COVID-19 risk assessment - Marston Holdings

COVID-19 risk assessment

COVID-19 risk assessment

Assessment of	Risks associated with COVID-19	Date	13 April 2021
Location	All operations within the Marston Holdings Limited group of companies.	No. of pages	4 (four)

The Hazard
Description Which situation could lead to harm	Infection Control – inward transmission The potential for employees and others working on behalf of Marston Holdings Limited (MHL) to contract COVID-19 infection from colleagues, customers and members of the public.
Contributing factors Information affecting the assessment	COVID-19 is a global respiratory pandemic, contracted by means of breathing in contaminated air (including breath, coughs etc), and by touching the face (particularly mouth, nose and eyes) with the hands after previously touching an infected surface. The COVID-19 virus can live on some smooth hard surfaces for up to 72 hours, but on other softer or more textured surfaces, only survives for a much shorter time. The virus is destroyed by contact with soap and water, or with hand sanitiser of more than 60% alcohol content. It is also killed by exposure to UV-C light. The COVID-19 virus is less stable and not known to survive for long periods in an outdoor environment. It is readily dispersed outside, significantly reducing risks of transmission. Indoor ventilation and distancing between individuals significantly reduce any risk of transmission of airborne virus particles. MHL is a large outsourcing provider, delivering services on behalf of both central and local governments and commercial clients. MHL operations are extremely diverse in the type of services that are provided to clients, and in the way that these are delivered. MHL undertakes operations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in both urban and rural environments. Front line services, back-office services and their support functions are undertaken from fixed sites, remotely via contact centres and on a mobile basis at customers’ homes, business premises or in public environments.
Potential consequences What would be the likely severity	Approximately 78% of people contracting COVID-19 will be asymptomatic* and will experience no direct adverse effects. A further 17% will experience only mild symptoms, with no long-term effects. Around 5% of individuals contracting COVID-19 will become seriously ill and may develop pneumonia or an over-exaggerated autoimmune response, requiring hospital admittance, potentially treatment in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and in some cases, death. In all cases, there is the potential for anyone with COVID-19 to pass the infection to others, whether or not they have symptoms, potentially leading to serious illness or in extreme cases, death. * source British Medical Journal
Who is at risk Who could be affected	Employees and self-employed contractors are primarily at risk, but anyone that they would subsequently encounter could also be affected (see Infection Control – outward transmission). Clinically vulnerable individuals in particular are at moderate risk, including those 70 years of age and above and anyone with a significant underlying health condition. Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals are at high risk. ** source NHS.UK https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/

Current situation
Control measures already in place This Corporate Risk Assessment must be considered in conjunction with the relevant operational and site-specific risk assessments to apply bespoke control measures to every workplace and job role. All employees that can work from home have been facilitated to do so. All appropriate non-essential employees have been placed on furlough leave. Meetings and training events are conducted virtually, wherever possible. Enhanced cleaning regimes have been introduced at all MHL sites. Additional handwashing supplies have been provided, with special provision made for remote or mobile workers. Handwashing and social distancing guidance have been published and shared with all workplaces. Enhanced ventilation practices have been introduced, including the opening of windows in MHL workplaces and shared vehicles, and the opening of non-safety critical doors, wherever possible. All reasonable steps have been taken to maintain a 2m social distance in all MHL workplaces. Where this is not possible a minimum 1m distance with additional mitigation is observed. COVID Secure training and instruction for employees and managers on reducing the risks and identifying the symptoms of COVID-19 has been delivered to all employees and sub-contracted agents. Where reasonably practicable, work processes have been amended to reduce the risks presented by COVID-19. The wearing of face coverings in MHL workplaces is now mandatory for all employees except when seated at their own desk or when eating or drinking unless a medical exemption applies. The wearing of face coverings is now mandatory for all occupants of any shared vehicle. All employees are strongly encouraged to undertake twice weekly Rapid Lateral Flow testing to identify any asymptomatic infection. The Health and Safety Champion at every MHL workplace completes COVID Secure checklists to monitor and maintain ongoing standards.
When considering the existing measures above, the risk is presently rated as	MEDIUM

Additional controls required
Working from top to bottom through the hierarchy of control measures below, describe any further measures (if any) that may be required to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. It may be appropriate to introduce more than one new measure.
Required control measure	Who by	When by
Eliminate – can the hazard be eliminated? No, COVID-19 is likely to be present in the UK for the foreseeable future. Substitute – can the risk be reduced by using a less harmful method or procedure? No other potential methods are available, other than the measures already introduced that are described in the previous section. Separation – is it possible to move those at risk away from the hazard? No reasonably practicable measures over and above those already introduced are available. Procedural – are physical measures or organisational measures required? No reasonably practicable measures over and above those already introduced are available. Personal Protective Equipment – is specialised clothing or equipment appropriate? PPE is only necessary or effective in specific circumstances. Other – including supervision, information and instruction. No other additional measures would be reasonably practicable.
After the controls listed above have been implemented, the risk will be rated as	MEDIUM

The Hazard
Description Which situation could lead to harm	Infection Control – outward transmission The potential for colleagues to transmit COVID-19 infection to customers, members of the public, their families and those sharing their address.
Contributing factors Information affecting the assessment	COVID-19 is a global respiratory pandemic, contracted by means of breathing in contaminated air (including breath, coughs etc), and by touching the face (particularly mouth, nose and eyes) with the hands after previously touching an infected surface. The COVID-19 virus can live on some smooth hard surfaces for up to 72 hours, but on other softer or more textured surfaces, only survives for a much shorter time. The virus is destroyed by contact with soap and water, or with hand sanitiser of more than 60% alcohol content. It is also killed by exposure to UV-C light. The COVID-19 virus is less stable and not known to survive for long periods in an outdoor environment. It is readily dispersed outside, significantly reducing risks of transmission. Indoor ventilation and distancing between individuals significantly reduce any risk of transmission of airborne virus particles. MHL is a large outsourcing provider, delivering services on behalf of both central and local governments and commercial clients. MHL operations are extremely diverse in the type of services that are provided to clients, and in the way that these are delivered. MHL undertakes operations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in both urban and rural environments. Front line services, back-office services and their support functions are undertaken from fixed sites, remotely via contact centres and on a mobile basis at customers’ homes, business premises or in public environments.
Potential consequences What would be the likely severity	Approximately 78% of people contracting COVID-19 will be asymptomatic* and will experience no direct adverse effects. A further 17% will experience only mild symptoms, with no long-term effects. Around 5% of individuals contracting COVID-19 will become seriously ill and may develop pneumonia or an over-exaggerated autoimmune response, requiring hospital admittance, potentially treatment in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and in some cases, death. In all cases, there is the potential for anyone with COVID-19 to pass the infection to others, whether or not they have symptoms, potentially leading to serious illness or in extreme cases, death. * source British Medical Journal
Who is at risk Who could be affected	Anyone that an infected employee or self-employed contractor encounters could be affected, including their partners, families and cohabitees, customers, clients and members of the public. Clinically vulnerable individuals in particular are at moderate risk, including those 70 years of age and above and anyone with a significant underlying health condition. Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals are at high risk. ** source NHS.UK https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/

Current situation
Control measures already in place This Corporate Risk Assessment must be considered in conjunction with the relevant operational and site-specific risk assessments to apply bespoke control measures to every workplace and job role. All employees that can work from home have been facilitated to do so. All appropriate non-essential employees have been placed on furlough leave. Meetings and training events are conducted virtually, wherever possible. Enhanced cleaning regimes have been introduced at all MHL sites. Additional handwashing supplies have been provided, with special provision made for remote or mobile workers. Handwashing and social distancing guidance have been published and shared with all workplaces. Enhanced ventilation practices have been introduced, including the opening of windows in MHL workplaces and shared vehicles, and the opening of non-safety critical doors, wherever possible. All reasonable steps have been taken to maintain a 2m social distance in all MHL workplaces. Where this is not possible a minimum 1m distance with additional mitigation is observed. COVID Secure training and instruction for employees and managers on reducing the risks and identifying the symptoms of COVID-19 has been delivered to all employees and sub-contracted agents. Where reasonably practicable, work processes have been amended to reduce the risks presented by COVID-19. The Health and Safety Champion at every MHL workplace completes COVID-19 checklists to monitor and maintain ongoing standards. The wearing of face coverings in MHL workplaces is now mandatory for all employees except when seated at their own desk or when eating or drinking unless a medical exemption applies. The wearing of face coverings is now mandatory for all occupants of any shared vehicle. All employees are strongly encouraged to undertake twice weekly Rapid Lateral Flow testing to identify any asymptomatic infection. Washable cloth face coverings have been provided to all field-based employees. Such face coverings have been recommended by the UK Government as offering limited benefit to anyone encountering the wearer, particularly if they have COVID-19 but are asymptomatic. ***
When considering the existing measures above, the risk is presently rated as	LOW

Additional controls required
Working from top to bottom through the hierarchy of control measures below, describe any further measures (if any) that may be required to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. It may be appropriate to introduce more than one new measure.
Required control measure	Who by	When by
Eliminate – can the hazard be eliminated? No, COVID-19 is likely to be present in the UK for the foreseeable future. Substitute – can the risk be reduced by using a less harmful method or procedure? No additional reasonably practicable measures are available. Separation – is it possible to move those at risk away from the hazard? No additional reasonably practicable measures are available. Procedural – are physical measures or organisational measures required? No reasonably practicable measures over and above those already introduced are available. Personal Protective Equipment – is specialised clothing or equipment appropriate? Additional PPE has been identified as necessary in the resumption of enforcement visits. Other – including supervision, information and instruction. No additional reasonably practicable measures are available.
After the controls listed above have been implemented, the risk will be rated as	LOW

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