COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment
Foreword: This article appliesprimarily to requirements in Commercial Buildings & Workplaces. If you are a Residential Property Professional then there is aparagraph specifically for this below which can be read in isolation from theremainder of the article. You may, however, still find it useful to read thewhole article to apply it to your own offices.
In accordance with latest government guidance, people may nowleave home in order to go to work, but only if working from home is simply notpossible and their workplace has been made safe in respect of COVID-19transmission.
To aid this process, the Government has released usefulguidance that helps employers, employees and the self-employed to understandthe controls that they must implement in order to work safely and, importantly,to limit the risk of spreading the virus as they do so.
Employers who choose to open their workplaces have a legalobligation to apply these guidelines and introduce controls to minimise therisk to an acceptable level. If they don’t do this, then they may ultimatelyfind themselves at risk of costly enforcement action from the Health and SafetyExecutive (HSE). Indeed, the HSE will effectively be policing the applicationof this guidance via both random spot checking and reacting to reports from anyemployees or members of the public who have felt at risk within a workplace.
The first place to begin is the COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment.
What is a COVID-19 Risk Assessment?
A COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment is an assessment of yourworkplace to specifically identify the risk of transmission of COVID-19 as aresult of your organisational operation and is compiled in accordance with theissued guidance.
The Risk Assessment will seek to review a multitude offactors, including the configuration of your workspace, adequacy ofwelfare/handwashing facilities and will review any work activity or situationsthat may aid the transmission of Coronavirus. It will also recommend controlmeasures on how best to mitigate any identified risk.
Importantly, it is not a substitute for your existing Healthand Safety Risk Assessments but will, instead, supplement it.
Ultimately, the resulting document will provide a guide thatis bespoke to your operation and will detail how to work safely during thepandemic to limit the potential exposure to COVID-19.
Can I Complete a COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment?
Yes. The guidance, availablefrom via the GOV website, is free for anyone to download and read and explainsexactly what is needed. If you do decide to attempt this, it is important tonote that you must review it regularly and, if you have five or more employees,you have a legal duty to ensure that the Risk Assessment is recorded
This is important since authorities may need to check recordsof your Risk Assessments to ensure they have been carried out effectively, andthat your workplace is indeed safe to operate.
How 4site are helping
If we’ve recently completed a general Health & Safety Risk Assessment of your workplace or building, then you may have already noticed that we are actively highlighting any concerns we may have noted in respect of the adequacy of social distancing control measures, in accordance with this new guidance.
The inclusion of this within the scope of our generalbuilding Health & Safety Risk Assessments will certainly be enough tosatisfy your compliance with the new guidance (providing you complete therecommended actions, of course!). If you haven’t had a Risk Assessment from usin this period and may not require one quite yet, then you may be interested toknow that we have developed a standalone COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessmentservice in order to expedite the safe re-opening of your workplaces.
With that in mind, should you not feel entirely comfortableor certain of preparing your own COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment, thenoutsourcing this task would be a positive and safer step forward – it is alsosurprisingly inexpensive.
Is there Guidance for ResidentialCommunal Areas?
There is no guidance at present that is aimed specifically forthe communal areas of blocks for flats, however, since social distancing rulesshould be applied generally to any public setting in the UK, your H&S riskassessment of your communal area should now highlight any situation orconfiguration within a property that is conducive to either inadequate hygienepractices or poor social distancing.
Alongside their usual observations, Risk Assessments forresidential communal areas should now also highlight any areas of significantrisk of COVID-19 transmission within their findings, such as those presented bythe use of communal lifts and gyms.
Finally
If you are planning to return to your workplace, then it isvital (and a legal requirement) that you have a COVID-19 Workplace RiskAssessment completed with any recommended action implemented in order to ensurethat the work place is safe for the return of your employees.
For more information on any of the information above thenplease do getin touch with our expert team today.