NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
LEGAL VIEW - WORKPLACE
6 JUNE 2020
SKILLS OF 60,000 WORKPLACE
FIRST AIDERS ARE OUT OF DATE
More than 60,000 of the country’s workplace first aiders will have missed
essential re-qualification courses during the COVID-19 lockdown, according
to St John Ambulance, which is urging business and public sector leaders to
include first aid training in their plans for returning to work.
The health and first aid charity, which usually trains 250,000 workplace
first aiders each year, has responded to the crisis by o ering free online
refreshers during the furlough period and by introducing socially distanced
and safe face-to-face courses from June.
According to the charity, the lockdown and requirements for return to the
workplace have le organisations and their workers vulnerable on first aid
provision in the following ways:
61,000 first aiders will have been due to re-qualify between April and
September 30th, a period in which the Government extended the deadline
for re-qualification. This means many first aiders expected to provide first aid
in workplaces when they reopen will not have had their skills refreshed or
assessed in over three years.
The shi patterns recommended to enable social distancing in workplaces
mean more first aiders in total will be required.
First aiders need training in new or changed skills due to COVID-19. For
example, there is renewed guidance on carrying out primary surveys and
resuscitation.
First aiders at early learning settings and primary schools covering more year
groups than usual are likely to need upskilling to ensure their knowledge
covers both infant and child first aid.
Plans are now underway to introduce blended learning soon, where half of
the first aid course would be completed online and the other half socially
distanced and safe.
St John Ambulance is also to run a series of free webinars on mental health
first aid in June to replace its regional conferences on the subject and has
created two new online mental health modules free of charge.
GOVERNMENT JOINS WHO AND CDC
IN CONFIRMING SAFE USE OF HAND
DRYERS DURING PANDEMIC
The UK government has joined global health experts, including the
World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), in approving the use of hand dryers throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic. This follows a campaign from the hand drying industry
requesting government to update its o icial guidelines.
The government’s ‘Working safely during
Coronavirus’ guidance was released in early
May to ensure workplaces are as safe as
possible. The information now states that, to
help everyone keep good hygiene throughout
the working day, businesses should provide
hand drying facilities in the form of either paper
towels or electrical dryers.
The guidelines previously only cited paper
towels but, following an appeal from numerous industry organisations, including
Airdri, for the use of hand dryers to be considered, the latest version now follows
the same advice as the WHO and CDC. Last month, following speculation
around the potential for hand dryers to spread COVID-19, Airdri commissioned a
leading independent microbiologist to look at such claims. Dr. Webber’s findings
confirmed that the use of hand dryers in the washroom does not contribute to
the spread of the novel coronavirus, concluding that both paper towels and warm
air hand dryers o er a hygienic way to dry hands.
ADAPTING SHIFT PATTERNS IN
RESPONSE TO COVID-19
By Robert Crossman, Director of shift work
consultancy and workforce management software
provider Working Time Solutions
The section on shift patterns within the Government’s ‘Working
safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance was thin to say the
least. This is a complex area of resource planning that requires FM
providers to consider a huge number of operational and personnel
factors. Given the diversity of the sector and persistent uncertainty,
each organisation will need to create tailored shift patterns that
can deal with volatility in labour demand and supply and remain
in-line with evolving restrictions. While every solution will be
diff erent, there are several common considerations.
DEMAND AND SUPPLY
Understanding ‘true’ demand will help identify what shift working
measures can be feasibly introduced. The wide-ranging impact
of COVID-19 requires a fresh look at what makes up demand and
a willingness to challenge the ‘old normal’. How is it changing?
What should be deemed critical and what can be re-organised
without compromising safety, service levels and productivity?
This modelling should extend to mapping minimal staffi ng
levels, skills for key tasks and scenario planning variable demand
levels. A clear picture will provide a baseline from which to
understand how social distancing, enhanced hygiene protocols and
additional workforce resilience requirements can be factored into
shift patterns without seriously impairing service delivery and
budgets.
To align demand with labour supply it’s also important to
understand the workforce’s ‘true’ availability once restrictions are
factored in. Accurately calculating the hours people have worked
and will work over any given period is key to maintaining capacity
and appropriate levels of cover. It’s also vital to identify what
potential impact any illness or self-isolation could have on the
availability of certain roles, key skills or interdependencies.
This will ensure new shift patterns factor in an appropriate level
of resilience and fl exibility around skills and supervision that will
support operations should there be an outbreak of COVID-19 in
your workforce.
DESIGNING & MANAGING SHIFT PATTERNS
Even when you overlay your specifi c demand and supply factors,
there is still an almost limitless range of shift pattern options
available. These range from fairly simple adjustments, such as
staggering start and fi nish times, through to a signifi cant restructuring
of working time. There will be requirements for some
organisations to extend their operating window due to challenges
specifi c to COVID-19, such as social distancing, which impact
capacity to deliver.
Demand can be covered by less people by splitting down
‘traditional’ structures, creating smaller teams whose shifts run
across an extended operating window and therefore a longer cycle
that factors in additional hours required within the day and week.
It’s important to consider employee preferences and restrictions, as
well as operational constraints when designing specifi c solutions.
Creativity is also key. If demand is down, instead of moving
from three teams down to two, a 2.5 team structure might provide
the fl exibility required to maintain capacity. Similarly, rostered
holidays may be an optimal approach to smooth the labour
provision.
You must consider what options are ruled in or out by existing
employment contracts and ensure employees are engaged around
the rationale, nature and impact of any changes.
It is also vital to closely manage any new shift patterns. This
means maintaining an up-to-date view of demand, cover
requirements and labour availability as well as accurate working
time records for planning and compliance purposes.
It’s a challenging ask, but ultimately shift work must be managed
eff ectively during the crisis and beyond to ensure the health and
wellbeing of employees is protected, service levels are maintained
and that shift patterns remain optimised and responsive to change.