Returning to Work Checklist

Read through our handy guide to reopening the workplace after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Home → Updates → Resources → Returning to Work Checklist

This checklist outlines who should return to the workplace following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and how your organisation can manage this safely, covering building, site and operational safety management.

Scroll down to view our example hazards and control measures, to act as a helpful guide when creating your risk assessments.

Who should return to work?

In advance of anything else, you should determine which workers need to return to the workplace and ensure that you only ask workers to return to work following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic where it is supported by the latest government guidance.

You can find the latest government guidance for businesses here:

England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Building safety management

It’s important that you plan for the safe reoccupation of the workplace and in doing so, give consideration to the following building safety issues in advance of workers returning:

Review any statutory premises safety inspections which may have been missed during closure and plan for them to be carried out, such as gas safety, pressure systems, fire safety systems etc.
Plan for the safe restarting of plant and equipment which may have been isolated or de-energised. Also give consideration to testing of equipment such as diesel generators for backup power.
If water systems have been taken out of use or only partially used for a prolonged period, arrangements should be made for the cleaning, flushing and disinfection of water systems, including shower heads, to reduce the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria.
Ensure all emergency systems are operational, including fire safety and sprinkler systems, and run tests where possible.
Consider the need for a deep clean or sanitisation of the workplace, not forgetting other work spaces such as vans or other vehicles. This will depend on a number of factors such as whether the workplace has been occupied or accessed by anyone during lockdown and the expectations of your workers.
Plan for how workers, including contractors, can safely access the premises and carry out the necessary works (as outlined above) to prepare for reoccupation. Carrying out a risk assessment in consultation with relevant workers will assist with this.

Site safety management

Prior to re-occupation of your premises and irrespective of your business type or the sector in which you operate, there are a number of site safety matters that you should plan for:

Risk assessment(s) should be carried out, in consultation with relevant workers (and trade unions if applicable), to identify the hazards in the workplace from Covid-19, to identify who is at risk and to determine the control measures required to ensure that the guidelines set out by the government can be met and the risk of transmission of the disease is reduced to the lowest level practicable. Risk assessments should focus on control measures relating to social distancing measures and cleaning, hygiene and hand washing facilities and procedures.

Refer to our risk assessment table below for more detailed examples of the types of control measures you might need to consider.

In circumstances where your risk assessment identifies that social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full in relation to a particular activity, you should consider whether that activity must continue in order for your business to operate; if it does, you must take all the necessary mitigating actions you can in order to reduce the risk of transmission.

Based on the outcome of your Covid-19 risk assessment(s), you should also review the existing risk assessments for your business, updating them as required.

Risk assessments must be communicated to all relevant workers, including contractors and visitors. You may wish to consider producing a simple guidance document of ‘golden rules’ for ease of reference for workers and to keep the important messages clear and simple.

Further to the control measures identified in your risk assessment(s), additional site safety matters to consider include:

Consider any routine safety inspections or servicing which may have been missed and which will need to be completed before work re-starts such as scaffolding inspections, excavations on constructions sites and vehicle or equipment inspections.
Consider whether any existing safety rules might need to change such as mandatory use of handrails and 2-person manual handling activities.
Obtain risk assessments (and methods statements or safe systems or work as required) from contractors prior to any works commencing, ensuring that they have considered safety measures relating to Covid-19 and that they are compatible with any Covid-19 safety measures you have put in place or which you are planning to put in place.
Maintain access to adequate welfare facilities for workers.
Review and update your induction processes and / or site rules for visitors and contractors coming to site to include all of the necessary control measures or rules identified in your risk assessment(s).
Review your planned emergency arrangements and consider whether they need updating in light of any changes to workplace access or working practices. Alongside this, review whether you have adequate coverage of first aiders, fire wardens / marshals etc.
Consider and plan for any necessary training and supervision for workers, including situations where work tasks may need to be carried out by different personnel.

Operational safety management

Once workers have returned to the workplace, it is important to remember to:

Communicate risk assessments and all other changes to health and safety arrangements to all relevant workers.
Carry out any necessary training.
Monitor the success or otherwise of the control measures that have been put in place, amending them as required in consultation with workers (and trade unions where applicable).
Monitor compliance with the control measures put in place and address any concerns.
Monitor any updates or changes in government guidance and plan resources to be able to respond in a timely manner.
Review and update your risk assessments and working practices as required, based on the outcome of your monitoring and testing activities, ensuring all changes are communicated to relevant workers.
Test any new or changed emergency arrangements.
Display and maintain safety signage, particularly those relating to social distancing and hand washing / sanitisation.
Maintain regular communication with workers, not forgetting those working at home.
Think about the health and wellbeing of your staff and consider the ways in which you can support them through these uncertain times.

LUS has a great Risk Assessment Tool that can make creating and sharing risk assessments a breeze.

Example Risk Assessment Table

EXAMPLE activity	EXAMPLE hazard	EXAMPLE control measures
Office staff sharing a workspace / hot desking.	Transmission and / or contraction of Covid-19 through touching contaminated surfaces, equipment or materials and then touching eyes, nose or mouth, leading to one or more of the following: temperature, continuous cough and / or loss or change to sense of smell or taste; severe respiratory illness; death.	‘Staff bubbles’ have been created for each hot desk / shared workspace, each bubble with a maximum of 3 staff. Each desk or workspace to be used only by the designated ‘staff bubble’. The names of the staff in each ‘bubble’ will be visibly displayed on each hot desk / shared workspace. Staff should ensure that they have washed and sanitised their hand prior to starting work at the hot desk / shared workspace. Hand sanitiser is provided at each hot desk / workspace, with a designated person responsible for replenishing supplies. Hand washing signs are visibly displayed in prominent locations, including welfare facilities and restrooms. Staff should ensure that when they have finished using the hot desk / shared workspace, they thoroughly wipe down the work surface and all shared equipment and materials used with disinfectant wipes. Disinfectant wipes are provided at each hot desk / workspace, with a designated person responsible for replenishing supplies. Used disinfectant wipes should be disposed of in the designated waste receptacle provided. All office staff to attend a short toolbox talk explaining the required control measures. Adherence to the required control measures is monitored. Cleaning frequency has been increased to daily cleaning of all hot desks / shared work areas.
Employees sharing welfare facilities including canteen, kitchen, eating areas, and restrooms.	Transmission and / or contraction of Covid-19 through: person to person contact; a contaminated person coughing or exhaling; touching contaminated surfaces and then touching eyes, nose or mouth; leading to one or more of the following: temperature continuous cough and / or loss or change to sense of smell or taste; severe respiratory illness; death.	Staff canteen has been closed. This will be monitored based on changes or updates to current government guidance. Social distancing, in line with current government guidance, must be maintained at all times when using shared welfare facilities: a new layout has been implemented in the dining / eating area; a one-way system has been introduced in the kitchen facilities; floor markers have been put down in areas where it is practically possible to do so; access to all shared welfare facilities is limited to specific staff numbers; these limits are clearly displayed on all entrances. Staff are encouraged to follow the hand washing guidance when using shared welfare facilities. Hand washing signs are visibly displayed in all shared welfare facilities. Staff are required to clean down and wash any shared equipment or surfaces used, such as kitchen worktops and cutlery. Staff must use their own drinking mugs, glasses etc.; these should not be shared. All office staff to attend a short toolbox talk explaining the required control measures. Adherence to the required control measures is monitored.
Contractors attending site to carry out work.	Transmission and / or contraction of Covid-19 through: person to person contact; a contaminated person coughing or exhaling; touching contaminated surfaces, equipment or materials and then touching eyes, nose or mouth; leading to one or more of the following: temperature continuous cough and / or loss or change to sense of smell or taste; severe respiratory illness; death.	Covid-19 secure risk assessments to be obtained from contractor prior to contractor attending site. Contractor Covid-19 secure risk assessment(s) to be reviewed to ensure compatibility with company Covid-19 secure requirements. Contractor induction process and documents updated to include communication of relevant Covid-19 control measures in place. All relevant Covid-19 secure documents to be provided to contractor as requested. Contractors to be monitored to ensure adherence to the required control measures.
Face to face appointments with members of the public.	Transmission and / or contraction of Covid-19 through person to person contact and / or a contaminated person coughing or exhaling, leading to one or more of the following: temperature, continuous cough and / or loss or change to sense of smell or taste; severe respiratory illness; death.	Designated area(s) of the building to be used for meeting with members of the public. These area(s) to be arranged and laid out to support and meet current social distancing guidelines. Floor markers are in place to support this. Meetings to be held by appointment only. On arrival, member of the public to confirm they are not symptomatic or have not been instructed to self-isolate before meeting can take place. Covid-19 secure control measures to be clearly explained to members of the public on arrival and in particular, the requirement to main social distancing at all times. Members of the public to be supervised at all times. Members of the public to use the hand sanitiser provided on entering and exiting the building. Members of the public to wear the disposable face mask provided on entering the building and dispose of in the designated waste bin when exiting the building. Staff members to wear disposable face masks during meetings with members of the public. Staff members to thoroughly wash hands after every meeting and wipe down any work surfaces used with the disinfectant wipes provided. Used disinfectant wipes to be disposed of in the designated waste bin provided. Designated toilet facilities provided for visitors. Signage prominently displayed in the building reminding staff and visitors of social distancing and hygiene requirements.
Working on a production line or within a manufacturing facility.	Transmission and / or contraction of Covid-19 through: person to person contact; a contaminated person coughing or exhaling; touching contaminated surfaces, equipment or materials and then touching eyes, nose or mouth; leading to one or more of the following: temperature continuous cough and / or loss or change to sense of smell or taste; severe respiratory illness; death.	To support current social distancing guidelines: a one-way system for movement of people throughout the operational work area is in place. floor markers have been put down, where practically possible, to support employees to maintain social distancing. where possible, all employees to have their own designated work area and designated tools / equipment. designated work areas together with any shared equipment and tools to be cleaned down using disinfectant wipes / cleaning materials supplied after every work shift. Used cleaning materials to be disposed of in designated waste bins. social distancing signage to be prominently displayed in all operational work areas. For work activities involving 2 or more persons and where social distancing guidelines cannot be met, the following PPE must be worn: personal use eye wear; disposable face mask; disposable gloves; outer disposable full body suit. All relevant staff to be trained on how to put on, remove, dispose of and store PPE. Employees to be encouraged to maintain personal hygiene and regularly wash their hands. Hand washing signage is prominently displayed. Hand sanitiser provided for employee use throughout the work area. All employees to attend a short toolbox talk explaining the required Covid-19 control measures. Changes to control measures are communicated to employees through updated toolbox talks. Adherence to the required control measures is monitored. Employees are encouraged to report any concerns or opportunities for improvement relating to the Covid-19 secure control measures in place.
2 or more persons sharing a work vehicle.	Transmission and / or contraction of Covid-19 through person to person contact and / or a contaminated person coughing or exhaling, leading to one or more of the following: temperature, continuous cough and / or loss or change to sense of smell or taste; severe respiratory illness; death.	Employees to wash and sanitise hands before entering work vehicle. Face masks to be worn at all times when in the vehicle with another person(s). Middle seat of the cab to remain unoccupied, when possible, to support social distancing. Vehicle to be cleaned and sanitised at the beginning and end of each working day / shift. All employees designated to a fixed team; only fixed teams to share a vehicle. Employees to ensure the vehicle is well ventilated at all times, weather conditions permitting. Employees to maintain high levels of personal hygiene, particularly with respect to hand washing. All employees to attend a short toolbox talk explaining the required Covid-19 control measures. Changes to control measures are communicated to employees through updated toolbox talks. Hand sanitiser and spare disposable face masks to be retained in the vehicle.