Guidance Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Returning to the UK if you’re travelling abroad
Return travel and your health
It is a personal decision whether to travel back to the UK. You should
consider your individual circumstances and the range of information available
to you, including travel advice,
to decide what is right for you.
If you are concerned about risks to your health, for example you are following
UK or local guidance to shield or self-isolate, you may wish to seek
professional health advice locally or from your usual doctor in the UK.
Read further advice on avoiding infection during your journey home and
preventive measures to take on your
return.


Guidance Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Returning to the UK if you’re travelling abroad
Getting flights back to the UK
The government is working in partnership with the airline
industry to help British people
travelling abroad to return to the UK.
If you are in a country where UK-bound flights are still available, book or
rebook your flight and return home as soon as possible. Airlines are
responsible for getting their passengers with pre-booked tickets home from
countries where commercial flights are still operating.
Where commercial flights are not available, you may be eligible for a special
charter flight. You should check the ‘Return to the UK’ section of your
country’s travel advice page to
see if a flight is available. See also our general guide to the booking
process for special charter flights.
If there are no commercial or special charter flights for the country you’re
in, follow the guidance in the ‘Staying during coronavirus’ section of that
country’s travel advice and see
our guide to staying where you are if you cannot return
home.
If you cannot afford the cost of a flight to return, and have exhausted all
other funding options, you may be eligible to apply for an emergency loan from the
government:

to apply for a loan for a commercial flight, find out who to contact about emergency loans

you can request a loan to pay for a special charter flights, when you are asked to pay. See the travel advice ‘Return to the UK’ section for the country you are in

You should also sign up for Travel Advice email alerts, to get our latest
advice if the situation changes.


Guidance Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Looking after your mental wellbeing
Your emotional and mental wellbeing is important. Keep in regular contact with
the people who usually support you: family, friends and colleagues, especially
if you are self-isolating abroad.
Read guidance on how to look after your wellbeing and mental
health if you’re abroad during the current coronavirus
pandemic.


Guidance Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Returning to the UK if you’re travelling abroad
If you are currently travelling abroad, you should return to the UK as soon as
possible if commercial flights are available. If you cannot return home at
this time, read our guidance on waiting to return to the
UK.
If you’re travelling abroad, you should:

contact your airline or travel company now
keep up-to-date with our travel advice pages. Our advice on returning to the UK from each country will be updated as soon as information is available
for real-time updates, follow our embassy or high commission’s social media for the country you’re in


Guidance Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)
If you’re concerned about friends or family overseas
If you are concerned about a friend or family member who is currently
overseas, you should read our country-specific travel
advice and sign up for email
alerts.


Guidance Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Future travel abroad
You should not travel abroad unless it is essential. Be aware that all
countries may restrict travel without notice.
To change or cancel your travel plans, follow these steps:

contact your airline, travel company, cruise line or other transport and accommodation providers
get in touch with your insurance provider

The FCO was already advising against all but essential travel or all travel to
some areas or countries due to risks that do not relate to coronavirus. This
advice remains in place. Check FCO travel advice
pages for the latest information.
Essential travel
If your travel is essential, see our guidance on international
travel.
International freight transport is an essential activity in the context of
travel advice. Read the Department for Transport guidance for the freight
transport
industry.


Guidance Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)
If you live abroad permanently
As a permanent resident overseas, you should consider your own personal
circumstances and take into account all of the information available:

if you stay, follow the advice of the local authorities where you are. Further information on measures that countries have taken is available in the ‘staying during coronavirus’ sections of our travel advice pages

if you wish to return to the UK, you should make arrangements to return now. This includes planning for where you will stay and how you will travel there

We are only advising British people travelling overseas to return is because
it may be more difficult for them if they cannot get back to the UK.


Guidance Waiting to return to the UK during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Staying connected with your friends and family
You should stay in touch with your family and friends if you are unable to
return home, so that they know you are safe and well.
To help you stay connected you should:

check your phone plan on details for international calling, or consider buying a local SIM card
to keep in touch use online services like FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, or Zoom
follow your nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate on social media to stay up-to-date with the latest information for where you are


Guidance Waiting to return to the UK during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Financial support
The government provides a range of financial support to help you whilst you
are abroad. Read our guidance on financial
support whilst staying abroad
during coronavirus.


Guidance Waiting to return to the UK during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Healthcare support
Your health is important whilst you are away from home. For advice, visit our
healthcare support guidance.
You can also read our guidance on wellbeing and mental health abroad during
the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.


Guidance Waiting to return to the UK during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Find suitable accommodation
You should contact your travel provider or travel agent to talk through
accommodation options. You may also wish to contact your travel insurer to see
if they can help. Our travel advice for the country you are
in provides more information on
your local situation.
If you have any concerns over your safety in your accommodation, speak to your
insurers or travel provider to talk through your options. If you have been
asked to leave, or have nowhere else to go, contact your local British
Embassy, high commission or consulate.
They may be able to offer advice on where to move to that would be a safer
area to stay in.
In some countries one of our partners, The Salvation Army, may also be able to
provide some basic assistance if you are in need. Contact your local British
Embassy, high commission or consulate for
advice.


Guidance Waiting to return to the UK during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Checklist if you are waiting to return to the UK
If you cannot currently return to the UK:

follow the advice of local authorities, including local measures to help minimise your risk of exposure to coronavirus
find accommodation that is suitable for your needs
check your visa, if you have one for the country you’re in. If it is due to expire, visit our travel advice and read the ‘staying during coronavirus’ section. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has negotiated with local authorities in some countries to automatically extend visas if you cannot return
contact your travel insurance provider to check your health cover. Most providers will look to extend single trip cover for up to 60 days if you are making every effort to return home
read our travel advice of the country you’re in, in particular the ‘staying during coronavirus’ and ‘return to UK’ sections
sign up to email alerts for the country where you are, so you are notified of any updates

If you need urgent consular help, contact your nearest British embassy, high
commission or consulate.


If you cannot pay your tax bill on time
If you cannot pay other taxes
If you’ve received a payment demand, like a tax bill or a letter threatening
you with legal action, call the HMRC office that sent you the letter.
Call the Payment Support Service if you have not received a bill or letter.
Payment Support Service
Telephone: 0300 200 3835
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
Find out about call charges
Nominated partners in business partnerships
can negotiate time to pay with HMRC on behalf of the partnership or individual
partners.
*[HMRC]: HM Revenue and Customs


If you cannot pay your tax bill on time
If you cannot pay because of coronavirus (COVID-19)
Because of coronavirus you may be able to delay (defer) some tax payments
without paying a penalty. You can:

delay VAT payments due before 30 June 2020 until 31 March 2021
delay your Self Assessment payment on account due in July 2020 until 31 January 2021

Contact the HMRC coronavirus (COVID-19)
helpline if you cannot pay any other tax bills because of
coronavirus.
If you’re self-employed
If you’ve lost income because of coronavirus, you may be able to claim a grant
through the coronavirus (COVID-19) Self-employment Income Support
Scheme when it launches. HMRC will contact you if
you’re eligible.
*[HMRC]: HM Revenue and Customs


If you cannot pay your tax bill on time
If you cannot pay your Self Assessment tax bill
If you owe less than £10,000 you might be able to arrange to pay in
instalments online.
Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), you can delay making your second payment
on account due in July
2020. If you choose to delay, you’ll have until 31 January 2021 to pay it.
Call the Self Assessment helpline if you’ve missed your payment date or you
cannot use the online service. You do not need to contact HMRC if you have set
up a payment plan online.
Self Assessment Payment Helpline
Telephone: 0300 200 3822
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
Find out about call charges
*[HMRC]: HM Revenue and Customs


Labs and research facilities
1. Thinking about risk
1.2 Sharing your risk assessment
You should share the results of your risk assessment with your workforce. If
possible, you should consider publishing the results on your website (and we
would expect all businesses with over 50 workers to do so). Below you will
find a notice you should display in your workplace to show you have followed
this guidance.
Staying COVID-19 Secure in
2020
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an
accessible
format.
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Labs and research facilities
3. Social distancing at work
3.4 Meetings
Objective: To reduce transmission due to face-to-face meetings and maintain
social-distancing in meetings.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Using remote working tools to avoid in-person meetings.

Only absolutely necessary participants should attend meetings and should maintain 2m separation throughout.

Avoiding transmission during meetings, for example, avoiding sharing pens and other objects.

Providing hand sanitisers in meeting rooms.

Holding meetings outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms whenever possible.

For areas where regular meetings take place, using floor signage to help people maintain social-distancing.


Labs and research facilities
7. Workforce management
7.3 Communications and training
In this section

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.3 Communications and training
7.3.1 Returning to work
Objective: To make sure all workers understand COVID-19 related safety
procedures.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Providing clear, consistent and regular communication to improve understanding and consistency of ways of working.

Engaging with workers and worker representatives through existing communication routes to explain and agree any changes in working arrangements.

Developing communication and training materials for workers prior to returning to site, especially around new procedures for arrival at work.

7.3.2 Ongoing communications and signage
Objective: To make sure all workers are kept up to date with how safety
measures are being implemented or updated.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Ongoing engagement with workers (including through trades unions or employee representative groups) to monitor and understand any unforeseen impacts of changes to working environments.

Awareness and focus on the importance of mental health at times of uncertainty. The government has published guidance on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Communicating approaches and operational procedures to suppliers, customers or trade bodies to help their adoption and to share experience.

Using simple, clear messaging to explain guidelines using images and clear language, with consideration of groups for which English may not be their first language.

Using visual communications, for example whiteboards or signage, to explain changes to schedules, breakdowns or materials shortages, to reduce the need for face-to-face communications.

*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Labs and research facilities
7. Workforce management
7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
In this section

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
Objective: To change the way work is organised to create distinct groups and
reduce the number of contacts each worker has.
Steps that will usually be needed:

As far as possible, where people are split into teams or shift groups, fixing these teams or shift groups so that, where contact is unavoidable, this happens between the same people.

Identifying areas where people have to directly pass things to each other, for example,test subject, control units and finding ways to remove direct contact, such as using put-down-pick-up processes.


Labs and research facilities
What do we mean by ‘labs and research facilities’?
Indoor research environments such as:

engineering centres
clean rooms
prototyping centres
wet labs
wind tunnels
computer labs
simulators
material development labs
specialist testing rooms

Labs and research facilities require on site collaboration between people,
often in close proximity. Flexibility of both shifts and floor layouts may be
limited and there is a high use of multiple use items such as testing machines
and apparatus, not all of which can be washed down.


Labs and research facilities
8. Inbound and outbound goods
Objective: To maintain social-distancing and avoid surface transmission when
goods enter and leave the site.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Revising pick-up and drop-off collection points, procedures, signage and markings.

Minimising unnecessary contact at gatehouse security, yard and warehouse. For example, non-contact deliveries where the nature of the product allows for use of electronic pre-booking.

Considering methods to reduce frequency of deliveries, for example by ordering larger quantities less often.

Where possible and safe, having single workers load or unload vehicles.

Where possible, using the same pairs of people for loads where more than one is needed.

Enabling drivers to access welfare facilities when required, consistent with other guidance.

Encouraging drivers to stay in their vehicles where this does not compromise their safety and existing safe working practice, such as preventing drive-aways.


Labs and research facilities
3. Social distancing at work
3.6 Accidents, security and other incidents
Objective: To prioritise safety during incidents.
In an emergency, for example, a chemical spill, fire or break-in, people do
not have to stay 2m apart if it would be unsafe.
People involved in the provision of assistance to others should pay particular
attention to sanitation measures immediately afterwards, including washing
hands.


Labs and research facilities
5. Cleaning the workplace
In this section

5.1 Before reopening
5.2 Keeping the workplace clean
5.3 Hygiene: handwashing, sanitation facilities and toilets
5.4 Changing rooms and showers
5.5 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials, and on-site vehicles

5.1 Before reopening
Objective: To make sure that any site or location that has been closed or
partially operated is clean and ready to restart, including:

an assessment for all sites, or parts of sites, that have been closed, before restarting work
cleaning procedures and providing hand sanitiser, before restarting work

Steps that will usually be needed:

Checking whether you need to service or adjust ventilation systems, for example, so that they do not automatically reduce ventilation levels due to lower than normal occupancy levels.

Most air conditioning systems do not need adjustment, however where systems serve multiple buildings or you are unsure, advice should be sought from your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) engineers or advisers.

Positive pressure systems and extractors can operate as normal.

Restarting and testing specialist equipment which may have been unused for a longer than usual period of time.

5.2 Keeping the workplace clean
Objective: To keep the workplace clean and prevent transmission by touching
contaminated surfaces.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Frequent cleaning of work areas and equipment between uses, using your usual cleaning products.

Determining the required cleaning process for expensive equipment that cannot be washed down, designing protection around machines and equipment.

Frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, such as door handles and testing surfaces and making sure there are adequate safe disposal arrangements.

Clearing workspaces and removing waste and belongings from the work area at the end of a shift.

If you are cleaning after a known or suspected case of COVID-19 then you refer to the guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings

5.3 Hygiene: handwashing, sanitation facilities and toilets
Objective: To help everyone keep good hygiene through the working day.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Using signs and posters to build awareness of good handwashing technique, the need to increase handwashing frequency, avoid touching your face and the need to cough or sneeze into your arm.

Providing regular reminders and signage to maintain hygiene standards.

Providing hand sanitiser in multiple locations in addition to washrooms.

Setting clear use and cleaning guidance for toilets to ensure they are kept clean and social-distancing is achieved as much as possible.

Enhancing cleaning for busy areas.

Providing more waste facilities and more frequent rubbish collection.

Providing hand drying facilities – either paper towels or electrical driers.

5.4 Changing rooms and showers
Objective: To minimise the risk of transmission in changing rooms and showers.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Where shower and changing facilities are required, setting clear use and cleaning guidance for showers, lockers and changing rooms to ensure they are kept clean and clear of personal items and that social distancing is achieved as much as possible.

Introducing enhanced cleaning of all facilities regularly during the day and at the end of the day.

5.5 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials, and on-site vehicles
Objective: To reduce transmission through contact with objects that come into
the workplace and vehicles at the worksite.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Cleaning procedures for material and equipment entering the site.

Cleaning procedures for the parts of shared equipment you touch after each use.

Cleaning procedures for vehicles.

Encouraging increased handwashing and introducing more handwashing facilities for workers handling deliveries or providing hand sanitiser where this is not practical.

Regular cleaning of vehicles that workers may take home.

Restricting non-business deliveries, for example, personal deliveries to workers.

[HVAC]: heating ventilation and air conditioning
  [COVID-19]: coronavirus


Labs and research facilities
3. Social distancing at work
3.5 Common areas
Objective: To maintain social-distancing while using common areas. Modern lab
and research buildings are often designed with many common areas to encourage
collaboration and networking.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Staggering break times to reduce pressure on break rooms or places to eat.

Using safe outside areas for breaks.

Creating additional space by using other parts of the worksite or building that have been freed up by remote working.

Installing screens to protect staff in receptions or similar areas.

Providing packaged meals or similar to avoid opening staff canteens.

Encouraging workers to bring their own food.

Reconfiguring seating and tables to maintain spacing and reduce face-to-face interactions.

Encouraging staff to remain on-site and, when not possible, maintaining social distancing while off-site.

Regulating use of locker rooms, changing areas and other facility areas to reduce concurrent usage.

Encouraging storage of personal items and clothing in personal storage spaces, for example lockers, during working hours.


Labs and research facilities
Where to obtain further assistance

Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for employers and businesses

Find advice and support from your business representative organisation or
trade association.
Definitions
Refers to areas and amenities which are provided for the common use of more
than one person including canteens, reception areas, meeting rooms, areas of
worship, toilets, gardens, fire escapes, kitchens, fitness facilities, store
rooms, laundry facilities.
Refers to people who have specific underlying health conditions that make them
extremely vulnerable to severe illness if they contract COVID-19. Clinically
extremely vulnerable people will have received a letter telling them they are
in this group, or will have been told by their GP. Who is ‘clinically
extremely vulnerable’?
Refers to people who may be at increased risk from COVID-19, including those
aged 70 or over and those with some underlying health conditions. Who is
‘clinically vulnerable’?
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Labs and research facilities
2. Who should go to work?
In this section

2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
2.3 Equality in the workplace

Objective: That everyone should work from home, unless they cannot work from
home.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Staff should work from home if at all possible. Consider who is needed to be on-site; for example:

– workers in roles critical for business and operational continuity, safe
facility management, or regulatory requirements and which cannot be performed
remotely.
– workers in critical roles which might be performed remotely, but who are
unable to work remotely due to home circumstances or the unavailability of
specialist equipment required for R&D

Planning for the minimum number of people needed on-site to operate safely and effectively.

Monitoring the wellbeing of people who are working from home and helping them stay connected to the rest of the workforce, especially if the majority of their colleagues are on-site.

Keeping in touch with off-site workers on their working arrangements including their welfare, mental and physical health and personal security.

Providing equipment for people to work from home safely and effectively, for example, remote access to work systems.


Labs and research facilities
1. Thinking about risk
Objective: That all employers carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment.
In this section

1.1 Managing risk
1.2 Sharing the results of your risk assessment

Everyone needs to assess and manage the risks of COVID-19. As an employer, you
also have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to
their health and safety. This means you need to think about the risks they
face and do everything reasonably practicable to minimise them, recognising
you cannot completely eliminate the risk of COVID-19.
You must make sure that the risk assessment for your business addresses the
risks of COVID-19, using this guidance to inform your decisions and control
measures. A risk assessment is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork,
but rather about identifying sensible measures to control the risks in your
workplace. If you have fewer than 5 workers, or are self-employed, you don’t
have to write anything down as part of your risk assessment. Your risk
assessment will help you decide whether you have done everything you need to.
The Health and Safety Executive has guidance for business on how to manage
risk and risk assessment at work along with specific advice to help control the risk of
coronavirus in workplaces.
Employers have a duty to consult their people on health and safety. You can do
this by listening and talking to them about the work and how you will manage
risks from COVID-19. The people who do the work are often the best people to
understand the risks in the workplace and will have a view on how to work
safely. Involving them in making decisions shows that you take their health
and safety seriously. You must consult with the health and safety
representative selected by a recognised trade union or, if there isn’t one, a
representative chosen by workers. As an employer, you cannot decide who the
representative will be.
At its most effective, full involvement of your workers creates a culture
where relationships between employers and workers are based on collaboration,
trust and joint problem solving. As is normal practice, workers should be
involved in assessing workplace risks and the development and review of
workplace health and safety policies in partnership with the employer.
Employers and workers should always come together to resolve issues. If
concerns still cannot be resolved, see below for further steps you can take.
Where the enforcing authority, such as the HSE or your local authority,
identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant
public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks, they
will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks.
For example, this would cover employers not taking appropriate action to
socially distance, where possible. The actions the HSE can take include the
provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement
notices to help secure improvements.
How to raise a concern:

contact your employee representative
contact your trade union if you have one
contact HSE at:

HSE COVID-19 enquiries
Telephone: 0300 790 6787 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 8pm)
Online: working safely enquiry
form
[COVID-19]: coronavirus
  [HSE]: Health and Safety Executive


Labs and research facilities
2. Who should go to work?
2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
Objective: To protect clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely
vulnerable individuals.
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals have been strongly advised not to
work outside the home.
Clinically vulnerable individuals, who are at higher risk of severe illness
(for example, people with some pre existing conditions), have been asked to
take extra care in observing social distancing and should be helped to work
from home, either in their current role or in an alternative role.
If clinically vulnerable (but not extremely clinically vulnerable) individuals
cannot work from home, they should be offered the option of the safest
available on site roles, enabling them to stay 2m away from others. If they
have to spend time within 2m of others, you should carefully assess whether
this involves an acceptable level of risk. As for any workplace risk you must
take into account specific duties to those with protected characteristics,
including, for example, expectant mothers who are, as always, entitled to
suspension on full pay if suitable roles cannot be found. Particular attention
should also be paid to people who live with clinically extremely vulnerable
individuals.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Provide support for workers around mental health and wellbeing. This could include guidance or telephone support.

See current guidance for advice on who is in the clinically extremely vulnerable and clinically vulnerable groups.


Labs and research facilities
7. Workforce management
7.2 Work-related travel
In this section

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.2 Work-related travel
7.2.1 Cars, accommodation and visits
Objective: To avoid unnecessary work travel and keep people safe when they do
need to travel between locations.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Minimising non-essential travel – consider remote options first.

Minimising the number of people travelling together in any one vehicle, using fixed travel partners, increasing ventilation when possible and avoiding sitting face-to-face.

Cleaning shared vehicles between shifts or on handover.

Where workers are required to stay away from their home, centrally logging the stay and making sure any overnight accommodation meets social distancing guidelines.

7.2.2 Deliveries to other sites
Objective: To help workers delivering to other sites such as research
institutions or customers’ premises to maintain social distancing and hygiene
practices.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Putting in place procedures to minimise person-to-person contact during deliveries to other sites.

Maintaining consistent pairing where 2-person deliveries are required.

Minimising contact during payments and exchange of documentation, for example by using electronic payment methods and electronically signed and exchanged documents.


Labs and research facilities
4. Managing your customers, visitors and contractors
In this section

4.1 Manage contacts
4.2 Providing and explaining available guidance

4.1 Manage contacts
Objective: To minimise the number of unnecessary visits to offices.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Encouraging visits via remote connection or remote working for visitors where this is an option.

Limiting the number of visitors at any one time.

Limiting visitor times to a specific time window and restricting access to required visitors only.

Determining if schedules for essential services and contractor visits can be revised to reduce interaction and overlap between people, for example, carrying out services at night.

Maintaining a record of all visitors, if this is practical.

Revising visitor arrangements to ensure social distancing and hygiene, for example, where someone physically signs in with the same pen in receptions.

4.2 Providing and explaining available guidance
Objective: To make sure people understand what they need to do to maintain
safety.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Providing clear guidance on social distancing and hygiene to people on arrival, for example, signage, visual aids, and before arrival, for example, by phone, on the website, by email.

Establishing host responsibilities relating to COVID-19 and providing any necessary training for people who act as hosts for visitors.

Reviewing entry and exit routes for visitors and contractors to minimise contact with other people.

Coordinating and working collaboratively with landlords and other areas of facility sites, for example, where R&D facilities or labs are situated on science parks.

*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Labs and research facilities
3. Social distancing at work
3.1 Coming to work and leaving work
Objective: To maintain social-distancing wherever possible, on arrival and
departure and to ensure handwashing upon arrival.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Staggering arrival and departure times at work to reduce crowding into and out of the workplace.

Providing additional parking or facilities such as bike racks.

Limiting passengers in corporate vehicles (for example, work minibuses). This could include leaving seats empty.

Reducing congestion, for example by having more entry points to the workplace.

Using markings and introducing one-way flow at entry and exit points.

Designating exclusive entry and exits points for personnel working in high-risk areas, such as mechanical test sites and wet labs.

Providing handwashing facilities (or hand sanitisers where not possible) at entry and exit points.

Providing alternatives to touch-based security devices such as keypads.

Providing storage for workers for clothes and bags.

Requesting staff change into work clothing and equipment on-site using appropriate facilities/changing areas, where social-distancing and hygiene guidelines can be met.

Washing lab clothing and equipment such as goggles and gloves on-site rather than by individual staff members at home.


Labs and research facilities
3. Social distancing at work
In this section

3.1 Coming to work and leaving work
3.2 Moving around buildings and worksites
3.3 Workplaces and workstations
3.4 Meetings
3.5 Common areas
3.6 Accidents, security and other incidents

Objective: To maintain 2m social-distancing wherever possible, including while
arriving at and departing from work, while in work, and when travelling
between sites.
It will not always be possible to keep a distance of 2m in labs and R&D
facilities that may be designed for close-proximity collaboration. Fixed
equipment may mean that changing layouts to create more space may not be
practical.
Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full in relation
to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity
needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the
mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their
staff. Mitigating actions include:

increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning
keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible
reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

Social distancing applies to all parts of a business, not just the place where
people spend most of their time, but also entrances and exits, break rooms,
canteens and similar settings. These are often the most challenging areas to
maintain social distancing.
*[R&D]: research and development


Labs and research facilities
3. Social distancing at work
3.2 Moving around buildings and worksites
Objective: To maintain social-distancing wherever possible, while people
travel through the workplace.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Reducing movement by discouraging non-essential trips within buildings and sites, for example, restricting access to some areas, and encouraging use of radios or telephones, where permitted, and cleaning them between use.

Removing access controls on low category labs so that people do not have to use access cards.

Restricting access between different areas of a building or site, if possible.

Using fixed teams or adjusting booking processes to reduce the number of people in a lab at the same time to avoid overcrowding.

Introducing more one-way flow through buildings, paying particular attention to long corridors which can be more common in laboratory buildings.

Reducing maximum occupancy for lifts, providing hand sanitiser for the operation of lifts and encouraging use of stairs wherever possible.

Making sure that people with disabilities are able to access lifts.

Regulating use of high traffic areas including corridors, lifts, turnstiles and walkways to maintain social-distancing.

Example lift practices.


Labs and research facilities
3. Social distancing at work
3.3 Workplaces and workstations
Objective: To maintain social-distancing between individuals when they are at
their workstations.
Unlike offices, R&D facilities may need workers to share workstations and
equipment. If they need to be shared, they should be shared by the smallest
possible number of people.
If it is not possible to keep workstations 2m apart then businesses should
consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate
and if so take all mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of
transmission.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Review layouts where possible, accepting the limitation of some lab environments.

Using floor tape or paint to mark areas to help people keep to a 2m distance.

Only where it is not possible to move workstations further apart, using screens to separate people from each other.

Only where it is not possible to move workstations further apart, arranging people to work side-by-side or facing away from each other rather than face-to-face.

Managing occupancy levels, to maintain social distancing in labs with restricted space, for example, by adapting booking systems to limit usage.

Cleaning workstations and shared equipment and machinery, where it is feasible to do so.

Limiting use of high-touch items and shared office equipment, for example, test equipment, apparatus, shared control terminals.

Ensuring appropriate air-handling and filtering systems are installed and maintained in high-risk areas where there is a risk for airborne particles.

*[R&D]: research and development


Labs and research facilities
1. Thinking about risk
1.1 Managing risk
Objective: To reduce risk to the lowest reasonably practicable level by taking
preventative measures, in order of priority.
Employers have a duty to reduce workplace risk to the lowest reasonably
practicable level by taking preventative measures. Employers must work with
any other employers or contractors sharing the workplace so that everybody’s
health and safety is protected. In the context of COVID-19 this means working
through these steps in order:

In every workplace, increasing the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning.

Businesses and workplaces should make every reasonable effort to enable working from home as a first option. Where working from home is not possible, workplaces should make every reasonable effort to comply with the social distancing guidelines set out by the government (keeping people 2m apart wherever possible).

Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full, in relation to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their staff.

Further mitigating actions include:
– increasing the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning
– keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
– using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
– using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face)
whenever possible
– reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed
teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

Finally, if people must work face-to-face for a sustained period with more than a small group of fixed partners, then you will need to assess whether the activity can safely go ahead. No one is obliged to work in an unsafe work environment.

In your assessment you should have particular regard to whether the people
doing the work are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
The recommendations in the rest of this document are ones you should consider
as you go through this process. You could also consider any advice that has
been produced specifically for your sector, for example by trade associations
or trades unions.
If you have not already done so, you should carry out an assessment of the
risks posed by COVID-19 in your workplace as soon as possible. If you are
currently operating, you are likely to have gone through a lot of this
thinking already. We recommend that you use this document to identify any
further improvements you should make.
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Labs and research facilities
2. Who should go to work?
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
Objective: To make sure individuals who are advised to stay at home under
existing government
guidance do not physically come to work. This includes individuals who have
symptoms of COVID-19 as well as those who live in a household with someone who
has symptoms.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Enabling workers to work from home while self-isolating if appropriate.

See current guidance for employees and employers relating to statutory sick pay due to coronavirus.

See current guidance for people who have symptoms and those who live with others who have symptoms.

*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


News story Driving tests and MOTs for heavy vehicles suspended for up to 3 months to help tackle spread of coronavirus
MOTs for cars, motorcycles and light vans
The Department for Transport continues to keep MOT testing for cars,
motorcycles and light vans under review. It will provide an update in due
course.


News story Driving tests and MOTs for heavy vehicles suspended for up to 3 months to help tackle spread of coronavirus
MOTs for lorries, buses and trailers
DVSA has suspended MOTs (annual tests) for all heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and
public service vehicles (PSVs) for up to 3 months from 21 March 2020.
All HGV and PSV vehicles with an MOT will be issued with a 3-month certificate
of temporary exemption (CTE) until further notice.
Vehicles must be maintained, kept safe to drive (roadworthy) and operate
within the terms of operators’ licence conditions.
Check what you need to do to exempt your
vehicle.
[DVSA]: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
  [HGV]: heavy goods vehicle
  *[PSV]: public service vehicle


News story Driving tests and MOTs for heavy vehicles suspended for up to 3 months to help tackle spread of coronavirus
Protecting the public
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

We are having to take big decisions to protect the public in our national
battle against COVID-19. Regrettably, we have had to suspend driver testing
for up to 3 months to help tackle the spread of the virus.
It is vital that those who need a test can get one so DVSA is offering tests
to those who have a critical need, such as the NHS and drivers delivering
goods across the UK.
Those who have tests cancelled will have priority when testing resumes.

The tests being suspended include:

car driving tests
motorcycle tests
lorry, coach and bus driving tests
approved driving instructor (ADI) tests and checks

DVSA will contact everyone with a test booked during this time to let them
know their test has been cancelled and that it will automatically re-book for
them.
The decision will be kept under review. The latest information about driving
tests and COVID-19 is on GOV.UK.
*[DVSA]: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency


Offices and contact centres
1. Thinking about risk
1.1 Managing risk
Objective: To reduce risk to the lowest reasonably practicable level by taking
preventative measures, in order of priority.
Employers have a duty to reduce workplace risk to the lowest reasonably
practicable level by taking preventative measures. Employers must work with
any other employers or contractors sharing the workplace so that everybody’s
health and safety is protected.
In the context of COVID-19 this means working through these steps in order:

In every workplace, increasing the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning.

Businesses and workplaces should make every reasonable effort to enable working from home as a first option. Where working from home is not possible, workplaces should make every reasonable effort to comply with the social distancing guidelines set out by the government (keeping people 2m apart wherever possible).

Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full, in relation to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their staff.

Further mitigating actions include:
– increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning
– keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
– using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
– using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face)
whenever possible
– reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed
teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

Finally, if people must work face-to-face for a sustained period with more than a small group of fixed partners, then you will need to assess whether the activity can safely go ahead. No one is obliged to work in an unsafe work environment.

In your assessment you should have particular regard to whether the people
doing the work are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
The recommendations in the rest of this document are ones you should consider
as you go through this process. You could also consider any advice that has
been produced specifically for your sector, for example by trade associations
or trades unions.
If you have not already done so, you should carry out an assessment of the
risks posed by COVID-19 in your workplace as soon as possible. If you are
currently operating, you are likely to have gone through a lot of this
thinking already. We recommend that you use this document to identify any
further improvements you should make.
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
3.5 Common areas
Objective: To maintain social distancing while using common areas.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Working collaboratively with landlords and other tenants in multi-tenant sites/buildings to ensure consistency across common areas, for example, receptions, staircases.

Staggering break times to reduce pressure on break rooms or canteens.

Using safe outside areas for breaks.

Creating additional space by using other parts of the workplace or building that have been freed up by remote working.

Installing screens to protect staff in receptions or similar areas.

Providing packaged meals or similar to avoid fully opening staff canteens.

Encouraging workers to bring their own food.

Reconfiguring seating and tables to maintain spacing and reduce face-to-face interactions.

Encouraging staff to remain on-site and, when not possible, maintaining social distancing while off-site.

Regulating use of locker rooms, changing areas and other facility areas to reduce concurrent usage.

Encouraging storage of personal items and clothing in personal storage spaces, for example, lockers and during shifts.


Offices and contact centres
4. Managing your customers, visitors and contractors
In this section

4.1 Manage contracts
4.2 Providing and explaining available guidance

4.1 Manage contracts
Objective: To minimise the number of unnecessary visits to offices.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Encouraging visits via remote connection/working where this is an option.

Where site visits are required, site guidance on social distancing and hygiene should be explained to visitors on or before arrival.

Limiting the number of visitors at any one time.

Limiting visitor times to a specific time window and restricting access to required visitors only.

Determining if schedules for essential services and contractor visits can be revised to reduce interaction and overlap between people, for example, carrying out services at night.

Maintaining a record of all visitors, if this is practical.

Revising visitor arrangements to ensure social distancing and hygiene, for example, where someone physically signs in with the same pen in receptions.

4.2 Providing and explaining available guidance
Objective: To make sure people understand what they need to do to maintain
safety.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Providing clear guidance on social distancing and hygiene to people on arrival, for example, signage or visual aids and before arrival, for example, by phone, on the website or by email.

Establishing host responsibilities relating to COVID-19 and providing any necessary training for people who act as hosts for visitors.

Reviewing entry and exit routes for visitors and contractors to minimise contact with other people.

Coordinating and working collaboratively with landlords and other tenants in multi-tenant sites, for example, shared working spaces.

*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Offices and contact centres
What do we mean by ‘offices and contact centres’?
Indoor environments such as:

offices
contact centres
operations rooms


Offices and contact centres
2. Who should go to work
2.3 Equality in the workplace
Objective: To treat everyone in your workplace equally.
In applying this guidance, employers should be mindful of the particular needs
of different groups of workers or individuals.
It is breaking the law to discriminate, directly or indirectly, against anyone
because of a protected characteristic such as age, sex or disability.
Employers also have particular responsibilities towards disabled workers and
those who are new or expectant mothers.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Understanding and taking into account the particular circumstances of those with protected characteristics.

Involving and communicating appropriately with workers whose protected characteristics might either expose them to a different degree of risk, or might make any measures you are considering implementing inappropriate or challenging for them.

Considering whether you need to put in place any particular measures or adjustments to take account of your duties under the equalities legislation.

Making reasonable adjustments to avoid disabled workers being put at a disadvantage, and assessing the health and safety risks for new or expectant mothers.

Making sure that the steps you take do not have an unjustifiable negative impact on some groups compared to others, for example, those with caring responsibilities or those with religious commitments.


Offices and contact centres
2. Who should go to work
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
Objective: To make sure individuals who are advised to stay at home under
existing government
guidance do not physically come to work. This includes individuals who have
symptoms of COVID-19 as well as those who live in a household with someone who
has symptoms.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Enabling workers to work from home while self-isolating if appropriate.

See current guidance for employees and employers relating to statutory sick pay due to COVID-19.

See current guidance for people who have symptoms and those who live with others who have symptoms.

*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Offices and contact centres
2. Who should go to work
2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
Objective: To protect clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely
vulnerable individuals.
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals have been strongly advised not to
work outside the home.
Clinically vulnerable individuals, who are at higher risk of severe illness
(for example, people with some pre existing conditions), have been asked to
take extra care in observing social distancing and should be helped to work
from home, either in their current role or in an alternative role.
If clinically vulnerable (but not extremely clinically vulnerable) individuals
cannot work from home, they should be offered the option of the safest
available on site roles, enabling them to stay 2m away from others. If they
have to spend time within 2m of others, you should carefully assess whether
this involves an acceptable level of risk. As for any workplace risk you must
take into account specific duties to those with protected characteristics,
including, for example, expectant mothers who are, as always, entitled to
suspension on full pay if suitable roles cannot be found. Particular attention
should also be paid to people who live with clinically extremely vulnerable
individuals.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Providing support for workers around mental health and wellbeing. This could include advice or telephone support.

See current guidance for advice on who is in the clinically extremely vulnerable and clinically vulnerable groups.


Offices and contact centres
1. Thinking about risk
In this section

1.1 Managing risk
1.2 Sharing your risk assessment

Objective: That all employers carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment.
Everyone needs to assess and manage the risks of COVID-19. As an employer, you
also have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to
their health and safety. This means you need to think about the risks they
face and do everything reasonably practicable to minimise them, recognising
you cannot completely eliminate the risk of COVID-19.
You must make sure that the risk assessment for your business addresses the
risks of COVID-19, using this guidance to inform your decisions and control
measures. A risk assessment is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork,
but rather about identifying sensible measures to control the risks in your
workplace. If you have fewer than 5 workers, or are self-employed, you don’t
have to write anything down as part of your risk assessment. Your risk
assessment will help you decide whether you have done everything you need to.
The Health and Safety Executive has guidance for business on how to manage
risk and risk assessment at work along with specific advice to help control the risk of
coronavirus in workplaces.
Employers have a duty to consult their people on health and safety. You can do
this by listening and talking to them about the work and how you will manage
risks from COVID-19. The people who do the work are often the best people to
understand the risks in the workplace and will have a view on how to work
safely. Involving them in making decisions shows that you take their health
and safety seriously. You must consult with the health and safety
representative selected by a recognised trade union or, if there isn’t one, a
representative chosen by workers. As an employer, you cannot decide who the
representative will be.
At its most effective, full involvement of your workers creates a culture
where relationships between employers and workers are based on collaboration,
trust and joint problem solving. As is normal practice, workers should be
involved in assessing workplace risks and the development and review of
workplace health and safety policies in partnership with the employer.
Employers and workers should always come together to resolve issues. If
concerns still cannot be resolved, see below for further steps you can take.
Where the enforcing authority, such as the HSE or your local authority,
identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant
public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks, they
will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks.
For example, this would cover employers not taking appropriate action to
socially distance, where possible. The actions the HSE can take include the
provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement
notices to help secure improvements.
How to raise a concern:

contact your employee representative
contact your trade union if you have one
contact HSE at:

HSE COVID-19 enquiries
Telephone: 0300 790 6787 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 8pm)
Online: working safely enquiry
form
[COVID-19]: coronavirus
  [HSE]: Health and Safety Executive


Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
3.3 Workplaces and workstations
Objective: To maintain social distancing between individuals when they are at
their workstations.
For people who work in one place, workstations should allow them to maintain
social distancing wherever possible.
Workstations should be assigned to an individual and not shared. If they need
to be shared they should be shared by the smallest possible number of people.
If it is not possible to keep workstations 2m apart then businesses should
consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate
and if so take all mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of
transmission.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Review layouts and processes to allow people to work further apart from each other.

Using floor tape or paint to mark areas to help workers keep to a 2m distance.

Only where it is not possible to move workstations further apart, arranging people to work side by side or facing away from each other rather than face-to-face.

Only where it is not possible to move workstations further apart, using screens to separate people from each other.

Managing occupancy levels to enable social distancing.

Avoiding use of hot desks and spaces and, where not possible, for example, call centres or training facilities, cleaning and sanitising workstations between different occupants including shared equipment.


Offices and contact centres
7. Workforce management
7.2 Work-related travel
In this section

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.2 Work-related travel
7.2.1 Cars, accommodation and visits
Objective: To avoid unnecessary work travel and keep people safe when they do
need to travel between locations.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Minimising non-essential travel –consider remote options first.

Minimising the number of people travelling together in any one vehicle, using fixed travel partners, increasing ventilation when possible and avoiding sitting face-to-face..

Cleaning shared vehicles between shifts or on handover.

Where workers are required to stay away from their home, centrally logging the stay and making sure any overnight accommodation meets social distancing guidelines.

7.2.2 Deliveries to other sites
Objective: To help workers delivering to other sites such as branches, or
suppliers’ or customers’ premises to maintain social distancing and hygiene
practices.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Putting in place procedures to minimise person-to-person contact during deliveries to other sites.

Maintaining consistent pairing where 2-person deliveries are required.

Minimising contact during payments and exchange of documentation, for example, by using electronic payment methods and electronically signed and exchanged documents.


Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
3.2 Moving around buildings and worksites
Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible while people travel
through the workplace.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Reducing movement by discouraging non-essential trips within buildings and sites, for example, restricting access to some areas, encouraging use of radios or telephones, where permitted, and cleaning them between use.

Restricting access between different areas of a building or site.

Reducing job and location rotation.

Introducing more one-way flow through buildings.

Reducing maximum occupancy for lifts, providing hand sanitiser for the operation of lifts and encouraging use of stairs wherever possible.

Making sure that people with disabilities are able to access lifts.

Regulating use of high traffic areas including corridors, lifts turnstiles and walkways to maintain social distancing.

Example lift practices.


Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
In this section

3.1 Coming to work and leaving work
3.2 Moving around buildings and worksites
3.3 Workplaces and workstations
3.4 Meetings
3.5 Common areas
3.6 Accidents, security and other incidents

Objective: To maintain 2m social distancing wherever possible, including while
arriving at and departing from work, while in work, and when travelling
between sites.
You must maintain social distancing in the workplace wherever possible.
Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full in relation
to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity
needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the
mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their
staff.
Mitigating actions include:

further increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning
keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible
reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

Social distancing applies to all parts of a business, not just the place where
people spend most of their time, but also entrances and exits, break rooms,
canteens and similar settings. These are often the most challenging areas to
maintain social distancing.


Offices and contact centres
7. Workforce management
7.3 Communications and Training
In this section

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.3 Communications and Training
7.3.1 Returning to Work
Objective: To make sure all workers understand COVID-19 related safety
procedures.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Providing clear, consistent and regular communication to improve understanding and consistency of ways of working.

Engaging with workers through existing communication routes and worker representatives to explain and agree any changes in working arrangements.

Developing communication and training materials for workers prior to returning to site, especially around new procedures for arrival at work.

7.3.2 Ongoing communications and signage
Objective: To make sure all workers are kept up to date with how safety
measures are being implemented or updated.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Ongoing engagement with workers (including through trades unions or employee representative groups) to monitor and understand any unforeseen impacts of changes to working environments.

Awareness and focus on the importance of mental health at times of uncertainty. The government has published guidance on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Using simple, clear messaging to explain guidelines using images and clear language, with consideration of groups for which English may not be their first language.

Using visual communications, for example whiteboards or signage, to explain changes to schedules, breakdowns or materials shortages to reduce the need for face-to-face communications.

Communicating approaches and operational procedures to suppliers, customers or trade bodies to help their adoption and to share experience.

*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Offices and contact centres
1. Thinking about risk
1.2 Sharing your risk assessment
You should share the results of your risk assessment with your workforce. If
possible, you should consider publishing it on your website (and we would
expect all businesses with over 50 employees to do so).
Below you will find a notice you should display in your workplace to show you
have followed this guidance.
Staying COVID-19 Secure in
2020
(This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an
accessible
format.)
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
3.1 Coming to work and leaving work
Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible, on arrival and
departure and to ensure handwashing upon arrival.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Staggering arrival and departure times at work to reduce crowding into and out of the workplace, taking account of the impact on those with protected characteristics.

Providing additional parking or facilities such as bike racks to help people walk, run, or cycle to work where possible.

Limiting passengers in corporate vehicles, for example, work minibuses. This could include leaving seats empty.

Reducing congestion, for example, by having more entry points to the workplace.

Providing more storage for workers for clothes and bags.

Using markings and introducing one-way flow at entry and exit points.

Providing handwashing facilities, or hand sanitiser where not possible, at entry and exit points and not using touch-based security devices such as keypads.

Providing alternatives to touch-based security devices such as keypads.

Defining process alternatives for entry/exit points where appropriate, for example, deactivating turnstiles requiring pass checks in favour of showing a pass to security personnel at a distance.


Offices and contact centres
8. Inbound and outbound goods
Objective: To maintain social distancing and avoid surface transmission when
goods enter and leave the site.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Revising pick-up and drop-off collection points, procedures, signage and markings.

Minimising unnecessary contact at gatehouse security, yard and warehouse. For example, non-contact deliveries where the nature of the product allows for use of electronic pre-booking.

Considering methods to reduce frequency of deliveries, for example by ordering larger quantities less often.

Where possible and safe, having single workers load or unload vehicles.

Where possible, using the same pairs of people for loads where more than one is needed.

Enabling drivers to access welfare facilities when required, consistent with other guidance.

Encouraging drivers to stay in their vehicles where this does not compromise their safety and existing safe working practice, such as preventing drive-aways.

Definitions
Refers to areas and amenities which are provided for the common use of more
than one person including canteens, reception areas, meeting rooms, areas of
worship, toilets, gardens, fire escapes, kitchens, fitness facilities, store
rooms, laundry facilities.
Refers to people who have specific underlying health conditions that make them
extremely vulnerable to severe illness if they contract COVID-19. Clinically
extremely vulnerable people will have received a letter telling them they are
in this group, or will have been told by their GP. Who is ‘clinically
extremely vulnerable’?
Refers to people who may be at increased risk from COVID-19, including those
aged 70 or over and those with some underlying health conditions. Who is
‘clinically vulnerable’?


Offices and contact centres
7. Workforce management
7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
In this section

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
Objective: To change the way work is organised to create distinct groups and
reduce the number of contacts each employee has.
Steps that will usually be needed:

As far as possible, where staff are split into teams or shift groups, fixing these teams or shift groups so that where contact is unavoidable, this happens between the same people.

Identifying areas where people directly pass things to each other, for example office supplies, and finding ways to remove direct contact, such as using drop-off points or transfer zones.


Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
3.4 Meetings
Objective: To reduce transmission due to face-to-face meetings and maintain
social distancing in meetings.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Using remote working tools to avoid in-person meetings.

Only absolutely necessary participants should attend meetings and should maintain 2m separation throughout.

Avoiding transmission during meetings, for example avoiding sharing pens and other objects.

Providing hand sanitiser in meeting rooms.

Holding meetings outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms whenever possible.

For areas where regular meetings take place, using floor signage to help people maintain social distancing.


Offices and contact centres
6. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and face coverings
In this section

6.1 Face coverings

PPE protects the user against health or safety risks at work. It can include
items such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility
clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses. It also includes respiratory
protective equipment, such as face masks.
Where you are already using PPE in your work activity to protect against non-
COVID-19 risks, you should continue to do so.
At the start of this document we described the steps you need to take to
manage COVID-19 risk in the workplace. This includes working from home and
staying 2m away from each other in the workplace if at all possible.When
managing the risk of COVID-19, additional PPE beyond what you usually wear is
not beneficial. This is because COVID-19 is a different type of risk to the
risks you normally face in a workplace, and needs to be managed through social
distancing, hygiene and fixed teams or partnering, not through the use of PPE.
The exception is clinical settings, like a hospital, or a small handful of
other roles for which Public Health England advises use of PPE, for example,
first responders and immigration enforcement officers. If you are in one of
these groups you should refer to the advice at:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan
Coronavirus (COVID-19): cleaning in non-healthcare settings

Workplaces should not encourage the precautionary use of extra PPE to protect
against COVID-19 outside clinical settings or when responding to a suspected
or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Unless you are in a situation where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is very
high, your risk assessment should reflect the fact that the role of PPE in
providing additional protection is extremely limited. However, if your risk
assessment does show that PPE is required, then you must provide this PPE free
of charge to workers who need it. Any PPE provided must fit properly.
[PPE]: Personal protective equipment
  [COVID-19]: coronavirus


Offices and contact centres
5. Cleaning the workplace
In this section

5.1 Before reopening
5.2 Keeping the workplace clean
5.3 Hygiene: handwashing, sanitation facilities and toilets
5.4 Changing rooms and showers
5.5 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials, and onsite vehicles

5.1 Before reopening
Objective: To make sure that any site or location that has been closed or
partially operated is clean and ready to restart, including:

an assessment for all sites, or parts of sites, that have been closed, before restarting work
carrying out cleaning procedures and providing hand sanitiser before restarting work

Steps that will usually be needed:

Checking whether you need to service or adjust ventilation systems, for example, so that they do not automatically reduce ventilation levels due to lower than normal occupancy levels.

Most air conditioning systems do not need adjustment, however where systems serve multiple buildings or you are unsure, advice can be sought from your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) engineers or advisers.

Opening windows and doors frequently to encourage ventilation, where possible.

5.2 Keeping the workplace clean
Objective: To keep the workplace clean and prevent transmission by touching
contaminated surfaces.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Frequent cleaning of work areas and equipment between uses, using your usual cleaning products.

Frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, such as door handles and keyboards, and making sure there are adequate disposal arrangements.

Clearing workspaces and removing waste and belongings from the work area at the end of a shift.

Limiting or restricting use of high-touch items and equipment, for example, printers or whiteboards.

If you are cleaning after a known or suspected case of COVID-19 then you should refer to the specific guidance.

5.3 Hygiene: handwashing, sanitation facilities and toilets
Objective: To help everyone keep good hygiene through the working day.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Using signs and posters to build awareness of good handwashing technique, the need to increase handwashing frequency, avoid touching your face and to cough or sneeze into a tissue which is binned safely, or into your arm if a tissue is not available.

Providing regular reminders and signage to maintain personal hygiene standards.

Providing hand sanitiser in multiple locations in addition to washrooms.

Setting clear use and cleaning guidance for toilets to ensure they are kept clean and social distancing is achieved as much as possible.

Enhancing cleaning for busy areas.

Providing more waste facilities and more frequent rubbish collection.

Providing hand drying facilities – either paper towels or electrical driers.

5.4 Changing rooms and showers
Objective: To minimise the risk of transmission in changing rooms and showers.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Where shower and changing facilities are required, setting clear use and cleaning guidance for showers, lockers and changing rooms to ensure they are kept clean and clear of personal items and social distancing is achieved as much as possible.

Introducing enhanced cleaning of all facilities regularly during the day and at the end of the day.

5.5 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials, and onsite vehicles
Objective: To reduce transmission through contact with objects that come into
the workplace and vehicles at the worksite.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Cleaning procedures for goods and merchandise entering the site.

Cleaning procedures for vehicles.

Introducing greater handwashing and handwashing facilities for workers handling goods and merchandise and providing hand sanitiser where this is not practical.

Regular cleaning of vehicles that workers may take home.

Restricting non-business deliveries, for example, personal deliveries to workers.

[HVAC]: heating ventilation and air conditioning
  [COVID-19]: coronavirus


Offices and contact centres
2. Who should go to work
In this section

2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
2.3 Equality in the workplace

Objective: That everyone should work from home, unless they cannot work from
home.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Staff should work from home if at all possible. Consider who is needed to be on-site; for example:

– workers in roles critical for business and operational continuity, safe
facility management, or regulatory requirements and which cannot be performed
remotely.
– workers in critical roles which might be performed remotely, but who are
unable to work remotely due to home circumstances or the unavailability of
safe enabling equipment.

Planning for the minimum number of people needed on site to operate safely and effectively.

Monitoring the wellbeing of people who are working from home and helping them stay connected to the rest of the workforce, especially if the majority of their colleagues are on-site.

Keeping in touch with off-site workers on their working arrangements including their welfare, mental and physical health and personal security.

Providing equipment for people to work at home safely and effectively, for example, remote access to work systems.


Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
3.6 Accidents, security and other incidents
Objective: To prioritise safety during incidents.
In an emergency, for example, an accident or fire, people do not have to stay
2m apart if it would be unsafe.
People involved in the provision of assistance to others should pay particular
attention to sanitation measures immediately afterwards including washing
hands.


Other people's homes
2. Who should go to work
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
Objective: To make sure individuals who are advised to stay at home under
existing government
guidance do not physically come to work. This includes individuals who have
symptoms of coronavirus as well as those who live in a household with someone
who has symptoms.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Enabling workers to work from home while self-isolating if appropriate.

See current guidance for employers and employees relating to statutory sick pay due to coronavirus.

See current guidance for people who have symptoms and those who live with others who have symptoms.


Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
3.3 Appointments in the home
Objective: To reduce transmission due to face-to-face meetings and maintain
social distancing in meetings.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Using remote working tools to avoid in-person appointments.

Only absolutely necessary participants should attend appointments and should maintain 2m separation where possible.

Avoiding transmission during appointments, for example, from sharing pens and other objects.

Holding meetings outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms whenever possible.


Other people's homes
7. Workforce management: guidance for employers and agencies
7.2 Work-related travel
In this section

7.1 Team working
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.2 Work-related travel
Objective: To avoid unnecessary work-related travel and keep workers safe when
they do need to travel between homes.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Follow the social distancing guidelines outlined in Section 2.1 –‘Coming to and leaving a home for work’.

Where workers need to move between different homes and locations to complete their work, social distancing and hygiene advice should be considered, especially before entering other homes.

Where workers are required to stay away from their residence, making sure any overnight accommodation meets social distancing guidelines.


Other people's homes
2. Who should go to work
In this section

2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
2.3 Equality in the workplace

Objective: That everyone should work from home, unless they cannot work from
home.
It is recognised that for providers of in-home services, it is often not
possible to work from home.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Finding digital or remote alternatives to physical, in-home work where possible such as video or phone consultations.

Discussing working environment and practices with householders and clients in advance to confirm how the work will be carried out, if a physical visit is needed.

Employers and agencies should keep in touch with workers, who they might usually meet with face-to-face, on their working arrangements including their welfare, mental and physical health and personal security.


Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
3.1 Coming to and leaving a home for work
Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible, including on
arrival and departure and to ensure handwashing upon arrival.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Consider travelling to sites alone using your own transport, where insurance allows.

If workers have no option but to travel together, for example delivery teams, the following should be encouraged:

– journeys should be with the same individuals and limited in the number of
people travelling per vehicle
– maintaining good ventilation, for example keeping windows open and
passengers facing away from one another to reduce risk of transmission
– vehicles regularly cleaned using gloves and standard cleaning products, with
emphasis on handles and other areas where passengers may touch surfaces
– where possible, employers or agencies should match workers to households
local to them to minimise transportation
– wash hands on arrival and maintain social distancing when entering the home.


Other people's homes
1. Thinking about risk
In this section

1.1 Thinking about managing risk
1.2 Sharing your risk assessment

Objective: That all employers carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment.
Everyone needs to assess and manage the risks of COVID-19. As an employer, you
also have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to
their health and safety. This means you need to think about the risks they
face and do everything reasonably practicable to minimise them, recognising
you cannot completely eliminate the risk of COVID-19.
You must make sure that the risk assessment for your business addresses the
risks of COVID-19, using this guidance to inform your decisions and control
measures. A risk assessment is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork,
but rather about identifying sensible measures to control the risks in your
workplace. If you have fewer than 5 workers, or are self-employed, you don’t
have to write anything down as part of your risk assessment. Your risk
assessment will help you decide whether you have done everything you need to.
The Health and Safety Executive has guidance for business on how to manage
risk and risk assessment at work along with specific advice to help control the risk of
coronavirus in workplaces.
Employers have a duty to consult their people on health and safety. You can do
this by listening and talking to them about the work and how you will manage
risks from COVID-19. The people who do the work are often the best people to
understand the risks in the workplace and will have a view on how to work
safely. Involving them in making decisions shows that you take their health
and safety seriously. You must consult with the health and safety
representative selected by a recognised trade union or, if there isn’t one, a
representative chosen by workers. As an employer, you cannot decide who the
representative will be.
At its most effective, full involvement of your workers creates a culture
where relationships between employers and workers are based on collaboration,
trust and joint problem solving. As is normal practice, workers should be
involved in assessing workplace risks and the development and review of
workplace health and safety policies in partnership with the employer.
Employers and workers should always come together to resolve issues. If
concerns still cannot be resolved, see below for further steps you can take.
Where the enforcing authority, such as the HSE or your local authority,
identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant
public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks, they
will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks.
For example, this would cover employers not taking appropriate action to
socially distance, where possible. The actions the HSE can take include the
provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement
notices to help secure improvements.
How to raise a concern:

contact your employee representative
contact your trade union if you have one
contact HSE at:

HSE COVID-19 enquiries
Telephone: 0300 790 6787 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 8pm)
Online: working safely enquiry
form
[COVID-19]: coronavirus
  [HSE]: Health and Safety Executive


Other people's homes
2. Who should go to work
2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
Objective: To protect clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely
vulnerable individuals.
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals have been strongly advised not to
work outside the home.
Clinically vulnerable individuals, who are at high risk of severe illness (for
example, people with some pre existing conditions), have been asked to take
extra care in observing social distancing and should be helped to work from
home, either in their current role or in an alternative role.
If clinically vulnerable (but not extremely clinically extremely vulnerable)
individuals cannot work from home, they should be offered the option of the
safest available on site roles, enabling them to stay 2m away from others. If
they have to spend time within 2m of others, you should carefully assess
whether this involves an acceptable level of risk. As for any workplace risk
you must take into account specific duties to those with protected
characteristics, including, for example, expectant mothers who are, as always,
entitled to suspension on full pay if suitable roles cannot be found.
Particular attention should also be paid to people who live with clinically
extremely vulnerable individuals.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Provide support for workers around mental health and wellbeing. This could include guidance or telephone support.

See current guidance for advice on who is in the shielding and clinically vulnerable groups.


Other people's homes
What do we mean by ‘working in other people’s homes’?
We acknowledge that this is a complex environment due to the varied employment
relationships, including the self-employed, employers and agencies.
This guidance applies to those working in, visiting or delivering to home
environments. These include, but are not limited to, people working in the
following areas:

in home workers – such as repair services, fitters, meter readers, plumbers, cleaners, cooks and surveyors (this is not an exhaustive list)
to home services – such as delivery drivers momentarily at the door

This guidance does not directly apply to nannies who spend all their time with
one household, or to their employers.


Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
3.2 Moving around when working in a home
Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible while performing
work in the home.
It is recognised that for providers of some in-home services, it will not
always be possible to maintain physical distance from customers.
If it isn’t possible to maintain social distancing while working in the home
then extra attention needs to be paid to equipment, cleaning and hygiene to
reduce risk.
Working materials, such as tools or domestic appliances, should be assigned to
an individual and not shared if possible. If they need to be shared, they
should be shared by the smallest possible number of people.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Discussing with households ahead of a visit to ask that a 2m distance is kept from those working, if possible.

Asking that households leave all internal doors open to minimise contact with door handles.

Identifying busy areas across the household where people travel to, from or through, for example, stairs and corridors, and minimising movement within these areas.

Bringing your own food and drink to households and having breaks outside where possible.

Limiting the number of workers within a confined space to maintain social distancing.

Using a fixed pairing system if people have to work in close proximity. For example, during two-person assembly or maintenance.

Allocating the same workers to a household where jobs are repetitive. Employers and agencies should introduce fixed pairing to have the same individuals allocated to a household where jobs are repetitive in nature.


Other people's homes
7. Workforce management: guidance for employers and agencies
7.1 Team working
In this section

7.1 Team working
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.1 Team working
Objective: To change the way work is organised to create distinct groups and
reduce the number of contacts each worker has.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Where multiple workers are in a home, creating fixed teams of workers who carry out their duties in those teams, and minimising contact between each team.

Identifying areas where people need to hand things to each other (such as shared tools and domestic appliances) and finding ways to remove direct contact, for example, by using drop-off points or transfer zones.

Allocating the same worker to the same household each time there is a visit, for example, the same cleaner each time.


Other people's homes
7. Workforce management: guidance for employers and agencies
7.3 Communications and training
In this section

7.1 Team working
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.3 Communications and training
7.3.1 Returning to work
Objective: To make sure all workers understand coronavirus related safety
procedures.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Providing clear, consistent and regular communication to improve understanding and consistency of ways of working amongst your workers.

Engaging with workers through existing communication routes and worker representatives to explain and agree any changes in working arrangements.

7.3.2 Ongoing communications
Objective: To make sure all workers are kept up to date with how safety
measures are being implemented or updated.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Ongoing engagement with workers, (including through trades unions or employee representative groups) to monitor and understand any unforeseen impacts of changes to working environments.

Awareness and focus on the importance of mental health at times of uncertainty. The government has published guidance on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Using simple, clear messaging to explain guidelines using images and clear language, with consideration of groups for which English may not be their first language.

Communicating approaches and operational procedures to households to help their adoption before work commences.

*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Other people's homes
5. Cleaning the work area
In this section

5.1 Keeping the work area clean
5.2 Hygiene
5.3 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials

5.1 Keeping the work area clean
Objective: To keep work areas in a home clean and prevent transmission by
touching contaminated surfaces.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using your usual cleaning products.

Arranging methods of safely disposing waste with the householder.

Removing all waste and belongings from the work area at the end of a shift and at the end of a job.

If you are cleaning after a known or suspected case of coronavirus then you should refer to the specific guidance.

5.2 Hygiene
Objective: To help everyone keep good hygiene through the working day.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Washing your hands more often than usual for 20 seconds using soap and hot water, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose.

Reducing the spread of germs when you cough or sneeze by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve, not your hands. Throw the tissue in a bin immediately, then wash your hands.

Cleaning regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning products to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people.

If handwashing facilities are not accessible, you should carry hand sanitiser.

5.3 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials
Objective: To reduce transmission through contact with objects that come into
or are removed from the home.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Ensuring social distancing and hygiene measures are followed when supplies or tools are needed to be delivered to a home, for example building supplies.

Collecting materials in bulk to reduce the frequency of needing to visit shops to buy or collect materials.

Removing waste in bulk if possible.


Other people's homes
4 Interacting with householders
4.1 Providing and explaining available guidance
Objective: To make sure people understand what they need to do to maintain
safety.
Steps that will usually be needed:

If you are an employer or agency, providing your workers with information about how to operate safely in people’s homes.

Communicating with households prior to arrival, and on arrival, to ensure the household understands the social distancing and hygiene measures that should be followed once work has commenced.


Other people's homes
8. Deliveries to the home
Objective: To maintain social distancing and avoid surface transmission when
goods enter and leave a home.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Minimising contact during deliveries wherever possible.

Where possible and safe, having single workers load or unload vehicles.

Where possible, using the same pairs of people for loads where more than one is needed.

Minimising the contact during delivery, for example, by calling to inform of your arrival rather than ringing the doorbell.

Minimising the contact during payments and exchange of documentation, for example, using electronic payment methods and electronically signed and exchanged documents.

Definitions
Refers to people who have specific underlying health conditions that make them
extremely vulnerable to severe illness if they contract COVID-19. Clinically
extremely vulnerable people will have received a letter telling them they are
in this group, or will have been told by their GP. Who is ‘clinically
extremely vulnerable’?
Refers to people who may be at increased risk from COVID-19, including those
aged 70 or over and those with some underlying health conditions. Who is
‘clinically vulnerable’?


Other people's homes
1. Thinking about risk
1.1 Thinking about managing risk
Objective: To reduce risk to the lowest reasonably practicable level by taking
preventative measures, in order of priority
Employers have a duty to reduce workplace risk to the lowest reasonably
practicable level by taking preventative measures. Employers must work with
any other employers or contractors sharing the workplace so that everybody’s
health and safety is protected. In the context of COVID-19 this means working
through these steps in order:

In every workplace, increasing the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning.

Businesses and workplaces should make every reasonable effort to enable working from home as a first option. Where working from home is not possible, workplaces should make every reasonable effort to comply with the social distancing guidelines set out by the government (keeping people 2m apart wherever possible).

Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full, in relation to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their staff.

Further mitigating actions include:

– increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning
– keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
– using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
– using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face)
whenever possible
– reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed
teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

Finally, if people must work face-to-face for a sustained period with more than a small group of fixed partners, then you will need to assess whether the activity can safely go ahead. No one is obliged to work in an unsafe work environment.

In your assessment you should have particular regard to whether the people doing the work are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

The recommendations in the rest of this document are ones you should consider
as you go through this process. You could also consider any advice that has
been produced specifically for your sector, for example by trade associations
or trades unions.
If you have not already done so, you should carry out an assessment of the
risks posed by COVID-19 in your workplace as soon as possible. If you are
currently operating, you are likely to have gone through a lot of this
thinking already. We recommend that you use this document to identify any
further improvements you should make.
Steps that will usually be needed when working in homes:

No work should be carried out in a household which is isolating because one or more family members has symptoms or where an individual has been advised to shield - unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household.

When working in a household where somebody is clinically vulnerable, but has not been asked to shield, for example, the home of someone over 70, prior arrangements should be made with vulnerable people to avoid any face-to-face contact, for example, when answering the door. You should be particularly strict about handwashing, coughing and sneezing hygiene, such as covering your nose and mouth and disposing of single-use tissues.

Staying updated with the latest guidance and considering how it can be applied to your work. This can include:

– washing your hands more often than usual for 20 seconds using soap and hot
water, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose
– reducing the spread of germs when you cough or sneeze by covering your mouth
and nose with a tissue, or your sleeve (not your hands) if you don’t have a
tissue and throw the tissue in a bin immediately, then wash your hands
– cleaning regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning
products to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people
– communicating with households prior to any visit to discuss how the work
will be carried out to minimise risk for all parties
– maintaining social distance as far as possible
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus


Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
In this section:

3.1 Coming to work and leaving work
3.2 Moving around when working in a home
3.3 Appointments in the home
3.4 Accidents, security and other incidents

Objective: To maintain 2m social distancing wherever possible, including
arriving at and departing from work, while in work, and when travelling
between sites.
You must maintain social distancing in the workplace wherever possible.
Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full in relation
to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity
needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the
mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their
staff.
Mitigating actions include:

further increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning
keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible
reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

Social distancing applies to all parts of a business, not just the place where
people spend most of their time, but also entrances and exits, break rooms,
canteens and similar settings. These are often the most challenging areas to
maintain social distancing.


Other people's homes
1. Thinking about risk
1.2 Sharing your risk assessment
Risk assessment results should be shared with others working in a home or when
visiting others’ homes. If possible, you should consider publishing the
results on your website (and we would expect all businesses with over 50
workers to do so).
Below you will find a notice you should display, which can also be provided as
cards, stickers or similar, to show you have followed this guidance.
Staying COVID-19 Secure in
2020
(This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an
accessible
format.)
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus