Other people's homes
1. Thinking about risk
1.1 Thinking about managing risk
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 hand washing 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.
Steps that will usually be needed when working in homes:


No work should be carried out in a household which is isolating because one or more family members has symptoms or where an individual has been advised to shield - unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household.


When working in a household where somebody is clinically vulnerable, but has not been asked to shield, for example, the home of someone over 70, prior arrangements should be made with vulnerable people to avoid any face-to-face contact, for example, when answering the door. You should be particularly strict about handwashing, coughing and sneezing hygiene, such as covering your nose and mouth and disposing of single-use tissues.


Staying updated with the latest guidance and considering how it can be applied to your work. This can include:   


– washing your hands more often than usual for 20 seconds using soap and hot
water, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose  
– reducing the spread of germs when you cough or sneeze by covering your mouth
and nose with a tissue, or your sleeve (not your hands) if you don’t have a
tissue and throw the tissue in a bin immediately, then wash your hands  
– cleaning regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning
products to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people  
– communicating with households prior to any visit to discuss how the work
will be carried out to minimise risk for all parties  
– maintaining social distance as far as possible
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus