23 June 2020

Returning to the workplace during COVID-19: Occupational health and safety considerations

The gradual relaxation of lockdown measures enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic does not signal a return to ‘business as usual’ for most companies. Instead, they mark a transition to a new way of doing business, by confronting a set of previously unencountered challenges. This includes the pressing need to ensure workers (and customers) are safe in newly re-opened workplaces, and to take further preparations to respond to difficult economic conditions and ongoing uncertainty about the trajectory and consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak. To address this, we have produced two separate, but related, guidance notes to help companies preparing to return to work to address labour-related challenges  and offer guidance on the best approach to ensure occupational health and safety.

This note provides general and sector-specific guidance on COVID-19 hazards and controls. Its purpose is to provide information and advice to employers, employees and others potentially affected by COVID-19, and who may need to implement additional health and safety controls in their workplace. This guidance note should be read alongside our guidance Returning to the workplace during COVID-19: Labour and workforce considerations.