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Covid-19

CORONAVIRUS- BACK AT WORK POLICY

Updated 1 December 2020

This policy provides clear guidelines to be followed by all employees whilst at work and to support clients and visitors during their time on site. The health and safety of all is the utmost priority of this policy and everyone is required to follow these guidelines.

Unless stated otherwise, this policy applies to all staff and visitors at Prop House, 1 Abbey Road, London NW10 7BX.   

This policy is owned by Superhire Props Ltd- Modern Props Ltd.

This policy will be reviewed at regular intervals and is subject to change. Superhire Props Ltd- Modern Props Ltd may depart from the policy in exceptional circumstances.

Definition of terms within policy:

 

Self-isolation- Act of separating or isolating oneself from others
Social-distancing/ 2-metre distance- Social distancing is a set of measures taken to prevent the spread of a contagious disease by maintaining a physical distance between people and reducing the number of times people come into close contact with each other
Coronavirus- A group of RNA viruses that cause a variety of diseases in humans and other animals
COVID-19- An infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). First identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread globally, resulting in an ongoing pandemic
Pandemic- An epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region, e.g. multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of people
PPE- Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks and/or respirators or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness

                                                  

                                                 

The entire workforce must comply with the procedures provided below in full compliance, as we navigate through this unprecedented time and pandemic.

Arriving at work

Staff are required to arrive promptly at work and may be required to wait outside until permission is given to enter the building.

Staff will have their temperature taken. If the temperature is outside of the normal range (36.1°-37.2°C), the staff member will be asked to promptly and safely go home and get in touch with their GP.

Staff must make their way to their desks/workstations using the one-way system marked out on the floor.

Staff must wash their hands prior to sitting down at their desks/workstations or use the hand sanitiser provided at reception or in the lift.

Staff must continue to fob in and out for attendance.

Staff are strongly encouraged to ‘sign in’ to the NHS Test and Trace app by scanning the QR code when they are at work. The QR code poster is available at multiple sites in the building.

 

 

Social distancing/ 2 metre-distance

Staff must ensure they are at least 2 metres away, wherever possible from any other person during their entire time at work, at all times. Staff members must ensure a safe distance between each other if paths are crossed in the building.

Staff must communicate clearly with fellow workers, if they find themselves at a tight spot within the building to ensure safe passage for all parties.  

Staff are requested to reduce movement around the building to avoid bumping into anyone. Non-essential movement (such as going to have a chat with a fellow worker) around the building is discouraged.

 

 

Desks, work stations and work areas

Staff are responsible for ensuring desks are kept clean at all times by de-cluttering and removing all non-essential/ personal items.

Shared desks/items and resources must be cleaned regularly using wipes. Wherever possible, work items should be kept and used separately.

Desks/work areas moved round to ensure the 2-metre distance must not be changed. If the 2-metre distance is not being met, staff must bring this to the attention of management to review and approve the necessary change.

Staff working in the Warehouse/ Loading Bay, where possible will adopt a consistent pairing system during 2-person working/lifting or maintenance activities. All staff must wear PPE provided and extra care must be taken to wash hands regularly.

 

 

Getting around the building

Staff must follow the one-way system around the building which is clearly marked on the floor.  

All doors will remain open to avoid unnecessary touching unless specified otherwise and where fire safety comes first.

 

 

Use of PPE

Gloves are available at reception for clients. Staff can wear a face mask at their desk if they so wish, however wearing a face mask is mandatory everywhere within the building when staff are away from their desk or workstation.

Hand sanitisers are available throughout the building.

If on medical grounds, a staff member cannot wear a face mask or cannot cover the face entirely ie the nose and mouth, they are required to inform their line manager.

 

 

The Coffee shop in Reception & common rooms

The coffee shop is open from 8.30am until 2pm every day with a limited range of food and drinks. All purchases must be done with a card. Cash is not accepted.

Common rooms are available for use, however with reduced capacity.

Staff must ensure all personal belongings such as coats and handbags are either kept by their desk or stored in the available lockers and not left on chairs or tables in the common rooms. Personal belongings left out are at one’s own risk/responsibility

Staff should avoid making tea/ coffee for each other. Food sharing is discouraged too, however choosing to make tea/coffee for each other and sharing food is at one’s own risk.

All food remaining in the fridges will be discarded at the end of each week.

 

 

Washing hands/ hand sanitiser & Washroom use

All staff must follow the rules of using the washroom, which are outlined on the main entrance door as they may differ from floor to floor, most however, allow for 2 employees to enter and use the washroom at the same time. Staff must maintain social-distance at all times whilst using the washroom.

Staff are reminded to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds.

Paper towels are provided to dry hands; however, hand dryers are now turned on and fully operational as there is no evidence of potential transmission of the virus through them.

Hand sanitiser is available at desks/ work areas and throughout the building, however staff are encouraged to wash their hands regularly and not rely solely on hand sanitiser.

 

 

Receiving clients & visitors

Until further notice, clients will be limited to 45 in the building at any given point of time during the day.

A one out/one in policy continues to manage the number of people within the building, once the maximum number is reached.

At reception, clients/ visitors have their temperature taken as a precautionary practice and will be asked to sanitise their hands. Gloves are also available at reception. If the temperature is outside of the normal range (36.1°-37.2°C), the client/visitor will be turned away and advised to promptly and safely go home and get in touch with their GP.

Clients and visitors will be asked to register themselves at reception as per normal practice.

Clients are strongly encouraged to ‘sign in’ to the NHS Test and Trace app by scanning the QR code when they arrive at reception.

Priority is to clients who book an order. Students or visitors who only wish to walk around and browse will continue to be turned away as we control the number of clients on site at any one time.

Staff must ensure clients are fully aware of guidelines and provisions made for their safety during the visit.

Clients are welcome to book appointments if need be, prior to their visit.

Single use desks on the ground floor and within the marquee put up outside by reception are available for client use for a maximum of 2 hours only.

The marquee will only be available until the end of this year.

In order to remain cautious and for their safety, children will not be allowed in the building or the marquee.

For the same reason above and to avoid risk, dogs will not be allowed in the building or marquee during this time.

 

 

Warehouse and Loading Bay

All drivers are requested to wait within their vehicle unless instructed otherwise.

All jobs going out will be processed and packed with full safety precautions with staff using the appropriate PPE. All procedures will be followed diligently, without haste.

All returned items will be received and kept in a holding area for 72 hours with full sanitisation, prior to being returned to the relevant department/company.

 

 

Leaving for the day

Staff must ensure their desk/ workstation is clean and clear of clutter and must wash their hands prior to leaving.

Staff must follow the one-way system, use the lift to go upstairs and the stairs to come downstairs.

Customers are required to follow the same one-way system.

Staff must continue to fob out at the end of the day.

 

 

Harassment of any nature in relation to the implementation and continuation of this policy will not be tolerated. Staff are not permitted to make any comments of anyone within Prop House. There is zero tolerance of inappropriate behaviour/action and staff may not take it upon themselves to police these guidelines.

Anyone being treated differently, harassed or facing challenges should report this immediately.

We take wellbeing very seriously and we encourage staff to come forward with concerns or issues that affect them mentally, physically, emotionally or in any other way.

This policy is open to feedback, comments and suggestions.

 

 

Government instructions

Staff are advised to continue to visit government websites and other sources for regular updates with regards to changes in social distancing rules and legal requirements.

As at 2 December, we are in Tier 2 (high alert). 

‘WASH HANDS-COVER FACE-MAKE SPACE’

Anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19 whilst at work, must inform their Line Manager and proceed to leave the building immediately. Staff are expected to follow government guidelines- if one has symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus, they will usually need to self-isolate for at least 10 days.

One will usually need to self-isolate for 14 days if:

 

Staff will need to inform their Line manager if this occurs. If a staff member has anyone in their household who is part of a support bubble, then they must continue to follow the law with regards to contact with others outside of that bubble.

Staff with children must keep following the self-isolation advice where possible.

Staff are expected to contact their GP/ NHS 111 for further details.

If someone living in your household displays symptoms of COVID-19, you are required to inform your Line Manager immediately and you will follow the same procedure as outlined above.