Assessing the risk in your workplace – Is it COVID SECURE?
Further to the Prime Minister’s brief last night, the government has worked together with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with the main focus now getting businesses back to work safely.
The message is ‘if your workplace is open, you are encouraged to go back to work’.
Specific businesses can now look to reopen providing employers have assessed the risk within the workplace, looking at all risks and mitigating these risks by the social distancing guidelines.
If your business is within the specific work settings detailed below, as a starting point, the government has introduce guidance to help you assess the risk within your workplace GOV.UK :
- Construction and other outdoor work
- Factories, plants and warehouses
- Homes
- Labs and research facilities
- Offices and contact centres
- Restaurants offering takeaway or delivery
- Shops and branches
- Vehicles
When assessing the risk, consult your ideas, refer to your appointed health and safety representative, if you do not have one, we can help and support you with our COVID-19 Risk Assessment reassurance package, but most importantly by involving people in these steps you can:
- explain the changes you are planning to work safely
- make sure changes will work and hear their ideas
- continue to operate your business safely during the outbreak
You should share the results of your risk assessment with your workforce. If possible, you should consider publishing the results on your website (and the government expects all employers with over 50 workers to do so). Employers with less than 5 employees do not have to have anything in writing, however it is good practice to have the risk assessment discussions documented.
You can find a notice to download, print and display in your workplace to show and declare you have followed this guidance at GOV.UK.
Remember it is the duty of the employer to protect its employees and the responsibility of the employer to ensure risk assessments are carried out within the workplace to provide protection to those employees returning to work. Employees need to feel reassured and safe when returning to work.
As always, we are here to help and support you, take advantage of the COVID-19 Risk Assessment reassurance package, contact us on 08000 842 297, or simply fill out our contact form with your enquiry.
BACK TO WORK | ASSESS THE RISK | KEEP WORKERS SAFE