21 Jul Covid-19 a Positive Case within your business – What are your contingency plans?
Should a member of your staff or a customer test positive for Covid-19 you need to be prepared and to think about how you would respond and subsequently manage your business.
Consider the following as part of your business continuity plans:
- If a member of staff (or customer) tested positive this may mean several others would be required to self-isolate if they had been in close contact.
- You could lose a number of your work force for a period of at least 7 to 14 days. How would you manage this?
- Think about key roles with who and how they interact. E.g if a waitress, the chef, delivery driver or possibly a customer was a positive case what would be the outcome to your business? What is your back up? Should you limit contact between key individuals?
- Would you need to recruit?
- How would you cover the period of absence?
- Would you need to close?
- Are members of your staff in close contact with each other or customers?
- Do they spend time face to face under 1 metre apart?
- Do they spend more than 15 minutes together 1 -2 metres apart?
- Could this be avoided to minimise the impact of a positive case on your business?
- Are your staff acting safely in their free time?Have you checked if they are adhering to social distancing rules when they are not at work?Are they putting your business at risk?
- Do you have an effective record of your customers and staff rotas to quickly identify those who may be at risk ie in close contact?
- What procedures do you have in place for emergency cleaning and disinfection? How would you manage this? Your whole premise would be required to be cleaned.
- If you needed to close what things would you need to do to ensure your premises were secure and remained hygienic?
- How would you address incoming or outgoing deliveries and orders?
- Would you need to contact your customer base to advise of a closure or service delays?
- How would you manage this? For food businesses this guidance is available: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/guidance-for-food-businesses-undertaking-a-rapid-shut-down-in-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19
- When would it be safe for staff members to return to work?
- What are your fitness to work procedures?
- Have you considered Covid-19?
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/892137/Flowchart_for_return_to_work_symptomatic_v3.2.pdf
By having an effective risk assessment and being prepared for contingencies in the event of a potential case you will be in a better position to protect your business and potentially avoid closure.
For further information or advice please contact Environmental Health on environmentalhealth@southend.gov.uk or 01702 215005 or Economic Development on 01702 215022 or economicd@southend.gov.uk
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