Five-step plan for reopening business is put to the test in China

Employers and employees around the world are eager to get back to work as soon as possible. A picture of how that will unfold is starting to emerge — and it’s far from straightforward.

Businesses have long relied on a five-tier inverted pyramid called the “hierarchy of controls” to reduce workplace risks to employees, ranging from chemical exposure to physical injury. This framework will also be the basis for companies’ plans to get back to work, occupational safety experts say.