FEATURE
“There are, of course, reciprocal duties on the part of employees who must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of their co-workers.”
trade union representatives) and acting on feedback where appropriate.
SOCIAL DISTANCING Social distancing in the workplace is proving to be a
major challenge and employers must be creative in developing solutions. Employers are being encouraged to arrange employees so that they work side-by-side or facing away from each other, group them into small cohorts, and stagger the start and end of the working day to avoid bottlenecking. A redesign of the workplace to allow for two metre gaps between workstations and one-way corridors should also be considered. Remember to consider areas such as rest areas, canteens, locker rooms and toilets.
OTHER REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS Depending on the nature of your business and the
sector you are operating in, there may be other regulatory requirements which need to be considered as part of the return to work. In particular: if you operate vehicles, consider any vehicle maintenance or safety checks which may be required, as well as whether any driver training or medical examinations are overdue and need to be rescheduled; and if your business relies on permits, consents or licences for the lawful operation of your business, you should review conditions, expiry dates and any named individuals (who may still be on furlough, or have been made redundant) to ensure that those permits/consents/ licences remain valid.
In addition, if you operate in a sector where a particular type of PPE is usually required to ensure safety (for example face masks in saw or flour mills) you may need to consider how you will ensure continued compliance in consideration of likely shortages connected with coronavirus/COVID-19.
twitter.com/TomorrowsHS
THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP Even though the precise details of how all sectors
of the economy will come out of lockdown are still unknown, businesses can still prepare for re-setting against the critical activities they want to deliver, the resources they will need to do so (including workforce, premises and systems/equipment), the mapping of their supply chains, likely customer demand and the financial support that is, or may be, available.
Such preparation will help to ensure efficient business recovery in the shortest time possible, as and when ‘unlocking’ progresses, and that any safeguards that introduced to ensure compliance with health and safety laws on the return to the workplace are suitable and sufficient to reduce the risks to as low as reasonably practicable.
Squire Patton Boggs have released a self-assessment tool to help clients with this preparation. We recommend that the results are considered alongside any contingency plans previously prepared, in consideration of your business objective.
However, on the return to work itself, the significance of health and safety leadership is widely acknowledged. Given the challenges businesses face, leaders will also be key to addressing coronavirus/ COVID-19. It will be important for there to be ‘champions’ at all levels of a business (from the boardroom to the shop floor) who lead by example in following policy and procedure and who will challenge poor practice.
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