BSI publishes UK Safe Working Guidelines
BSI, in its role as the UK’s National Standards Body, has published new safe working guidelines to help businesses manage a safe return to work and reoccupation of their facilities.
The guidelines are intended to become a consensus of good practice and BSI encourages the business community and members of the public to have their say and share their learnings and insight on safe working to help protect public health.
Version 1 of the guidelines is available for immediate use. It provides a framework for business owners, senior leaders, managers and workers to protect people at work from the ongoing risks related to the coronavirus.
Working with an Advisory Group*, BSI will revise the document as frequently as necessary to reflect the dynamic situation businesses are in today, taking into account the comments, government guidance, the level of risk and emerging knowledge. A second Version of the guidelines will be published at the end of June with the revised sections clearly highlighted to assist easy implementation.
Each Version of the evolving guidelines will be sector neutral and aligned to and complement the current UK Government guidance.
The guidelines include examples in relation to workplaces such as:
- Plan one-way systems in corridors, stairways and other common areas and taking other actions to mitigate the risks where this is not possible
- Do implement processes to stagger arrival and departure times to reduce crowding at entry and exit points
- Check how effective safety measures and controls are
- Act to take immediate actions to improve or change safety measures and controls that are not effective
