Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, all employers are obliged to have risk assessments in place, regardless of size or resources. Criminal sanctions can be imposed if this duty is breached. But now the government has issued guidance “expecting” all employers to carry out, implement and publishing the main findings of such a risk assessment. It should be noted that this simply is a guidance and NOT statutory, although this may change in future. Although not a requirement at present, it is highly recommended that all employers follow the guidance, to be prepared for the future and avoid any potential reputational damage. Over time, this guidance may become good practice. It is also advisable to display the risk assessment on the staff noticeboard to make it readily accessible. Make the display prominent and hard to miss.
Guidance
The guidance states “… you should share the results of your COVID-19 risk assessment with your workforce. If possible, you should consider publishing the results on your website (and we would expect all employers with over 50 workers to do so).”
In terms of the contents, the guidance states that you should only publish the main findings, rather than the risk assessment document itself. This means publishing information about the control measures that you have taken or intend to take to control the COVID-19 in the workplace and make the workplace safe. Provide details of the social distancing measures, pedestrian routes, introduction of one-way walking routes, seating arrangements, hygiene policies, provision of hand sanitisers and washing facilities, controlling the use of the kitchen/toilet/canteen areas etc. Basically, details of practical steps you have taken. Where employers have multiple sites, repeat the process for each site. Categorise the information by individual site.
What is expected of employers?
- Carry out a risk assessment for each site
- Prepare a report on the main findings – practical steps taken to make the workplace COVID safe
- Decide how you will communicate that information to your workforce – easy to understand (consider the needs of staff who do not speak/understand English) and readily accessible.
- Decide where on the company website, this information will be displayed.
- If staff do not have a member’s section or do not have access to a PC, display the findings on the staff noticeboard, remembering the needs of staff who may not speak or understand English.
- Further steps can be taken to ensure that staff are aware of the findings. Brief consultations can take place, and staff handed the findings, with an explanation of contents and its meaning, and what staff are expected to do. Better still, they should return a signed acknowledgement that they have received the information, that they understand it, and agree to follow the advice.
If you have any concerns or questions, call Quest who can advise you and help you with all your drafting requirements on 01455 852028.
