Covid-19: Returning to work in the office & Risk Assessments

‍How do I safely get my team back to the office?

The UK has approximately 4.2 million people classed as “working within an office” environment, so with Government experts regarding enclosed spaces as higher risk areas for Covid-19 transmission, it poses a big challenge for industries to plan their workforce's safe return to work. Will some ever return to work? A poll conducted before the current pandemic of 100 businesses highlighted that 4 in 10 business owners were not comfortable in people working from home, however this survey conducted by Vision Express now has this figure at around 7 in 10 business owners. Working from the office is unlikely to return to normal any time soon, however what do you need to do should you be returning your staff members to the office?

The Government have given instruction on what you should do before you ask people to return to work. Instruction such as every company in the UK creating a Covid-19 Risk assessment for their business, a process which should also be carried out with the consultation of their staff. This Risk Assessment should be done to identify where problems in your office could arise and what as a responsible employer you will be doing about it.

In office settings there are many areas which require consideration, these range from reviewing who should be at work to what “social distancing” arrangements need to be employed for those that do return. The list of considerations is likely to be a long one depending on individual circumstances, for instance cleaning practices, static workstation safety, visitor management all need to be addressed accordingly.

The government for their part have provided guidance on their websites of issues which employers should be planning for, whilst for our part HS Direct Ltd have pieced together a free risk assessment template for office working which can be found on the right hand side of this article. Our risk assessment template is a good starting position for employers to think about their specific conditions, we can also help on these matters with advice and assistance on staff training, return to work documents, risk assessments and other topics you may be concerned with.

4.2 million people returning to work safely is a big challenge, a challenge which some may need a hand with. Risk management has never been more important, and we are here to lend a helping hand.

By ELDirect

Content written by MENTA Patron HS Direct.