Introduction

Following the UK Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday 23rd March 2020, additional measures to control the spread of Coronavirus have been implemented, including restrictions on:

·         Travelling to and from work, unless essential work absolutely cannot be done from home

·         Gatherings of more than two people, except for families or where the gathering is essential for work purposes

Where businesses need to remain open to undertake “essential work”, it is imperative that they comply with the latest Government advice on Coronavirus at all times to prevent further spread of Coronavirus.

Measures must also be taken to ensure the governments instructions on social distancing are strictly adhered to.

It is important that businesses continue to manage the health and safety of workers, and others who may be affected, to remain legally compliant and to avoid placing further strain on an already stretched health service.

Relevant information contained within this guidance should be communicated to the workforce as frequently as is necessary, to ensure it is clearly understood, in order for employees to protect themselves, their colleagues, their families and the entirety of the UK population.

All individuals, from directors and managers to employees must take responsibility for helping to manage the spread of Coronavirus.

Symptoms of COVID19 (Coronavirus)

• A High Temperature - being hot to the touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• A new, continuous cough - coughing for a lot more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
• Anosmia - loss of, or a change in, the sense of taste and smell.

Self Isolation

Anyone who meets one of the criteria below should not come to work and follow the Government guidance on self-isolation:

• Has a high temperature, a new persistent cough, or a loss of -change in - the sense of smell or taste.
• Is a vulnerable person (i.e. over the age of 70, suffers from an underlying health condition, has heightened susceptibility due to clinical condition or is pregnant.
• Is living with someone in self-isolation or a vulnerable person.

What if an employee falls ill?

If any worker develops a high temperature or persistent cough whilst at work, they must:

• Return home immediately
• Avoid touching anything
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue and put it in the bin or, if they do not have tissues, cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow.

Once an employee has been sent home to follow self-isolation procedures, they must not return to work until the full period of self-isolation has been completed and they no longer have a temperature (or have a negative COVID-19 test).

Travelling to work

Wherever possible, employees required to undertake essential work should be encouraged to travel to their place of work alone using their own means of transport.

Those responsible for the business premises or site must also take practicable steps to facilitate this by considering:

• Parking and traffic management arrangements for an increased number of vehicles.
• Using other means of transport to avoid public transport - for example safe access and storage arrangments for those cycling to work.

Procedures must also be developed to enable someone to get home who has fallen ill, for example ensuring you have emergency contact details for all workers.

 General Advice

Business Premises Access

• Stop all non-essential visitors
• Introduce staggered start and finish times to reduce congestion and contact at all times.
• Monitor building access points to enable social distancing (2 metres, or 1 metre with risk mitigation where 2 metres is not viable, is acceptable) - you may need to change the number of access points, either increase to reduce congestion or decrease to enable monitoring.
• Where possible remove or disable entry systems that require skin contact e.g. fingerprint scanners or pin entry door release. Contactless entry via magnetic fobs, etc are acceptable.
• Require all staff to wash their hands thoroughly before commencing work and before leaving the premises.
• Allow plenty of space (2 metres, or 1 metre with risk mitigation) between people waiting to enter the building.
• Regularly clean common contact surfaces in offices, meeting rooms, serving counters, access points, door handles, hand rails, delivery areas particularly between busy periods of time.

Hand Washing

Hand cleaning facilities should be provided at all entrances and exits – soap and water, wherever possible, or hand sanitiser when water is not available.

It is important that businesses have an adequate supply of soap, hand sanitiser and paper towels which are stored securely. Proactive action must be taken to ensure the increased demand for such supplies are met.

Employers must also:

• Provide additional hand washing facilities to the usual welfare facilities if a large spread out site or significant numbers of personnel on site.
• Ensure soap and fresh water is readily available and kept topped up at all times.
• Provide hand sanitiser where hand washing facilities are not readily available.
• Regularly clean the hand washing facilities in addition to maintaining soap and sanitiser levels to a good supply.
• Provide suitable and sufficient lidded waste bins for hand towels with arrangements for frequent removal and disposal.

Further information, including a video guide, on how to effectively wash your hands can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/best-way-to-wash-your-hands/

Toilet Facilities

• Restrict the number of people using toilet facilities at any one time e.g. use a welfare attendant
• Wash hand before and after using the facilities
• Enhance the cleaning regimes for toilet facilities particularly door handles, locks and the toilet flush.
• Portable toilets should be avoided wherever possible, but where in use these should be cleaned and emptied more frequently.
• Provide suitable and sufficient lidded waste bins for hand towels with arrangements for frequent removal and disposal.

Eating Arrangements

Restrictions are now in place meaning that work canteens must be closed. It is therefore recommended that employees should be asked to bring pre-prepared meals and refillable drinking bottles from home.

Where it is not possible for equipment, such as kettles, to be cleaned between use, they must be removed.

• Workers must be instructed to stay on site for the duration of the working day when possible - avoid using local shops whenever possible.
• Dedicated eating areas should be identified to reduce food waste and contamination
• Break time should be staggered to reduce congestion and contact at all times.
• Hand cleaning facilities or hand sanitiser should be available at the entrance of any room where people eat and should be used my employees when entering and leaving the area
• Workers should sit 2 metres (1 metre with risk mitigation) apart from each other whilst eating and avoid all contact.
• Drinking water should be provided with enhanced cleaning measures of the tap mechanism introduced.
• Tables should be cleaned between each use
• All waste should be disposed of directly in waste bins and not left for someone else to clear up
• All areas used for eating must be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each break and shift, including chairs, door handles and vending machines
• Workers should clean all of their own cuterly, cups, mugs, glasses and other crockery themselves after use.

Managing Close Working

Certain essential work may require employees to be in close proximity to one another (i.e. closer than two meters) in order for the work to be undertaken safely. However, all working activities should be planned to minimise unnecessary contact and close working.

Only essential physical work that requires close contact between employees should be undertaken and work requiring skin to skin contact must not be carried out.

To manage the risks arising from close working:

• Re-usable PPE should be thoroughly cleaned after use and not shared between workers
• Single use PPE should be disposed of so that it cannot be reused
• Regularly cleaning of touch points, doors, handles, buttons, etc.
• Increased ventilation in enclosed spaces
• Regularly clean the inside of vehicle cabs and between use by different operators

Cleaning

Enhanced cleaning procedures should be in place throughout the premises, particularly in communal areas and at touch points including:

• Taps and washing facilities
• Toilet flush and seats
• Door handles and push plates
• Handrails on staircases and corridors
• Lift controls
• Machinery and equipment controls and touch points such as grab rails
• Food preparation and eating surfaces e.g. kettle, toasters, etc.
• Telephone Equipment
• Keyboards, mouse and other office equipment

Waste collection and storage points should be increased and emptied regularly throughout and at the end of each day.

Key Requirements

The main requirements to managed risk of COVID19:

• Completion of a suitable and sufficient risk assessment to achieve COVID SECURE status
• Providing suitable information, instruction and training to staff
• Providing information and instruction to any non-staff who may be on your premises
• To ensure that staff members have the appropriate personal protective equipment and are shown how to wear and maintain it.
• Implement social distancing to reduce risk of transmission
• Provision of suitable hand washing facilities
• Introduction of enhanced cleaning regimes
• Completion of an individual risk assessment with those persons who are considered high risk or vulnerable.
• Reporting any COVID19 incidents directly to the HSE in accordance with RIDDOR guidance.