Social distancing in the workplace

20 November 2020

If your business has identified that staff cannot work from home, then employers need to make that they have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment to enable the workplace to be reasonably COVID safe. Practical measures include;

Social Distancing

  • Wherever possible, keep people at least 2m apart.
  • Display signs to remind staff to keep 2m apart
  • Use floor tape or paint to segregate work areas and walkways
  • Where possible, provide/use screens to physically separate areas
  • Where possible, staff should sit side by side rather than facing each other
  • Limit the movement of people
  • Minimise job rotation and equipment sharing
  • Minimise the use of lifts
  • Only make essential car journeys
  • Avoid or minimise car sharing
  • Control high use areas such as corridors, walkways, kitchen/canteen.
  • Avoid inter-departmental visits in the same building

Cleaning and Hygiene

Coronavirus can transfer from people to surfaces. It can be passed on to others who touch the same surfaces. Keeping your workplace clean reduces the potential for coronavirus to spread and is a critical part of making and keeping your business ‘COVID-secure’.

  • Provide hand sanitisers and locate them in prominent places
  • Provide surface wipes for those who make essential car journeys, to get in/out
  • Provide handwashing facilities
  • Set clear guidance on the cleaning of toilets, kitchen and canteen areas
  • Clean work areas/surface before/after use
  • Regularly clean work equipment in constant use such as printers, light switches etc

Protect high risk workers

This includes those who come under the government/PHE categories, including pregnant women

  • Wherever possible,vulnerable staff to work from home
  • Carry out a risk assessment before allowing them to return, and implement measures
  • Provide extra help and support to avoid social isolation

If employers have any concerns or doubts, always seek advice from PHE or local NHS Trusts. Quest can provide you with practical, commercially focused advice, and bespoke HR and Health and Safety advice to ensure that you meet your obligations and so avoid time consuming and expensive disputes and claims. Call us on 01455852028.

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