Covid-19 safe working policy

Introduction

This policy document outlines our policies and practices for working safely both in our office and on client sites during the Covid-19 pandemic, and for 3rd parties visiting our office or client sites. It is intended to act as an addition to all government guidelines and any current legislation in place and in no way is intended to reduce our responsibility under any of these provisions.

We have identified areas where risk mitigation practices need to be implemented and enforced. Our workplace will be operated as a Covid-Safe workplace and we will also adhere to a specific set of guidelines to keep our staff safe while working in client workplaces, some of which may have Covid-Safe policies in place and some may not.

We will as a matter of course seek to understand and respect all of our clients Covid-Safe working practices, except where we believe that in doing so we put our own staff at greater risk or where they conflict with our own guidelines. We expect this to be extremely unlikely however, and will work in all regards to make sure that everyone feels safe and respected and that we can continue to deliver our high levels of service while taking into consideration the requirements to work safely during the virus pandemic.

Generally

In all circumstances:

  • our staff will familiarise themselves with all current Government Covid-19 guidance
  • staff will be provided with all necessary PPE to work on client sites safely and effectively, including but not limited to surgical face masks, virus resistant inspection gloves, alcohol equipment wipes and biocidal surface wipes
  • our staff will familiarise themselves with the correct way of putting on and taking off PPE and to be aware of its limitations and issues to do with safe use
  • for any works either in our office or on client sites that require two people to work in close proximity within the 2m guideline limit, PPE will be worn at all times
  • when travelling to or leaving the office or when commuting home or to client sites, staff will use common sense and follow all Government guidelines explicitly
  • it is in no way implied that this safe working policy is a guaranteed defence against catching coronavirus or any other illness, however it is provided in good faith on a best-efforts basis to help with safeguard everyone’s well-being
  • we will log all significant Covd-19 related H&S events in a Covid-19 log, including all client site visits, who we met while onsite and we will detail all close physical contacts
  • if your onsite staff who our staff members may come into contact with have any personal circumstances which place them in a higher risk category for infection from Covid-19 you must inform us prior to any onsite work commencing
  • if any of your staff with whom our staff member has come into contact with has been diagnosed with Covid-19 or has self isolated due to Covid-19 like symptoms you must inform us immediately
  • we will be mindful of any GDPR implications of recording information regarding people outside of our business and the storing of their names and other data. This data source will be added to our GDPR log, and noted for future deletion

Working within our office at Dashwood house

For staff at our offices in Dashwood House:

  • social distancing measures will be observed at all times, both when seated at workstations and when circulating within the office
  • where this proves for whatever reason to be difficult or impossible, all parties will wear the supplied PPE for the duration that social distancing is not possible
  • personal hygiene will be maintained to a very high standard. Hand sanitiser has been provided and will be used regularly, and hands will be washed regularly in accordance with the NHS guidelines
  • common touch points are regularly disinfected
  • for the time being we are maintaining a maximum office occupancy of 50% ensuring social distancing requirements are met, isolating one half of the team from the other

When carrying out work on client sites

For any work not carried out at the office or at home:

  • prior to going to site we will ask for a copy of the client’s Covid-Safe working policy
  • while on site we will
    • when necessary wear a face mask and use gloves
    • maintain social distancing at all times
    • clean down work areas, equipment, and any items that we touch both before and after commencing work.
  • if no Covid-Safe working policy is either available or has been provided by the client we will follow all of the EC2 IT guidelines
  • if while on site we feel that any persons are causing unnecessary risk to our staff members well-being through either not respecting social distancing guidelines, not adhering to their own Covid-Safe policies, or acting in any manner which we feel puts our staff member at risk then the staff member will retire to either a safe distance or place, or return to the office, contacting their manager immediately in all cases who will contact the client and explain why this has happened. In the first instance we will attempt to resolve any misunderstandings or any issues however we will under no circumstances expose staff members to risk while on site.

For visitors to our office, Dashwood House

A visitor is anyone who isn’t an EC2 IT staff member:

  • any visitors who are being booked for a service call or meeting at Dashwood House will be informed that our Covid-Safe working policy requires them to supply their own PPE whilst they are on our site
  • in the first instance we will attempt to make all meetings virtual
  • all visitors, whether scheduled or unscheduled, to the Dashwood House office are required to be logged in Covid-19 logbook as well as any attendant issues
  • if a visitor refuses to wear PPE or acts in a manner which we feel puts our well-being at risk or others in the office they will be asked to leave immediately
  • a clean disinfected work area will be provided for any visitors or service engineers attending our site
  • after visitors have left our offices, we will ensure that all areas that they have come in contact with including seats, table spaces or any items they have been given such as cups and mugs will be sanitised
  • for any third party that we require to attend a client site such as any service engineers, we will ensure that any client’s Covid-Safe policy has been communicated to the third party and that any Covid-Safe policy the third party has is communicated to the client and we will attempt to resolve any potential conflicts that may arise.

Handling materials

We must also be careful about items we handle that are passed between people as the virus has been shown to live for extended periods on some materials:

  • for all deliveries to Dashwood House we will ensure that the outer packaging is disposed of quickly and carefully, and that we wash our hands immediately after unpacking any items
  • If the item is from a client for inspection, configuration or repair, we will ensure that it is delicately sanitised before working on it, wearing PPE unless impractical. Alcohol wipes will be used as they are fast, effective and leave no residue
  • we will ensure that when working with or testing phones that we wear PPE after sanitising the product, and that we very thoroughly sanitise both the earpiece and the microphone and any areas that are likely to be near the face with a suitable alcohol based wipe, allowing time for the pathogen to be killed