You must only make a report under RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) when: 

• an unintended incident at work has led to someone’s possible or actual exposure to coronavirus. This must be reported as a dangerous occurrence.
• a worker has been diagnosed as having COVID 19 and there is reasonable evidence that it was caused by exposure at work. This must be reported as a case of disease.
• a worker dies as a result of occupational exposure to coronavirus.

What to report  

Dangerous occurrences 

Read about RIDDOR  regulation 7, Schedule 2 – Section 10 on legislation.gov.uk 

If something happens at work which results in (or could result in) the release or escape of coronavirus you must report this as a dangerous occurrence. An example of a dangerous occurrence would be a lab worker accidentally smashing a glass vial containing coronavirus, leading to people being exposed. 

Cases of disease: exposure to a biological agent 

Read about RIDDOR regulation 9 (b) on legislation.gov.uk

If there is reasonable evidence that someone diagnosed with COVID-19 was likely exposed because of their work you must report this as an exposure to a biological agent using the case of disease report. An example of a work-related exposure to coronavirus would be a health care professional who is diagnosed with COVID-19 after treating patients with COVID-19.

Work related fatalities

Read about RIDDOR regulation 6 (2) on legislation.gov.uk

If someone dies as a result of a work related exposure to coronavirus and this is confirmed as the likely cause of death by a registered medical practitioner then you must report this as soon as is practical and within 10 days of the death.

Make a RIDDOR report online

Find out more about what you must report. 

Make a report online:

• Report a dangerous occurrence
• Report a case of disease: exposure to a biological agent 

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Who is allowed to go to work?

In the first instance, employers should make every effort to support working from home, including by providing suitable IT and equipment as they have been already. This will apply to many different types of businesses, particularly those who typically would have worked in offices or online.

Where work can only be done in the workplace, we have set out tailored guidelines for employers to help protect their workforce and customers from coronavirus while still continuing to trade or getting their business back up and running. We will be publishing even more detailed COVID-19 secure guidelines in the coming days, which has been developed in consultation with businesses and trades unions.

These ‘back to work’ guidelines apply to those in essential retail like:

• supermarkets
• those in construction and manufacturing
• those working in labs and research facilities
• those administering takeaways and deliveries at restaurants and cafes
• tradesmen, cleaners and others who work in people’s homes
• those who are facilitating trade or transport goods
• and so on

Non-essential retail, restaurants, pubs, bars, gyms and leisure centres will remain closed. They will reopen in a phased manner provided it is safe to do so.

There are specific guidelines for those who are vulnerable, shielding, or showing symptoms.

What is a critical worker?

Critical workers are those working in health and care and other essential services, who can still take their children to school or childcare and can use hotels and other accommodation services for work related purposes – for example if they can’t get home after a shift or need to isolate from their families. This critical worker definition does not affect whether or not you can travel to work – if you are not a critical worker, you may still travel to work provided if you cannot reasonably work from home.

What is meant by the phased approach?

Not all forms of work will return to normal at once. People will have to prepare for a new type of normal. We need to make sure that any changes we do make are carefully monitored and that we aren’t doing anything to increase the risk of infection and push the Reproductive value (R0) above 1. R0 describes how many people on average will be infected for every one person who has COVID-19.

We will ensure that businesses have time to prepare their premises to operate as safely as possible.

We will set out more detail about the phasing in due course.

Will you open pubs / cinemas / hairdressers in July?

The roadmap sets out that some businesses (like pubs, cinemas or hairdressers) will not open until Step 3 is reached.

The government’s current planning assumption is that this step will be no earlier than 4 July and subject to further detailed scientific advice, provided closer to the time, on how far we can go. When they do reopen, they should also meet the COVID-19 secure guidelines.

What are the ‘Covid-Secure’ safety guidelines workplaces have to be put in place?

We have set out clear, practical steps that businesses should take to ensure their workplaces are safe and give their staff the confidence to return back to work. We will be publishing even more detailed COVID-19 secure guidelines.

These include how to keep as many people as possible safely apart from those they do not live with in various workplace settings.

Do people need to wear face coverings at work?

Face coverings are not compulsory. However, if you can, people are advised to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces where social distancing is not possible or where you are more likely to come into contact with people you do not normally meet. For example, on public transport or in some shops. Face coverings can help us protect each other and reduce the spread of the disease if you are suffering from coronavirus, but not showing symptoms.

A face covering is not the same as the surgical masks or respirators used as part of personal protective equipment by healthcare and other workers; these should continue to be reserved for those who need them to protect against risks in their workplace such as health and care workers and those in industrial settings like those exposed to dust hazards.

Will a face covering stop me getting COVID-19?

The evidence suggests that face coverings can help us protect each other and reduce the spread of the disease if you are suffering from coronavirus, but not showing symptoms.

To protect yourself, you should continue to follow social distancing measures and isolation guidance and wash your hands regularly.

Workers’ rights

My employer is asking me to come to work but I’m scared.

Employers and staff should discuss and agree working arrangements.

Employers should make all efforts to help people to work from home where they can. But where work cannot be done at home, employers should take clear, practical steps to help protect workers and create safe places to work, such as shift working or staggering processes. To identify the precautions needed to manage risk, your employer should discuss the workplace risk assessment with you to identify the practical ways of managing those risks.

If you remain concerned that your employer is not taking all practical steps to promote social distancing then you can report this to your local authority or the Health and Safety Executive who can take a range of action, including where appropriate requiring your employer to take additional steps.

We are publishing further specific “COVID-19 Secure” guidelines on how to make workplaces safe, which have been developed in consultation with over 200 business leaders and trades union organisations.

What if they try to fire me because I won’t go to work but cannot work at home?

We urge employers to take socially responsible decisions and listen to the concerns of their staff. Employers and employees should come to a pragmatic agreement about their working arrangements.

If individuals need advice, they should approach ACAS where they can get impartial advice about work disputes.

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How does Coronavirus Spread?

Coronavirus is spread in sneeze or cough droplets. To infect someone, the virus has to get from an infected person’s nose or mouth into another person’s eyes, nose or mouth. This can be direct or indirect (on hands, objects, surfaces). Keeping this in mind will help you to remember all the things you need to do to protect yourself and others from the virus

What are the Symptoms?

It can take up to 14 days for symptoms of coronavirus to appear.

The most common symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
• shortness of breath
• breathing difficulties
• fever (high temperature)

How can I protect myself from the coronavirus?

Wash hands often with soap and water. If not available, use hand sanitizer.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with your hands.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough and sneeze.

Put used tissues into a bin and wash your hands

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Avoid close contact with people who are not well.

When you may need to call a doctor?

Contact your doctor and follow the guidance from the HSE in the event that you are showing symptoms of been infected with the virus or been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for the virus.

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Home Working, zoom meetings, Furlough, Self-Isolation, Social Distancing, are all new words and terms that are becoming normal areas of conversation as we all look to make sense out of our changed world.

At A&S Safety we have been working with our clients to develop their risk assessment procedures and methods of working so that businesses can survive whilst keeping everyone in the workplace as safe as is possible.

We’ve also been working closely with our client group to develop home working procedures that enable employees the ability to work safely in their own homes but also mean that the employer is complying with the Health and Safety requirements that remain their responsibility.

It’s a strange and changing time so please contact us to see how we can help and assist you with the responsibilities of:

• Home Working procedures and policies
• DSE Assessments and home set up
• Coronavirus Workplace Assessments
• Driving and Travelling Coronavirus Assessments and procedures
• Coronavirus Workplace Layout Implementation measures
• Coronavirus PPE requirements.

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