COVID-19 guidelines for phased return of open retail outlets - RSA Insurance
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COVID-19 guidelines for phased return of open retail outlets
Risk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Introduction
We understand that businesses may This guidance applies to:
be struggling to manage the new set • Open retail outlets that are primarily
of risks which they find themselves outdoor (e.g. garden centres,
facing. We have created this guide to hardware stores, farmers markets)
help your clients and their • Open retail outlets that were open in
employees protect themselves Tier 2 (e.g. homeware, opticians,
during this difficult time. motor, bicycle & repair, office
products, electrical, IT, phone sales &
repair etc.) during the Covid-19
outbreak
In this guide
you will find…
• Employers duties
• Permit phased return guidelines
• Further information
• Employee safety briefing sign off
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DAC
Risk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Permit phased return
of open retail outlets
Guidelines
for Employers
Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at should also be familiar with requirements
Work (SHWW) Act, 2005, employers set out in the Safety, Health and Welfare
have specific duties to ensure the safety, at Work (General Applications)
health and welfare at work of all Regulations 2007 (where applicable).
employees.
The primary obligation under the SHWW
Act 2005 is for the employer to “ensure, Employers duties
so far as is reasonably practicable, the
safety, health and welfare at work of his Key duties include:
or her employees.” Employers must be
• managing and conducting all work
able to demonstrate that they have done
activities to ensure, as far as practical,
all that was reasonably practicable and the safety, health and welfare of
that to do more would have been grossly
employees
disproportionate to the risk.
• providing safe systems of work that
While there is no expectation that are planned, organised, and
employers will be able to guarantee that maintained
staff will not contract COVID-19, the 2005
• assessing risks and implementing
Act requires employers to introduce
appropriate control measures
specific health surveillance and protection
measures in order to discharge their • providing safe equipment including
obligations. personal protective equipment, where
necessary
For the permit phased return of open
retail outlets that are primarily outdoor or • providing employees with information,
were open in Tier 2 (garden centres, instruction, training and supervision in
hardware stores, farmers markets, relation to safety and health
homeware, opticians, motor, bicycle &
repair, office products, electrical, IT,
phone sales & repair etc.), employers
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DAC
Risk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Return to Work Safely COVID–19
Protocol Compliance Officer
COVID-19 Specific National Protocol Have you appointed a COVID-19
for Employers and Workers Compliance Officer who has been fully
A Return to Work Safely Protocol, is briefed to oversee all matters related to
the result of a collaborative effort by the managing the health and wellbeing of all
Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the employees?
Health Services Executive (HSE) and the
Department of Health which has been
designed to support employers and Health Check
workers to put measures in place that will
prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the for Returning Employees
workplace. You can find the Return to Have you established and issued a pre-
Work Safety Protocol here: return to work form for workers to
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/22829a- complete at least 3 days in advance of
return-to-work-safely-protocol/ the return to work? A copy of this form
This guideline document is not a can be found in the Return to Work Safety
substitute for the Return to Work Safety Protocol by clicking the link to the left.
Protocol but has been prepared to Has a COVID-19 response plan been
provide general guidance on Industry developed/updated?
specific measures which should be taken
Are suitable arrangements in place for
to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
dealing with a suspected case of COVID-
19 in the workplace?
Some questions
to consider Health and Safety
As an employer you should think about Documentation
the following: Have written procedures including
• Has the work been adequately risk response plans been put in place for
assessed in advance of returning to work? managing COVID-19 to ensure, in so far
as is reasonably practicable, a safe place
• Are suitable arrangements in place? of work and safe use of equipment for all
• Can the work be done safely? returning employees?
• Do you need to put control measures Have these procedures been
in place to further protect employees? communicated to all employees in a form,
manner and language that they
You should review / revise your approach
understand?
as required.
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DACRisk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Physical Distancing Where physical distancing
recommendation of 2 metres cannot
In order to slow the transmission rate of be achieved, additional risk control
COVID-19 a physical distancing of a measures must be implemented as
minimum of 2 metres is recommended by required. Examples include:
the HSE.
• Install physical barriers, such as
Things to consider: clear plastic sneeze guards
between workers
• Travel to/from work – where possible
workers should travel to work alone. • Maintain at least a distance of 1
Where this is not possible they should metre or as much distance as is
sit as far apart as the vehicle allows reasonably practicable
and keep windows open for additional • Minimise any direct worker contact
ventilation. They should avoid using and provide hand washing
public transport if possible. Where this facilities, and other hand hygiene
is not possible take all necessary aids, such as hand sanitisers,
precautions to reduce the possibility of wipes etc. that are readily
infection accessible, so workers can
• Ensure the workplace can allow for perform hand hygiene as soon as
the recommended 2 metre separation the work task is complete
in so far as is reasonably practicable – • Organise breaks in such a way as to
these include general places of work facilitate maintenance of physical
as well as welfare facilities such as distancing during breaks
canteens and toilets
• Stagger canteen use
• Provide one-way systems for access /
egress routes in the workplace where
practicable
Social distancing floor graphics can be downloaded from
https://www.hsa.ie/eng/topics/covid-19/covid-19_coronavirus.html
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DACRisk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Customer Facing Roles
Employers must:
• Eliminate physical interaction between
workers and customers as much as is
reasonably practicable through
revised working arrangements. For
example, through provision of online
or phone orders, contactless delivery
or managed entry
• Provide hand sanitisers at entry / exit
points
• Install physical barriers and clear
markings to ensure that contact
between workers and customers is
kept to a minimum and to ensure that
queues do not form between
customers as they wait to be served
• Implement a cleaning regime to
ensure that contact points for workers
Public information posters can
and customers are kept visibly
cleaned at all times be downloaded from
• Display the advice on the COVID-19 https://www.hsa.ie/eng/topics/c
measures in visible locations to ovid-19/covid-
ensure that customers are also 19_coronavirus.html
adhering to what is required
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DACRisk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Hygiene PPE
All employees should wash their hands Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is
well and often to avoid contamination – any device or appliance designed to be
for a minimum of 20 seconds. worn or held by an individual for
protection against one or more health and
Other things to consider include:
safety hazards. Examples of such include
• Ensure there is access to facilities to gloves, eye protection, high-visibility
support hand hygiene (e.g. hand clothing and safety footwear.
sanitiser / hand wipes / hand washing
Now more than ever PPE should be
facilities)
personal and not shared with any other
• Display posters on how to wash hands person during the COVID-19 pandemic.
in appropriate locations
It is recommended that disposable gloves
• All surfaces should be regularly
should not be worn in place of washing
disinfected / cleaned
hands. Wearing disposable gloves can
• Limit equipment usage to 1 person give a false sense of security and hands
where possible – clean down can become contaminated when gloves
touchpoints before and after use are taken off.
• Try to avoid sharing of equipment –
Face masks are also unlikely to be of any
clean down touchpoints before and
benefit if the wearer is not sick – the
after use
preferred approach is to ensure social
• Ensure all employees: distancing and good hygiene measures.
o practice correct coughing and
sneezing etiquette
o Wash hands before and after Further Information
eating, smoking or vaping, after
toilet use etc. Rialtas na hEireann
Government of Ireland
o Dispose of used tissues correctly
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2282
after use
9a-return-to-work-safely-protocol/
The Health and Safety Executive
www.hse.ie
The Health and Safety Authority
www.hsa.ie
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DACRisk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Return of Open Retail Outlets
Induction Checklist
The following checklist is intended as a guide for you to confirm with
your employees that they are aware of the HSE / HSA guidelines for
return to work. Use this checklist to confirm with each employee, that
they understand the protocols under the following headings.
Pre-return to work form completed
Employee is aware of and has access to appointed COVID-19 officer
Social Distancing
Travelling to / from work
Written procedures for managing COVID-19 on return to work
Additional control measures where required 2 metre social distancing is not
possible
Hygiene
Handwashing
Coughing / Sneezing Etiquette
Touchpoints
Cleaning / Disinfecting
Welfare
Toilets
Canteen
Work Equipment
Controlled Access / Use
PPE
Provision / Use
Trainer: Date:
(Name & Signature)
Staff Member: Date:
(Name & Signature)
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DACRisk Management Guidelines
COVID-19 Outbreak
Contact us
We understand the importance of working
together during these difficult times. If we
can help you, please get in touch.
Michael Doyle
Risk Control Surveyor
michael.doyle@ie.rsagroup.com
Sean Golden
Risk Control Surveyor
sean.golden@ie.rsagroup.com
Gerard Murray
Risk Control Engineer
gerard.murray@ie.rsagroup.com
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DACThe information set out in this document constitutes a set of general guidelines and
should not be construed or relied upon as specialist advice. Therefore, RSA Insurance
Ireland DAC accepts no responsibility towards any person relying upon these Risk
Management Guidelines nor accepts any liability whatsoever for the accuracy of data
supplied by another party or the consequences of reliance upon it.
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2020 RSA Insurance Ireland DAC
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