The team from 4site Consulting discuss COVID-19 Risk Assessments and when they are required as well as returning to work safely and using safe contractors.
As a Property Manager, Landlord or RMC Director, you may be wondering what you should be doing to protect residents and visitors from potential transmission of Coronavirus. Or, you may be wondering about safety in your own workplace and what needs to be put into place in order for you to return to work safely.
In this article, we discuss COVID-19 Risk Assessments, using safe contractors in the current climate, returning to work safely, and mental health. We begin by discussing COVID-19 Risk Assessments and when they are required.
Is a COVID-19 Risk Assessment Required for the Communal Areas of My Block?
The HSE website outlines that if you are an employer, a COVID-19 Risk Assessment is required in order for you to take reasonable steps to protect your workers and others from Coronavirus. There is no current guidance specifically stating that you need a COVID-19 Risk Assessment for the communal areas of blocks of flats.
However, it is extremely important to note that the Health and Safety Risk Assessment of your communal areas should now be highlighting any situation or configuration within a property that could pose a significant risk of COVID-19 transmission.
For example, alongside their usual observations, Health and Safety Risk Assessments for residential communal areas should now draw attention to inadequate hygiene practices or poor social distancing. They should also highlight any areas of the building that are likely to be conductive to COVID-19 Transmission, such as communal lifts and gyms.
Safe Contractors
Another important safety aspect that Property Managers and RMC Directors will need to consider is whether it is safe to have contractors on site in the current climate. You should be ensuring that, now more than ever, the contractors that you instruct to carry out works in your building are taking precautions to ensure they are working safely. Some of the extra precautions that contractors should be taking currently, include:
- Wearing appropriate PPE
- Practicing Social Distancing
- Practicing enhanced hygiene
Of course, this is on top of the usual safety precautions they should be taking! For further advice on employing safe contractors, please do get in touch.
Returning to Work
As restrictions are being relaxed, many workers, who may have been furloughed or working from home over the past few months, may be beginning to return to the workplace if they have not already done so.
In order for employees to return to work, there are a few things that business owners need to be considering in order to ensure the workplace is safe.
The first important step is to have a COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment carried out. This is an assessment of your workplace that specifically identifies the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
A COVID-19 Risk Assessment will review a number of factors, including the layout of the workspace and suitability of hand-washing facilities. Furthermore, it will review any work activity or situations that may aid the transmission of Coronavirus and recommend control measures to mitigate any identified risk. Importantly, a COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment is not a substitute for a Health and Safety Risk Assessment, it will instead support it.
Working From Home and Mental Health
Much like many other organisations, you may still be working from home, and for many of us, this has become the ‘new normal’. Even when working in the comfort of your own home, there are crucial things to consider in terms of health and safety:
Are your employees happy working from home?
It is no secret that working from home (and pressures from the pandemic in general) have had a strain on the mental health of many people. Mental health is incredibly important aspect of health and safety that employers should not fail to consider!
If you are an employer, you should be regularly checking in on home-workers; particularly those that are alone and may not have been able to see a lot of people throughout the pandemic. There are some excellent communication platforms and tools that can help to collaborate home workers and allow them to work together and communicate effectively.
Has a DSE Assessment been carried out?
All workers that use display screen equipment (DSE) should be ensuring that they carry out a risk assessment to do so; known as a DSE assessment. This should be carried out whenever an employee changes desks or locations (such as from the office to home and vice versa). It is a crucial part of ensuring that you are working safely. The DSE should also help to determine whether employees need to have their eyes tested and whether their working conditions are satisfactory.
For further advice or guidance on COVID-19 Risk Assessments and working safely, please visit our website or contact the team on 01376 572 936.
