This bulletin has been provided to us by the HSE
In such a fast moving situation, the Health and Safety Executive wanted to provide the right information to the right people at this time. Please find some information and guidance to help businesses ensure they are doing what they can to be COVID-secure.
Local action to tackle coronavirus in Leicester
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working alongside Leicester City Council in the regulation of workplace health and safety and alongside local public health authorities to support the understanding of any patterns in the disease in Leicester.
Inspectors are out and about across the city and surrounding areas, putting employers on the spot and checking that they are complying with the latest guidance.
The Health Secretary announced on 29 June 2020, that given the growing outbreak of coronavirus in Leicester, Leicester-specific measures will apply to the city, and the surrounding areas, including for example, Blaby, Oadby, Birstall and Glenfield.
For further information and guidance on coronavirus lockdown changes in Leicester or surrounding areas, check gov.uk
Making your business COVID Secure
We’ve had feedback that businesses are not aware of the guidance on becoming COVID-secure, we wanted to share this information with you.
Becoming COVID-secure is a priority for all businesses in Leicester given the growing outbreak.
To be COVID-secure means businesses need to put in place workplace adjustments, keep up to date with the latest guidance and put measures in place to manage the risk and protect workers and visitors. There are five practical steps that businesses can take to do that:
- Step 1. carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment
- Step 2. develop increased cleaning, hand washing and hygiene procedures
- Step 3. take all reasonable steps to help people work from home
- Step 4. maintain 2m social distancing where possible
- Step 5. where people cannot be 2m apart, manage transmission risk
BEIS has published its guidance on how to make a range of workplaces COVID-secure.
Reopen your business safely during coronavirus- guidance tools
When the lockdown restrictions are lifted in Leicester, employers who want to reopen their business have a legal responsibility to protect their employees and other people on site.
HSE has issued guidance to help manage the risks from coronavirus in businesses that are allowed to reopen in England. This includes guidance to help employers carry out a risk assessments and make sensible adjustments to the site and workforce.
We have also produced tools to help businesses work safely during the coronavirus outbreak and for use with employees to consult them on what their workplace needs to do to keep people safe.
Where some employers are not managing the risk, HSE will take action which can range from the provision of specific advice, issuing enforcement notices, stopping certain work practices until they are made safe and, where businesses fail to comply, this could lead to prosecution.
Published on Thursday 2nd July 2020