UK based global standards body, BSI, has published updated Safe Working Guidelines to help organisations protect people at work from the coronavirus risks, mitigate outbreaks and build long-term resilience. The guidelines include safety planning and assessment of risks, plus advice on managing suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in all workplaces, including healthcare.
The guidelines include recommendations to:
- Treat any person who becomes unwell in the workplace as potentially having COVID-19.
- Ensure suitable PPE is provided for first aiders.
- Isolate the person who is unwell and provide them with a face mask.
- Require the affected person to go home (or to a medical facility).
- Establish if an affected worker has been in close contact with other workers and support those workers to self-isolate.
- Ensure the areas the affected person has been in are either isolated or cleaned.
- Provide clear guidance on when it is safe for a worker who has had COVID-19 to return to work.
The guidelines highlight the need to make sure safety measures are inclusive and accessible to everyone, and to recognise the importance of workers’ psychological health and well-being.