Reopening your premise after COVID lockdown? Read these vital tips

We’re all watching news sites like hawks, waiting for the time when we can fully re-open our premises so trading and business can get back to normal. While we’re doing this, it’s important to get our plans of action in order so we can hit the ground running.

Today, the team from questelectrical.co.uk have gathered a set of important, punchy and practical pointers on how to come back from the COVID lockdown right. Let’s take a look.

Get ready for your reoccupation risk assessment

It’s firstly important you keep in mind the third regulation of the Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations of 1999. In short, these require you to perform adequate risk assessments on your properties.

For these, you’ll need to keep in mind how your staff and contractors enter and navigate your site. You’ll want to appraise how you restart your machinery and equipment, particularly any that has been de-energised for some time during the COVID lockdown.

Hygiene is also important; you’ll want to make sure that you have hand-washing facilities readily available throughout your site so that you can give your employees and visitors the chance to stay clean and safe.

Lastly, you’ll be well served by doing a documented training course of some kind on the reality and practicalities of work and COVID-19. Some of your staff might have been away for some time, making it good for you to provide information to them – and to have evidence that you did.

Deep cleaning is important

To avoid liability issues as a business if you have any health complications in your company and premise after you re-open, it’s important you do deep cleaning. This is a general rule when re-opening, but it’s important now more than ever – and it’s a good way to show your employees that you’re taking their safety seriously once things get back in action.

COVID mainly spreads when someone coughs or breaths out droplets of fluid which is infected. The important thing here? In addition to spreading to people within a meter, droplets can fall onto surfaces nearby to the person. Anyone who touches those surfaces risks getting contaminated with COVID, which can then spread to them by them touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

So, it’s important to both do a deep clean and to document how you did it. It’s also an opportunity to move around machinery and equipment in an effort to minimise hotspots where people may be close to each other and liable to share machinery that’s in close proximity.

Get your wiring inspected

After any period of inactivity, it’s important you have a professional come in to perform electrical testing for your premise. This will help to highlight any areas of your wiring that have fallen into disrepair during your shut-down period.

This will help to protect you, your premise and your staff from any electrical burns, fires or other incidents that can arise from faulty machinery and wiring being used. Better yet, good fixed wire electrical testing invariably brings up a few pointers from the certified tester on how to save money and improve your operation. You’ll cover your compliance requirements, keep your premise and staff safe and might even save a significant amount of money in the long run by adjusting and optimising your wiring and machinery. That’s a great result, we think you’ll agree.

Good luck!

And that’s it – a short set of pointers on getting back into the swing of things after the main COVID lockdown is done. We wish you, your staff and your business the best!