Question: I work in a lab. What precautions can I take to ensure the well being of myself and my colleagues?

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Labs and research facilities
section_headers: 2. Who should go to work?
section_content: In this section

2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
2.3 Equality in the workplace

Objective: That everyone should work from home, unless they cannot work from
home.
Steps that will usually be needed:

Staff should work from home if at all possible. Consider who is needed to be on-site; for example:  

– workers in roles critical for business and operational continuity, safe
facility management, or regulatory requirements and which cannot be performed
remotely.
– workers in critical roles which might be performed remotely, but who are
unable to work remotely due to home circumstances or the unavailability of
specialist equipment required for R&D


Planning for the minimum number of people needed on-site to operate safely and effectively.


Monitoring the wellbeing of people who are working from home and helping them stay connected to the rest of the workforce, especially if the majority of their colleagues are on-site.


Keeping in touch with off-site workers on their working arrangements including their welfare, mental and physical health and personal security.


Providing equipment for people to work from home safely and effectively, for example, remote access to work systems.



Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has general guidance for businesses but doesn't specifically address working in a lab.
It provided some helpful tips. The advice was too general. They can't work from home.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Could be Improved

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Labs and research facilities
section_headers: 2. Who should go to work?
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
section_content: Objective: To make sure individuals who are advised to stay at home under
existing government
guidance do not physically come to work. This includes individuals who have
symptoms of COVID-19 as well as those who live in a household with someone who
has symptoms.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Enabling workers to work from home while self-isolating if appropriate.


See current guidance for employees and employers relating to statutory sick pay due to coronavirus.


See current guidance for people who have symptoms and those who live with others who have symptoms.


*[COVID-19]: coronavirus

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has guidance about who should stay home, but doesn't mention safety measures for lab workers.
Workers cannot work from home in this situation. The entire answer is about working from hom.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Bad

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Labs and research facilities
section_headers: 1. Thinking about risk
1.1 Managing risk
section_content: Objective: To reduce risk to the lowest reasonably practicable level by taking
preventative measures, in order of priority.
Employers have a duty to reduce workplace risk to the lowest reasonably
practicable level by taking preventative measures. Employers must work with
any other employers or contractors sharing the workplace so that everybody’s
health and safety is protected. In the context of COVID-19 this means working
through these steps in order:


In every workplace, increasing the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning.


Businesses and workplaces should make every reasonable effort to enable working from home as a first option. Where working from home is not possible, workplaces should make every reasonable effort to comply with the social distancing guidelines set out by the government (keeping people 2m apart wherever possible).


Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full, in relation to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their staff.   


Further mitigating actions include:  
– increasing the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning
– keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
– using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
– using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face)
whenever possible
– reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed
teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

Finally, if people must work face-to-face for a sustained period with more than a small group of fixed partners, then you will need to assess whether the activity can safely go ahead. No one is obliged to work in an unsafe work environment.   

In your assessment you should have particular regard to whether the people
doing the work are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
The recommendations in the rest of this document are ones you should consider
as you go through this process. You could also consider any advice that has
been produced specifically for your sector, for example by trade associations
or trades unions.
If you have not already done so, you should carry out an assessment of the
risks posed by COVID-19 in your workplace as soon as possible. If you are
currently operating, you are likely to have gone through a lot of this
thinking already. We recommend that you use this document to identify any
further improvements you should make.
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Discusses general measures for reducing risk at work, but doesn't specifically address lab workers.
It provided a lot of advice on how to keep a workplace safe.

Reviewer ratings:
Could be Improved
Excellent