11 January 2021
As an employer, you must protect people from harm. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect your workers and others from coronavirus. Businesses which remain open are required to follow social distancing guidelines and implement enhanced hygiene measures.
If you do not, you could put your employees and customers at risk. This may lead to fines, restrictions, potential prosecution or other enforcement measures against you.
What do you need to do?
Firstly, check if your business can remain open.
If permitted, you need to conduct a risk assessment and implement appropriate safe working polices in your workplace. The Governement has provided 14 guides which cover a range of different types of work. Many businesses operate more than one type of workplace, such as an office, factory and fleet of vehicles. You may need to use more than one of these guides as you think through what you need to do to keep people safe.
Employers need to take reasonable steps to protect workers and others from coronavirus. This is called a COVID-19 risk assessment and it’ll help you manage risk and protect people.
What guidance should be followed?
There have been numerous ‘return to work’ guides published by insurers, trade associations and, of course, the government.
It’s important to note every business, workplace and sector is different. Guidance will vary to reflect this.
However, arguably the most comprehensive is the government led ‘steps to working safely guide’.
Why should you base your policy on Government guidance?
It’s likely to be the standard by which enforcement authorities (Fire, HSE, Local Authority etc) will assess a business, so done correctly should protect businesses from prosecution or other enforcement measures.
The government page is well communicated and updated regularly, so you know the information you are following is up-to-date and aligned with wider government advice.
The government have written 8 guides (Based on 5 main steps) which cover a range of different types of work. Many businesses operate more than one type of workplace, such as an office, factory and fleet of vehicles. Employers may need to use more than one of these guides as you think through what you need to do to keep people safe.
Useful Government Pages:
Government ‘Return to Work’ Portal Page:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19