Operating in a pandemic is tough, particularly given how quickly the rules around COVID-safety change from week to week.

Businesses now have to operate within the regional tier system while maintaining social distancing and other measures to flatten the curve, as well as preparing for potential ‘circuit breaker’ restrictions.

Throw in leaked reports across the media about the next set of Government proposals and suddenly you can feel completely overwhelmed and unsure about exactly what your business should be doing.

Our advice to clients is straightforward – in a world this complicated, you need to keep it simple. We’re going to show you how to do that.

Appoint your dedicated COVID-19 officer

Achieving COVID compliance is a team effort, but we advise that you put one person in charge of keeping up with the latest regulations.

By appointing a COVID officer, you’ll have a person in place who is checking the regulations and requirements every day with credible sources and getting the facts.

They will take on the responsibility of checking COVID compliance across all your projects, keeping up to date with the very latest advice and ensuring your business is operating correctly.

Your COVID contact will also be able to keep potential upcoming changes on their radar and brief you as soon as they come into play.

Provide bite-sized advice for the whole team

You may have briefed your team on your COVID Secure plan, but as things move fast, you need to keep updating them.

We recommend that you put together a simple COVID-19 table that covers each part of your plan succinctly. It should be easy-to-follow and accessible for all staff, contractors and stakeholders, so they can check precisely what you are doing and what’s expected of them.

By keeping a quick-reference resource like this to hand, you can ensure that the control measures are implemented correctly.

Here’s an example of a table we created for a client working on photoshoots in their space. With different teams moving in and out of the space during the shoot, everybody needed to know exactly how to work within the COVID Secure plan we’d created for them.

As you can see, the table itself is clear and concise, and it acts as a useful summary of the more detailed COVID Secure plan we’d already put together for the client.

As things change, it’s a useful document to have as a reference as you update and enhance your infection control strategies.

It allows you to separate each risk and put in the correct measures to mitigate it, plus the people using this table won’t have to wade through more complicated paperwork to get a good grasp of what they need to do.

Unravelling advice and working with it

Needless to say, examining each process and making it as COVID safe as possible gets complicated when you start putting the whole plan together.

Reducing aerosol and fomite transmissions in one area could have an impact on another part of the project, or contravene the safety procedures you already have in place, particularly around employee welfare.

However, if you want to continue delivering inspiring and engaging projects, you have to wrap your head around it.

We’ve stepped in to support clients with complicated logistics, helping them untangle the amalgamation of legal requirements and risk assessments. Inevitably, some clients brush up against scenarios that aren’t covered in the guidance the Government has provided, and we’re there to help them navigate the project while operating in the spirit of the official advice.

In some circumstances, our advice has pre-empted Government regulations. For example, we worked with a client who had chefs and back of house staff working in a confined space and recommended they wore face masks during each shift three weeks before it became an official requirement. We identified that masks we’re imperative for the workers’ personal safety and to mitigate potential transmission from the kitchen area.

Remember, the rules are broad because they have to apply to businesses across numerous sectors and people working in vastly different ways. You need to take that general guidance and make it work for your business, ensuring you operate safely and successfully. Each company is unique and requires a bespoke solution.

Living in a pandemic is our new reality and each business must treat COVID-19 as another hazard in the workplace that needs to be controlled. So, assign your COVID officer to take in all the information available, put a COVID Secure plan in place that works for your business and how it operates and apply the hierarchy of hazard control (which we’ll explore in detail in our next blog).

You can continue to deliver excellence and keep the people using your space safe, it just requires careful thought and planning.

Southwark Council launched the pilot project on 14^th September 2020 to help provide reassurance to customers that local premises are safe to visit.

Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen’s safety advisors Number 8 Events Ltd. established a comprehensive COVID secure plan, and immediately responded to Southwark Council’s invitation to arrange an inspection by their Environmental Health Officer (EHO).

Following a thorough inspection by Southwark’s EHO, Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen – which is situated on Bermondsey Street – was the first venue to be awarded Southwark Council’s official COVID-Compliant Accreditation.

“This is a critical time for hospitality venues and to secure this accreditation from Southwark Council is excellent,” says safety advisor Wes Pierce, Managing Director of Number 8 Events.

“Throughout the past few months, we’ve worked with Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen to ensure that their COVID secure plan and risk assessment were robust and comprehensive.

“One of the key pieces of advice we gave them was to consult with staff using the new procedures to ensure they worked well and that everyone understood why each measure was in place. The feedback from the EHO was very complimentary about the measures we’ve taken.”

The key challenges faced by Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen included the management of a one-way system through the premises, creating working bubbles of staff, establishing a culture of compliance with patrons through staff communications and supported by easily understandable posters and signage, and appropriately-positioned distanced tables and chairs throughout the venue.

A concise contingent and risk plan was developed and put in place to proactively deal with any unfortunate circumstances, such as if anyone became ill on-site or developed a positive COVID test following their visit.

Further initiatives included QR menu codes and an efficient table service was implemented. Due to the increase in social distancing the venue needed to increase the number of toilets to deliver a safe and orderly queuing system. As such an additional outdoor block of toilets was delivered further reducing the need to queue.

Following their inspection, the EHO commented on the high standard of bespoke paperwork, processes, overall implementation and operation of the venue. They immediately awarded accreditation to Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen, ensuring that customers can socialise there confidently.

“Our main priority is the safety of our customers, and it’s wonderful to be able to reassure them that we’ve achieved this high standard,” says Manager Liam Murphy. “Number 8 Events helped us ensure we are following the Government’s guidance to the letter.

“Even when the regulations changed again on 22^nd September, the impact on us was minimal as we’d already got extra measures in place to keep our customers and staff safe.”