Covid and Work, Covid Advice and General Chat

London36_

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I’ve written about this under Type 1 and Teacher post below and I’d really appreciate any advice or examples of a risk assessment for a secondary T1 teacher. (I was shielding and I know NEU advise work from home for this category. ) we will be asked to do extra lunch duties and I don’t think I can handle more contact with extra students! I’ve not asked but I’m wearing visor AND mask and will ask for this to be put on my risk assessment etc whenever I get it...back on Tuesday
 

ert

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My school isn't doing individual risk assessments. :(
 

Max68

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I’ve written about this under Type 1 and Teacher post below and I’d really appreciate any advice or examples of a risk assessment for a secondary T1 teacher. (I was shielding and I know NEU advise work from home for this category. ) we will be asked to do extra lunch duties and I don’t think I can handle more contact with extra students! I’ve not asked but I’m wearing visor AND mask and will ask for this to be put on my risk assessment etc whenever I get it...back on Tuesday

I'll let you know what comes back in my risk assessment. I've never had one before so don't know what they look like but I'll keep you up to speed.

Re extra lunch duties I'm not sure but maybe you could request playground duties outside rather than lunch halls?
 

Max68

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My school isn't doing individual risk assessments. :(

Think they are legally bound to. This is on my Unions website.

"By law, every employer must conduct risk assessments on the work their employees do.  If the company or organisation employs more than five employees, then the results should be recorded with details of any groups of employees particularly at risk such as older, younger, pregnant or disabled employees."
 
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Max68

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Well I visited a restaurant today. Ex called and asked if I fancied lunch or dinner and the weather wasn't good for outside so went inside. One way in, another way out. Hardly anyone there so it wasn't too bad. Only problem was I had a new debit card so you have to punch the number in first time but washed hands afterwards.

Wouldn't have even thought about it last week but the fact that I am back at work Thursday made me think may as well try and do small things to get used to how life will be like. To be honest this could be around for a while and if I am going to get it the likelihood is it will be at school so is a quiet restaurant going to be any major risk in comparison?!

Think I've just accepted now that the chances are I'll get it at some point unless down here in Sussex it's not as bad as other places. The council printed this today so not sure how good or bad we are here!

Dear residents and partners,

The number of cases across the county has been increasing over the past few weeks. In the 14 day period of 10 to 23 August 88 people across the county tested positive, compared to 51 people in the period 4 to 17 August.

table-for-govdelivery_original.png

The overall rate per 100,000 population across the county remains below the England rate.

  • Over a 7-day period (to 23 August) the West Sussex rate was 6.4 cases per 100,000 compared with a rate of 10.5 per 100,000 across England overall.
  • Over a 14-day period (to August 23) the West Sussex rate was 10.2 cases per 100,000 compared with 22.5 per 100,000 across England overall
 

DCUKMod

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As I understand things, the employee does not have to be present during the risk assessment process.
 

bulkbiker

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I'll get it at some point unless down here in Sussex

Last time I looked there had been under 3,000 "cases" from a population of 860,000 in West Sussex so about 0.35 of the population have tested positive. Where I live in Worthing the figures look like this
Screenshot 2020-08-28 at 23.17.57.png

You'll have to make a real effort to find anyone with it to infect you!
From here
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274
 
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Tannith

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Home working works well for employees with space and facilities at home. Working at the dining room table for 8 hours a day on a chair which was design to sit on for 30 minutes at a time with poor lighting, kids/dogs/ partners running around and then having to clear up at the end of each day so you have space to eat whilst not socialising with your colleagues or getting your daily walk to the office is does not work well for lots of people.
I appreciate not everyone experiences this scenario but those who had not planned to work from home when the bought and furnished their house or those who consider socialising a key reason why they leave the house every day, ... are not finding working from home works for them.
Of course people who don't like working from home should be allowed back to the office, and the employers should put up screens/arrange rotas etc to make the office safe for them. But for those who are able, and prefer working from home it is an excellent way to help the wider community by keeping public transport clearer for those who really need it, and keeping their own businesses working and producing which helps the economy.
 

Max68

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London36_

Well-Known Member
Messages
132
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I'll let you know what comes back in my risk assessment. I've never had one before so don't know what they look like but I'll keep you up to speed.

Re extra lunch duties I'm not sure but maybe you could request playground duties outside rather than lunch halls?

Good thinking.
 

Jbicheno

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115
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Diet only
I was promised a risk assessment by my head on Wednesday. This was after she had assessed me as low risk-so no more risk than a healthy 30 year old (I’m 59, 60 in Feb). I contacted my union, they said moderate risk according to NHS guidelines. I emailed my GP who emailed back in moderate risk. I emailed this to my head who promised my own risk assessment on Wednesday. As yet, this has not been received. I return to school with children on Wednesday.
 

Max68

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751
I was promised a risk assessment by my head on Wednesday. This was after she had assessed me as low risk-so no more risk than a healthy 30 year old (I’m 59, 60 in Feb). I contacted my union, they said moderate risk according to NHS guidelines. I emailed my GP who emailed back in moderate risk. I emailed this to my head who promised my own risk assessment on Wednesday. As yet, this has not been received. I return to school with children on Wednesday.

I'm starting to hear this a lot sadly. Same with me, both Union and GP say under their breath that you should be working from home, blah, blah, blah, but then just say they have to go by government guidelines, which of course if anyone reads the news have been flawed to say the least, and that's putting it politely!

Part of me wants to write letters to GP, Government and Union etc to be posted retrospectively saying basically "I told you so" but at then end of the day who really cares bar ourselves?! It really seems to be a case now of, (if I can ridiculously quote Spock from Star Trek to add a touch of black humour!) "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one!" Although I picture Boris as a rather unlikeable Romulan or Klingon instead of Captain Kirk rushing to the rescue!

What I find baffling is that all this could have been quite easily avoided. With many people not even wanting to be in lockdown and plenty not even believing in this virus why did the government furlough everyone they did? Surely a targeted furlough of the at most risk would have made more sense and those who wanted "everything to be normal" could have carried on if they wished to. Then the government may have got their "herd immunity" without risking the vulnerable and would have have been able to continue furlough for longer. Wouldn't have helped those of us not on furlough mind!!

They say you should learn from your mistakes but I'm not seeing anyone learning from the 1918/19 Spanish Flu. Second wave was worse than the first and Boris seems to be approaching winter in the same way that General Custer approached Little Big Horn!
 
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bulkbiker

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I'm useless with figures. Is that a lot of deaths to ratio of cases?
Yes very high.. (odd that you focussed on that part) until you consider that Worthing is the 8th oldest town in the UK by average age and has a large number of care homes.
According to our neighbour who works in Senior Care social services at least half of the care homes were infected and some lost pretty significant parts of their residents so...
 

Max68

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751
Yes very high.. (odd that you focussed on that part) until you consider that Worthing is the 8th oldest town in the UK by average age and has a large number of care homes.
According to our neighbour who works in Senior Care social services at least half of the care homes were infected and some lost pretty significant parts of their residents so...

Dreadful re care homes,. Was speaking to my mum's care home staff and they said they were just contacted by (not sure who) back at the start and if they had spare beds just had to take hospital patients. Not quite sure how they have avoided cases so far. Got lucky where many other homes didn't I suspect.
 

JRT

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I'm starting to hear this a lot sadly. Same with me, both Union and GP say under their breath that you should be working from home, blah, blah, blah, but then just say they have to go by government guidelines, which of course if anyone reads the news have been flawed to say the least, and that's putting it politely!

Part of me wants to write letters to GP, Government and Union etc to be posted retrospectively saying basically "I told you so" but at then end of the day who really cares bar ourselves?! It really seems to be a case now of, (if I can ridiculously quote Spock from Star Trek to add a touch of black humour!) "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one!" Although I picture Boris as a rather unlikeable Romulan or Klingon instead of Captain Kirk rushing to the rescue!

What I find baffling is that all this could have been quite easily avoided. With many people not even wanting to be in lockdown and plenty not even believing in this virus why did the government furlough everyone they did? Surely a targeted furlough of the at most risk would have made more sense and those who wanted "everything to be normal" could have carried on if they wished to. Then the government may have got their "herd immunity" without risking the vulnerable and would have have been able to continue furlough for longer. Wouldn't have helped those of us not on furlough mind!!

They say you should learn from your mistakes but I'm not seeing anyone learning from the 1918/19 Spanish Flu. Second wave was worse than the first and Boris seems to be approaching winter in the same way that General Custer approached Little Big Horn!
Independent Sage were interesting yesterday. In a nutshell it all comes down to the difference between should and will! The government have only said employers should make workplaces covid safe. There are no legal requirements to do so or any legislation to ensure a workplace must be inspected and declared safe before opening. If it is unsafe you can contact the decimated HSE but by the time they can do anything,well..
So the government have totally left it up to employers. A month on with no solid basis other than the belief employers will do the right thing they are declaring returning to work IS safe. It's so ridiculous it's almost funny.
Yes,the risk assessment issue is scarily common despite evidence to the contrary we seem to have turned into low risk superheroes!
Of course it's only a small proportion of the workforce in a specific role. We do seem to have very little real protection,well other than just luck. Maybe you would be just as well adorning your visor with lucky rabbits feet/ four leaf clovers Max. ! I've long suspected the Unions can do very little ,there are only vague guidelines with only current H&S legislation to help them. This may change in future but that doesnt help now.
Certainly the general mood seems to be that everything is safe. Like you I live in an area which has relatively low cases,although its rising. I spoke to a friend yesterday who is vulnerable in that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had radiotherapy at the beginning of the year. Her partner is a diabetic bus driver with a heart problem. Hes back driving buses. She helps out at a friends indoor market stall,gets there by bus,and is cleaning the toilets there. Her daughter who works in a shop lives with them. Her son lives between their house and his girlfriends. In September shes going to open her own cafe in indoor market. She never watches/ listens/ reads the news and will wear a mask when needed but other than that is remarkably relaxed. Shes still alive! Maybe it's just sheer luck,shes in her 50s but slim and active.
I dont know if anyone else saw it but there was an article in the Guardian revealing that care homes dont have to disclose to relatives their Covid history. The reason for this is so that care homes dont suffer financially and close. Its fully backed by CQC. Of course if the winter does have the predicted second wave and care homes are closing as 1)an awful lot of their residents died and 2) for some strange reason those who were thinking of using there services now think it may not be safe, where will the government discharge all those NHS bed blockers.?
I would have thought a better idea would have been transparency. Yes we did have a problem but this is how we have ensured it wont happen again. Unless of course that hasn't,or cant be shown.
I also had an email from my local council today. It stated childeren WILL return to school.
Also day centres will be reopening, with suitable risk assessments of course! I'm pleased for the service users and their carers who must have been under intolerable strain.
Day Centres are rather like schools. Viruses are rife,hundreds of potential contacts,poor ventilation, difficult to socially distance.
They are also extremely expensive to run and those expenses increase when closed.
Maybe its safer than we think. I certainly think those that feel it isnt stand as much chance as King Canute in trying to stem the overwhelming tide of those that rightly or wrongly disagree. Survival of the fittest indeed.
 

Andydragon

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Well all the news recently is about them wanting us back in the office to fix the high streets. I don’t know about anyone else but even if I’m back in the office, I’m not about to start eating In Pret or high street shops.

apparently not working on site means we will be at higher risk of redundancy. Ignore the fact that offices just cannot handle the full workforce back. On my site, a floor of 130 can have a maximum of 50 at a time in order to keep a reasonable distance. Plus they are selling this new flexibility as a reason to work there!

cheaper, healthier to take my own food and frankly keeping my distance from people unless I have to and takeaways are not where distance is kept as the shops are too small
 
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KK123

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My school isn't doing individual risk assessments. :(

Hi ert, it's easy to say get them to do it I know but they have NO choice, firstly they would have to under the disability act (you should already have one that can be amended to incorporate this) and secondly read the govt's OWN instructions/guidelines to Employers which also say so and if it's not done there is redress. I am due a personal risk assessment and I am not going back to any sort of 'normality' until I get an updated one. I'm not a person to go sick willy nilly but anyone who does feel they are at risk, are not getting a personal risk assessment thus leaving them anxious to go in, DO have the legislation/law on their side. x
 
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ert

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Sending vulnerable and extremely vulnerable teachers back to the classroom, with a two-metre distancing rule from the front of the class at my school, reminds me of the saga of the flimsy snatch landrover, designed for low-threat areas but deployed to the frontline Iraq and Afganistan.
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/new...q-while-travelling-snatch-land-rovers-1771192
We will also be properly equipped and resourced with that 2-metre rule.
https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/covid-19-evidence-is-lacking-for-2-meter-distancing/
 
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Max68

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Agree with all of the above. Find it irritating how there seems to be a piece in the news about Boris declaring this is safe and that is safe every day, when absolutely no-one can guarantee a safe work place in a pandemic, or even outside a pandemic to be fair but that's another discussion! Less risky maybe, as safe as we can make it possibly, but "safe" - no!

Also disgusted about his alleged recent comments basically saying you may end up with no job if you don't go back into the office as you will be the first to be sacked. Where does this guy get off?! Honestly - bullying, bribery, threats, the whole governmental charade of wanting to keep people safe is being well and truly pulled to the floor. It's like when Dorothy pulls the curtain back on The Wizard and shows him for exactly what he is! Pure and simple bullying of tax payers just to get the economy going because according to the Tories it's ok to get ill and die right now because the NHS can cope!

I hope I'm around to see an Independent Enquiry on all the avoidable deaths when this is all over, if there is one at all. Although I am sure the Government will hide behind the excuse of "we were just following the medical advice of the time". Not too far off the excuse of "I was only following orders" in 1945!!