How to Prevent Getting a Cold if My Co-Worker Is Coughing All Over Me

There are preventative steps that allow you to remain healthy in a work environment, even if a coworker is breathing or coughing on you. These steps can be taken before, during and after contact with the ill coworker, and will reduce your chances of catching the coworker's cold.

Things You'll Need

• Hand sanitizer
• Vitamin C

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Instructions

• 1

  Apply hand sanitizer multiple times a day. This will kill germs you come in contact with before they reach your mouth or face. If the coworker is coughing close to your desk or body, use the hand sanitizer after she coughs.

• 2

  Eat and drink vitamin-rich foods and beverages. Vitamin C, in particular, is known to work preventatively and keep the immune system strong.

• 3

  Make sure to get enough sleep at night, and come to work fully rested. Sleep is a simple way to keep the body healthy, and bodies that are sleep-deprived are more susceptible to getting ill.

• 4

  If the coworker continues coughing too close to you, request that she stop. This could be a simple interaction in which you urge her to cover her mouth, or you could request that a supervisor deal directly with the coworker.