As an employer, you must protect people from harm. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect your workers and others from coronavirus. This is called a COVID-19 risk assessment and it'll help you manage risk and protect people.
You must:
- identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus
- think about who could be at risk
- decide how likely it is that someone could be exposed
- act to remove the activity or situation, or if this isn't possible, control the risk
If you have fewer than five employees, you don't have to write anything down, but it might help if you do. Find out more about managing risk and risk assessment.
The Public Health England report shows that some groups of people may be at more risk of being infected and/or an adverse outcome if infected. You should consider this in your risk assessment.
We have produced guidance to help you work safely (be COVID-secure) and manage the risk associated with running your business at this time.
It includes practical measures you can take, for example:
- putting in place social distancing measures
- staggering shifts
- providing additional handwashing facilities
What are the hazards?
Getting or spreading coronavirus by not washing hands or not washing them adequately
Who might be harmed and how?
- Workers
- Customers
- Contractors
- Drivers coming to your business
- Drivers going out for your business
- Visitors
Controls
Follow our guidance on cleaning, hygiene and hand sanitiser
- Provide water, soap and drying facilities at wash stations
- Provide information on how to wash hands properly and display posters
- Based on the number of workers and the number of people who come into your workplace decide: ➢ how many wash stations are needed ➢ where wash stations need to be located You may already have enough facilities
- Provide hand sanitiser for the occasions when people can’t wash their hands
- There’s a legal duty to provide welfare facilities and washing facilities for visiting drivers
- You should talk to managers at any sites your drivers are visiting to ensure they are provided with hand washing facilities
What further action do you need to consider to control the risks?
- Put in place monitoring and supervision to make sure people are following controls
- Put signs up to remind people to wash their hands
- Provide information to your workers about when and where they need to wash their hands
- Identify if and where additional hand washing facilities may be needed
- If people can’t wash hands, provide information about how and when to use hand sanitiser
- Identify how you are going to replenish hand washing/sanitising facilities
- Make sure people are checking their skin for dryness and cracking and tell them to report to you if there is a problem
