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Public Health Department
Nottingham City Council
Loxley House
Station Street
NG2 3NG
Tel: 0115 8764091
Re: COVID-19 Secure Workplaces
Dear Business Representative
I am writing to request your support in helping us to reduce the risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission within our communities at this crucial time, by helping to keep yourself and others safe to avoid measures such as local lockdowns.
We understand that these are challenging times, and want to support you to do the above in the best way that we can. You can help to ensure the safety of the workplace by reading all relevant guidance and by undertaking the following measures
Carrying out a risk assessment in line with the HSE guidance
- consulting with your workers or trade unions
- sharing the results of the risk assessment with your workforce and on your website
Increase the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning by:
- encouraging people to follow the guidance on hand washing and hygiene
- providing hand sanitiser around the workplace, in addition to washrooms
- frequently cleaning objects and surfaces that are touched regularly
- setting clear use and cleaning guidance for toilets
Maintain 2m social distancing where possible by:
- putting up signs to remind workers and visitors of social distancing guidance
- avoiding sharing workstations
- using floor tape or paint to mark areas to help people keep to a 2m distance
- arranging one-way traffic through the workplace
Where people cannot be 2m apart, manage transmission risk by:
- 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 whenever possible
- staggering arrival and departure times
- reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’
If your staff have to share a car for essential travel, advise them to follow all the precautions:
- small groups
- same people each time
- use face coverings
- socially distance
- keep ventilated and clean car surfaces
Remind staff not to come to work if they or anyone in their household has symptoms
NHS Test & Trace
- There is a higher risk of transmitting COVID‑19 in premises where customers spend more time together in one place and potentially come into close contact with other people outside their household.
- Please collect full name and contact details of every customer, date of visit, arrival time and, where possible, departure time, ensuring the details are easily accessible and legible.
- For more information, check the guidance which applies to any establishment that provides an on-site service. It does not apply where services are taken offsite immediately (e.g. takeaways).
- You should also keep a temporary record of your staff shift patterns for 21 days.
COVID -19 early outbreak management action cards help fight the virus
These action cards provide instructions to anyone responsible for a business or organisation on what to do in the event of one or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in your organisation.
If you are informed of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in an employee or customer, contact the Health Protection Team for help and advice – 0344 2254524 (option 1) or visit www.gov.uk/health-protection-team
You can keep up to date with all the relevant national guidance by regularly accessing the government coronavirus website.
There is also more local information on the city council website.
I wish to thank you and acknowledge the hard work of our local businesses in making arrangements to keep their staff, customers and communities safe.
These are very challenging times, but I am confident that Nottingham City can get through this if we continue to work together and follow government guidelines.
Yours sincerely
Alison Challenger
Director of Public Health, Nottingham City Council
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