Lessons Learned? Adapting COVID Measures For The Long-Term

Employers and health and safety managers will continue to have a responsibility to minimise the spread of the virus and protect workers, as with any other potential risk. This is why those with a duty of care mustn’t simply chuck the COVID rules out but modify them to work long-term with employees’ best interests at heart.

Let’s look at what this means for employers and safety managers and how you can adapt COVID-era measures for the future.

Flexible Working

One of the main debates about the pandemic is how businesses should handle home working in the future.

One of the upsides of the past few years for many was homeworking. It minimised potential transmission of the virus, but it also saved money and time on commutes and meant a greater work/life balance.

While opinions vary on whether companies should adopt a virtual-first approach, a more flexible approach to working from home is worth considering from a health and safety point of view.

If employees are equipped with the tools they need to work remotely, companies can avoid falling into presenteeism, where employees feel pressured into showing up to work unwell.

Social opinions have understandably shifted when working whilst sick and bringing colds and flu into the office. However, suppose the employee is ill but feels well enough to work. In that case, remote working allows them to do so more comfortably without putting other employees at risk of COVID and other transmissible diseases.

Flexible working could also theoretically reduce rates of stress and anxiety. Allowing employees to work in an environment where they’re more comfortable could lessen the burden on those who struggle with their mental health, making them more productive and ultimately leading to a more profitable business.

Conversely, it’s important to keep in mind that home working can increase stress, anxiety, and depression in some individuals. There has been an undeniable increase in mental health issues over the past two years, though whether this is due to home working or the other impacts of the pandemic is up for debate.

Whichever side of the remote working debate your company falls on, you must understand your employees and work in their best interests.

Office organisation

For those who did go back to work earlier on, companies were required to put measures to reduce unnecessary contacts, such as one-way systems and screens. Thankfully, these extreme measures are no longer necessary, but you should think twice about going back to old habits.

No one likes being packed in like sardines. COVID forced employers to rethink office organisation to give people space and breathing room.

Rather than throwing the new office plans out the window, employers should instead be looking at ways to retain this extra space to prevent the transmission of illness and boost morale and employee well-being in general.

Hand sanitising stations are another COVID-era holdover that you shouldn’t be too quick to leave behind. COVID has made us all far more conscious of the germs we carry on our hands, and retaining these stations and other things such as cleaning and sanitising schedules will benefit the health and productivity of all employees.

PPE and Assessment Procedures

We’ve all become well acquainted with a specific piece of PPE in recent years: the humble mask. Although they’re no longer mandatory in the UK, some people choose to continue wearing them in public spaces.

If nothing else, masks have forced us all to take responsibility for our health with personal protective equipment. This is undoubtedly something employers should look to encourage moving forward, whether it’s high-vis jackets, hard hats, or, indeed, masks.

Even before COVID, employers were responsible for ensuring workers weren’t exposed to airborne contaminants or diseases at work via risk assessments and PPE.

The pandemic highlighted how easily viruses and other unpleasant bacteria could travel through the air. Chemical vapours, dust, and bacteria such as legionella are all potential risks to workers, and something employers are legally required to eliminate or minimise where possible.

Most businesses are now far more aware of their responsibility to reduce airborne transmission of contaminants under Health and Safety and COSHH legislation. However, this must be continued with regular risk assessments and cleaning.

Employee focus

Although, understandably, most of us want to close the door on COVID and move on, we must remember the lessons learned and implement them as a permanent fixture for everyone’s benefit.

Need help adapting your business’ safety culture for a post-COVID world? Get in touch with Veritas Consulting today via the contact form above.