How to prepare for a COVID-secure inspection – Citation

Guidance from Care England partner, Citation

Between 6 and 14 January, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) received 2,945 complaints about safety issues from employees concerned that their workplaces are not COVID-secure. With support from unions and politicians to crack down on employers found to be breaking the rules, the HSE will be ramping up its spot checks, particularly on businesses who have remained open during the pandemic, like those in the care sector.

The HSE and Local Authorities will use their enforcement actions – from a written notice through to shutting down a business – if they find that an organisation has not implemented good enough COVID-secure safety measures.

To help you get started on making sure you’ve got every base covered when it comes to your COVIDsecurity (or if you need a quick refresher), here are some key Health & Safety and HR considerations you need to make, to get you inspection-ready.

Common issues identified by inspectors 
The following are some of the most common mistakes found by HSE and Local Authority Inspectors.
Make sure you don’t get caught out by paying particular attention to the following areas!

Cleaning regimes in place don’t address major risks – you may have a risk assessment, but if you’re not following through with the cleaning regime this will be picked up on in an inspection.
Ignoring the regulator – if a Local Authority Inspector, an HSE Inspector or an Environmental Health Officer arrives to inspect the premises, you must give them access!
Social distancing not being observed – this can be one of the most difficult issues to address, because it’s not in our nature as humans to keep a big distance with people we work with. This is an essential step though, so encourage anyone who is finding it difficult to raise the issue with you.

Not engaging with your people to make sure they’re aware of controls.

Encouraging compliance with new measures
As a business, you have to go to a great deal of effort to make sure your workplace is up to scratch with new, COVID-specific regulations. However, a big part of making sure your workplace is complying is all down to behaviour – both yours, your managers’ and your wider team.

The key is to start with the right foundations. Think about the following points in your business as a starting point:
Policies – hygiene, social distancing, movement around the workplace – all of these changes must be put in writing so there’s no misunderstanding among your workforce. And these key policies must be easily accessible to everyone at any time.
Communication – only 25% of employers have prioritised communication with their employees, but 60% of employees say they’re not confident in their employer’s actions. Communication is vital to make sure they feel confident. Consulting with them is even better – it gives everyone a sense of ownership in the process and makes people more motivated to comply.
Training – training is critical. When you’re focused on doing your job, it’s easy to lapse into old behaviours. If you train your employees and managers in how to stay alert and complying with new measures, you’ll guarantee a more consistent approach all round.

How can Citation help?
Throughout the pandemic, our teams of Health & Safety and HR & Employment Law experts have helped thousands of clients get on top of their regulatory responsibilities and duties.
If you’d like the backing of our expert team, call 0345 844 1111, and we’ll be happy to discuss your business’ needs.

As a Care England partner, we offer members preferential rates on our services. Quote ‘Care England’ when enquiring to access your member benefit.