The COVID-19 Pandemic is an ever changing situation.
At Prestige Safety Services we are trying to get the most important information out to our followers and clients. On Sunday 10th May Boris Johnson announced that the government would be encouraging people in certain industries such as construction and manufacturing to return to work.
COVID-19 may have created exceptional situations but as an employer you still have the same legal duty to ensure the health and safety of your employees whilst working be that at home, a workplace or within the community.
It is very important that when employees return to work that they do so in a way that complies with the expectations of the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Health and Safety Executive.
Employers will need Risk Assessments and Method Statements in place that reflect their commitment to keep their employees, customers and any other relevant people as safe as possible from the COVID-19 risk.
To Assist you in this task there are 50 possible control measures listed below that you may wish to consider implementing. This list is not exhaustive and there may be other options open to you in addition to those listed. Not all of the measures will be suitable to anyone business as every situation is different. Remember that there is no point in putting control measures in risk assessments that you cannot, or have no intention of, implementing. The control measures that you should consider should be reasonably practicable and possible to implement given constraints such as availability and cost.
Corona Virus Controls
1) Social distancing- 2m within the site and reduced heads accordingly
2) Have hand gel stations and anti viral wipes (suitable cleaning products
3) Hygienically clean work areas, welfare areas, desks, equipment.
4) Any visitor as to complete a declaration although we are limiting to essential only
5) Visors, masks
6) All meetings are now online
7) Screens for the desks that go on top of dividers
8) Floor markers/signage
9) Reduce/remove/limit congregation areas
10) Stagger shifts
11) Stagger breaks
12) Food and drink equipment limited to each person, individuals responsible for their own.
13) Use disposable cutlery/cups/plates
14) No shared rounds of drinks.
15) Clean regularly accessed equipment regularly or pre/post use (printers)
16) Clean regularly touched equipment, such as door handles, switches, keypads, hand rails
17) Implement stay at home if showing symptoms policy.
18) Encourage testing if suspected that person has virus.
19) Personal risk management for those in at risk categories
20) Update employee health information
21) Toolbox talks
22) PPE training
23) Reduce movement around site
24) No travel/ride share
25) Advise against public transport
26) Advise employees to stick to government advice when away from work place.
27) Review lone working risk assessments/policy.
28) Review home working requirements
29) Review training cover for essential skills such as first aid and fire wardens
30) Review cover for supervisory roles
31) Report possible symptoms to supervisors (text/email/phone)
32) Limit shift swapping/area swapping
33) Personal hygiene training/toolbox talk
34) Visitor and contractor limitations and controls
35) Temperature testing
36) One way systems
37) Kitchen appliances cleaning
38) Door guards
39) PIR systems for lights
40) Remove towels-hand dryers
41) Hands free bins
42) E sign documents
43) Hands free taps
44) Mental health support
45) Information sharing
46) No handshakes
47)Touch-less electronic equipment
48) Contact tracing awareness
49) Automatic doors
50) Encourage healthy lifestyles
Remember that when you implement your COVID-19 controls that it is important your employees understand what is being implemented and why. Ask your employees to sign up to any changes in their working practices, digitally if possible but if not on paper!
Hopefully the fear of catching COVID-19 is enough but you will also need to enforce that your employees do as they are asked and work to your control measures. Some employees will take changes less seriously than others. The law does not protect you if you get a signature for a certain method of working and then turn a blind eye to employees not working to the safe systems that they have signed up to.
If you need any help formulating your COVID-19 Risk Assessments and Method Statements then Prestige Safety Services will be happy to help you. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you.