Continuity Planning?
Pondering once more to Monday 16th March 2020 I take into accout getting up early. I was due to go to one amongst our properties in Tewkesbury. I was almost to depart the house when an piece of email landed from a senior Director telling us all to ‘Preserve’ all visits and be ready for a conference title that morning. Certain, this was the start of the ‘Lock Down’. With the benefit of hindsight, how ready had been we for what was about to happen subsequent?
Our administration crew has already undertaken different strategic planning exercise routines. On the 16th March, a ”strategic authorities crew” was established and a planning and response course of produced – that’s nonetheless a reside doc.
Office based staff had been then requested to make money working from home. Inside a few days we acquired tales {{that a}} member of staff based at residence had hit their head on a shelf. Maybe time for a DSE analysis possibly? ‘We’d see it was time to leap into movement’
So how did we reply?
One in all many first H&S challenges we encountered was the number of contractors who’s prone to be visiting our properties. All non-essential visits had been stopped. LOLER inspections provided us with a few further challenges. LOLER engineers would normally have entry to all areas all by way of our properties. We deemed this should be classed as a essential go to and decided among the best methods forward might be to cut back the ”actions” undertaken by the engineer inside each residence. We decided to allocate an area/lounge for the engineer to work in and all instruments might be delivered to them, checked and put once more in situ. This may increasingly protect social distancing measures and reduce the prospect of cross contamination factors contained in the residence.
In relation to Home working, the Effectively being and Safety crew have developed a 2 internet web page self-assessment which now combines DSE, lone working and fireplace safety. It’s less complicated to utilize in its current sort and far more streamlined.
Laundry – we have reviewed our procedures and produced a Customary Working Course of (SOP) to help take care of points concerning contaminated devices
Cleaning – Present factors meant we might have appreciated to work quickly to produce completely completely different sanitizers and undertake new COSHH risk assessments which are literally in place.
In relation to cleaning rooms with confirmed or suspected Covid -19 A Customary working course of was moreover produced.
Sustaining fireplace safety is a crucial topic for all care suppliers proper now. We had quite a few properties with on-going enchancment plans in place which have been acknowledged in a Fireplace Risk Analysis. To help lower the onsite visits to the properties by contractors, the crew carried out a overview of all reside/ongoing fireplace risk analysis actions. Each movement was assigned a RAG (crimson, amber or inexperienced) rating. This helped us to determine any works classed as vital (safety important). Contractors will now solely be permitted to attend web sites to complete the remedial works the place the works are deemed Safety important.
RIDDOR reporting of Covid-19 is now reportable as a sickness. That’s environment friendly from the 5th April. The issue for us: If a member of staff did develop Covid-19, how would everyone knows it was on account of workplace publicity? We have since developed a screening questionnaire, to help set up when a report is in actuality compulsory
Fireplace & Rescue Firms had been starting to contact us every via the H&S Workers and regionally on to our properties. Completely completely different ranges of points had been raised by completely completely different Fireplace & Rescue Firms referring to their deliberate response to 999 calls. They’d been aware of the hazards associated to Covid 19. The hearth service wished to verify the safety of their crew. They could have to know the number of constructive Covid-19 circumstances and likewise suspected circumstances sooner than they’d been able to reply. We have agreed working protocols in such an event that protect safety for all.
Lastly, we’re opening quite a few new assemble properties which we would study and help with the registration/opening. We agreed that such inspections could be undertaken remotely with help going down nearly.
The previous couple of weeks have been really tough. Events are actually unprecedented. We have been provided with quite a few questions that we didn’t immediately have an answer to. At events we have been requested to make the unimaginable, potential. What mattered then was that we had been determined to find a decision, which made sense and ensured some kind of enterprise continuity.
Now attempting forward, I’m constructive there is usually a full host of current challenges and likewise new questions. We’re going to proceed to produce the help and suggestion as and when it is wished as we have on a regular basis accomplished sooner than and we’ll attempt to develop to be far more ”decision centered” alongside the way in which through which
Seemingly there are answers to most questions, nonetheless solely in case you might be devoted to discovering them.
Why will we try this job I hear you ask? On account of safety – save lives and has in no way been further important.
Andy Hollingshead (H&S Supervisor), Lisa Harris (H&S Supervisor) and Paul Mason (H&S Director).