Working safely during coronavirus

The Government have launched a new guide for 8 sectors to prepare for a return to work. This advice is being advocated for England with separate advice due for other nations.

The guidance is focused on 5 key points, which should be implemented as soon as it is practical:

• Work from home, if you can
• Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment, in consultation with workers or trade unions
• Maintain 2 metres social distancing, wherever possible
• Where people cannot be 2 metres apart, manage transmission risk
• Reinforcing cleaning processes

These 8 guides have been pulled together by government and industry. This information links directly to the Gov.uk website where it will be updated directly.

1. Construction and other outdoor workGuidance for people who work in or run outdoor working environments.
2. Factories, plants and warehousesGuidance for people who work in or run factories, plants and warehouses.
3. Labs and research facilitiesGuidance for people who work in or run indoor labs and research facilities and similar environments.
4. Offices and contact centresGuidance for people who work in or run offices, contact centres and similar indoor environments.
5. Other people’s homesGuidance for people working in, visiting or delivering to other people’s homes.
6. Restaurants offering takeaway or deliveryGuidance for people who work in or run restaurants offering takeaway or delivery services.
7. Shops and branchesGuidance for people who work in or run shops, branches, stores or similar environments.
8. Vehicles Guidance for people who work in or from vehicles, including couriers, mobile workers, lorry drivers, on-site transit and work vehicles, field forces and similar.

Businesses are now working through a cloud of confusion to ensure they are ready to have employees back in the workplace. At present the advice is to be working through these in those instances where employees that can not work from home but they do start to build a picture of what work might look like workplaces do open out.

Now is the time to consider how your workplace is set up, what you might need and the planning that needs to take place to allow for phased returning to work, staggered start times and break periods too. We also urge employers to think about the impacts this will have on young people in their work force, experiencing a large amount of change and a wealth of news and information, reach out to them and talk through your plans and timelines.