The Workplace and Coronavirus COVID-19

There’s no need to document employees’ whereabouts to this level of detail if you have remote or lone workers and already have measures in place to record details and locations of where they are working. Give reassurance to employees that they can come forward to raise any concerns about their exposure to the virus whilst at work, just as would be the case if they had any other health and safety concern. If a diagnosed case of COVID-19 is reported, Public Health England will carry out contact tracing.

The first step is to review travel plans in terms of what is essential and what isn’t, especially if it involves travel to an affected area. Eliminate the risk as far as much as you can and consider whether trips need to be cancelled or rescheduled.

For travel that can’t be cancelled or rescheduled, as an employer, you have a duty to assess the risks of travelling and working in other countries, regardless of whether there is an acute situation as is the case with COVID-19, currently. Travel plans should always consider personal safety and security and health guidelines for the destination of travel. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office publish up to date travel advice and this should be regularly checked in relation to COVID-19.

Communicate to all your employees regularly regarding travel risks, the consequences of travelling to an ‘at risk’ area and how the company would propose to deal with a period of self-isolation in these circumstances.

It would be sensible to review your current hygiene practices to make sure that you are taking all reasonable steps to reduce the risk of people spreading illness at work. This will include reminding staff that they should:

• Cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or their sleeve (not their hands) when they cough or sneeze

• Put used tissues in the bin immediately and empty bins regularly

• Wash hands with soap and water often (or sanitizer gel where this is not available), for about 20 seconds’ duration

• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell

• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with hands

You may also want to step up cleaning practices within the business and supply additional hand sanitizers. If you work with people considered to be at heightened risk of COVID-19, consider plans for deep cleaning your premises.

Remember to review and update COSHH assessments if any new hazardous substances are purchased. Remember, if you’re already a client, you can use the AssessNET COSHH module or contact our health and safety team for advice on this.

There’s been an increase in the number of people wearing disposable masks around the world, particularly in China where the outbreak began. This leads the public, in general, to wonder if they should be doing the same, even if the threat level is lower where they live. In the majority of workplaces, face masks are not necessary. According to Public Health England, there’s little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of a clinical setting, such as hospitals.

The best way to reduce the spread of infections like coronavirus is to wash hands frequently with soap and water or use a sanitiser gel, as well as always carrying tissues and using them to catch coughs and sneezes, putting the tissue in a bin.

The World Health Organization’s advice on wearing masks states masks are only required if you are taking care of a person with suspected COVID-19.

There is currently no evidence to suggest that the virus can be transmitted from post, packages or parcels.

Current government advice is that closure of the workplace in these circumstances is not recommended. For confirmed cases of COVID-19, Public Health England’s local protection team will be in contact with the employer to discuss the case, find out who has been in contact with the individual and advise on actions that should be taken.  This may include quarantine arrangements and cleaning of communal areas, which may need to be undertaken.

Government guidance at the moment is that there is no need to do anything while test results are pending. Most tests come back negative and therefore no action needs to be taken while a case is unconfirmed.

The government has announced that coronavirus is now a notifiable disease. This does not mean they are notifiable under RIDDOR, it simply means medical professionals have to report cases of it, so should one of your employees contract COVID-19, you don’t have to report it under RIDDOR.

If employees have received medical advice to self-isolate, you may want to consider whether it would be possible for them to do their job from home. You may already have a business continuity plan in place for employees to work from home, which will be a great help in minimising business disruption.

However, this may be the first time you’ve considered home working. In these cases, consider if homeworking will take place for an extended period of time, as an assessment should be carried out to ensure employees have the equipment they need and to review other health and safety considerations.

In the Budget (11 March 2020) the Chancellor announced a package of measures to provide support for public services, individuals and businesses to ensure the impact of COVID-19 is minimised.

A new Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, delivered by the British Business Bank, will enable businesses with a turnover of no more than £41 million to apply for a loan of up to £1.2 million, with the government covering up to 80% of any losses with no fees. This will unlock up to £1 billion pounds to protect and support small businesses.

For businesses with fewer than 250 employees, the cost of providing 14 days of statutory sick pay per employee will be refunded by the government in full. This will provide 2 million businesses with up to £2 billion to cover the costs of large-scale sick leave.

A dedicated helpline has been set up to help businesses and self-employed individuals in financial distress and with outstanding tax liabilities receive support with their tax affairs. Through this, businesses may be able to agree a bespoke Time to Pay arrangement. If you are concerned about being able to pay your tax due to COVID-19, call HMRC’s dedicated helpline on 0800 0159 559.

There will be a £3,000 cash grant to 700,000 of our smallest businesses, delivered by Local Authorities, and worth a total of £2 billion.

Finally, the government is temporarily increasing the business rates retail discount in England to 100% for 2020-21 for properties below £51,000 rateable value. Nearly half of all business properties will not pay a penny of business rates.