COVID-19 – business continuity
Our recommendations can be summarised in the following points: 1. PPE alone cannot fully protect employees. Employers must follow the government’s official guidelines, and must continue to maintain social distancing and rigorous hygiene practices. These protections remain key to controlling the spread of the virus.
2. One of the chief ways to help reduce the transmission of the virus is through wearing a face mask at work. There are several kinds: medical masks, respiratory protection masks, and consumer products such as community masks, balaclavas and scarves. These masks also differ in terms of the protection they offer and it is important that employers advise their staff on the best kind of mask for their work. While the medical masks and consumer products offer no protection for the wearer – instead providing cover for others in close vicinity to the wearer – the respiratory protection masks do protect the wearer by preventing particles from getting into the mask itself. However, all of these masks do provide some protection for others in the vicinity.
3. Employers should take the time to familiarise themselves with the various forms of equipment. Take masks, for example – each type performs different
functions: the medical and respiratory masks are recommended for all medical work and jobs where there is close contact with a customer, while the consumer products are not. This is partly because the community masks do not conform to any European standard of issue. However, these consumer products can still be worn to reduce the risk of transmission in some circumstances.
4. As best practice, all mask wearers should ensure that they wash their hands with an alcohol based hand rub, or soap and water, and ensure that there are no gaps between their face and the mask. All masks should be replaced as soon as they are damp or have been contaminated in any other way, and replaced every three to four hours.
While the results from the survey can be seen as worrying, they can also be viewed as a great opportunity for employers to highlight their care in wanting to keep employees safe. This is the time for industry leaders to pave the way in providing clear and reassuring guidance for their employees. It is now more important than ever that businesses play their vital roles in protecting their staff. In this way, they will support not only their businesses, but also wider society
Silke Hendricks is managing director of Ballyclare. For more information, view page 3
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www.frmjournal.com JULY/AUGUST 2020
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