Above are the New Office Rules for Pippbrook and the New Guidance Working outside the Office (Visits etc.). You must follow these rules at all times, however they are significantly lighter touch than they were during the height of the pandemic.
Legal guidance – Next steps for living with COVID
The Government has announced the next steps for their living with COVID plan. The announcement states that free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available to specific groups including eligible patients and NHS and care staff now the universal testing offer has ended for the general public. Updated guidance advises people with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and a high temperature or who feel unwell, to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature. Updated guidance also states that anyone with a positive COVID-19 test result will be advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days, which is when they are most infectious.
What this effectively does is shift the burden to MVDC as employer to consider our approach. Employers have a duty under s.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of everybody who works for us or who is affected by our business activities including visitors to our premises.
The new rules, put together in consultation with Staff Hub, BMT and the Health and Safety Committee, therefore discharge this duty and must be followed at all times. In addition:
Individuals at greater risk:
The public health principles guidance says that: “Employers may wish to consider the needs of employees at greater risk from COVID-19, including those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19”. The COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk advises those at higher risk to work from home if they can or talk to their employer about arrangements for reducing the risk. There will therefore be a small group of individuals for whom particular arrangements must be considered. This applies in the following cases:
- If you are aware you have immunosuppression, please read this message placed on Molly on 26th April. You must make sure your line manager is aware so that the relevant arrangements to assess the risk to you can be reviewed. If you were formerly shielding please do not assume that your situation will be picked up through this exercise as we have been advised by Medwyn Occupational Health that a fresh assessment must be made, using current information.
- If you are pregnant you will need an occupational health appointment before you reach the third trimester. (This is to ensure work arrangements are suitable in relation to Covid, and is in addition to the risk assessment conducted when you inform your line manager)
Further guidance
New Q&As for staff have been drafted after consultation with managers/Staff Hub/H&S – these are set out below.
If you have any queries or concerns on how these rules are applied please either discuss with your line manager, with a member of Staff Hub (MVDC’s H&S representatives) or a member of the HR team who will be happy to assist.
Visitors
Posters and communications to visitors have been amended to say:
Please do not enter this building if you have reason to believe you may be infected with COVID.
Please also make sure you have read the Q&As and understood what the hygiene and ventilation requirements are.
Background
On 1 April 2022, the Government published public health principles: Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace. The guidance sets out various actions that employers and managers can take to help reduce respiratory infections in workplaces, for example by encouraging and enabling vaccination, improving ventilation and keeping the workplace clean.
Employees who have symptoms of coronavirus or another respiratory infection should follow the Government’s guidance for People with symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID-19.
The ‘office rules’ for Pippbrook have therefore been much abbreviated and the Pippbrook Covid risk assessment has now been withdrawn and is no longer applicable. However additional measures to reduce risk presented by Covid-19 will be added to MVDC’s overarching Health and Safety policy document.Business managers for other sites such as Dorking Halls and Park House are reviewing their own risk assessments and ‘office rules’ in the light of this guidance and approach. Do speak to them if you need further details.
Business managers for all other activities are now able to re-consider risk assessments and rules purely pertaining to Covid-19 unless the work related activities undertaken by the service specifically require anybody to work with Covid+ individuals through their work activity (in which case Covid risk assessments must be retained and enforced). In all other cases the ‘office rules’ and guidance provided by the following Q&A should suffice.