How risky is it to be a poll worker in the age of COVID-19?
September 25, 2020 5:57 AM Subscribe
I'd like to be a poll worker this November, but I'd also like to understand how much of a risk it might be. Articles? Data? Decision-making models? Anything?
Poll workers will be equipped with N-95 masks, hand sanitizer, and masking tape. Voters will be...disinclined to wear masks. The lines and voting stations will be inside a single open space with a high ceiling, but little ventilation, and I'm pretty sure that the air-control system hasn't been updated for 20 years. Local compliance with social distancing is not great. I want to be a poll worker. I do not want to get sick. I am looking for guidance on making this decision. What questions should I ask the election judge when they call? Is there advice for poll workers?
Poll workers will be equipped with N-95 masks, hand sanitizer, and masking tape. Voters will be...disinclined to wear masks. The lines and voting stations will be inside a single open space with a high ceiling, but little ventilation, and I'm pretty sure that the air-control system hasn't been updated for 20 years. Local compliance with social distancing is not great. I want to be a poll worker. I do not want to get sick. I am looking for guidance on making this decision. What questions should I ask the election judge when they call? Is there advice for poll workers?
As this is a covid-19 question, I am asking other mefites to cite to meaningful sources instead of giving off-the-cuff answers.
I am unaware of official poll worker guidance, but given the circumstances and what we know, the risk factors come from being in an unventilated indoor space.
In that context, to minimize risk I would ask questions about ventilation:
- Will there be windows and doors can we keep them open.
- Will fans be available.
- What is the social distancing and crowd management protocol (e.g. how many people are we allowing in at once)
- Is there any ability to shift some of the work outdoors and can I take that work.
In addition to the equipment they are providing to you, I would also consider bringing:
1) goggles with sealed sides or at minimum impact glasses that would shield your eyes.
2) If you are willing to spend your own money, P100 respirators are starting to become more readily available, although you still need to cover the exhaust on respirators like this to protect others. These are more comfortable and durable compared to the n95.
3) Face shields alone do not seem to be sufficient in stopping covid, but I would be willing to wear one on top of the other stuff.
I am planning to do voter protection and will be staffing an outdoor table, but plan to wear the gear as described above. If I had to stay indoors for long periods of time, I probably would be comfortable if I saw some measures of indoor ventilation occurring (e.g. open windows with fans blowing inwards)
posted by Karaage at 6:46 AM on September 25, 2020 [11 favorites]
I am unaware of official poll worker guidance, but given the circumstances and what we know, the risk factors come from being in an unventilated indoor space.
In that context, to minimize risk I would ask questions about ventilation:
- Will there be windows and doors can we keep them open.
- Will fans be available.
- What is the social distancing and crowd management protocol (e.g. how many people are we allowing in at once)
- Is there any ability to shift some of the work outdoors and can I take that work.
In addition to the equipment they are providing to you, I would also consider bringing:
1) goggles with sealed sides or at minimum impact glasses that would shield your eyes.
2) If you are willing to spend your own money, P100 respirators are starting to become more readily available, although you still need to cover the exhaust on respirators like this to protect others. These are more comfortable and durable compared to the n95.
3) Face shields alone do not seem to be sufficient in stopping covid, but I would be willing to wear one on top of the other stuff.
I am planning to do voter protection and will be staffing an outdoor table, but plan to wear the gear as described above. If I had to stay indoors for long periods of time, I probably would be comfortable if I saw some measures of indoor ventilation occurring (e.g. open windows with fans blowing inwards)
posted by Karaage at 6:46 AM on September 25, 2020 [11 favorites]
to Karaage's point on face shields, its in a private report i can't provide but a recent external survey by a firm my employer brought in to discuss covid safety repeatedly made the point that face shields alone are no protection and must always be worn with a mask covering the nose and mouth.
one thing you are not, possibly, considering would be required training and its location/duration? i was surprised to find NYC poll worker trainings being conducted indoors . . .
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:55 AM on September 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
one thing you are not, possibly, considering would be required training and its location/duration? i was surprised to find NYC poll worker trainings being conducted indoors . . .
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:55 AM on September 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
Are you allowed to bring a fan to your polling location? I'd bring one and plug it in somewhere, just to keep the air moving.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:57 AM on September 25, 2020
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:57 AM on September 25, 2020
It's not going to be 100% risk free, obviously, but nothing is.
In this setup pay attention to the Covid rate in your area--it will be one of the big factors and will determine baseline risk. With a low rate your situation will be lower risk.
One possible way to think about this: People work at supermarkets daily throughout the crisis. I'm very glad I don't have to (and wish they got hazard pay), but the measures in place are sufficient to keep infections down. And you would only be experiencing this for a day. If they are setting up the station to be similar to a supermarket (workers distanced from voters when possible, occupancy controls, etc.) you are likely in reasonably good shape.
- Will fans be available.
To be clear, fans will be increasing risk in this situation (as described in Karaage's link.)
posted by mark k at 8:00 AM on September 25, 2020 [8 favorites]
In this setup pay attention to the Covid rate in your area--it will be one of the big factors and will determine baseline risk. With a low rate your situation will be lower risk.
One possible way to think about this: People work at supermarkets daily throughout the crisis. I'm very glad I don't have to (and wish they got hazard pay), but the measures in place are sufficient to keep infections down. And you would only be experiencing this for a day. If they are setting up the station to be similar to a supermarket (workers distanced from voters when possible, occupancy controls, etc.) you are likely in reasonably good shape.
- Will fans be available.
To be clear, fans will be increasing risk in this situation (as described in Karaage's link.)
posted by mark k at 8:00 AM on September 25, 2020 [8 favorites]
Karaage covered it well. There's some risk from other poll workers; you will be sharing air with them for @ 12 hours. If lines get long, and especially if it rains, people will want to be indoors while they wait. The longer you are exposed to virus, the more likely to be infected if someone is carrying it. I'd recommend that people bring fans and insist on using them.
Thanks for the question and for working at polls. I've considered it, but am at somewhat higher risk (60s, asthma) and can't quite take the risk.
posted by theora55 at 8:19 AM on September 25, 2020
Thanks for the question and for working at polls. I've considered it, but am at somewhat higher risk (60s, asthma) and can't quite take the risk.
posted by theora55 at 8:19 AM on September 25, 2020
Why are people recommending fans?! They circulate air and keep aerosol particles aloft longer and spread them further.
Fans are safe in single occupancy rooms. Fans for air circulation in collective spaces should be avoided when several people are present in this space.
[ . . . ]
The use of fans is advised where there is only one person in a room. In collective spaces, when several people are present in this space, the use of fans for air circulation/cooling is not advised particularly in small volume, closed or partially open spaces with minimal outside air exchange (HCSP, 2020). If fans are used, take steps to minimize air from fans blowing from one person directly at another to reduce the potential spread of any airborne or aerosolized viruses (CDC-2020).
This is from Karaage's ventilation link, right above.
Turnover of air is important as it keeps the indoor concentration low.
But fans indoors primarily increase turbulence, not turnover. Recall the famous study of spread of Covid in a Chinese restaurant--it was people in the ventilation path who got infected at long distances, but not the people at the next table not in airflow.
Fans, unless placed with careful consideration by professionals who understand airflow and design, are risk increasing.
posted by mark k at 8:41 AM on September 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
Fans are safe in single occupancy rooms. Fans for air circulation in collective spaces should be avoided when several people are present in this space.
[ . . . ]
The use of fans is advised where there is only one person in a room. In collective spaces, when several people are present in this space, the use of fans for air circulation/cooling is not advised particularly in small volume, closed or partially open spaces with minimal outside air exchange (HCSP, 2020). If fans are used, take steps to minimize air from fans blowing from one person directly at another to reduce the potential spread of any airborne or aerosolized viruses (CDC-2020).
This is from Karaage's ventilation link, right above.
Turnover of air is important as it keeps the indoor concentration low.
But fans indoors primarily increase turbulence, not turnover. Recall the famous study of spread of Covid in a Chinese restaurant--it was people in the ventilation path who got infected at long distances, but not the people at the next table not in airflow.
Fans, unless placed with careful consideration by professionals who understand airflow and design, are risk increasing.
posted by mark k at 8:41 AM on September 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
The first mention of fans in the answers was explicitly about putting one in an open window, to increase ventilation. This is exactly what you want. Well, I’d point it outwards but that’s a quibble.
posted by Jobst at 9:16 AM on September 25, 2020
posted by Jobst at 9:16 AM on September 25, 2020
Using fans to bring in outside air needs to be distinguished from using fans to blow air around indoors without outside ventilation. These are different concepts.
On the first concept, from the cidrap link.
Maximizing ventilation, avoiding recirculation
Engineering controls should ensure adequate air supply and exhaust vents and, in the case of partitions or curtains, secondary measures to maximize ventilation effectiveness, such as opening windows and doors. This is particularly important in congregate care settings such as converted exhibition centers, which may not have adequate ventilation for infection control, the authors said.
....In areas of known air stagnation, other air circulation systems can also be used, but only if they also bring in outdoor air.
posted by Karaage at 11:10 AM on September 25, 2020
On the first concept, from the cidrap link.
Maximizing ventilation, avoiding recirculation
Engineering controls should ensure adequate air supply and exhaust vents and, in the case of partitions or curtains, secondary measures to maximize ventilation effectiveness, such as opening windows and doors. This is particularly important in congregate care settings such as converted exhibition centers, which may not have adequate ventilation for infection control, the authors said.
....In areas of known air stagnation, other air circulation systems can also be used, but only if they also bring in outdoor air.
posted by Karaage at 11:10 AM on September 25, 2020
I'll stop going on about this after this post. But the guidance starts from the baseline of "known stagnation" and saying fans can help under certain conditions and when other options aren't available. Generic approaches that more fans are better would make me extremely nervous about a workplace I was going into; it would make me think that the venue lacks access to expertise to do things in a good way (sadly probably true). Near windows necessary but sufficient for safety.
FWIW my intuitive response is various stupid things in lab design meetings that were roughly "well, just increase ventilation" which turned out to be counterproductive, as I learned from people who were paid to understand the issue.
posted by mark k at 12:57 PM on September 25, 2020
FWIW my intuitive response is various stupid things in lab design meetings that were roughly "well, just increase ventilation" which turned out to be counterproductive, as I learned from people who were paid to understand the issue.
posted by mark k at 12:57 PM on September 25, 2020
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posted by flowergrrrl at 6:45 AM on September 25, 2020