employees should protect themselves and others during the duration of the trip, including following CDC travel guidelines. Travelers from high-risk areas should consult with their medical provider regarding self-quarantining and self-monitoring measures.

  10. Eliminate crowding. Limit the number of customers or individuals allowed in the business or workplace at one time to allow for social distancing. If possible, utilize markings to ensure safe spacing at all times.  
     
  11. Decrease physical contact. Establish measures to limit interaction between employees and other employees and employees and customers. Utilize contactless solutions. 
     
  12. Require employees and customers to wear personal protective equipment when possible. Face coverings should be worn by employees and customers, especially if it is difficult or impossible to maintain a 6-foot distance. Proper training on wearing and disposing of PPE should be provided to all employees, and the workplace should provide protective equipment for all employees unable to provide their own. 
     
  13. Develop health checks. Create a plan to train employees in responsible health checks using proper techniques and protocols. Utilize temperature checks to monitor the health of employees and send home employees who display symptoms. Employees who have a fever or display symptoms of COVID-19 or flu-like illness should not be allowed to work. 
     
  14. Manage confirmed or suspected work-related cases. Implement a process to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace in the event an employee tests positive or is exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Employers must understand the legal considerations related to managing cases in the workplace, including issues around employee privacy. Employers should also consider supporting efforts to stop community spread by notifying public health agencies of an employee with a confirmed case. For more information on what can be done to manage confirmed or suspected cases in the workplace, click here.
     
  15. Establish anonymous reporting. To maintain a safe work environment for on-site employees and customers, companies should create an anonymous complaint channel for employees and customers to report unsafe practices or violations of protocol during this COVID-19 period.
     

Learn more about the Houston Work Safe Program. Get information and resource from the Greater Houston Business Recovery Center

Updated on August 13, 2020. 

Related News

Membership

New Partnership Members in June

7/8/25
The Greater Houston Partnership welcomed 13 new member companies in the month of June. The Partnership works to connect companies with resources, information and networking opportunities to help increase business while also providing a platform to influence the direction of the region.  New members who joined in the month of June include: Arizon Corporation: Arizon Corporation is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance custom RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) solutions. They provide comprehensive RFID application solutions and services worldwide for various fields, including apparel, retail, and logistics. Website. Arnold Ventures: Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy founded by Laura and John Arnold in 2008, dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through evidence-based policy solutions. They focus on addressing broken systems and driving lasting change through research, advocacy, and building bipartisan coalitions. Website. Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP: Boardwalk Pipelines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Loews Corporation and headquartered in Houston, Texas, owns and operates approximately 14,335 miles of interconnected natural gas and liquids pipelines across the central and eastern United States. They provide solutions for businesses requiring diverse market connectivity and reliable sources of supply for power generation, LNG, and petrochemical feedstock. Website. Cornerstone Capital Bank, SSB: Cornerstone Capital Bank is a company formed through the partnership of Cornerstone Home Lending and Roscoe Bank, combining their expertise to provide a range of banking services. They focus on mortgage lending, personal, commercial, and institutional banking, emphasizing service, strength, and stability for people and communities. Website. First Horizon Bank: First Horizon Bank is a financial institution that offers capital market services, regional banking and wealth management through the First Horizon family of companies. First Horizon Bank and IBERIABANK reached an important milestone by legally merging. IBERIABANK will adopt the First Horizon name. Website. Food Truck Club: The Food Trucks Club manufactures, rents, and sells food trucks and organizes events. They provide services related to gear for food trucks and host themed events. Website. Houston Habitat for Humanity: Houston Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing in the City of Houston by helping low-income families earn simple decent homes in which to live. Website. Maximum Q: Maximum Q, led by Lisa Shumate, is a company focused on leadership coaching and development. They offer services such as Executive Advising, Leadership Bootcamp, and Organizational Transformation, utilizing "The Five Q's" to help leaders achieve breakthroughs and results. Website. Russo's: Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is a pizza restaurant specializing in authentic New York-style pizza and Italian dishes based on family recipes. The company also offers franchise opportunities. Website. Sallyport Partners Fund: Sallyport Investments is an operationally focused private equity firm, based in Houston, TX. They partner with management teams to grow and build high-performing businesses across various industries, aiming to create lasting value for investors, companies, and communities. Website. TerraPower: TerraPower is an American nuclear reactor design and development engineering company, founded by Bill Gates. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the company focuses on developing advanced nuclear technologies, such as the Natrium reactor, to provide clean, safe, and affordable energy. Website. TGS Cedar Points Partners, LP: TGS Cedar Points Partners is the largest master-planned rail-and-barge-served Industrial Park in the U.S., offering rail-served, e-commerce, distribution, cold storage, and manufacturing users unmatched resources for the future of industrial logistics. Website. The Edge Group: The Edge Group is an executive search firm established in 1994, specializing in sourcing talent and elevating organizations through retained search services. It is comprised of ten professionals with over 100 years of combined experience in professional retained search. Website.
Read More
Membership

Partnership Members Making News - June

6/17/25
The Greater Houston Partnership celebrates our members making important announcements and sharing news about their operations and impact in our region. Learn more about some of those announcements over the last month below. Business Moves (breaking ground, expansion, business’ moving to Houston) Corebridge Financial debuts on the Fortune 500 list at No. 224, with $18.78 billion in 2024 revenue, joining 25 other Houston corporations including Exxon Mobil and Chevron.  Fervo Energy, a Houston-based company now valued at over $1 billion, secures fifth on LexisNexis's 10 Most Innovative Startups in Texas report. The company recently fully contracted its 500-megawatt Cape Station geothermal development, which is expected to begin delivering electricity in 2026. Fervo Energy secures $206 million in new financing to support its flagship 500-megawatt Cape Station geothermal project in Utah. Greentown Labs and MassChallenge form a strategic partnership to support early-stage climatetech startups, leveraging their combined expertise and networks. This collaboration aims to strengthen the ecosystem for these companies by providing mentorship, support, and broader commercialization opportunities.  Hilcorp Energy plans a $4.5 million renovation of the 13th floor at its 1111 Travis St. headquarters. This is the latest in a series of renovations for the 24-story tower, which Hilcorp has occupied since 2016.  Houston Dynamo FC adds International Money Express as a new partner, continuing its sponsorship growth. The company will have the naming rights to Shell Energy Stadium's northeast gate, which will be renamed Intermex Gate. Landry’s Inc. plans to convert the two-story, 5,650-square-foot former Joe's Crab Shack at 7 Kemah Boardwalk Waterfront Drive into an entrance building for a new water park. The estimated $435,000 project is slated to start in July and finish by the end of next March. Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital will begin its third expansion this fall, a $277.5 million privately funded project. This expansion will add two new buildings, including a six-story Patient Bed Tower that will house TIRR Memorial Hermann inpatient rehab and increase the hospital's licensed bed count to 201.  Sueba USA breaks ground on a 346-unit apartment complex, "Missouri City 1," in Fort Bend Town Center in Missouri City, with completion expected by fall 2026. The development, located near a Metro Park and Ride, will offer studio to three-bedroom units ranging from 496 to 2,088 square feet. The Signorelli Co. secures two new large tenants for its 240-acre Valley Ranch Town Center mixed-use development: Books-A-Million will occupy a 12,000-square-foot space, and Havertys Furniture will open a 41,500-square-foot showroom, with both scheduled to open this fall.  Education Harmony Public Schools is set to open its first STEM-focused campus at City Place on August 13 for the 2025-26 school year, serving students from pre-K through sixth grade. This campus is part of a larger development that will eventually include middle and high schools on a 28.9-acre site.  Rice University's Owl Spark and the University of Houston's RED Labs launch their summer 2025 accelerators, featuring a total of 20 student ventures focused on various sectors like technology and healthcare. These programs will culminate in The Bayou Startup Showcase in July.  University of Houston launches the Centennial Construction Project, a $43 million initiative aiming to transform the campus core, creating more pedestrian-friendly spaces, including a new Centennial Plaza and enhancements to Wilhelmina's Grove. University of Houston-Downtown has relocated its Career Center Annex, Office of Alumni Relations, and Office of Continuing Education to "The Launchpad" at 1801 Main St. to enhance post-degree success and career mobility. Additionally, UHD is establishing the Center for Crime, Urban Research and Education (C-CURE) at The Launchpad, aiming to provide technical assistance and foster research-driven solutions for complex challenges in the greater Houston area. Health Care Houston Methodist holds first place among large health systems in Premier's 15 Top Health Systems in the United States, an annual ranking based on clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, and patient experience. Several of its individual hospitals also received high rankings in various categories within Premier's Top 100 Hospitals list, alongside HCA Houston Healthcare facilities.  Innovation  Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital introduces a new robotic bronchoscopy system for early lung cancer detection, marking the first time this minimally invasive technology is available in Fort Bend County.  Rice University's student-led Rice Wind Energy team secured second place overall at the U.S. Department of Energy's 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition. The competition, which challenges students to design and build wind turbines, develop projects, and engage in public outreach, saw over 40 teams compete with only 12 reaching the finals.  Syzygy Plasmonics begins developing NovaSAF 1 in Uruguay, the world's first electrified facility designed to convert biogas into over 350,000 gallons of sustainable aviation fuel annually. University of Houston's BRAIN Center and TIRR Memorial Hermann develop MyoStep, a soft, lightweight exoskeleton designed to help children with cerebral palsy improve motor function. This innovative device includes a wireless sensor network for real-time data collection and safety features, offering a discreet solution for motor impairments.  Transportation  Houston ISD undergoes the first steps for a free METRO bus pass partnership for its roughly 50,000 high school students. This agreement will allow eligible HISD students to use Metro's existing transit system at a negotiated rate. Southwest Airlines is finalizing its first transpacific partnership with Taiwan-based China Airlines, allowing for single-ticket itineraries between their services. The partnership is set to launch in early 2026, with routes becoming available for purchase later this year.  If you are a member and want us to help communicate news about your organization, please send a press release or information about the announcement to member.engagement@houston.org and we will share it with our content team for possible inclusion in an upcoming roundup. Learn more about Partnership membership.
Read More

Related Events

HYPE

HYPE Summit: Step Into the Spotlight

Bringing together young professionals from across the greater Houston region, the third annual Houston Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (HYPE) Summit is an interactive and engaging day-long…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners