Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard:

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were not protected from the hazard of contracting the virus, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the cause of the COVID-19 disease, which can cause death: a) North Providence Urgent Care, Inc. and North Providence Primary Care Associates, Inc. located at 1830 Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence, RI and Center of New England Urgent Care, Inc. and Center of New England Primary Care, Inc. located at 775 Centre of New England Boulevard, West Greenwich, RI: On or about November 25, 2020, a doctor displayed symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and continued to interact with employees in the North Providence and West Greenwich practices. This doctor tested positive for COVID-19 on December 4, 2020 and continued working throughout the four practices. Employees working in the North Providence Urgent Care facility worked in close proximity to each other in areas including, but not limited to, the reception area. The employer did not implement engineering controls, such as portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) fan/filtration systems or barriers between adjacent desks. Administrative controls such as, but not limited to, cleaning, disinfecting, and symptom screening of employees were also neglected. The doctor did not initiate contact tracing or quarantine after close contact with a patient who was exposed to COVID-19. Subsequent exposure and after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result, the doctor did not quarantine from the workplace(s). The doctor's continued work throughout the practices facilitated the spread of COVID-19 within the four practices during the week of November 29, 2020 through December 5, 2020, where six employees tested positive for COVID-19.