CS 316346-F 04/23/2020

What Airline Workers Need to Know about COVID-19

As an aircraft maintenance worker, how can I 

protect myself?

As an aircraft maintenance worker, you could be 

exposed to COVID-19 in situations such as when you 

have close contact with someone with COVID-19, 

when you touch surfaces while repairing aircraft 

interiors and lavatories that have been touched or 

handled by a person with COVID-19, or by touching 

your mouth, nose, or eyes.

• Limit close contact with others by maintaining a 

distance of at least 6 feet, when possible.

• Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of 

frequently touched surfaces, following the 

directions on the cleaning product’s label.

• Use gloves whenever you touch surfaces 

contaminated by body fluids.

• Proper hand hygiene (https://www.cdc.gov/

handwashing/index.html) is an important 

infection control measure. Wash your hands 

regularly with soap and water for at least 20 

seconds. If soap and water are not readily 

available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer 

containing at least 60% alcohol.

• Key times to clean hands in general include: 

» Before, during, and after preparing food

» Before eating food

» After using the toilet

» After blowing your nose, coughing,

or sneezing 

• Additional times to clean hands on the

job include: 

» Before and after work shifts

» Before and after work breaks 

» After touching frequently touched surfaces

» After removing any personal protective 

equipment (PPE)

» After performing maintenance tasks such as 

handling untreated human waste

cdc.gov/coronavirus

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE WORKER

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a 

respiratory illness caused by a virus called 

SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms often include a 

fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Our 

understanding of how the virus spreads 

is evolving as we learn more about it, so 

check the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/howcovid-spreads.html) for the latest information.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from

person-to-person:

Between people who are in close contact

with one another (within about 6 feet).

Through respiratory droplets produced

when an infected person coughs, sneezes,

or talks.

Recent studies indicate that the virus can be spread by 

people before they develop symptoms (pre-symptomatic) 

or who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic). It 

also may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by 

touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and 

then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their 

eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the 

virus spreads. Older adults and people of any age who have 

serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher 

risk for more serious complications (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-athigher-risk.html) from COVID-19.

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings (https://

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-gettingsick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html) in public settings where 

other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, 

especially in areas of significant community-based 

transmission. Cloth face coverings may prevent people 

who don’t know they have the virus from transmitting it 

to others. These face coverings are not surgical masks or 

respirators and are not appropriate substitutes for them in 

workplaces where masks or respirators are recommended 

or required.

6 ft

Accessible version: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/aircraft-maintenance-workers.html
As an aircraft maintenance worker, how can I 

protect myself? (continued)

» After putting on, touching, or removing cloth

face coverings

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Recommendations based on work tasks:

• Interior Work:

» Wear your normally required PPE, if applicable, 

when making repairs in the passenger

cabin area.

» Do not use compressed air or water sprays to 

clean surfaces contacted by passengers, as these 

techniques may aerosolize potentially

infectious material.

» If cleaning is required before you make repairs, 

first review CDC cleaning guidance for Airlines 

and Airline Crew: Coronavirus Disease 2019 

(COVID-19) (https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/

air/managing-sick-travelers/ncov-airlines.html) 

and contact your employer for

additional guidance.

• Air Filter Replacement:

» Wear your normally required PPE, if applicable.

» Follow the manufacturer’s filter

replacement schedule.

» When replacing air filters (including HEPA filters):

- Avoid hitting, dropping, or shaking the filter.

- Do not use compressed air to clean a filter. 

This will keep materials in the filter from 

becoming airborne.

- Dispose of the used filter and gloves in a 

sealed plastic bag.

- Clean your hands (https://www.cdc.gov/

handwashing/index.html) when the task

is finished.

• Waste and Wastewater Handling:

» Follow standard practices when performing 

work tasks that could expose you to untreated 

waste and wastewater. Untreated waste and 

wastewater colored blue (i.e., a deodorizing 

agent in some aircraft toilets) are not disinfected 

and have the potential to be infectious. Take 

these steps to protect yourself: 

- Avoid causing or creating a fine spray of 

untreated waste material.

- Do not vent aircraft vacuum waste tanks 

inside hangars if the aircraft’s external 

venting system is not equipped with a filter 

to prevent the spread of germs from the 

waste. If you must vent the vacuum waste 

tanks inside a hangar, use a technique that 

exhausts the air outside the hangar. Use 

employer-provided PPE when handling 

human waste or sewage: 

- Splash-proof face shield

- Liquid-repellent coveralls

- Waterproof gloves

- Rubber boots

» Remove PPE after use following your employers’ 

instructions, and immediately wash your hands

(https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html)

with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

What steps should my employer take?

Employers of aircraft maintenance workers should 

develop a COVID-19 health and safety plan to protect 

employees. This plan should be shared with you and 

your coworkers. Employers should:

• Take steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 

if an employee is sick (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-whensick.html). Actively encourage sick employees to 

stay home. Sick employees should not return to 

work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation 

are met (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-

ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html), in 

consultation with healthcare providers and state 

and local health departments. 

• Provide information on who to contact if 

employees become sick. 

• Implement flexible sick leave and supportive 

policies and practices. Consider drafting nonpunitive emergency sick leave policies if sick leave 

is not offered to some or all employees. 

• Designate someone to be responsible for 

responding to COVID-19 concerns. Employees 

should know who this person is and how to

contact them.

• Provide employees with accurate information 

about COVID-19, how it spreads, and risk

of exposure.

• Provide training on proper hand washing (https://

www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html) practices 

and other routine infection control precautions. 

This will help prevent the spread of many diseases, 

including COVID-19.

• Provide employees with appropriate PPE when 

necessary and provide training on using the PPE 

and ensuring it fits correctly.

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cdc.gov/coronavirus

What steps should my employer take? (continued)

• Provide employees with access to soap, clean running 

water, and drying materials, or alcohol-based hand 

sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol at

their worksite. 

• Provide disposable disinfecting wipes so that 

commonly touched surfaces can be wiped down by 

employees as needed. Provide products to disinfect 

that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2

(https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/listn-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2), diluted 

household bleach solutions, or alcohol solutions 

with at least 70% alcohol, and are appropriate 

for the surface. Provide employees training on 

manufacturer’s directions for use.

• Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for 

employees to use.

• Frequently clean workstations, such as areas within 

maintenance shops, employee break rooms, rest 

areas, and other common areas.

• Place posters that encourage staying home when 

sick (https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceuticalinterventions/tools-resources/educational-materials.

html), covering coughs and sneezes (https://www.

cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/etiquette/coughing_

sneezing.html) and washing hands often (https://

www.cdc.gov/handwashing/materials.html) at the 

entrance to the workplace and in other workplace 

areas where they are likely to be seen.

• Follow all applicable worker safety and health federal 

regulations and public health agency guidelines.

Where can I get more information?

Stay informed. Talk to your employer, supervisor, 

union representative, or airport personnel who are 

responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns. 

See these sources for more information on reducing 

the risk of worker exposures to COVID-19:

CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers 

to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 

2019 (COVID-19) website: https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidancebusiness-response.html

NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/2019_ncov.html

NIOSH Report HETA 98-0203-2778 Evaluation of 

airplane toilet maintenance http://www.cdc.gov/

niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/1998-0203-2778.pdf

CDC COVID19 http://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/

CDC Updated Interim Guidance for Airlines and 

Airline Crew: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) 

http://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/managing-sicktravelers/ncov-airlines.html

CDC: Guidance for reducing health risks to workers 

handling human waste or sewage http://www.

cdc.gov/healthywater/global/sanitation/workers_

handlingwaste.html

OSHA COVID19 http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/

covid-19/controlprevention.html

WHO Water, sanitation, hygiene and 

waste management for COVID-19 https://

globalhandwashing.org/wp-content/

uploads/2020/03/WHO-2019-NcOV-IPC_WASH2020.1-eng-5.pdf

WHO Guide to hygiene and sanitation in 

aviation https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/

handle/10665/44164/9789241547772_eng.pdf

Suspected communicable disease 

guidelines for maintenance crew 

http://www.iata.org/contentassets/

f1163430bba94512a583eb6d6b24aa56/healthguidelines-maintenance-crew.pdf

CDCINFO: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) | TTY: 

1-888-232-6348 | website: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/

dcs/ContactUs/Form

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