To manage the risk of Covid-19 in our occupied buildings it is important that we adopt a consistent approach to the preparation and daily management of our work places.
| Risk | Activity | Who might be harmed | Minimum Controls Required | Additional Controls (optional) |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Coming into your Workplace | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | All Staff are now permitted to return to the Workplace. As a precaution we are advising staff to participate in the government issued testing scheme that has been on going in the workplace. • Rapid flow test kits can be collected from your workplace or ordered from the government for free by visiting https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests. • A process for how tests should be completed and reporting requirements for positive results is available on matchbook. | |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Entrances and Exits | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | To encourage good practices to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) signage must be displayed on all main entrance doors reminding everyone of the public health advice, space, face, and hand hygiene. A sanitising station must be made available inside entrances to include hand gel sanitisers, a supply of disposable masks and a clinical waste bin for the disposal of disposable masks upon entry. Where possible entrances should be physically monitored during working hours to manage visitors and monitor compliance. | Where possible entrances should be physically monitored during working hours. Where there is key coded entry these surfaces should be incorporated into the daily cleaning routine. |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Access to Common areas, kitchens and toilets | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | Common areas and facilities should be reconfigured to support social distancing in accordance with the public health advice: As a minimum this should be distance and mask signage and room occupancy advice. | Communicate social distancing protocol to staff. Signage or floor markings should be installed to manage external areas such as smoking points |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Reception Services | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | Where reception services operate the following measures should apply: • Reception staff must be provided with PPE such as disposable mask, PVC gloves and sanitizing gel. • Where there is a high footfall of visitors there should be controls in place to restrict reception areas becoming overcrowded. This could be an external queuing system or holding area. • Incoming post and packages should be handled using PVC. • Sign in books for Visitors should be replaced with an electronic register. Condeco (our hot desk booking system) has a visitor register which should be used for this. • All visitors should provide their full name and mobile number or email address. • Data protection measures will need to be rigidly enforced with access to this data limited to only those who require it and the records deleted permanently after 2 weeks. | Packages that are not deemed urgent should be stored for 72 hours before passing onto the recipient. |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Occupied Areas such as Offices and Labs | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | AAll workspace and practices must be adapted to facilitate social distance measures: • Reconfigure desking to reduce room occupation and space desking to allow social distancing (1m as a minimum) • Cleaning points should be available to allow users to self clean desks and equipment. • Where desks are being shared the desk booking system (condeco) must be enforced to control and manage occupation. • In Labs which are occupied by multiple users perspex screens should be installed between benches. | Managers should monitor social distancing and other measures are being complied with. A booking system for desking and meeting spaces should be introduced. |
| Cooling and Ventilation | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | • Mechanical cooling systems that do not distribute air to more than one room are safe to use however use should be limited to only days where the outside air temperature is above 24. • The introduction of fresh air into occupied areas should be encouraged by opening windows or where mechanical fresh air systems are installed these should be switched on during occupied hours. | ||
| Visitors | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | Visitors to our premises should be discouraged during this time. Where visits are necessary the following entry protocol must be adopted and followed. • Preparation should be carried out prior to the visit to ensure that social distancing can be complied with and that supervision will be available throughout the visit. • Only visitors that are expected (pre-booked) should be permitted entry. • Visitor must be asked to use the hygiene gels to sanitise and dispose of any disposable face masks upon entry. • For the purpose of track and trace each visitor must be recorded -: name, date, and time of entry and a mobile or email address. | ||
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Meeting spaces | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | • Enclosed spaces must be assessed to determine the safe max occupancy based on maintaining 1m distancing. The max occupancy should be clearly indicated on the door to prevent over occupancy. • Where there is a risk of over occupation and or staff are likely to encroach the 1m rule mask wearing should be encouraged through signage. • As an alternative a perspex barrier can be installed on tables. | A booking system for desking and meeting spaces should be considered for the purposes of a) managing space and numbers as well as b) identifying staff who may have been exposed to someone reporting covid symptoms. . |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Cleaning | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | • Cleaning schedules should be changed to focus of frequent disinfecting of hard surfaces objects and surfaces that are touched regularly as a minimum door handles, entry pads and light switches, workstations, and equipment, including chairs. • Cleaning materials should be provided in occupied areas to enable staff to sanitize their workspace. • Cleaning standards should be monitored by Managers and Facilities staff to ensure that the necessary procedures are being followed. | Cleaning services should be monitored by Managers and Facilities staff to ensure that the necessary procedures and standards are being followed. |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Provision and use of PPE | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | Public Health guidance on the use of PPE (personal protective equipment) to protect against COVID-19 relates to health care settings. In all other settings individuals are asked to observe social distancing measures and practice good hand hygiene behaviours • Manager's must risk assesses processes and practices to identify the need for PPE and or changes to work practices. • Where a Risk Assessment identifies wearing of PPE to protect staff as a requirement of the job, an adequate supply of PPE must be provided, and the Staff be instructed on how to wear such PPE correctly. • Manager’s should conduct regular monitoring of the use of PPE in their respective teams. | |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Hand Washing | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | To encourage the regular washing of hands Toilets and kitchens should have standard NHS signage displayed advising on the correct hand washing protocol. • Hand washing facilities with soap and water in place. • Stringent hand washing taking place • Gel sanitisers provided in any area where washing facilities not readily available. | Employees to be reminded on a regular basis to wash their hands for 20 seconds with water and soap and the importance of proper drying with disposable towels. Also reminded to catch coughs and sneezes in tissues – Follow Catch it, Bin it, kill it and to avoid touching face, eyes, nose or mouth with unclean hands. Tissues will be made available throughout the workplace. |
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Symptoms of Covid-19 | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | • If anyone feels unwell with any type of cold or flu symptoms ( however minor) they must not attend work or if symptoms arise during work time, they should stop work, leave the workplace (if working on site) and notify their line manager. • In the event of a member of staff reporting being unwell and isolating managers must identify if any other staff may have been exposed and contact those individuals to instruct them to follow government advice and isolate. | A booking system for desking and meeting spaces should be considered for the purposes of a) managing space and numbers as well as b) identifying staff who may have been exposed to someone reporting covid symptoms. |
| Mental Health | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | • Management will promote mental health & wellbeing awareness to staff during the Coronavirus outbreak and will offer whatever support they can to help • Regular communication of mental health information and open-door policy for those who need additional support. | ||
| Spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus | Vulnerable Persons | • Staff • Visitors • Post and Couriers • Contractors • Cleaners • Vulnerable groups i.e. elderly, pregnant, staff with underlying health conditions | • Vulnerable persons such as those that have specific access and working needs must be consulted with on the measures required to facilitate their safety and well-being. Access in particular, locations of washing facilities and dedicated workspace and desking should be discussed. |
This generic risk assessment outlines the measures and actions to be followed by Director’s in preparing our buildings to manage the risk of COVID-19 during occupation. This assessment will be reviewed and updated as and when the government advice changes or different work processes are introduced.