How Do I Conduct a Coronavirus Risk Assessment?
Under health and safety law, there is a legal requirement to give effect to appropriate arrangements for the planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of health and safety risks and to update risk assessments...
... especially where there have been significant changes, such as in the current climate.
The Government has required all organisations to conduct a coronavirus (COVID-19) assessment and to make a 'five steps to safer working' declaration. This includes a declaration that you have carried out a coronavirus risk assessment and shared the results with staff.
You must ensure that additional risks associated with coronavirus are assessed before allowing staff, or more staff, to return to their workplace(s) and you should ensure that significant findings/controls recorded (if you have more than five employees).
As part of your risk assessment you must:
- identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus
- think about who could be at risk
- decide how likely it is that someone could be exposed
- act to remove the activity or situation, or if this isn’t possible, control the risk
Whilst the Government and HSE have produced detailed guidance to assist with working safely during the coronavirus, as yet, they have not published a template risk assessment.
However, other organisations such as the HSE NI and CIPD have prepared templates which could be a useful starting point for you. Areas you may need to cover include issues relating to your premises and workplace(s), your work processes or practices, personal protective equipment as well as generic risks that may affect your staff, beneficiaries, clients or others. You will also need to consider risk assessments for certain individual workers, particularly if they are vulnerable.
You also have a have a duty to consult your staff on health and safety matters. You can do this by talking to them about the work and how you will manage risks from coronavirus as they 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.
Finally, the Government also expects all businesses with over 50 employees to publish their risk assessments and to display a poster confirming compliance with the five steps to safer working.