COVID-19: Further Guidance for Employees
As we await notification of what level East Dunbartonshire will be placed in in the new Scottish Government five tier framework for continuing to manage coronavirus (Covid-19), we felt it would be timely to remind all employees of the measures we must all follow to keep our workplace safe and to help bring infection rates down.
Accessing Broomhill Depot
In light of the recent Scottish Government Guidance on face coverings in workplaces and that employees should continue to work from home where they can, new arrangements have been put in place for accessing Broomhill Offices from this week (Monday 26 October).
It is important to note that if you have the ability to work from home, you must receive approval in advance from your line manager to enter Broomhill.
If Broomhill is your usual workplace and you have permission to attend, you will have been briefed by your line manager on the protocols in place and you should be following these new arrangements. They are published in the Covid-19 Returning Services section of the Employee Zone on the website.
To confirm, all employees attending Broomhill must enter from the rear door, accessed from the car park to the rear of the building. The front door entrance is for the Emergency Response Centre and deliveries only. The front door must not be opened to employees who have forgotten the new arrangements, they must be redirected to the rear entrance.
Please ensure that you follow these new arrangements, entering the building and signing in through the rear door only to meet our health and safety and risk assessment requirements for the safe operation of the building.
In addition to the stop and consider if you have symptoms signage, there are also signs asking you to ensure you have permission to attend. Please ensure you are following all requirements before attending Broomhill and if in doubt, discuss with your line manager.
There are specific arrangements for each Council workplace and we will ensure all employees are aware of the arrangements for their current workplace.
Symptoms
NHS Inform includes a Guide to Covid-19 Symptoms, and confirms that Symptoms are:
- A new continuous cough;
- A high temperature or fever
- A change in sense of smell or taste
If you or anyone in your household has these symptoms you must not attend your workplace to prevent the spread of infection. There are signs at the entrances to all our buildings and facilities asking everyone to STOP and to only enter if you are sure you do not have Covid-19 symptoms. Please consider these signs every time you enter.
Isolation
If you or anyone in your household has symptoms of Covid-19, the whole household must isolate. This is in line with current Scottish Government guidance.
The person with symptoms should book a Covid-19 test and the household must follow the Test & Protect guidance in relation to isolation, appropriate to the test result. There is Guidance for Households with Covid-19 infection on the NHS Inform website.
Contact Tracing
If a person in the workplace (or a member of their household) has tested positive for Covid-19, the Council undertakes a risk assessment to identify anyone who has been in contact within the 48 hours prior to the person (or member of their household) having symptoms or the date of their test, whichever is the earliest. A contact is anyone who has been:
- within 1m and face to face with the person for any length of time
- within 1m for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact
- within 1-2m of the person for any more than 15 minutes cumulatively.
All close contacts are required to isolate from the time of contact (or positive test date) for 14 days. To prevent the spread of Covid-19 and keep our workforce safe, as stressed above, it is essential that you isolate immediately if you (or a member of your household) has symptoms.
Five Tier Framework for Covid-19 Management
The Scottish Government published its Framework to suppress coronavirus (Covid-19) including details of what the levels mean, on their website last week. Once the level that East Dunbartonshire will be placed in is finalised and confirmed later this week, we will outline any changes in measures or new measures that may bring for this area in a further Employee News.
In the meantime please follow the national guidance and our workplace guidance and stay safe.
Thank you
Ann Davie
Depute Chief Executive – Education, People & Business