·         Volunteers

·         Visitors to your premises

·         Cleaners

·         Contractors

·         Drivers

·         Vulnerable groups – Elderly, Pregnant workers, those with existing underlying health conditions

·         Anyone else who physically comes in contact with you in relation to your business

·         WC and hand washing facilities are to be restricted to Employees and Volunteers only with doors locked between use. NO PUBLIC ACCESS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

·         Where possible, employees will be nominated their own toilet cubical on a daily basis (4 female and 2 male). The urinals are free to use as no ‘bodily contact’ is required. The disabled WC will be used for emergency public use only on request

·         Hand washing facilities with soap and water in place.

·         Stringent hand washing taking place.

·         Hand washing should be in accordance with Government guidelines.

·         Whilst drying of hands with disposable paper towels is deemed preferable (in the disabled toilet is a necessity), we will continue to use the automatic hand driers to avoid creating ‘contaminated waste’. However, it is important that only one person is to use WC’s at any given time so as to reduce risk of  airborne transmission

·         Staff are encouraged to protect the skin by applying emollient cream regularly

·         Gel hand sanitisers will be distributed in key public area where washing facilities are not readily available

Cleaning

·         Cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces that are touched regularly particularly in areas of high use such as door handles, light switches, reception area using appropriate cleaning products and methods will be adopted.

·         Employees are responsible for cleaning their own work areas and any other designated areas for R&R use regularly, using disposable anti-bacterial wipes or similar. These must be disposed of responsibly in bins (do not flush away)

·         Staff must make their own drinks, food etc. and are responsible for the cleaning of their own utensils. Sharing of utensils should be avoided

Social Distancing

·         Reducing the number of persons in any work area to comply with the 2-metre (6.5 foot) gap recommended by the Public Health Agency

·         Work meetings will take advantage of the size of the building and will take place in open spaces/larger rooms, where deemed appropriate

·         Taking steps to review work schedules including start & finish times/shift patterns, working from home etc. to reduce number of workers on site at any one time. Also relocating workers to other tasks. 

·         Redesigning processes to ensure social distancing in place.

·         Ensuring sufficient rest breaks for staff.

·         Social distancing also to be adhered to in canteen areas

·         Smoking will not be permitted on site or in the grounds.

Wearing of Gloves

·         Where Risk Assessment identifies wearing of gloves as a requirement of the job (such as cleaning), an adequate supply of these will be provided.

·         Staff must remove gloves carefully to reduce contamination and dispose of them responsibly. Gloves must be used and then discarded after each task has been completed.

·         All efforts must be taken to reduce cross contamination.

Wearing of Face Masks

·         Face masks will be worn by employees when ‘face to face’ meetings with the general public and in public places. This is to help protect the elderly and vulnerable people.

RPE

Public Health guidance on the use of PPE (personal protective equipment) to protect against COVID-19 relates to health care settings. In all other settings individuals are asked to observe social distancing measures and practice good hand hygiene behaviours

Where RPE is a requirement for risks associated with the work undertaken, additional measures will be taken

Symptoms of Covid-19

If anyone becomes unwell with a new continuous cough or a high temperature in the workplace they will be sent home and advised to follow the stay at home guidance.

Line managers will maintain regular contact with staff members during this time.

If advised that a member of staff or public has developed Covid-19 and were recently on our premises  (including where a member of staff has visited other work place premises such as domestic premises), the management team of the workplace will contact the Public Health Authority to discuss the case, identify people who have been in contact with them and will take advice on any actions or precautions that should be taken. https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/

Commuting

Persons should not share vehicles or cabs, where suitable distancing cannot be achieved. Face masks and gloves should be used when using any form of public transport

Mental Health

Management will promote mental health & wellbeing awareness to staff during the Coronavirus outbreak and will offer whatever support they can to help 

Reference –

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

www.hseni.gov.uk/stress

Complacency

The danger of Covid-19 must not be under estimated, especially with the social demographic of the visitors that will enter the Village Hall premises as restrictions are lifted.

As such, our primary concern is for the health and wellbeing of all visitors. Staff must remain vigilant and you have the right to refuse access to anyone who is deemed to be a risk to other hall users.

Sharing Information and Closure

All incumbent service providers must share information regarding ANY COVID-19 suspicions/cases relating to their service.

As the Management, we retain the right to close the village hall (and all activities taking place) with immediate effect if we have any concerns over public safety

Employees to be reminded on a regular basis to wash their hands for 20 seconds with water and soap and the importance of proper drying with disposable towels. Also reminded to catch coughs and sneezes in tissues – Follow Catch it, Bin it, Kill it and to avoid touching face, eyes, nose or mouth with unclean hands. Tissues will be made available throughout the workplace.

Encourage staff to report any problems and carry out skin checks as part of a skin surveillance programme

https://www.hse.gov.uk/skin/professional/health-surveillance.htm

To help reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) reminding everyone of the public health advice.  – https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/news/covid-19-coronavirus

Posters, leaflets and other materials are available for display.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19

Rigorous checks will be carried out by line managers to ensure that the necessary procedures are being followed.

Staff to be reminded on a daily basis of the importance of social distancing both in the workplace and outside of it.

Management checks to ensure this is adhered to.

Staff to be reminded that wearing of gloves is not a substitute for good hand washing.

To minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 during face-fit testing the following additional measures should be carried out –

Both the fit tester and those being fit tested should wash their hands before and after the test.

Washable face masks should be cleaned and washed daily and not left on communal services.

Disposable facemasks should be changed regularly

Internal communication channels and cascading of messages through line managers will be carried out regularly to reassure and support employees in a fast changing situation.

Line managers will offer support to staff who are affected by Coronavirus or has a family member affected.

Fortunately our staff and volunteers are local and do not need to use public transport to commute to work. However, safeguards should be put in place for out of work hours  

Regular communication of mental health information and open door policy for those who need additional support.

This is a new situation and we recognise that there will be potential times where risks are  taken unintentionally. However, staff must be extra vigilant and remind each other that extra steps need to be taken to safeguard themselves, their family and all hall visitors.

Corvid -19 can remain on some services for up to 72 hours. This includes packages and post, books and unused surfaces.   

Any incidents or concerns, (confirmed or otherwise) must be reported to the administration office and information will be shared with other hall service providers.

Employees will ‘check’ frequently with other hall users as to their wellbeing.