April 20, 2020

Visit our Coronavirus Resources and Recommendations page

Updated on Monday, April 20, 2020

In addition to our Coronavirus Resources and Recommendations page for employers, you can stay up to date with Texas Mutual’s response to the coronavirus on our How We’re Helping Texas page with the latest information on how we’re supporting our policyholders, communities, agent partners and employees. You can bookmark the page or access it from the orange banner on our homepage.


Updated on Wednesday, March 18, 2020
We’ve created a new Coronavirus Resources and Recommendations page with prevention materials, information on claims related to the virus and other guidance to help employers navigate the coronavirus situation. 

Updated on Monday, March 16, 2020

Texas Mutual is here to support our policyholders, injured workers, agents and medical providers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

We are conducting business virtually for the safety of our employees and communities. Our physical office locations are currently closed. As always, we are available at (800) 859-5995 or information@texasmutual.com. You can also log in to use our policyholder and agent tools.

If you have questions about safety in the workplace or safety for employees working remotely, visit our online safety resource center by logging in, or call 844-WORKSAFE.

Updated on Thursday, March 12, 2020

We are continuing to monitor the coronavirus situation across Texas and beyond, and will continue to provide recommendations to help you protect your employees. At Texas Mutual, we are taking our own preventative measures and want to share additional considerations that you could adopt, including:

  • Limiting non-essential business travel
  • Limiting visitors to your place of business, when possible
  • Communicating with employees who have travelled or plan to travel to an area with active COVID-19 transmission before returning to the office
  • Ensuring you have a business preparedness plan in place

The CDC offers interim guidance to help businesses and employers plan, prepare and respond to the coronavirus.

We’ve also enhanced our resources and made them available in Spanish. View our FAQ on workers’ compensation and coronavirus in Spanish, Preguntas frecuentes de Texas Mutual sobre el coronavirus.

Wednesday, March 6, 2020

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of infection from the coronavirus is currently low, even for most workers. However, as an employer you may face questions and concerns, which we want you to feel prepared to address.

In this article you’ll find information on safety and prevention, workers’ compensation claims related to COVID-19, and more. For a concise guide, view our FAQ on workers’ compensation and coronavirus, also available in Spanish. 

Washing hands

Protecting workers from coronavirus

The Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) also provides extensive control and prevention information to offer guidance for minimizing exposure among workers with risk, but general prevention for employers and businesses includes: 

  • Place posters that encourage staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, and hand hygiene at the entrance to your workplace and in other areas where they are likely to be seen.
  • Actively encourage sick employees to stay home. Ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies.
  • Perform routine environmental cleaning of all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops and doorknobs. 
  • Advise employees who are traveling to check the CDC’s travel guide. 

Workers with an increased exposure risk include those involved in:

  • Health care (including pre-hospital and medical transport workers, health care providers, clinical laboratory personnel and support staff)
  • Death care (including coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors)
  • Airline operations
  • Waste management
  • Travel to areas where the virus is spreading

OSHA states that “OSHA standards, including those for personal protective equipment and respiratory protection require employers to assess the hazards to which their workers may be exposed. In assessing potential hazards, employers should consider whether or not their workers may encounter someone infected with COVID-19 in the course of their duties. Employers should also determine if workers could be exposed to environments (e.g., worksites) or materials (e.g., laboratory samples, waste) contaminated with the virus.”

Workers’ compensation claims and coronavirus

Certain types of employment or circumstances specific to your business may carry a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure than others. If an employee is diagnosed with the coronavirus, take all necessary health and safety precautions, and if you suspect the COVID-19 exposure is work related, report the claim to Texas Mutual immediately. Texas Mutual will investigate each COVID-19 claim on a case-by-case basis. Our team of claim specialists will investigate the facts of each case and evaluate whether an employee’s illness related to COVID-19 occurred during the course and scope of employment. As with any claimed occupational disease, the medical evidence will be important to the compensability determination. For more detailed information about what to do if you suspect an employee has been exposed, read our employer FAQ. 

If you must require your employees to work from home and an injury happens in their home environment, we will investigate and evaluate it just as we would a claim in the workplace.

Coronavirus Resource Section

Coronavirus resources and information to help you protect your business.

The Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization (WHO)

Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)

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