Category Archives: Health and Safety

PPE

Face coverings have become mandatory in some shops and supermarkets in England. In terms of the law, in England, people are required to wear face coverings:

• on public transport
• in airports, rail and tram stations, ports, bus and coach stations and terminals
• in shops and supermarkets
• at indoor shopping centres
• in banks, building societies and post offices.

For members of the public, from 8 August the places where you will have to wear a face covering will be expanded to include:

• funeral directors
• premises providing professional, legal or financial services
• cinemas
• theatres
• bingo halls
• concert halls
• museums, galleries, aquariums, indoor zoos or visitor farms, or other indoor tourist, heritage or cultural sites.
• nail, beauty, hair salons and barbers – other than where necessary to remove for treatments
• massage parlours
• public areas in hotels and hostels
• place of worship
• libraries and public reading rooms
• community centres
• social clubs
• tattoo and piercing parlours
• indoor entertainment venues (amusement arcades, funfairs, adventure activities e.g. laser quest, go-karting, escape rooms, heritage sites etc)
• storage and distribution facilities
• veterinary services.
• auction houses

However, people with mental or physical illnesses or disabilities are exempt from the requirements — if wearing a face covering makes it difficult to breathe for example, such as in the case of respiratory conditions like asthma.

Asthma and Face Coverings – Understanding the Exemptions! A downloadable exemption card has been produced for people to show on their phones or elsewhere to explain why they’re not wearing a mask. However, people are not obliged by law to show the card if they are challenged on face masks.

The reason for using face coverings.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) usually spreads by droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking. These droplets can also be picked up from surfaces, if you touch a surface and then your face without washing your hands first. This is why social distancing, regular hand hygiene, and covering coughs and sneezes is so important in controlling the spread of the virus.

The best available scientific evidence is that, when used correctly, wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of coronavirus droplets in certain circumstances, helping to protect others.

Face coverings are mainly intended to protect others, not the wearer, from coronavirus (COVID-19) they are not a replacement for social distancing and regular hand washing. It is important to follow all the other government advice on coronavirus (COVID-19) including staying safe outside your home. If you have recent onset of any of the most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19):

• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of smell or taste (anosmia)

you and your household must isolate at home: wearing a face covering does not change this.

How to wear a face covering.

A face covering should:

• cover your nose and mouth while allowing you to breathe comfortably
• fit comfortably but securely against the side of the face
• be secured to the head with ties or ear loops
• be made of a material that you find to be comfortable and breathable, such as cotton
• ideally include at least two layers of fabric (the World Health Organisation recommends three depending on the fabric used)
• unless disposable, it should be able to be washed with other items of laundry according to fabric washing instructions and dried without causing the face covering to be damaged

When wearing a face covering you should:

• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on
• avoid wearing on your neck or forehead
• avoid touching the part of the face covering in contact with your mouth and nose, as it could be contaminated with the virus
• change the face covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it
• avoid taking it off and putting it back on a lot in quick succession (for example, when leaving and entering shops on a high street)

When removing a face covering:

• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before removing
• only handle the straps, ties or clips
• do not give it to someone else to use
• if single-use, dispose of it carefully in a residual waste bin and do not recycle
• if reusable, wash it in line with manufacturer’s instructions at the highest temperature appropriate for the fabric
• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser once removed

Contact us for further information.

Social Distancing in Emergencies

The UK Government’s guidance for working safely during Covid-19 states that “in an emergency, for example an accident or fire, people do not have to stay 2m apart if it would be unsafe”.

Covid-19 secure guidelines have the potential to change the fire risk profile of an organisation and the potential issues of workplace configurations during the pandemic will need to be taken into account from a fire safety perspective.

As there is a potential for change to the fire risk profile, organisations will need to review the fire risk assessment to ensure it identifies such changes and analyse the risk from the changes.

Social Distancing in Emergencies. Examples of such changes are:

• reconfiguration of traffic routes and access/egress points to a one-way system
• changes in staffing levels and limited “competent persons” to support fire evacuations
• partial closure of parts of premises that may impact on means of escape
• fire doors being secured in an open position to prevent handles being touched and increase air ventilation
• repurposing of premises with occupiers who may be unfamiliar with premises.

The Fire Emergency Plan for the premises will need to be reviewed as part of the fire risk assessment review. Key issues in relation to social distancing are evacuation through means of escape that prevent social distancing, the evacuation of those who require assistance and the assembly point.

It is recognised that social distancing may not be possible during an evacuation due to the configuration of the means of escape. Organisations should not introduce any measures to mitigate this that make evacuation unsafe, for example by delaying evacuation.

A particular challenge may be social distancing where assistance is provided to those who require support to evacuate safely. Any Personal Emergency Egress Plan/s (PEEP) will need to be reviewed. In doing so, the organisation should take into account current official fire safety guidance and the UK Government Covid-19 secure guidelines in relation to those with “protected characteristics”.

Where close contact is necessary, immediate hygiene measures should be adopted for all those involved following the evacuation.

Assembly points

Assembly points assist in the control of occupants who have evacuated as well as enabling on-going communication and roll-call procedures, for example. The organisation should review the use of the assembly point and determine if social distancing can be maintained or whether alternative measures are required.

This could include the use of additional assembly points, marking the ground for social distancing, controlling dispersal, etc.

If you would like to have your fire risk assessment reviewed or have a new one created please contact us.

Stay Safe!

Online training

Since the UK lockdown due to COVID-19, classroom-based training has largely halted. Delegates sit indoors in very close proximity for long periods of time. There are additional risks associated with using public transport and mingling at break times. In short, classrooms can be petri dishes. Online training avoids these risks and, according to our beloved principles of prevention, should be considered before options such as distancing or barriers. It is also questionable how many delegates could fit into a venue if they must be physically distant.

There are subjects for which face-to-face training is unavoidable. If online training is an option, it is worth considering the benefits and potential pitfalls.

Online training

In the current climate of home working and skeleton staff in the workplace due to COVID-19, we look at the benefits of online training and the advantages that are offered.  These include:

• Not incurring or passing on costs relating to travel, venue hire or catering and the administration time organising all this. This can reduce the cost of online training
• Not incurring printing costs for electronic course materials
• Training dates are not restricted by room availability
• Delegates can attend regardless of where they are based, expanding the prospective market for courses. Delegates could find it interesting to attend events with people whom they might otherwise never meet
• Most delegates log on at home. They turn up fresh and not agitated by the journey
• Delegates are not delayed by traffic etc. so typically join the session on time
• Participants are not worrying about getting home and remain focused throughout the session
• Trainers are not battling a venue’s ventilation or heating controls.

Avoiding the pitfalls of online training

Delivering training online undoubtedly has potential pitfalls such as being let down by, or being unable to use, the technology. The pitfalls can be avoided or managed with some simple steps.

• Make sure that the office/home has a good, stable internet connection. Use introductions to check everyone is clearly hearing you and each other. Inform the delegates what to do if you or they temporarily or permanently drop out.
• Get comfortable with using the technology. Watch ‘how to’ videos, run practice sessions and attend online events as a delegate. Many of the ‘how to’ videos will help sort out the basics such as your backdrop, lighting, testing your audio and so on.
• Amend the material to suit online delivery and the new options available to you.
• Help delegates get comfortable with the technology. Host the training on simpler and popular platforms, send out a plain English user guide and take delegates through warm up exercises in the course introduction.
• Cover the new rules of engagement in the introduction. For example, when delegates should be muted or the benefit of raising hands to join a conversation.
• Delegates need to be physically comfortable. Programme in more regular breaks and provide simple reminders on comfortable DSE use.

Many organisations have little option but to consider online training. Rather than being an undesirable substitute, this approach offers tremendous benefits and could become the new normal regardless of how COVID-19 plays out.

Getting the best from it requires an initial investment of time and effort. As with most things in life, the more you put in, the more you’ll get out.

Contact us for your training needs.

Keep Safe!

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published new advice for the public on when and how to wear masks safely.

The guidance covers fabric masks and medical masks, describing who should wear what type of mask and when.

Face coverings have become mandatory in some shops and supermarkets in England. In terms of the law, in England, people are required to wear face coverings:

• on public transport
• in airports, rail and tram stations, ports, bus and coach stations and terminals
• in shops and supermarkets
• at indoor shopping centres
• in banks, building societies and post offices.

Some key points for fabric masks include the following.

• Clean hands before touching your mask.
• Inspect the mask for damage or dirt.
• Adjust the mask to your face without leaving gaps on the sides.
• Cover your mouth, nose and chin.
• Avoid touching the mask.
• Clean your hands before removing the mask.
• Remove the mask by taking off the straps behind the ears or head and then pull the mask away from your face.
• Store the mask in a clean plastic, resealable bag if it is not dirty or wet and you plan to re-use it.
• Remove the mask by the straps when taking it out of the bag.
• Wash the mask in soap or detergent, preferably with hot water, at least once a day.

In addition, the WHO has advised the public of the following Don’ts with regard to fabric masks.

Don’t use a mask that looks damaged.
Don’t wear a loose mask.
Don’t wear your mask under the nose.
Don’t remove the mask where there are people within a metre.
Don’t use a mask that is difficult to breathe through.
Don’t wear a dirty or wet mask.
Don’t share your mask with others.

With thanks to The World Health Organization (WHO)

Contact us if you want to discuss Covid-19 risk assessments, social distancing signage or hand sanitiser.

Stay Safe!

Why should we pay attention to housekeeping at work?

Effective housekeeping can eliminate some workplace hazards and help get a job done safely and properly. Poor housekeeping can frequently contribute to accidents by hiding hazards that cause injuries. If the sight of paper, debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious health and safety hazards may be taken for granted.

Housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly; maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards; and removing of waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) and other fire hazards from work areas. It also requires paying attention to important details such as the layout of the whole workplace, aisle marking, the adequacy of storage facilities, and maintenance. Good housekeeping is also a basic part of accident and fire prevention.

Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation. By keeping the work area consistently tidy can show the company are serious about keeping employees and others safe. Periodic “panic” clean ups are costly and ineffective in reducing accidents.

What is the purpose of workplace housekeeping?

Poor housekeeping can be a cause of accidents, such as:

1. tripping over loose objects on floors, stairs and platforms
2. being hit by falling objects
3. slipping on greasy, wet or dirty surfaces
4. striking against projecting, poorly stacked items or misplaced material
5. cutting, puncturing, or tearing the skin of hands or other parts of the body on projecting nails, wire or steel strapping

To avoid these hazards, a workplace must “maintain” order throughout the working day.

What are some benefits of good housekeeping practices?

Effective housekeeping results in:

1. reduced handling to ease the flow of materials
2. fewer tripping and slipping accidents in clutter-free and spill-free work areas
3. decreased fire hazards
4. lower worker exposures to hazardous substances
5. better control of tools and materials
6. more efficient equipment clean up and maintenance
7. better hygienic conditions leading to improved health
8. more effective use of space
9. reduced property damage by improving preventive maintenance
10. less janitorial work
11. improved morale

How do I plan a good housekeeping program?

A good housekeeping program plans and manages the orderly storage and movement of materials from point of entry to exit. The plan also ensures that work areas are not used as storage areas by having workers move materials to and from work areas as needed.

Housekeeping order is maintained not achieved. This means removing the inevitable messes that occur from time to time and not waiting until the end of the shift to reorganize and clean up.  A good housekeeping program identifies and assigns responsibilities for the following:

1. clean up during the shift
2. day-to-day clean up
3. waste disposal
4. removal of unused materials
5. inspection to ensure clean up is complete

Don’t forget places such as shelves, basements and boiler rooms that would otherwise be overlooked. The orderly arrangement of operations, tools, equipment and supplies is an important part of a good housekeeping program.

The final addition to any housekeeping program is inspection. It is the only way to check for deficiencies in the program so that changes can be made. Walker Health and Safety Services can carry out workplace inspection.

Contact Walker Health and Safety Services should you require further information.