Back to the future
Lockdown is finally lifting and we’ve been getting the office ready for the ‘new normal’.
8th August 2020
We’ve spent a long time making sure the office is ‘COVID-19 safe’ and ready for the return of significant numbers of the team. In case you haven’t been able to do the same yet, here is some helpful information.
The first step in making your workplace ‘COVID-19 safe’ is to complete a risk assessment and review existing policies, such as your infection control policy (which, if you are anything like us was virtually none existent up to now).
COVID-19 is a biological hazard, and like any workplace hazard, appropriate control measures need to be put in place to reduce the risk of someone being infected. Normally, the goal is to eliminate hazards where possible; but, unlike a faulty computer, the virus cannot simply be removed. Instead, the aim is to introduce control measures to reduce the risk of contracting the virus to as low a level as is ‘reasonably practicable’. (In other words, unless the time, cost and effort involved in implementing a control significantly outweighs the risk posed, you must take the precaution.)
The government’s new safe working guidance outlines recommended controls and how to they should be implement. Based on these guidelines, your COVID-19 risk assessment should consider the following:
- What personal protective equipment, if any, is needed? Employees should be allowed to wear face coverings, along as it does not affect other PPE use and therefore put them at increased risk.
- Can you display education pieces, such as a symptoms chart and handwashing guidance, throughout the workplace to raise awareness and promote safe practices?
- Are screens needed at reception or customer-facing areas?
- Are contractors and visitors managed appropriately? Potential control measures may include only allowing essential work to take place, providing handwashing facilities and ensuring social distancing is maintained.
- How can you ensure a 2m gap is maintained between employees and any other persons that may be affected by the work activity?
- Have you put provisions in place for office, post deliveries and communal eating & seating areas
- Are handwashing facilities in place, including hot and cold running water, soap and disposable hand towels or hand driers? If these aren’t available, consider providing hand sanitiser.
- Are disposable tissues available to reduce the threat of transmission?
- How and when will certain areas and hand-contact points be disinfected to prevent spread?
- How do you plan to monitor employees’ health and ensure you remain up to date with the latest guidance?
- How are you going to ensure testing is completed?
- Is there an effective action plan in place to deal with someone with suspected symptoms?
As we’re not medical experts, that is as much advice as we feel qualified to give. For more information visit the government’s official COVID advice website. As we have claimed in previous blogs, we think as data presentation specialists we can add some ‘sparkle’ to the government’s safety posters. Feel free to print out and use our brighter version below.
Finally, even though we are generally optimists here at Patently, we do fully expect a second lockdown by the end of the year, and don’t want to waste this opportunity to see some fresh faces (even if they are predominantly covered in face masks). So we’ll be spending as many lunchtimes as the weather allows in Lincoln’s Inn Fields — if you’re going to be in the area, let us know and we’d love to say hi and share a socially distanced coffee. Get in touch via social media.
