COVID-19 FAQs

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QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS SECTION

  • What should I be doing to ensure my employees are safe in work?
  • Can I ask visitors to the premises to declare if they have symptoms or have travelled to high risk areas recently?

 

What should I be doing to ensure my employees are safe in work?

Employers should ensure that they are continuing to provide a safe place to work, in accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

In order to do this the employer should ensure that they are providing:

  • Adequate hygiene facilities
  • Adequate space to practice social distancing
  • Adequate ventilation
  • Extra sanitisation of all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace
  • Increased frequency and intensity of office cleaning, consider a deep clean.
  • current HSE Guidelines
  • Policy in the event employees feel unwell
  • Information on correct cough and sneeze etiquette.

Employers can also:

  • Close their premises and either offering remote working or temporarily close
  • Stagger shifts in order to have fewer people are in the workplace at any one time
  • Having A and B teams to reduce the number of people in the workplace at any one time
  • Step-up communications to staff
  • Ensure any updated policies, such as advice on travelling internationally, are well communicated.
  • Complete a risk assessment
  • Asses procedures to reduce the risks presented to any vulnerable employees in the workplace

NSAI have published guidance on workplace protection and improvement during Covid-19 which can be found here.

The National Government safety protocols are available here.

Can I ask visitors to the premises to declare if they have symptoms or have travelled to high risk areas recently?

 Yes.

In order to comply with your health and safety duties to all employees and visitors to your premises, the Data Protection Commission guidance states that employers would have justification to ask any visitors to inform you if they have been to an affected area or have been in contact with someone who has been infected. If someone has been potentially exposed to the virus, ask them not to attend your premises and offer to postpone any meetings until after the quarantine period or to hold them by telephone or video conference.