Protecting your workforce from infectious diseases

As the coronavirus continues to spread, the Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate. With confirmed cases now in the UK, what precautions should employers be taking to prevent the spread and safeguard their employees? Some key tips from the CIPD include:

• Follow public health agency advice on efficient ways to contain the virus
• Keep up to date with government advice and adapt business plans to reflect changes
• Actively communicate these plans with your people, customers and suppliers
• Look at options for people to work remotely to prevent the spread of infection
• For customer facing organisations consider using customer self-serve options such as telephone and online services to minimise face to face interaction
• Review your policies and procedures on health reporting, office and personal hygiene protective equipment, social distancing and working hours
• Consider providing additional training to your people working in critical areas, so others have the skills to fill in for absent colleges

To keep up to date with current information sources of information include:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/wuhan-novel-coronavirus/

Can you instruct your employees not to come to work if you’re concerned they may have been exposed to coronavirus?

Employers a have a duty to ensure the health and safety of all their employees and to provide a safe environment in which to work. At the same time every employee has a duty to take reasonable care to ensure that they do not endanger themselves or anyone who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.

If an employee reports for work with the symptoms associated with Coronavirus, an employer would be justified in instructing the employee not to come to work until they have sought medical attention and the symptoms are no longer present.   

If an employee shows no symptoms but:

• has recently travelled to China or another affected region, or
• been in contact with someone who has travelled to China or another affected region, or
• been in contact with an infected person  

the employer should check advice from the relevant public health body on whether or not it is necessary on risk grounds to ask such people not to attend work. During any exclusion from the workplace it may be appropriate to consider alternatives such as working from home until the employee is given the all clear.