Risk assess to make your organisation COVID-secure

For many, especially in smaller organisations, heightened risk awareness, adaptations and control measures that prevent harm are unfamiliar; there are raised levels of fear and anxiety, and some employers, line managers and staff struggle to know where to start. 

This is where learning how to carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment will really come into its own. 

As OSH professionals know, risk assessments are not a ‘dark art’ but they do require the right approach and a certain discipline. Here are some recommendations for what considerations need to be made to ensure your organisation is ‘COVID-secure’ and that staff and stakeholders remain safe and healthy.

Planning the re-opening of your premises can be daunting; however, by taking these six considerations into account, your organisation will have the foundations required to protect employees, contractors and workplace from this pandemic. 

Hazard 
Your COVID-19 risk assessment should begin with the recognition that this virus is passed from one person to another through sneezing, coughing, talking and breathing. It can also be transferred to individuals from touching a contaminated surface.

Consider where, when and for how long an employee may come into contact with other people or potentially contaminated surfaces. While not a legal requirement, your subsequent advice for employees may extend to how to travel to and from work safely. 

When considering who is exposed it is vital to know which employees have vulnerabilities and medical conditions that make them more susceptible and which have such people in their households too. 

The ‘hierarchy of control’
For occupational health and safety professionals, ‘hierarchy of control’ is a fundamental reference point. Can you eliminate, substitute, put in place barriers or other engineering controls, can you develop procedures, or as a last resort provide personal protective equipment of the right specification?

In practice, your priority will be to limit the spread of the virus, either by making clear changes to workspace and processes or by physical barriers (e.g. screens between workers). The risk assessment must consider how you keep the workplace and equipment clean, adjust your working practices and ensure people are safe. 

Safe workplaces 
Consider redesigning the workplace to maintain social distancing. Spread employees out by repurposing meeting rooms and other space; reduce the number of employees working in an area (perhaps with some still working from home); and phase shift and break times.

Also think about where people may be forced together such as reception areas, security points, lifts, stairs, lobbies and landings, canteens, toilets, resource rooms and hot desks.

You must consider how often you clean frequently touched areas (e.g. equipment control panels, handles, handrails, kettles, hot desk surfaces) and the strength of cleaning fluids needed to kill the virus. More hand washing or sterilisation facilities will be needed.

Work equipment
If equipment (e.g. phones, desks, vehicle cabs, control panels) cannot be allocated to a single individual but shared, then consider how will it be cleaned between uses. Deep cleaning processes will be necessary on the equipment used by employees falling ill with COVID-19. 

Safe systems of work
By adjusting work patterns or shifts you can avoid close contact between employees where physical interaction is not essential. How work is done, or its sequencing, needs to be changed where possible to help maintain social distancing. When employees and contractor must work together, there should be pre-agreed COVID-19 control standards to ensure consistency. 

Safe people
Advice on COVID-19 is changing constantly, so you will need to stay current and communicate well to update your employees. It’s important your employees know about COVID-19 controls in their work, but also know the proper channels for reporting it. 

Make considering how you manage people’s needs your priority. This may include specific adjustments or requirements and may range from a long-term health condition to supporting employees with their mental health.  

It’s important to remember that in terms of control, one size does not fit all. The key for employers and employees is to ask the right questions and maintain an open line of communication and by doing so you reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission in your workplace. 

For more information about returning safely or to access IOSH’s risk assessment guide in full, please visit: iosh.com/returningsafely

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