New guidance to help get Brits safely back to work
As more details were released about Government’s plans to get people back to work, guidance has been published to help employers get their businesses back up and running, and workplaces operating safely. There are five key messages:
1. Work from home, if you can – but for those who cannot work from home and whose workplace has not been told to close, go to work.
2. Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment, in consultation with workers or trade unions, to establish what guidelines to put in place. If possible, employers should publish the results of their risk assessments on their website – Government expects all businesses with over 50 employees to do so.
3. Maintain 2 metres social distancing, wherever possible – this should be done through re-designing workspaces, staggering start times, creating one way walk-throughs and changing seating layouts.
4. Where people cannot be 2 metres apart, manage transmission risk e.g. through putting barriers in shared spaces, creating fixed teams to minimising the number of people in contact with one another, colleagues are facing away from each other.
5. Reinforcing cleaning processes.
There is specific guidance for various business types, including:
Construction and other outdoor work
Factories, plants and warehouses