mteb/FeedbackQARetrieval huggingface dataset:
Offices and contact centres
8. Inbound and outbound goods
Objective: To maintain social distancing and avoid surface transmission when
goods enter and leave the site.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Revising pick-up and drop-off collection points, procedures, signage and markings.


Minimising unnecessary contact at gatehouse security, yard and warehouse. For example, non-contact deliveries where the nature of the product allows for use of electronic pre-booking.


Considering methods to reduce frequency of deliveries, for example by ordering larger quantities less often.


Where possible and safe, having single workers load or unload vehicles.


Where possible, using the same pairs of people for loads where more than one is needed.


Enabling drivers to access welfare facilities when required, consistent with other guidance.


Encouraging drivers to stay in their vehicles where this does not compromise their safety and existing safe working practice, such as preventing drive-aways.


Definitions
Refers to areas and amenities which are provided for the common use of more
than one person including canteens, reception areas, meeting rooms, areas of
worship, toilets, gardens, fire escapes, kitchens, fitness facilities, store
rooms, laundry facilities.
Refers to people who have specific underlying health conditions that make them
extremely vulnerable to severe illness if they contract COVID-19. Clinically
extremely vulnerable people will have received a letter telling them they are
in this group, or will have been told by their GP. Who is ‘clinically
extremely vulnerable’?
Refers to people who may be at increased risk from COVID-19, including those
aged 70 or over and those with some underlying health conditions. Who is
‘clinically vulnerable’?
Offices and contact centres
7. Workforce management
7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
In this section

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups
Objective: To change the way work is organised to create distinct groups and
reduce the number of contacts each employee has.
Steps that will usually be needed:


As far as possible, where staff are split into teams or shift groups, fixing these teams or shift groups so that where contact is unavoidable, this happens between the same people.


Identifying areas where people directly pass things to each other, for example office supplies, and finding ways to remove direct contact, such as using drop-off points or transfer zones.
Offices and contact centres
3. Social distancing at work
3.4 Meetings
Objective: To reduce transmission due to face-to-face meetings and maintain
social distancing in meetings.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Using remote working tools to avoid in-person meetings.


Only absolutely necessary participants should attend meetings and should maintain 2m separation throughout.


Avoiding transmission during meetings, for example avoiding sharing pens and other objects.


Providing hand sanitiser in meeting rooms.


Holding meetings outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms whenever possible.


For areas where regular meetings take place, using floor signage to help people maintain social distancing.
Offices and contact centres
6. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and face coverings
In this section

6.1 Face coverings

PPE protects the user against health or safety risks at work. It can include
items such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility
clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses. It also includes respiratory
protective equipment, such as face masks.
Where you are already using PPE in your work activity to protect against non-
COVID-19 risks, you should continue to do so.
At the start of this document we described the steps you need to take to
manage COVID-19 risk in the workplace. This includes working from home and
staying 2m away from each other in the workplace if at all possible.When
managing the risk of COVID-19, additional PPE beyond what you usually wear is
not beneficial. This is because COVID-19 is a different type of risk to the
risks you normally face in a workplace, and needs to be managed through social
distancing, hygiene and fixed teams or partnering, not through the use of PPE.
The exception is clinical settings, like a hospital, or a small handful of
other roles for which Public Health England advises use of PPE, for example,
first responders and immigration enforcement officers. If you are in one of
these groups you should refer to the advice at:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan
Coronavirus (COVID-19): cleaning in non-healthcare settings

Workplaces should not encourage the precautionary use of extra PPE to protect
against COVID-19 outside clinical settings or when responding to a suspected
or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Unless you are in a situation where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is very
high, your risk assessment should reflect the fact that the role of PPE in
providing additional protection is extremely limited. However, if your risk
assessment does show that PPE is required, then you must provide this PPE free
of charge to workers who need it. Any PPE provided must fit properly.
[PPE]: Personal protective equipment
  [COVID-19]: coronavirus
Offices and contact centres
2. Who should go to work
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
safe enabling equipment.


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 at home safely and effectively, for example, remote access to work systems.
Other people's homes
2. Who should go to work
2.2 People who need to self-isolate
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 coronavirus 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 employers and employees 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.
Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
3.3 Appointments in the home
Objective: To reduce transmission due to face-to-face meetings and maintain
social distancing in meetings.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Using remote working tools to avoid in-person appointments.


Only absolutely necessary participants should attend appointments and should maintain 2m separation where possible.


Avoiding transmission during appointments, for example, from sharing pens and other objects.


Holding meetings outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms whenever possible.
Other people's homes
7. Workforce management: guidance for employers and agencies
7.2 Work-related travel
In this section

7.1 Team working
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.2 Work-related travel
Objective: To avoid unnecessary work-related travel and keep workers safe when
they do need to travel between homes.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Follow the social distancing guidelines outlined in Section 2.1 –‘Coming to and leaving a home for work’.


Where workers need to move between different homes and locations to complete their work, social distancing and hygiene advice should be considered, especially before entering other homes.


Where workers are required to stay away from their residence, making sure any overnight accommodation meets social distancing guidelines.
Other people's homes
2. Who should go to work
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.
It is recognised that for providers of in-home services, it is often not
possible to work from home.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Finding digital or remote alternatives to physical, in-home work where possible such as video or phone consultations.


Discussing working environment and practices with householders and clients in advance to confirm how the work will be carried out, if a physical visit is needed.


Employers and agencies should keep in touch with workers, who they might usually meet with face-to-face, on their working arrangements including their welfare, mental and physical health and personal security.
Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
3.1 Coming to and leaving a home for work
Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible, including on
arrival and departure and to ensure handwashing upon arrival.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Consider travelling to sites alone using your own transport, where insurance allows.


If workers have no option but to travel together, for example delivery teams, the following should be encouraged:   


– journeys should be with the same individuals and limited in the number of
people travelling per vehicle  
– maintaining good ventilation, for example keeping windows open and
passengers facing away from one another to reduce risk of transmission  
– vehicles regularly cleaned using gloves and standard cleaning products, with
emphasis on handles and other areas where passengers may touch surfaces  
– where possible, employers or agencies should match workers to households
local to them to minimise transportation  
– wash hands on arrival and maintain social distancing when entering the home.
Other people's homes
2. Who should go to work
2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk
Objective: To protect clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely
vulnerable individuals.
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals have been strongly advised not to
work outside the home.
Clinically vulnerable individuals, who are at high risk of severe illness (for
example, people with some pre existing conditions), have been asked to take
extra care in observing social distancing and should be helped to work from
home, either in their current role or in an alternative role.
If clinically vulnerable (but not extremely clinically extremely vulnerable)
individuals cannot work from home, they should be offered the option of the
safest available on site roles, enabling them to stay 2m away from others. If
they have to spend time within 2m of others, you should carefully assess
whether this involves an acceptable level of risk. As for any workplace risk
you must take into account specific duties to those with protected
characteristics, including, for example, expectant mothers who are, as always,
entitled to suspension on full pay if suitable roles cannot be found.
Particular attention should also be paid to people who live with clinically
extremely vulnerable individuals.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Provide support for workers around mental health and wellbeing. This could include guidance or telephone support.


See current guidance for advice on who is in the shielding and clinically vulnerable groups.
Other people's homes
What do we mean by ‘working in other people’s homes’?
We acknowledge that this is a complex environment due to the varied employment
relationships, including the self-employed, employers and agencies.
This guidance applies to those working in, visiting or delivering to home
environments. These include, but are not limited to, people working in the
following areas:

in home workers – such as repair services, fitters, meter readers, plumbers, cleaners, cooks and surveyors (this is not an exhaustive list)
to home services – such as delivery drivers momentarily at the door

This guidance does not directly apply to nannies who spend all their time with
one household, or to their employers.
Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
3.2 Moving around when working in a home
Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible while performing
work in the home.
It is recognised that for providers of some in-home services, it will not
always be possible to maintain physical distance from customers.
If it isn’t possible to maintain social distancing while working in the home
then extra attention needs to be paid to equipment, cleaning and hygiene to
reduce risk.
Working materials, such as tools or domestic appliances, should be assigned to
an individual and not shared if possible. If they need to be shared, they
should be shared by the smallest possible number of people.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Discussing with households ahead of a visit to ask that a 2m distance is kept from those working, if possible.


Asking that households leave all internal doors open to minimise contact with door handles.


Identifying busy areas across the household where people travel to, from or through, for example, stairs and corridors, and minimising movement within these areas.


Bringing your own food and drink to households and having breaks outside where possible.


Limiting the number of workers within a confined space to maintain social distancing.


Using a fixed pairing system if people have to work in close proximity. For example, during two-person assembly or maintenance.


Allocating the same workers to a household where jobs are repetitive. Employers and agencies should introduce fixed pairing to have the same individuals allocated to a household where jobs are repetitive in nature.
Other people's homes
7. Workforce management: guidance for employers and agencies
7.1 Team working
In this section

7.1 Team working
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.1 Team working
Objective: To change the way work is organised to create distinct groups and
reduce the number of contacts each worker has.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Where multiple workers are in a home, creating fixed teams of workers who carry out their duties in those teams, and minimising contact between each team.


Identifying areas where people need to hand things to each other (such as shared tools and domestic appliances) and finding ways to remove direct contact, for example, by using drop-off points or transfer zones.


Allocating the same worker to the same household each time there is a visit, for example, the same cleaner each time.
Other people's homes
7. Workforce management: guidance for employers and agencies
7.3 Communications and training
In this section

7.1 Team working
7.2 Work-related travel
7.3 Communications and training

7.3 Communications and training
7.3.1 Returning to work
Objective: To make sure all workers understand coronavirus related safety
procedures.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Providing clear, consistent and regular communication to improve understanding and consistency of ways of working amongst your workers.


Engaging with workers through existing communication routes and worker representatives to explain and agree any changes in working arrangements.


7.3.2 Ongoing communications
Objective: To make sure all workers are kept up to date with how safety
measures are being implemented or updated.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Ongoing engagement with workers, (including through trades unions or employee representative groups) to monitor and understand any unforeseen impacts of changes to working environments.


Awareness and focus on the importance of mental health at times of uncertainty. The government has published guidance on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19).


Using simple, clear messaging to explain guidelines using images and clear language, with consideration of groups for which English may not be their first language.


Communicating approaches and operational procedures to households to help their adoption before work commences.


*[COVID-19]: coronavirus
Other people's homes
5. Cleaning the work area
In this section

5.1 Keeping the work area clean
5.2 Hygiene
5.3 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials

5.1 Keeping the work area clean
Objective: To keep work areas in a home clean and prevent transmission by
touching contaminated surfaces.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using your usual cleaning products.


Arranging methods of safely disposing waste with the householder.


Removing all waste and belongings from the work area at the end of a shift and at the end of a job.


If you are cleaning after a known or suspected case of coronavirus then you should refer to the specific guidance.


5.2 Hygiene
Objective: To help everyone keep good hygiene through the working day.
Steps that will usually be needed:


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. 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.


If handwashing facilities are not accessible, you should carry hand sanitiser.


5.3 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials
Objective: To reduce transmission through contact with objects that come into
or are removed from the home.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Ensuring social distancing and hygiene measures are followed when supplies or tools are needed to be delivered to a home, for example building supplies.


Collecting materials in bulk to reduce the frequency of needing to visit shops to buy or collect materials.


Removing waste in bulk if possible.
Other people's homes
4 Interacting with householders
4.1 Providing and explaining available guidance
Objective: To make sure people understand what they need to do to maintain
safety.
Steps that will usually be needed:


If you are an employer or agency, providing your workers with information about how to operate safely in people’s homes.


Communicating with households prior to arrival, and on arrival, to ensure the household understands the social distancing and hygiene measures that should be followed once work has commenced.
Other people's homes
8. Deliveries to the home
Objective: To maintain social distancing and avoid surface transmission when
goods enter and leave a home.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Minimising contact during deliveries wherever possible.


Where possible and safe, having single workers load or unload vehicles.


Where possible, using the same pairs of people for loads where more than one is needed.


Minimising the contact during delivery, for example, by calling to inform of your arrival rather than ringing the doorbell.


Minimising the contact during payments and exchange of documentation, for example, using electronic payment methods and electronically signed and exchanged documents.


Definitions
Refers to people who have specific underlying health conditions that make them
extremely vulnerable to severe illness if they contract COVID-19. Clinically
extremely vulnerable people will have received a letter telling them they are
in this group, or will have been told by their GP. Who is ‘clinically
extremely vulnerable’?
Refers to people who may be at increased risk from COVID-19, including those
aged 70 or over and those with some underlying health conditions. Who is
‘clinically vulnerable’?
Other people's homes
3. Social distancing at work
In this section:

3.1 Coming to work and leaving work
3.2 Moving around when working in a home
3.3 Appointments in the home
3.4 Accidents, security and other incidents

Objective: To maintain 2m social distancing wherever possible, including
arriving at and departing from work, while in work, and when travelling
between sites.
You must maintain social distancing in the workplace 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.
Mitigating actions include:

further 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)

Social distancing applies to all parts of a business, not just the place where
people spend most of their time, but also entrances and exits, break rooms,
canteens and similar settings. These are often the most challenging areas to
maintain social distancing.
Other people's homes
1. Thinking about risk
1.2 Sharing your risk assessment
Risk assessment results should be shared with others working in a home or when
visiting others’ homes. If possible, you should consider publishing the
results on your website (and we would expect all businesses with over 50
workers to do so).
Below you will find a notice you should display, which can also be provided as
cards, stickers or similar, to show you have followed this guidance.  
Staying COVID-19 Secure in
2020
(This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an
accessible
format.)
*[COVID-19]: coronavirus
Restaurants offering takeaway or delivery
2. Who should go to work?
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.
Nobody should go to work if your business is closed under current government
regulations.
Steps that will usually be needed:


Considering who is essential to be on site; for example, those not in customer-facing roles such as administrative staff should work from home if at all possible.


Planning for the minimum number of people needed on the premises 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 administrative staff with equipment to work from home safely and effectively, for example, remote access to work systems.