The Health and Safety Executive is carrying out COVID-19 spot checks to ensure that all businesses are following the government safety guidelines. All businesses are required to comply with these checks to demonstrate that they are prioritising the safety of all employees and visitors.
If your business receives a call from the HSE then you must participate, as failure to do so will lead to enforcement action. The officer that attends your premises will be carrying an identification card and a letter of authorisation from the HSE; you can request to see both of these and you can also verify the authorisation of the officer by contacting the HSE directly on 0300 790 6896.
The HSE inspector will visit your premises to check that you are following government measures and that your site is COVID-secure. If your business is not safely managing the risk of spreading coronavirus, the HSE will take immediate action. This begins with providing advice and guidance, stopping certain work practises until they are made safe and issuing enforcement notices. However, this can lead to the business being prosecuted if they fail to comply with the safety guidelines.
It is important to ensure that your business is operating as safety as possible before a HSE spot check is carried out to prevent any action needing to take place. There are various steps that you should take in order to keep your workplace secure and meet the government guidelines, including:
Risk Assessment
You will need to carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment to help you manage the risk to employees and visitors. To do this, you will need to identify what work activity and situations could potentially cause spread of the virus. You must think about who could be at risk and decide how likely it is for someone to be exposed to the virus. You must then act to minimise the risk by either removing or controlling the situation.
Social Distancing
Where possible, you should keep all people 2m apart to prevent the spread of the virus. If this is not possible, then you should consider whether the activity can be stopped or whether you can minimise the number of people working in close proximity. Protective safety screens should be used to create a physical barrier between employees, and face masks should be used when screens are not possible. Organise the space so that people are not directly facing one another and use safety wall and floor graphics to provide guidance on spaces that are not to be used. Here at Morgans Consult, we provide a range of custom safety products to ensure your employees are accurately social distancing. From custom safety wall and floor graphics to bespoke safety screen systems, we can help you to keep your employees safe while on site.
Hygiene Procedures
You will need to introduce safety signage to remind employees to practise good hygiene, including correct handwashing techniques and reminders to clean workspaces. Hand soap and hand sanitising stations needs to be readily available at all times, especially in washrooms and at entry/exit points. You need to identify frequently touched surfaces and set a strict cleaning schedule for these areas. Cleaning products should be provided within these areas to allow employees to clean surfaces after each use, alongside more thorough cleaning by professionals.
We can provide your business with hand sanitising stations and a range of safety signage to help prevent the spread of the virus. We offer a range of stock COVID-19 signage designed to remind all visitors to your site of government hygiene advice, and we can also create a range of signage bespoke to your business.
To learn more about spot inspections check out the video below and visit https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/regulating-health-and-safety/spot-inspections.htm
