As a business owner, it is one of your primary obligations to keep your employees safe at all times. And, this has become more important as you do your share in preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Now, one effective solution to ensure the well-being of your employees amidst the pandemic is conducting a risk assessment vulnerable workers need. In a way, this ensures they are redeployed to their respective jobs without the risk of getting infected by the virus and suffering from its life-threatening symptoms.
Why Should COVID-19 Risk Assessment Now Be Part of Your Employment Programme
As you start to get your employees back to their normal work setting, it is vital that you have a new system in place to manage and reduce the risks the COVID-19 brings, especially when it is still posing a threat with new variants.
Conducting a vulnerable workers risk assessment reassures your employees that their well-being is protected as they return to their roles as before. Even though vaccination programmes are well underway, it is still not a complete assurance to prevent the spread of the virus. Basically, vaccines just help mitigate its effects. For that reason, you should have a new policy that guides you in determining who are highly vulnerable to the disease, manage the risks, and come up with control measures that are consistent with your existing policies.
Who Should Be Prioritised in the Risk Assessment
The best way to prevent and address the negative effects of COVID-19 on your business is to determine the people who are most vulnerable. While some would just experience mild symptoms, others would require special attention when they are infected with the virus. So, who are those considered as “clinically extremely vulnerable” to the disease?
- Workers who are 70 years old and above
- Workers with high body mass index
- Workers with chronic medical conditions
- Workers who are undergoing immunosuppressive therapy or have a compromised immune system
- Workers who were diagnosed by their doctors to have a medical condition that makes them highly vulnerable to the virus
Aside from these people, there are also those who should be given special consideration. These include pregnant women and members of the BAME community.
After determining that you have people who are at a high risk of getting seriously ill due to COVID-19, then you should follow proper guidelines and take the necessary steps to keep them safe.
Who Should Conduct Risk Assessment for Your Business
As COVID-19 is a serious matter, the people you hire to conduct a risk assessment vulnerable workers need should be a team of occupational health and safety professionals who are abreast with the methods associated with the procedure. Better yet, they should have completed a medical review officer course that qualifies them to facilitate it.
With the right solutions, this company will be able to efficiently assess the vulnerability of your workers and create the best risk management plan tailored to your existing policies.
Doing enough research, reading reviews, and asking for referrals will go a long way in finding the right company to hire.
Employee Monitoring and Support
You should ensure all your workers, especially those who belong to the higher-risk groups, will have access to the protection that they need whether they are working from home or getting back to their usual workstations.
For example, you should supply them with sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face masks and gloves, and other hygiene products to keep their workstations clean. You should also explain to them the new system in place and what measures to take in ensuring everyone is safe. You can do this with specialised training that tackles relevant matters, such as returning to work safely after COVID-19, infection control and prevention, and mental health awareness.
Like conducting codeine drug tests, alcohol tests, pre-employment and exit medicals, and other processes for occupational health and safety, you need to take into account the needs of your workers in COVID-19 risk assessments.
Conclusion
While governments are successfully coping up with the pandemic through vaccination programmes, you should still do your due diligence in protecting the health of your employees. To keep them away from the negative effects of the virus, you should conduct a risk assessment vulnerable workers need as stipulated by your state. This will not only protect the well-being of your workforce but will also secure the integrity and proper functioning of your business in the midst of the current crisis.
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