Your employees’ health and wellbeing is of paramount importance and as a business owner, you have a statutory duty of care for people’s health and safety in the workplace. As we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic, here is a helpful guide to keeping your staff safe in the workplace, including practices you should adopt and why you should do them. It also contains information from the Government, World Health Organisation (WHO) and NHS on safe practices that every staff member should adopt.
What you can do as a retail business owner in the workplace to keep your staff safe
- Provide soap and hand sanitiser gels to reduce the spread of infection
- Ensure all staff have hand sanitisers
- Increase the frequency and intensity of cleaning
- Frequently wipe down counters, handrails, door handles, drawer knobs etc.
- Ensure staff are well equipped with tissues
- Advise your staff to stay at home if they are feeling unwell
- Display Health & Safety notices relating to COVID-19 prominently
- Stagger shifts or set up teams so fewer people are in the workplace together
- Regulate the number of customers allowed onto the premises at any one time
- Remind your customers and staff to wear face coverings
- Observe current social distancing rules both inside your premises and for any customers queuing outside
- Take contactless payments and avoid cash payments if possible
- Keep payment terminals clean
Keeping staff as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic
During these challenging times, it is vital to prioritise procedures that will protect your employees as much as possible from contracting coronavirus. As a business owner, you must take extra precautions to keep your employees safe in their dealings with the general public. You must have plenty of supplies of soap, hand sanitisers and tissues and they must be available in all places that staff use. You will also require lots of cleaning materials and the frequency and intensity of your cleaning programmes should be increased.
Take adequate precautions to limit the number of customers in your retail premises
In order to apply social distancing regulations, you must control the number of customers on your premises at any one time, and may need to instigate a queuing system, which should be monitored by a member of staff at all times. You may also need to consider setting up a shift system or adopt a team rota so that fewer employees are on the premises at any given time.
Cleaning payment terminals will reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission
Wherever possible, take contactless payments, which will eliminate the need to enter a PIN code. The limit was recently increased from £30 to £45 in order to reduce the need for physical contact. If at all possible, avoid taking cash payments as banknotes change hands frequently and are rarely cleaned or sanitised. Payment terminals should be kept as clean as possible with hand sanitisers available at payment points.
What you should do if an employee or customer appears to have coronavirus symptoms
The main indications of coronavirus are a new, continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. If an employee becomes unwell whilst at work in your retail business, they should be sent home immediately and follow the guidelines for self-isolation. If a member of your staff has helped someone who has become unwell and appears to have COVID-19 symptoms, the Government advice is for the employee to wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds after the contact, but they do not need to go home unless they develop symptoms themselves.
As part of your Covid-secure risk assessment, you should ensure you have an up-to-date plan in case there is a Covid-19 outbreak on your premises. This plan should include a nominated single point of contact who should lead on contacting local Public Health (PHE) teams. In the event of an outbreak, you should take action following Action Cards resource, but if you need further guidance your local PHE health protection team should be contacted. Click here to find your local PHE health protection team.
It is important to keep your employment records up to date as the local PHE health protection team will ask for record details of symptomatic staff.
Current advice from the World Health Organisation includes taking these protective measures to help stop the spread of coronavirus to all essential workers
- Maintain social distancing
- Make mask wearing a normal part of being around other people
- Wash your hands frequently with an alcohol-based rub
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
- Practice respiratory hygiene
- Wash your hands when you arrive home
Wash your hands more frequently and for a minimum of 20 seconds
Washing your hands frequently in the workplace will kill viruses that may be on your hands. It’s your hands that are the most likely to touch surfaces, counters and door handles and once contaminated can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth.
Social distancing regulations during the coronavirus pandemic
It is vital to create an environment that fosters social distancing. This measure reduces social interaction between people. Employees should keep a distance of 2m (6ft) between themselves and a customer wherever possible and if staff rest areas are used, the same rules are applicable between staff members.
Catch coughs or sneezes in tissues or on your sleeve to practice respiratory hygiene
If you do need to cough or sneeze, use a tissue to catch it and dispose of the tissue straightaway or use your sleeve. Droplets spread the virus. It is recommended that you do not cough into your hands, but if this happens, wash your hands immediately.
What can The Retail Mutual do for my business?
As you can imagine in these uncertain times, we have received a number of enquiries about the coronavirus. We continue to respond to everyone in a timely matter. To help answer some of the recurring questions, we have created a coronavirus resource hub. In this hub we have useful Government links and information, as well as other useful content that can assist you through this time.
