In additional to all the normal site risks you now need a COVID-19 Risk assessment…..and a good place to start is the guidance on www.gov.uk for construction and other outdoor work. This Guidance is updated as necessary and the current version can be found here.
A key part of any risk assessment is thinking about the risk and as stated in the HSE’s short Guide on Working Safely during the Coronavirus Outbreak 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.
There are risks that may occur if you are restarting work due to COVID-19 that are not related to transmission of the virus. For example, workers may have been away from work for sometime and be unfamiliar with tasks and/or have lost fitness. Helpfully, the British Occupational Hygiene Society have developed a Coronavirus Hub which which includes some well thought through Return to Work Guidance which can be downloaded here. For the HSE working safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak guidance and other resources please visit https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/index.htm
