Coronavirus Update - Covid 19

The following Safety Alert is the advice Galtec is currently following. We would ask that all employees follow it. We will provide further updates, as the Government releases new information.

SAFETY ALERT 03                                                              

This guidance is taken directly from the Governments response to Covid-19 on the www.gov.uk website. For the full guidance, please visit the UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-covid-19

It will explain:

·         How to help prevent spread of COVID-19

·         What to do if someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 has been on your site

·         Advice for the certification of absence from work resulting from Covid-19

General Information

A coronavirus is a type of virus.

The incubation period of COVID-19 is between 2 to 14 days. This means that if a person remains well 14 days after contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, they have not been infected.

The following symptoms may develop in the 14 days after exposure to someone who has COVID-19 infection:

         cough

·         difficulty in breathing

·         fever

There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze. See Catch it, Bin it, Kill it

Put used tissues in the bin straight away

Wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available. See hand washing guidance

Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces

Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

Pay particular attention to your hygiene if you have used the toilet before you are about to eat something.

People who have returned from Hubei Province, including Wuhan, Iran, Daegu or Cheongdo, AND Italy, in the last 14 days should avoid attending work. They should call NHS 111 for advice and self-isolate.

Working on site

We plan to continue to work normally on site for as long as possible. However, please restrict groupings of people to no more than 5, particularly during break times. If necessary stagger breaks. This will help to reduce the possibility of spreading the virus.

Facemasks

Employees are not recommended to wear facemasks (also known as surgical masks or respirators) to protect against the virus. 

There is now a worldwide shortage of the normal disposable FFP3 masks that Galtec issue for protection against silica dust. There is also a shortage of half face rubber respirator masks, with built in filters. Galtec was in the process of purchasing these, but there is now no availability until July 2020. Galtec has an extremely limited stock of the FFP3 disposable masks.

If we do run out of supplies:

·         Please ensure that the existing masks you have on site are used to their fullest potential

·         Limit cutting of kerbs and paving slabs to only what is absolutely necessary

·         Use higher levels of water suppression

·         NEVER cut dry

·         Always cut in well ventilated areas

What to do if an employee or a member of the public becomes unwell and believe they have been exposed to COVID-19?

If the person has not been to specified areas in the last 14 days, then normal work should continue.

If someone becomes unwell in the workplace and has travelled to China or other affected countries, the unwell person should be removed to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people. If possible find a room or area where they can be isolated behind a closed door, such as a staff office. If it is possible to open a window, do so for ventilation.

The individual who is unwell should call NHS 111 from their mobile, or 999 if an emergency (if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk) and explain which country they have returned from in the last 14 days and outline their current symptoms.

Whilst they wait for advice from NHS 111 or an ambulance to arrive, they should remain at least 2 metres from other people. They should avoid touching people, surfaces and objects and be advised to cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when they cough or sneeze and put the tissue in a bag or pocket then throw the tissue in the bin. If they don’t have any tissues available, they should cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow.

If they need to go to the bathroom whilst waiting for medical assistance, they should use a separate bathroom if available.

What to do if a member of staff or the public with suspected COVID-19 has recently been on site

For contacts of a suspected case in the workplace, no restrictions or special control measures are required while laboratory test results for COVID19 are awaited. In particular, there is no need to close the workplace or send other staff home at this point. Most possible cases turn out to be negative. Therefore, until the outcome of test results is known there is no action that the workplace needs to take.

When individuals in the workplace have had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19

If a confirmed case is identified in your workplace, the local Health Protection Team will provide the relevant staff with advice. These staff include:

·         any employee in close face-to-face or touching contact

·         talking with or being coughed on for any length of time while the employee was symptomatic

·         anyone who has cleaned up any bodily fluids

·         close friendship groups or workgroups

·         any employee living in the same household as a confirmed case

Contacts are not considered cases and if they are well they are very unlikely to have spread the infection to others:

·         those who have had close contact will be asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact with the confirmed case and follow the home isolation advice sheet

·         they will be actively followed up by the Health Protection Team

·         if they develop new symptoms or their existing symptoms worsen within their 14-day observation period they should call NHS 111 for reassessment

·         if they become unwell with cough, fever or shortness of breath they will be tested for COVID-19

·         if they are unwell at any time within their 14-day observation period and they test positive for COVID-19 they will become a confirmed case and will be treated for the infection

Staff who have not had close contact with the original confirmed case do not need to take any precautions and can continue to attend work.

Certifying absence from work

By law, medical evidence is not required for the first 7 days of sickness. After 7 days, it is for the employer to determine what evidence they require, if any, from the employee. This does not need to be fit note (Med 3 form) issued by a GP or other doctor.

Galtec will use its discretion around the need for medical evidence for a period of absence where an employee is advised to self-isolate due to suspected COVID-19, in accordance with the public health advice being issued by the government.

Advice for staff returning from travel anywhere else in the world within the last 14 days

Currently, there are minimal cases outside the listed areas and therefore the likelihood of an individual coming into contact with a confirmed case is extremely low.

These staff can continue to attend work unless they have been informed that they have had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19

If individuals are aware that they have had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 they should contact NHS 111 for further advice.

The latest country information is available on the NaTHNac Travel Pro website.

Cleaning offices and public spaces where there are suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19

Coronavirus symptoms are similar to a flu-like illness and include cough, fever, or shortness of breath. Once symptomatic, all surfaces that the person has come into contact with must be cleaned including:

·         all surfaces and objects which are visibly contaminated with body fluids

·         all potentially contaminated high-contact areas such as toilets, door handles, telephones

Rubbish disposal, including tissues

·         All waste that has been in contact with the individual, including used tissues, and masks if used, should be put in a plastic rubbish bag and tied when full. The plastic bag should then be placed in a second bin bag and tied. It should be put in a safe place and marked for storage until the result is available. If the individual tests negative, this can be put in the normal waste.

·         Should the individual test positive, you will be instructed what to do with the waste.