it is recommended that all employees carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment.
COVID-19 is a public health emergency. Every business should be managing the risks to their workers, visitors and Client’s of the virus. As an employer, you also have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to their health and safety.
As an employer you must assess the risks they face and do everything possible to reduce the risks and recognise you cannot eliminate the risk of COVID-19 completely. The risk assessment should be about putting sensible measures in place to risk the risks.
If you have 5 or less employees, or are self-employed a written paper risk assessment is not required at all, just make sure that you put health and hygiene measures in place to protect anyone you come in contact with.
If you have more than 5 staff then you should listen to your staff and ask them for the risks they feel they face on a daily basis and implement precautionary measures to combat these risks.
It is important to complete a COVID-19 risk assessment. Failure to complete a COVID-19 risk assessment and also putting measures to manage and reduce the risk of COVID-19 constitutes a breach of health and safety law.
Serious breaches and failure to comply with enforcement notices can constitute a criminal offence, with serious fines and even 2 years of imprisonment. Employers need to respond and make any changes quickly when notices are issued by one of the enforcing authorities. Changes must be made within the timeframe stipulated by the enforcing authority. Nearly all UK employers are joining together with the government and sector managing bodies to fight the COVID-19 virus. In addition, health and safety inspectors are carrying out risk compliance checks across the UK to ensure that employers are reducing any risks to the COVID-19 virus for all staff, visitors and Client’s.
CoSafe are offering a REMOTE detailed workplace / office COVID-19 risk assessment and advice service to ensure your office is compliant before staff return to work in the office.
Below is more information about the risk assessment:
Covid-19 Secure. Returning to business after lockdown relaxes – managing
risk and meeting legal obligations
The UK government has issued new guidance launched to help get Brits safely back to work and has called these Covid-19 Secure guidelines. Number 2 of the 5 key points of these is “Carry out a Covid19 risk assessment, in consultation with workers or trade unions”. This is a requirement of existing regulations.
How can we help?
We offer specific risk assessments for your workplace and work activities, whatever your industry. These include recommendations of control measures for managing the identified risks, which are based on the government’s Covid19 Secure guidelines, to ensure the health and safety of your employees and anyone affected by your work activities. The assessments will ensure compliance with legislation as well as help to lessen your employees’ concerns with returning to their workplace.
What services are included
The assessment, which will be specific to the risks from Covid19, will start with a short fact finding meeting with you, which can be held remotely to reduce the risks to you and your colleagues. We will collect information on your company, such as, your premises/offices, your work activities, number of employees and plans for returning for work.
The assessment will follow the Government’s 5 key step guidelines and also the existing regulations, and will assess all of the necessary aspects, including:
- Description of the building and facility, and if in a multi-occupant building, ownership and responsibility
- The Company and its business activities
- Normal usage profile of the assessed area
- Employees who normally occupy the Company’s offices – numbers, health, ability
- Date the premises closed for the ‘lockdown’ and the planned return to work date
- Involvement with employees, dealing with concerns and contribution to the control measures
- Employee training and safety procedures.
- Who should work in the office, and protecting the vulnerable
- Working at home, postural safety, communication
- Emergency first aid and fire arrangements and changes needed
- Travel and commuting
- Social distancing at work
- Hygiene and preventing infection – office layout, mealtimes, washing and toilet facilities
- Visitors and meeting safety
- Cleaners, contractors and couriers – sending and receiving items
- Safe handling of received goods
- Cleaning the workplace
- Returning to closed premises (water systems, air-handling units, etc)
How long would it take?
Depending on the size of the organisation and premises, and locations.
Follow up report
Full report, with background (company and employee info), findings, and recommended actions to take.