UK GOV - Working safely during COVID-19 in other people’s homes (Updated May 17, 2021)

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Guidance & Definitions

Applies to: England (see guidance for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland)

COVID-19 roadmap

Step 3 of the roadmap out of lockdown has begun https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary#step-3---not-before-17-may. Some of the rules changed on 17 May 2021, but restrictions remain in place.

A new COVID-19 variant is spreading in some parts of England. There may be additional advice for your area. Find out what you need to do. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do#be-careful-a-new-covid-19-variant-is-spreading-in-some-parts-of-england

This guide was updated on 17 May 2021.
What’s changed
We’ve now moved to Step 3.
National restrictions – Spring 2021
On 22 February the government published the COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary) setting out how COVID-19 restrictions will be eased over 4 steps.

The roadmap has set out indicative, ‘no earlier than’ dates for the steps which are 5 weeks apart.

It takes around 4 weeks for the data to reflect the impact of the previous step. The government will provide a further week’s notice to individuals and businesses before making changes.

Work in other people’s homes can continue, provided COVID-secure guidance is followed.

Priority actions to take - what businesses need to do to protect staff and customers

Eight steps to protect yourself, your staff and your customers during coronavirus.
Complete a COVID-19 risk assessment, including consideration of the reasonable adjustments needed for staff and customers with disabilities. Share it with all your staff. If you have fewer than 5 workers, or are self-employed, you don’t have to write anything down as part of your risk assessment. Find out how to do a risk assessment.
Clean more often. Increase how often you clean surfaces, especially those that are being touched a lot. Ask your staff and your customers to use hand sanitiser and wash their hands frequently.
Remind your customers and staff to wear face coverings where required to do so by law. This is especially important if your customers are likely to be around people they do not normally meet. Some exemptions apply. Check when to wear one, exemptions, and how to make your own.
Make sure everyone is social distancing. Make it easy for everyone to do so by putting up signs or introducing a one-way system that your staff and customers can follow.
Provide adequate ventilation. This means supplying fresh air to enclosed space where people are present. This can be natural ventilation through windows, doors and vents, mechanical ventilation using fans and ducts, or a combination of both. Read advice on air conditioning and ventilation from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Take part in NHS Test and Trace by keeping a record of all your staff and contractors for 21 days. Check ‘Maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors to support NHS Test and Trace’ for details.
Turn people with coronavirus symptoms away. If a staff member (or someone in their household) or a customer has a persistent cough, a high temperature or has lost their sense of taste or smell, they should be isolating. Employers must not require someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work. Any employer asking a worker to break self-isolation to work is committing an offence.
Consider the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus for yourself and others. The government has published guidance on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Five more things to be aware of if your business provides services in other people’s homes:
Explain safety measures to your customer before entering their home. Make sure that members of the household know they should maintain social distancing from you.
Avoid crowded areas. Identify busy locations in the house such as hallways and avoid moving through them where possible.
Limit contact with customers. Bring your own food and drink and take breaks outside where possible. Avoid sharing items such as pens or tools.
When working in a household with people at higher risk, take extra measures to avoid contact, such as working in a separate room from them.
Communicate and train. Make sure all staff and customers are kept up to date with how safety measures are being used.
These are the priority actions to make your business safe during coronavirus. You should also read the full version of the guidance below.

Introduction

This guide will help you understand how to make your workplace COVID-Secure and help tackle COVID-19. We thank you for playing your part in this national effort.
Who this guide is for
This document is one of a set of documents about how to work safely in different types of workplace. This one is designed to be relevant for people who provide services in, and to, people’s homes (whether employed or self-employed) as well as employers of these individuals (which may include households). It will also be relevant to agencies who work with these individuals.

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, visiting childcare providers, 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 live-in nannies who spend all their time with one household, or to their employers.

People delivering close contact services in other people’s homes should also refer to guidance on keeping workers and clients safe during COVID-19 in close contact services.

We expect that this document will be updated over time. You can check for updates at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.

Who has contributed to this guide
This document has been prepared by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with input from firms, unions, industry bodies and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Public health is devolved in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales; this guidance should be considered alongside local public health and safety requirements and legislation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For advice to businesses in other parts of the UK please see guidance set by the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.

If you have any feedback on this guidance, please email safer.workplaces@beis.gov.uk.

How to use guidance

This document sets out guidance on how to open workplaces safely while minimising the risk of spreading COVID-19. It gives practical considerations of how this can be applied in the workplace.

Each business will need to translate this into the specific actions it needs to take, depending on the nature of their business, including the size and type of business, how it is organised, operated, managed and regulated. They will also need to monitor these measures to make sure they continue to protect customers and workers.

This guidance does not supersede any legal obligations relating to health and safety, employment or equalities and it is important that as a business or an employer you continue to comply with your existing obligations, including those relating to individuals with protected characteristics. It contains non-statutory guidance to take account when complying with these existing obligations. When considering how to apply this guidance, take into account agency workers, contractors and other people, as well as your employees.

To help you decide which actions to take, you must carry out an appropriate COVID-19 risk assessment, just as you would for other health and safety related hazards. This risk assessment must be done in consultation with unions or workers.

1. Thinking about risk

Objective: That all employers carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment.
Show Guidance:
As an employer, you have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to their health and safety, including from the risks of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a hazard in the workplace and, as such, should be managed in the same way as other workplace hazards. This includes completing a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace and identifying control measures to manage that risk.

Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and put in place sufficient control measures to manage the risk may be considered a breach of health and safety law.

Your risk assessment will help you decide whether you have done everything you need to. There are interactive tools available to support you from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

You should also consider the security implications of any decisions and control measures you intend to put in place, as any revisions could present new or altered security risks that may require mitigation.

If you have fewer than 5 workers, or are self-employed, you don’t have to write anything down as part of your risk assessment, but you may decide it would be helpful to.

Employers have a duty to consult on health and safety matters. You can do this by listening and talking to them about the work they do and how you will manage the risks from COVID-19.

This may be through consulting with any recognised trade union health and safety representatives or, if you don’t have any, with a representative chosen by workers.

As an employer, you cannot decide who the representative will be. Employers and workers should always come together to resolve issues. If concerns still cannot be resolved, see below for further steps you can take.

Where the enforcing authority, such as the HSE or your local authority, identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks, they are empowered to take a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks. For example, this would cover employers not taking appropriate action to ensure social distancing, where possible. Where serious breaches are identified HSE and Local Authorities have a range of things they can do to ensure compliance. These include sending letters, serving improvement notices and prohibition notices and in cases where significant breaches are identified then prosecutions can be brought.

Employers are expected to respond to any advice or notices issued by enforcing authorities rapidly and are required to do so within any timescales imposed by the enforcing authorities. The vast majority of employers are responsible and will join with the UK’s fight against COVID-19 by working with the government and their sector bodies to protect their workers and the public. However, inspectors are carrying out compliance checks nationwide to ensure that employers are taking the necessary steps.

How to raise a concern:

Contact your employee representative.
Contact your trade union if you have one.
Contact HSE online using our working safely enquiry form. https://hsegov.microsoftcrmportals.com/workingsafelyenquiries/
Contact HSE by phone on 0300 790 6787 (lines are open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 10pm).

1.1 Managing risk

Objective: To reduce risk to the lowest reasonably practicable level by taking preventative measures, in order of priority.
As an employer, you have a duty to reduce workplace risk to the lowest reasonably practicable level. You do this by taking preventative measures.

In the context of COVID-19 this means protecting the health and safety of your workers and clients by working through these steps in order:
Make sure that workers and customers who feel unwell stay at home and do not attend the venue. By law, businesses may not require a self-isolating worker to come to work.
Increase how often people wash their hands and clean surfaces in the workplace.
Make every reasonable effort to ensure your employees can work safely. Consider reasonable adjustments for employees or customers with disabilities, including disabilities that are not immediately obvious. When in the workplace, everyone should make every reasonable effort to comply with the government’s social distancing guidelines. These are 2 metres or 1 metre+ with risk mitigation where 2 metres is not viable.
Fresh air helps to dilute the virus in occupied spaces. Provide adequate ventilation through doors, windows and vents, by mechanical ventilation using fans and ducts, or through a combination of both.
Consider these additional control measures where 2 metre social distancing is not possible: – increase the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning even more – keep the activity time involved as short as possible – use screens or barriers to separate people from each other – use back-to-back or side-to-side working whenever possible, instead of face-to-face – reduce the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)
Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full, even through redesigning 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.
When you cannot redesign an activity to meet social distance guidelines, ask if your business can continue without that activity. If it cannot, take all mitigation actions possible to reduce transmission risk between staff.
Take steps so people don’t have to raise their voices to each other unless they need to. For example, make sure people don’t play music or broadcasts at a level that makes it hard to have normal conversations. This is because there is potentially an increased transmission risk, especially from aerosol transmission.
If people must work face-to-face for a sustained period with more than a small group of fixed partners, assess if the activity can safely go ahead. No one is obliged to work in an unsafe work environment.In your assessment pay particular regard to whether the people doing the work are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
If your building has been unoccupied for a period during any lockdowns, consider legionella risk and HSE advice. https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/legionella-risks-during-coronavirus-outbreak.htm
Singing, shouting and aerobic activities generate higher levels of aerosol and increase the risk of transmission further. You should consider these factors when ensuring you have adequate ventilation in the workplace. Lowering background noise, including music, reduces the need for people to sit close or shout. This can reduce the risk of airborne virus emissions and transmission.

You must consider the rest of the recommendations below as you go through this process.

You could also consider any advice that has been produced specifically for your sector. For example, by trades associations.

If you’re currently operating, you will already have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment. You should use this document to identify any further improvements you should make.

You must review the measures you have put in place to make sure they are working. You should also review them if they may no longer be effective or there are changes in the workplace that could lead to new risks.
When you’re working in homes, you will usually need to:
Not carry out any work in any household which is isolating because one or more family members has symptoms. This is unless you’re remedying a direct risk to the safety of the household or to the public.
Continue any work required to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household or the public when you’re working in a household where one or more individuals has been advised to shield. Other types of work may be carried out in the home at the householders’ discretion. You should take additional precautions as outlined in step 3 below.
Make prior arrangements with vulnerable people to avoid any face-to-face contact when you’re working in a household where somebody is clinically vulnerable, but has not been asked to shield. For example, when you’re working in the home of someone aged over 70 and they answer the door. You should be particularly strict about handwashing, coughing and sneezing hygiene, such as covering your nose and mouth and disposing of single-use tissues.
Stay updated with the latest guidance, and consider how you can apply it to your work. This can include: –washing your hands more often than usual – reducing the spread of germs by coughing or sneezing into a tissue which is binned safely, or into your arms if a tissue is not available  – cleaning regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning products – communicating with households before any visits, to discuss how the work will be carried out to minimise risk for all parties – maintaining social distancing guidelines as far as possible

1.2 Sharing the results of your risk assessment

Show Guidance:
You should share your risk assessment results with your workforce.

If possible, consider publishing the results on your website. We expect all employers with over 50 workers to do so.

All businesses should show their workers and clients they have:

properly assessed their risk taken appropriate measures to mitigate this
You should do this by displaying a notification:

in a prominent place in your business
on your website if you have one

To show you have followed this guidance, sign and display the notice below.
We have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment and shared the results with the people who work here
We have cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures in line with guidance
We have taken all reasonable steps to help people work safely from a COVID-19 Secure workplace or work from home
We have taken all reasonable steps to maintain a 2m distance in the workplace
Where people cannot keep 2m apart, we have ensured at least a 1m distance and taken all the mitigating actions possible to manage transmission risk
Once the above 5 items have been checked please go to https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5eb963fcd3bf7f5d39550303/staying-covid-19-secure.pdf

print, sign and place in your workplace.

2. Who should go to work

Objective: Employers should ensure workplaces are safe for anyone who cannot work from home.

We recognise that for providers of in-home services, it is often not possible to work from home.

Anyone who can work from home should do so. However, you should consider whether home working is appropriate for workers facing mental or physical health difficulties or with a particularly challenging home working environment.

If COVID-secure guidelines are followed closely, the risk of transmission can be significantly reduced.

Employers should consult with their workers to decide who needs to come into the workplace. You should also consider the impact of workers coming into the workplace on local transport and take appropriate mitigating actions. For example, staggered start and finish times for staff.

You should give extra consideration to people at higher risk.

When employers consider that workers should come into their place of work, they should:

reflect this in the COVID-19 workplace risk assessment
take action to manage the risks of transmission in line with this guidance
You will usually need to:
Find digital or remote alternatives to physical, in-home work where possible. For example video or phone consultations.
Discuss the working environment and practices with householders and clients in advance, if a physical visit is needed. Confirm how the work will be carried out.
Keep in touch with workers you would normally meet face to face, on their working arrangements including: – their welfare – mental and physical health – personal security

2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk

Objective: To support those who are at higher risk of infection and/or an adverse outcome if infected.

There are some groups who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. They may be advised to take extra precautions to protect themselves. See guidance on who is at higher risk and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable. 

As an employer, you should make sure suitable arrangements are in place so that they can work safely. Government advice is that clinically extremely vulnerable people no longer need to shield, and should follow the general COVID-19 restrictions which apply to everyone.

We advise clinically extremely vulnerable individuals to work from home where possible. They can still attend work if they cannot work from home. Employers should consider whether clinically extremely vulnerable individuals can take on an alternative role or change their working patterns temporarily to avoid travelling during busy periods.
You will usually need to:
See current guidance on [protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable] and protecting vulnerable workers during the COVID-19 pandemic https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19. Put measures in place to ensure the workplace is COVID-secure.
Provide support to staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable, and consider options for altering work arrangements temporarily (if needed) so they can avoid travelling during busy periods.
Provide support for workers around mental health and wellbeing. This could include advice or telephone support.

2.2 People who need to self-isolate

Objective: To stop people physically coming to work, when government guidance advises them to stay at home. This includes people who: 

have COVID-19 symptoms 
live in a household or are in a support bubblewith someone who has symptoms 
are required to self-isolate as part of NHS Test and Trace
You will usually need to:
Enable workers to work from home while self-isolating if appropriate. It is illegal to knowingly require or encourage someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work.
See current guidance related to statutory sick pay due to COVID-19 for: – employers https://www.gov.uk/employers-sick-pay – employees https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay
Ensure any workers who have symptoms of COVID-19 self-isolate immediately and continue for the next 10 full days. This means that if, for example, their symptoms started at any time on the 15th of the month their isolation period ends at 11:59pm on the 25th. These symptoms are: – a high temperature – a new, continuous cough –a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste Workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate immediately and continue for the next 10 full days. Workers that test positive but have no symptoms must also self-isolate in this way. Sometimes workers develop symptoms during their isolation period. In these cases, they must restart their 10-day self-isolation period from the day after they develop symptoms.  See the guidance for people who live in households with possible or confirmed COVID-19 infections. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
Ensure any workers who are contacts of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 self-isolate for a period of 10 days. Contacts must self-isolate immediately and continue for the next 10 full days.
Ensure any workers who have been informed by NHS Test and Trace that they are a close contact of a person who has had a positive test result for COVID-19 follow the requirement to self-isolate. See the guidance for those who have been in contact with, but do not live with, a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

2.3 Equality in the workplace

Objective: To make sure that nobody is discriminated against.

When applying this guidance, be mindful of the particular needs of different groups of workers or individuals. 

It’s against the law to discriminate against anyone because of their age, sex, disability, race or other ‘protected characteristic’. 

Read the government guidance on discrimination.

As an employer, you have particular responsibilities towards:

disabled workers
workers who are new mothers or pregnant - see the COVID-19 advice for pregnant employees
You will usually need to:
Understand and take into account the particular circumstances of those with different protected characteristics.
Involve and communicate appropriately with workers whose protected characteristics might either: – expose them to a different degree of risk  – make any steps you’re thinking about inappropriate or challenging for them
Consider if you need to put in place any particular measures or adjustments to take account of your duties under equalities legislation.
Make reasonable adjustments to avoid disabled workers being put at a disadvantage.
Assess the health and safety risks for new or expectant mothers.
Make sure any steps you take do not have an unjustifiable negative impact on some groups compared to others. For example, those with caring responsibilities or religious commitments.

3. Social distancing at work

Objective: Ensuring workers maintain social distancing guidelines wherever possible. These are 2 metres or 1 metre+ with risk mitigation where 2 metres is not viable. This includes when they arrive at and depart from work, while they are in work, and when they travel between sites.

You should maintain social distancing in the workplace wherever possible. Take account of those with protected characteristics, as social distancing may not be possible or will be more challenging for workers with certain disabilities. For example, individuals in wheelchairs or with visual impairments. You should discuss with disabled workers what reasonable adjustments can be made to the workplace so they can work safely. 

If you can, redesign business activities that cannot currently meet social distance guidelines.

You can mitigate risk by:

• 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)

If you cannot redesign an activity to meet social distancing guidelines, consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate. If it does, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between staff.

Social distancing does not only apply to the room where you provide the service. It also covers all parts of a building or home. This includes entrances and exits, break rooms, canteens and similar settings.

These are often the most challenging areas to maintain social distancing and you should remind workers specifically.

3.1 Coming to work and leaving work

Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible, on arrival and departure and to ensure handwashing upon arrival.
You will usually need to:
Consider travelling to sites alone using your own transport, where insurance allows.
When workers must travel together, for example delivery teams, then: – encourage the same people to take journeys together, and limit how many people travel in each vehicle – provide adequate ventilation by switching on systems that draw in fresh air or opening windows (partially if it’s cold) – ask passengers to face away from one another to reduce risk of transmission – clean vehicles regularly using gloves and standard cleaning products, paying particular attention to handles and other areas where passengers may touch surfaces – match workers to households local to them, where possible, to help minimise travel – encourage workers to wash their hands when they arrive at the home, and maintain social distancing when they enter it For more information on ventilation in vehicles read HSE guidance on ventilation and air conditioning.
See the guidance on travelling to and from work and getting help with daily activities outside your home during coronavirus. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-people-outside-of-their-home/supporting-people-outside-of-their-home

3.2 Moving around when working in a home

Objective: To maintain social distancing wherever possible while performing work in the home.

We recognise that it will not always be possible to maintain physical distance from customers, for providers of some in-home services.

The social distancing guidelines are 2m, or 1m+ with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable. If you cannot maintain social distancing guidelines, reduce risk by paying extra attention to equipment, cleaning and hygiene.

If possible, assign working materials to an individual and make sure they are not shared. For example, tools or domestic appliances. If these materials must be shared, make sure they are shared by the smallest number of people possible.
You will usually need to:
Discuss with households before you visit how you will keep to social distance guidelines, if possible. The guidelines are 2m, or 1m+ with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable.
Ask households to leave all internal doors open, to minimise contact with door handles.
Identify busy areas across the household where people travel to, from or through. For example, stairs and corridors. Minimise movement within these areas.
Bring your own food and drink to households. Take breaks outside where possible.
Limit the number of workers within a confined space to maintain social distancing.
Use a fixed pairing system if workers have to be in close proximity. For example, during 2-person assembly or maintenance.
Allocate the same workers to a household where jobs are repetitive. Introduce fixed pairing to have the same individuals allocated to a household for repetitive jobs.

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.
Make sure only necessary participants physically attend appointments. When they do, they should maintain social distancing guidelines. These are 2m, or 1m+ with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable.
Avoid transmission during appointments caused by sharing objects. For example pens, documents.
Hold meetings outdoors whenever possible. Otherwise use rooms where there is good ventilation. This could be: – fresh air through open doors, windows and vents – mechanical ventilation, such as air conditioning
Air rooms between meetings. Open all the doors and windows as fully as possible to maximise the ventilation in the room.

3.4 Accidents, security and other incidents

Objective: To prioritise safety during incidents.

In emergencies, you do not have to socially distance if that would be unsafe. Examples include:

• accidents
• fires
• break-ins
• when you’re giving first-aid

Whenever giving help during emergencies, pay particular attention to sanitation straight afterwards. This includes washing hands.
You will usually need to:
Review your incident and emergency procedures. Ensure they reflect social distancing principles, as far as possible.
When you’re thinking of changing how you work, consider the possible security implications. Your changes may present new or altered security risks. These risks may need mitigations.

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.
You will usually need to:
Give your workers information on how to operate safely in people’s homes, if you’re an employer or agency.
Communicate with households before you arrive and when you arrive. Make sure they understand how to follow the social distancing and hygiene measures they should follow once work starts.

5. Cleaning the work area

5.1 Keeping the work area clean

Objective: To keep work areas in a home clean and prevent transmission by touching contaminated surfaces.
You will usually need to:
Clean work areas and equipment between uses. Use your usual cleaning products.
Arrange methods of safely disposing waste with the householder.
Remove all waste and belongings from the work area at the end of a shift and at an end of a job.
If you’re cleaning after a known or suspected case of COVID-19, refer to the guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings.
Maintain good ventilation in the work environment. Read advice on air conditioning and ventilation from HSE.
Provide extra non recycling bins for workers and visitors to dispose of single use face coverings and PPE. You should refer to the guidance on how to dispose of personal or business waste, including face coverings and PPE.

5.2 Hygiene

Objective: To help everyone keep good hygiene through the working day.
You will usually need to:
Wash your hands more often than usual for 20 seconds, using soap and hot water. Do this particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose.
Reduce the spread of germs when you cough or sneeze by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve. Do not use your hands. Throw the tissue in a bin immediately. Then wash your hands.
Clean regularly touched objects and surfaces, using your regular cleaning products. Do this 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 in to or are removed from the home.
You will usually need to:
Ensure social distancing and hygiene measures are followed when supplies or tools have to be delivered to a home. For example, building supplies.
Collect materials in bulk. This will reduce how often you need to visit shops to buy or collect materials.
Remove waste in bulk if possible.

6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and face coverings

6.1 Face coverings

Show Guidance:
Where you’re already using PPE in your work activity to protect against non-COVID-19 risks, you should keep doing so.

COVID-19 is a different type of risk to the risks you normally face in a workplace. You do not need to manage this risk by using PPE. You need to manage this risk through social distancing, hygiene and fixed teams or partnering.

Do not encourage the precautionary use of extra PPE to protect against COVID-19 unless you’re in a clinical setting or responding to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.

Unless you’re in a situation where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is very high, your risk assessment should reflect the fact that PPE has an extremely limited role in providing extra protection.

If your risk assessment does show that PPE is required, you must provide this PPE free of charge to workers who need it. Any PPE provided must fit properly.

6.2 Face coverings

Show Guidance:
A face covering is something which safely covers your mouth and nose. It is not the same as a face mask, such as the surgical masks or respirators used by health and care workers. Face coverings are not the same as the PPE used to manage risks like dust and spray in an industrial context.

Face coverings are not a replacement for the other ways of managing risk. These include:

minimising time spent in contact
using fixed teams and partnering for close-up work
increasing hand and surface washing
These measures remain the best ways of managing risk in the workplace. We would not expect to see employers relying on face coverings as risk management for the purpose of their health and safety assessments.

People may wear a face visor or shield in addition to a face covering but not instead of one. This is because face visors or shields do not adequately cover the nose and mouth, and do not filter airborne particles.

Find more information on when and where to wear face coverings.

People are encouraged to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces, where there are people they do not normally meet.

It is important to use face coverings properly. If you choose to wear one, you should wash your hands before putting them on and before and after taking them off.

Some people don’t have to wear a face covering including for health, age or equality reasons.

You should support your workers in using face coverings safely if they choose to wear one. You should tell them to:

wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting on face coverings. They should also do this before and after removing them avoid touching their faces or face coverings. Otherwise they could contaminate them with germs from their hands
change their face coverings if they become damp or they’ve touched them
continue to wash their hands regularly
change and wash their face coverings daily
if the material is washable, to wash it in line with manufacturer’s instructions. If it’s not washable, to dispose of it carefully in their usual waste
practise social distancing wherever possible
Be aware that face coverings may make it harder to communicate with people who rely on lip reading, facial expressions and clear sound.

7. Workforce management – guidance for employers and agencies

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups

7.1.1 Team working and working groups

Objective: To change the way work is organised to create distinct groups and reduce the number of contacts each worker has.
You will usually need to:
Create fixed teams of workers who carry out their duties in those teams and minimise contact between each team. Do this whenever multiple workers are in a home.
Identify areas where people need to hand things to each other. For example, shared tools and domestic appliances. Find ways to remove direct contact, such as by using drop-off points or transfer zones.
Take into account the particular circumstances of people with different protected characteristics. These include disability, maternity and religion. Consider how they may be impacted by shift patterns and measures to reduce people flow.
Allocate the same worker to the same household each time there is a visit. For example, the same cleaner each time.

7.1.2 Supporting NHS Test and Trace

Objective: To support NHS Test and Trace.

You should assist NHS Test and Trace. Do this by keeping a temporary record of:

all staff working on your premises
staff shift times on a given day
staff contact details

You should keep this data for 21 days and give this data to NHS Test and Trace if they ask for it. Your efforts could help contain clusters or outbreaks.

You should keep this data for 21 days and give this data to NHS Test and Trace if they ask for it. Your efforts could help contain clusters or outbreaks.

Check what data you need to collect and how it should be managed. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/maintaining-records-of-staff-customers-and-visitors-to-support-nhs-test-and-trace

7.1.3 Outbreaks in the workplace

Objective: To provide guidance if there is a COVID-19 outbreak in your workplace.
You will usually need to:
Make sure your risk assessment includes an up-to-date plan in case there is a COVID-19 outbreak. This plan should nominate a single point of contact (SPOC) where possible. The SPOC should lead on contacting local Public Health teams.
Contact your local PHE health protection team if you have had an outbreak and need further guidance. Find your local PHE health protection team. https://www.gov.uk/health-protection-team
If your local PHE health protection team declares an outbreak, you will be asked to: – record details of symptomatic staff – assist with identifying contacts You should therefore ensure all employment records are up to date. You will be provided with information about the outbreak management process. – This will help you to: – implement control measures – assist with communications to staff –reinforce prevention messages

7.2 Work- related travel

7.2.1 Cars,accommodation and visits

Objective: To avoid unnecessary work-related travel and keep workers safe when they do need to travel between homes.
You will usually need to:
Follow the social distancing guidelines outlined in Section 3.1 – ‘Coming to and leaving a home for work’. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes#homes-3-1
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.
Walk or cycle where possible. If that is not possible, you can use public transport or drive. You must wear a face covering when using public transport.
Provide adequate ventilation by switching on ventilation systems that draw in fresh air or opening windows (partially if it’s cold). Avoid sitting face-to-face. For more information on ventilation in vehicles read HSE guidance on ventilation and air conditioning. https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/equipment-and-machinery/air-conditioning-and-ventilation/ventilation-in-vehicles.htm
Where workers are required to stay away from their home, centrally log their stays. Make sure any overnight accommodation meets social distancing guidelines.

7.3 Communications and Training

7.3.1 Returning to Work

Objective: To make sure all workers understand COVID-19 related safety procedures.
You will usually need to:
Communicate clearly, consistently, and regularly. They will improve understanding and consistency of ways of working among your workers.
Engage workers and worker representatives through your normal channels. Do this to explain and agree to any changes in how you work.
Use simple, clear messaging to explain guidelines. Use images and clear language. You should consider people: – who do not have English as their first language – who have protected characteristics, for example, visual impairments

7.3.2 Ongoing communications and signage

Objective: To make sure all workers are kept up to date with how safety measures are being implemented or updated.
You will usually need to:
Engage with workers on an ongoing basis. This includes dealing with trade unions, or employee representative groups. Do this to monitor and understand any unforeseen impacts of changes to working environments.
Be aware of and focus on mental health. Mental health is important, especially during times of uncertainty. The government has published guidance on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of COVID-19. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-aspects-of-coronavirus-covid-19
Use simple, clear messaging to explain guidelines. Use images and clear language. –You should consider people: – who do not have English as their first language –who have protected characteristics, for example, visual impairments
Communicate your approaches and operational procedures to households before work starts to help people adopt them.

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:
Minimise contact during deliveries wherever possible.
Where possible and safe, have single workers load or unload vehicles.
Where possible, use the same pairs of people for loads where more than one is needed.
Minimise contact during delivery. For example, by calling to inform of your arrival rather than ringing the doorbell.
Minimise contact during payments and exchange of documentation. For example, use electronic payment methods and electronically signed and exchanged documents.

9. Tests and vaccinations

It’s important that you continue to put measures in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. These include:  

• maintaining social distancing 
• frequent cleaning 
• good hygiene 
• adequate ventilation 

This is important even if your workers have:

• received a recent negative test result
• had the vaccine (either 1 or 2 doses)

Where you’re providing testing on-site, you should ensure that workplace testing is carried out in a safe manner and in an appropriate setting where control measures are in place to manage the risk of COVID-19 transmission during the testing process. These include: 

• maintaining social distancing 
• frequent cleaning 
• good hygiene 
• adequate ventilation 

You should also ensure that an appropriate setting is available for individuals to wait in while their test is processed.

9.1 Accessing testing

Anyone with coronavirus symptoms can get a free NHS test. https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

If you registered your business for free test kits before 12 April 2021, you can order free rapid lateral flow tests to test employees with no COVID-19 symptoms until 30 June 2021.

If you did not register, you can pay an approved provider to provide tests or run a test site. Read guidance on getting COVID-19 tests for your employees.

Employees who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 can access testing free of charge at home or at a test site. Read [guidance on accessing tests if you do not have symptoms of COVID-19].

Regular testing, alongside control measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, will have a key role to play in the future. Regular testing could help identify more positive cases of COVID-19 in the workplace. Read further guidance on your options for workplace testing https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-guidance-for-employers/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-guidance-for-employers-and-third-party-healthcare-providers or call 119 for more information.

Where to obtain further guidance

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for employers and businesses https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for employees
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/worker-support

Find advice and support from your business representative organisation or trade association. (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-support-from-business-representative-organisations-and-trade-associations)

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UK GOV - Working safely during COVID-19 in other people’s homes (Updated May 17, 2021)

Go digital today!

Convert your paper checklists into digital forms

Introduction

How to use guidance

1. Thinking about risk

How to raise a concern:

1.1 Managing risk

1.2 Sharing the results of your risk assessment

2. Who should go to work

2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk

2.2 People who need to self-isolate

2.3 Equality in the workplace

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

4.1 Providing and explaining available guidance

5.1 Keeping the work area clean

5.2 Hygiene

5.3 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials

6.1 Face coverings

6.2 Face coverings

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups

7.1.1 Team working and working groups

7.1.2 Supporting NHS Test and Trace

7.1.3 Outbreaks in the workplace

7.2 Work- related travel

7.2.1 Cars,accommodation and visits

7.3 Communications and Training

7.3.1 Returning to Work

7.3.2 Ongoing communications and signage

8. Deliveries to the home

9.1 Accessing testing

Related checklists

UK GOV - Working safely during COVID-19 in other people’s homes (Updated May 17, 2021)

Free UK GOV - Working safely during COVID-19 in other people’s homes (Updated May 17, 2021) Checklist

Go digital today!

Convert your paper checklists into digital forms

Introduction

How to use guidance

1. Thinking about risk

How to raise a concern:

1.1 Managing risk

1.2 Sharing the results of your risk assessment

2. Who should go to work

2.1 Protecting people who are at higher risk

2.2 People who need to self-isolate

2.3 Equality in the workplace

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

4.1 Providing and explaining available guidance

5.1 Keeping the work area clean

5.2 Hygiene

5.3 Handling goods, merchandise and other materials

6.1 Face coverings

6.2 Face coverings

7.1 Shift patterns and working groups

7.1.1 Team working and working groups

7.1.2 Supporting NHS Test and Trace

7.1.3 Outbreaks in the workplace

7.2 Work- related travel

7.2.1 Cars,accommodation and visits

7.3 Communications and Training

7.3.1 Returning to Work

7.3.2 Ongoing communications and signage

8. Deliveries to the home

9.1 Accessing testing

Related checklists