What we know
A summary of the information about the coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has affected many aspects of our daily lives, including the way we work. The government took steps to help stop the spread of the virus and to protect more vulnerable people in the community.
First, lets clear up some of the jargon;
Virus terms:
- Coronavirus – The family of viruses responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak
- COVID-19 – COronaVIrusDisease (2019 strain). The disease that is caused by the SARS-Cov-2 Virus
- SARS-CoV-2 – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus strain 2. The virus that causes COVID-19
A brief synopsis
On 16th March 2020, the UK entered a state of restriction on non-essential activity, known informally as “lockdown“. Many organisations and workplaces were closed, non-essential travel was restricted and a campaign called “Stay at home – Protect the NHS – Save lives” began.
As the death toll rose, more restrictions were added, with financial support from the government given to businesses and employees.
Now, the government are preparing to get the country back on its feet and working again
The latest news
On Thursday 4th June, the governments’ advice that non-essential workplaces can return on the 15th June 2020 (the statement can be seen here) as long as “they are COVID secure“.
5 steps to working safely
In order to do this, workplaces and employers will have to provide adequate evidence that steps have been taken to protect their staff and clients against the current pandemic crisis
Using the most up to date coronavirus information on GOV.uk (which can be seen here), the best steps to follow are:
- Carry out a COVID-19 specific workplace risk assessment
- Build a routine of regular cleaning and hand washing
- Enable those that can to remote work from home
- Maintain social distancing for those who return to the workplace
- If social distancing can’t be done, manage contact risk
Although the guidelines have been released, a clear and practical approach has yet to be seen. Below is Vital Workplace Training’s translation.
What we are doing and what we are going to do
Actions we have taken to safeguard our clients and staff
In order for Vital Workplace Training to get back into the workplace and providing effective training solutions, we had to adapt to the new workplace landscape ourselves. We have introduced the following measures;
- COVID-19 workplace risk Assessments completed
- Vital Workplace Training has looked at all the training processes and assessed where the major changes are going to be needed. Copies can be requested in writing
- Human contact needed training adaptations
- Training where practical elements are a requirement for completing the assessment have been marked as “Human Contact Needed“, have additional entry criteria and Infection prevention processes added. The aim of this policy is to future-proof the training environment to potential pandemic conditions, not just COVID-19
- New COVID-19 Specific pandemic training courses released
- Coronavirus basics – Awareness of the current viral pandemic that has caused the world to change so rapidly
- Returning from remote working – A short training system to assist those who were working from the home, return to the new workplace conditions
- Managing the remote working team – Instructional training for managers and business owners adapt to the complexities of telecommuting teams
- Furlough adaptations – A training course for those currently in Furlough (temporarily retired from their current job role) to help them up-skill or adapt to a new job role for the short term
- Learning from Enforced Pandemic Conditions – A brief look into the history and actions of various agencies and organisations during pandemic crisis’ and their effect
- More training courses to follow
- Updating our digital library and website
- To help those working from home and vulnerable to stay updated, Vital Workplace Training has updated vitalworkplacetraining.co.uk to include even more content. This will include exclusive video training and virtual classroom options, as well as the usual blogs and advice
- Coming soon – PPE shop
- To help you get back to work faster, we have been securing the relevant personal protective equipment you will need to comply with the latest government regulations and can make them available to you at industry competitive prices
For more information or to follow certain parts of this announcement, keep checking our news page for updates.
#weareCOVIDsecure
Vitals' practical approach to deliver our service in the coming months
To follow the government’s most up to date advice and support, Vital Workplace Training has built the #weareCOVIDsecure campaign.
#weareCOVIDsecure is based on the 5 steps to working safely advice from GOV.uk, with our personal twist:
- Personalised needs assessments for training
- All of our training packages will be built on a one-to-one consultation, where we identify if physical classroom training is needed. If the training features a practical assessment as a requirement for completion (such as first aid), a contact management plan will be drafted, in line with our human contact needed guidelines
- An updated cleaning and personal hygiene policy
- To comply with the necessary regulations in slowing the spread of infection, a record of our cleaning and hygiene processes for equipment, staff and contractors will be made available to clients when booking
- Virtual classroom and remote working training systems
- So our service does not lose the professional and personal delivery, our trainers have been busy preparing as much online content as we can (under the current restrictions) so the most vulnerable are protected against the pandemic conditions
- Sensible and relevant social distancing measures to be implemented
- Not all sites benefit from the luxury of sufficient space to allow 2-metre distancing at all times, so a realistic approach will be reviewed on each area as the activity is conducted
- Human contact needed process added to manage contact risk
- Finally, to completely future-proof live classroom environments in the coming months, our signature policy and process to safeguard against transmission risk will be rolled out, complete with all the personal protective equipment needed to comply
But we are not done yet.
As the landscape changes, so will we. We at Vital Workplace Training are dedicated to ensuring that the workplace remains as unique and individual as the people who run it. If you have any ideas or plans you think might help, talk to us. We work across the UK and can travel to you wherever you are. So whether you are looking for COVID-19 training in Essex or Yorkshire, get in touch.
Contact us
For all enquiries about COVID-19 please contact us, we will be happy to help.
- 01376 317760
- support@vitalworkplacetraining.com