Introduction

As we know in late 2019 the SARS-2 coronavirus has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory illness originating in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organisation has declared this to be a Public Health Emergency of International concern.

How Coronavirus is spread?

People can catch coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) from others who have the virus which then develops into the respiratory disease known as COVID-19. The virus primarily spreads from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with coronavirus coughs, sneezes, or speaks.

Transfer of the virus occurs by either:

  1. Touching contaminated surfaces and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
  2. By standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19 by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them.
Severity and progression of the Disease

Everyone’s experience with COVID-19 is different. Some people with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience more serious illness and may require hospital care.

There appears to be factors that can increase your vulnerability in developing COVID-19.

  • Risk of serious illness rises with age, for example people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those under 40.
  • People with weakened or compromised immune systems are at a higher risk.
  • People with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness.
What is a Risk Assessment?

Any business, big or small, must carry out a systematic Risk Assessment. You must decide what in your premises or undertakings could cause harm to you, your employees, visitors, contractors or members of the public. This is so that you can decide whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm. We believe that a Risk Assessment should be about implementing practical steps to protect people from suffering harm and injury.

The principle is to manage any risks within your operations and that effective control measures have been implemented to reduce that risk to the lowest level possible so far as is reasonably practicable taking a five-step approach in line with HSE Guidance.

  1. Identify the Hazards – Anything that may cause harm
  2. Decide who may be harmed, and how
  3. Assess the risks and take action
  4. Record your findings
  5. Review your Risk Assessment regularly
The importance of controlling a Coronavirus outbreak in the Workplace

The Health and Safety At Work Act 1974 states that as the Employer they have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of its employees, including any other persons that could visit your premises.

Why is it important to implement a Risk Assessment specific to COVID – 19?

As well as a legal obligation we have a moral duty of care to reduce the risk of an outbreak in the workplace, all sections of our society must play a role to stop the spread of the disease.

Gathering the information needed to complete a Workplace for COVID – 19 Risk Assessment

Once we receive an enquiry from a prospective client, the following steps will be taken in order to complete a Suitable and Sufficient Risk Assessment.

01Gather information from the Client

We will request a detailed floor plan of your workplace with suitable dimensions of each room including the desk layout, access and exit point, together with the number of employees that would be present during the day and the hours of work.

02Communicate with the Client

We would then call the client establishing specific hazards and risks within your workplace this can be done remotely by using Skype or Zoom platforms.

03Cost Proposal

Once this information is collated then a cost proposal will be generated to complete your bespoke Workplace COVID-19 Risk Assessment.

04Commence Risk Assessment

When the client gives authorisation, we will commence the Risk Assessment by refencing the latest guidelines from:

  1. The World Health Organisation (WHO)
  2. UK Government
  3. Public Health England (PHE)
  4. Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
  5. The National Health Service (NHS)

We can also engage other competent partners (Workspace Interiors) to assist our clients to implement the necessary control measures required making sure that any Risk assessment is bespoke to your business operations. More information can be found on: Workspace Interior's website.


Call us free on 0800 690 6293 or e-mail us on info@ramsaysafetysolutions.co.uk for further information.

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