Page 20 - BOSS Today Issue 49

BOSS Today #49 DOWN TO BUSINESS

THE CONSEQUENCES OF

NOT FOLLOWING

GOVERNMENT COVID-19

GUIDELINES

BOSS TODAY SPEAKS TO Head of Health & Safety Mandy Robson about
HOW BOSS HAS RESPONDED to COVID-19 and the return to work.

What has BOSS done specifically in order of COVID-19 – this could lead to COVID-Secure, where a risk assessment
to ensure businesses follow crucial unfortunate financial costs has been completed and all controls
health and safety guidance at this time? introduced to allow those who need to
All BOSS staff have been working remotely n Following this, if an employee doesn’t attend a local BOSS office to do so safely.
and a small team met via a Zoom call on feel safe returning to work, they may A COVID-Secure kit has been issued to
a daily basis to ensure that the focus was ‘blow the whistle’ on the company, each employee to protect them if they’re
correct and to review and interpret the which could lead to the Health & Safety required to leave their home, and from
latest news into guidance documents, Executive visiting the site. If the HSE local feedback the kits have been very well
risk assessments, letters and templates identifies operations which are not received.
for members to utilise within their own COVID-Secure, with a lack of suitable All of our teams have reacted really well:
businesses. and sufficient action undertaken, this they’re speaking out with their views, and
A central email address was introduced could lead to an Improvement Notice communicating our plans to them will
for members as a ‘Coronavirus Help Line’ issued on the company, or even a continue through the coming months.
– this support fed through to experts Prohibition Notice. Which could halt
in HR, Health & Safety, Mental Health operational proceedings What are the biggest challenges that
First Aiders and Legal, all providing a BOSS members are facing regarding
24-hour turnaround to respond to their Do you see the working environment being COVID-Secure?
particular concerns. The line is still open to going back to some sort of normality? The biggest challenges members are facing
support our members where required – I’m not sure that I know what ‘normality’ are:
coronahelp@bossfederation.co.uk is any more: everyone’s talking about
the ‘new normal’! My thoughts are that, n Mainly social distancing for those
What are the consequences of not through the pandemic, businesses have working with limited space within their
following Government COVID-19 changed how they operate, so we see a operation;
guidelines? change in advice requirements right now, n An increased number of mental health
Where suitable and sufficient risk controls where members are returning to work and issues have been raised with us,
are NOT deployed, the following could they are adapting to how they operate where employees are at home and are
occur: within a COVID-Secure workplace and how experiencing a great deal of anxiety;
their staff can focus on delivering the end n Confidence issues for those returning
n Symptomatic cases could occur on site, product. to work after many months out of the
causing a local outbreak, which could I hope that through 2021 we’ll start to workplace;
lead to a fatality or multiple fatalities see things becoming a lot more settled, n Staying on top of the continual changes
n Since the introduction of the and the Government focusing on the within Government instructions;
Coronavirus Act 2020, there are legal introduction of a vaccine, which will bring n Concerns about the risk of local
obligations to meet which, if not taken us somewhat closer to the ‘normal’ that lockdowns, which would change the
seriously, could lead to prosecution we remember. controls which our members have over
n An employee could place a grievance their businesses.
on a company if they do not feel Internally, how have BOSS employees
appropriate risk assessments have been reacted and engaged with you regarding We’re continuing to review our
completed, or that there are inadequate returning to work? COVID-Secure Road Map, and introducing
controls in place to prevent contraction Two of our BOSS offices are now new guidance and support tools.

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