Managing H&S once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted

Wherever you look, whether it is in media publications, on social media or even just conversations with friends over video chat platforms, questions are beginning to arise about how current COVID-19 restrictions will be eased or lifted, and what that will mean for businesses and society. In truth, we have no way of knowing for certain until the risk is over and the current exceptional social restrictions are lifted fully.

Questions will undoubtedly arise throughout the business world about whether anything more needs to be done in the aftermath of this pandemic to secure the health, safety and welfare of employees. Particularly considering the rapid and unexpected spread of this coronavirus took many by surprise, forcing companies to hurriedly adjust their business continuity plans and alter work practices.

It is impossible to prescribe a 'one-size-fits-all' health and safety solution to future risk management of biological hazards such as this as the risk will differ in each case, but sometimes getting back to basics can help.

However, it is important to consider what will happen in the short to medium term for the current pandemic, particularly when the current restrictions are eased or lifted entirely.

Short-medium term management for current pandemic

Once the Government lifts restrictions on travel, some employers may see fit to re-open premises. However, it is important to remember that the current threat from COVID-19 will not diminish until an effective vaccine is made, manufactured on a mass scale and offered to everyone.

It might therefore be appropriate to maintain strict social distancing and hygiene measures once a premises re-opens or production increases.

As a result, it would be good practice to:

• assess your workplace and work practices;
• if you've not already done so, revisit your risk assessments and adjust them where necessary, or create new assessments;
• see where work practices can be changed to ensure employees are distanced as much as possible. This may involve staggering shift start and end times or break times to ensure workplaces do not get overcrowded (remember, changes in work practices will have to be risk assessed). Also bear in mind that this could result in lone working, so additional assessments and risk controls will need to be put into place;
• think about the hierarchy of control and whether you can move up the scale to eliminate the risk where possible;
• continue to encourage good hygiene practices, such as hand washing and regular cleaning;
• consider whether home working either full-time or part-time would be an effective solution until a vaccine is available.

When undertaking or re-assessing your risk assessments, take into consideration:

• the nature of the hazard;
• the way it can enter the body (we know that one of the the main pathways into the body of COVID-19 is inhalation of the virus, including by transferal of the virus from the hands to the eyes, nose or mouth, which is why social distancing and good hygiene are key for management in this case);
• the potential effects of the hazard;
• individuals vulnerable to the particular hazard;
• the likely duration of the hazard, or exposure to the hazard;
• control measures that are likely to help manage the risk;
• mental health, bearing in mind that an employee may have struggled with the lockdown procedures and may continue to struggle afterwards. Remember, people can struggle in several different ways.

It could be particularly useful to build on current momentum in tackling the pandemic to improve safety culture. In particular, risk could be greatly reduced simply by ensuring employees wash their hands appropriately, for instance before they eat or after they have carried out certain tasks (the word "appropriately" is key, as we know over-washing hands could lead to skin issues). It would be inappropriate to monitor hand washing in obvious cases, so addressing it through a positive safety culture could be key. As it is at the forefront of our minds at the moment, you could continue to encourage employees to wash hands in the long term, whether that is through induction training, toolbox talks, occasional reminders from a health and safety committee or representative. Continuing the culture will be important.

Furthermore, there is no harm in considering whether you could make certain exceptional health and safety practices the norm moving forward. This could include:

• regular cleaning of workstations or machine control panels - basically, anything that is regularly touched by many people - as part of maintenance schedules (it would be unwise to ask cleaning contractors to clean machine surfaces without providing a significant level of training and ensuring they are competent to do so safely);
• drawing up an emergency response that has a certain level of flexibility in it to ensure it could be used in relation to different external threats (bearing in mind the four main ways a biological hazard can enter the body: inhalation, absorption through the skin, injection and ingestion);
• consider any vulnerable employees in risk assessments or emergency planning, taking particular note of existing health conditions or any other factors you know about which could put that person at risk from exposure to this virus.

In any case, always listen to advice from public health authorities, healthcare providers, safety professionals and the Government.

Finally.....stay safe!