COVID-19

During this unprecedented period, we expect to continue servicing our customers as usual and you should continue to contact us in the usual way. If you experience any problems with the telephone network, you can email us on ansvarclaims@ansvar.co.uk and we will respond to you as soon as we can.

FCA Test Case ruling

The High Court Judgment published on 15th September 2020 stated that losses arising from the Covid-19 pandemic are not covered by Ecclesiastical’s Business Interruption policies and therefore we are not required to pay claims on those policies. Please click here for our full statement.

• deciding if you are able to re-open your premises and if staff are able to travel to them
• working with those you may have appointed to help you review your arrangements and precautions
• reviewing your risk assessments if you need to complete these to identify any additional precautions you need to take
• consulting with your staff on managing the risk from COVID-19 and any precautions to be taken
• making every reasonable effort for staff to work from home whilst ensuring their safety
• protecting those who are clinically vulnerable (or shielding someone who is) or extremely vulnerable and self-isolating
• implementing adequate precautions in-line with the COVID-19 Secure guidance or other trusted sources
• checking that your first-aid arrangements and facilities are adequate
• providing any necessary training or information for staff to make sure they know how to work safely
• checking periodically that your precautions remain effective and adequate.

• If your premises have been shut for some time, you will want to check that they remain in good condition.  This will include making sure that utilities, heating and water systems, work and emergency equipment (such as, fire-fighting or fire detection equipment) remains safe.  This includes any statutory inspections that might be required.   You may also want to check footpaths and that there are no accumulations of waste that could present an additional hazard.
• In starting up any equipment, such as heating, you should make sure that this is done safely following any necessary procedures.
• You may need to carry out additional cleaning, making sure that those involved in this are kept safe.  After that, you will need to decide how frequently this is done and allow enough time for this.  Specific guidance is available here along with the guidance on waste disposal.  For some places of worship the guidance on cleaning historic surfaces prepared by Historic England may also be useful.
• You will need to implement suitable precautions to: 

• Depending on the precautions you have taken or if you intend to use a different building or space for worship, you may need to revise or complete a fire risk assessment.
• If you are an employer, you may need to introduce arrangements to support the NHS Test and Trace service.  Further guidance is available here.
• Even if you are not an employer, you will need to keep accurate records of those attending your premises.  Further guidance about what is required is available here.  A template for collecting consent and contact details is provided in the guidance (see Annex B).
• You may need to allow for the wearing of face coverings where this is mandatory.
• In some cases, you may also have to consider any changes to protective security as a result of any precautions you have taken.  The guidance provides detailed information on this as well as signposting useful resources.
• You will want to carry out periodic checks from time to time to make sure that the precautions you have taken remain effective and adequate.  This may include simple inspections to check that premises remain clean or any equipment is safe.
• You may need to report an outbreak of COVID-19.  Specific guidance sets out how to recognise an outbreak, report it and understand what measure the local health protection teams may advise in order to contain it.  The guidance also provides an action card for places of worship that you can download to display or refer to.

• Whilst most workplaces are allowed to open, it may still be worth checking that you can do this legally.  Further information is available here, including any separate guidance issued by Devolved Administrations.
• If you have appointed someone to help you with your health and safety obligations, work with them to review your arrangements and precautions to make sure they are adequate in the light of the guidance issued.  This should reflect any responsibilities you may have under health and safety law, along with any commitments you have made in your health and safety policy if you have prepared one.
• If you need to complete risk assessments to meet your responsibilities under health and safety law, you must review these.  This is to make sure that they are valid and have identified any additional precautions you need to take to deal with the risk of COVID-19.  In some cases you may choose to complete a specific risk assessment.  You should use the guidance or other trusted information to inform your decisions about the adequacy of your existing precautions and others that might be necessary.  The guidance sets out useful checklists relating to specific precautions that might be appropriate for certain workplaces.  A sample risk assessment is available here.  You should pay particular attention to protecting those who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and may be at work.  Once complete, you should share the results of your risk assessment with your staff.  You should also consider publishing it on your website if you have one.  There is an expectation that all employers having more than 50 workers will do this.  A formal notice is available that you should display to show you have followed the guidance.
• You may need to review other, more specific risk assessments that you have made to comply with legal obligations.  An example would be your fire risk assessment.  This would be in the light of any changes you have made to your premises, its layout or work activities that may have a bearing on them.  
• You must make sure that your staff are appropriately consulted on managing the risk from COVID-19, including any precautions to be taken.  This may be through established channels you have already set up, including those required to meet any legal obligations you may have.  Further guidance on consulting and involving your staff is available here.  There is also a free leaflet available about talking to your workers during the coronavirus outbreak.
• As part of your risk assessment and staff consultation, you should determine who can come into your workplace safely.  This will take account of staff journeys, caring responsibilities, protected characteristics, and other individual circumstances.  Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.  You should also consider the impact of your premises reopening on local transport, implementing appropriate precautions where necessary (e.g. staggered start and finish times for staff).  Working from home still remains one option to prevent the risk of virus transmission, although ensuring premises are COVID-Secure will also do this. You will need to treat staff equally and not discriminate against them.  You will also have particular responsibilities towards disabled workers and new or expectant mothers.
• Where staff continue to work from home, you will need to provide any necessary equipment, keep in touch with them and monitor their wellbeing.  Further information on how to protect those working from home is available here.
• Where staff are using public transport to return to your workplace, it is vital they continue to follow the latest guidance on travelling safely in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  This includes avoiding peak times where possible, wearing a face covering unless exempt and maintaining a safe social distance.
• You will need to consider what steps are needed to protect those who are clinically extremely vulnerable (or shielding someone who is).  Generally, they should work from home wherever possible but can return to workplaces that are COVID-secure.  If individuals cannot work from home, they should be offered the option of the safest roles available on-site to help with social distancing.  Alternatively, they could be offered an alternative role or temporarily adjusted working patterns.  You may have to consider arrangements for staff who live with such individuals.  Other steps may also be needed to protect other vulnerable staff.
• Making sure that anyone who is self-isolating, including those asked to do so under the test and trace service, do not physically come to work.
• You should implement suitable precautions in-line with the guidance set out by the Government or other trusted sources e.g. recognised trade body.  The risk assessment that you complete, should indicate what will be necessary in your own particular circumstances.  Where social distancing guidelines cannot be followed, you will need to decide if that activity can be redesigned to achieve this (i.e. maintaining a 2m distance or 1m+ with additional precautions).  Additional precautions could include increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning, keeping the activity time as short as possible, using screens or barriers to separate people and so on.  If social distancing cannot be maintained even after redesign, you should consider if that activity is able to continue with other precautions.  

• In some cases, you may also have to consider any changes to protective security as a result of any precautions you have taken.
• As regards the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the guidance makes it clear that   using additional equipment beyond what is normally worn is not beneficial.  The exception to this is in a clinical settings, like a care home or for first responders, where different rules apply.  Outside these settings, employers are advised not to promote the use of additional PPE and their risk assessment should reflect this. Beyond the use of PPE, there are some circumstances when wearing a face covering may be beneficial as a precaution.  The guidance sets out additional information on this for each setting.  Face coverings are mandatory on public transport and in a number of settings .
• You must check that your first-aid arrangements and facilities continue to be adequate for the correct emergency response.  This will include if someone is taken ill with COVID 19 at work.  You may need to review your formal assessment if you need to complete one.  Information on what to do if first-aid cover is reduced is available here along with further information for first-aiders on providing a response.  You will need to make sure that contact numbers and emergency contact details are up to date.  In the event of an accident, your existing arrangements for recording and investigating these should apply, suitably adapted to maintain social distancing rules.  For those more serious, you may need to report them and keep certain records.  Clarification on what needs to be reported in relation to COVID-19 is available here.
• You must provide any additional training and information for staff to make sure they know how to work safely and protect others against COVID-19.  This may include detail about social distancing precautions, personal hygiene or the use of PPE for example.  It may also set out details for following Government guidance on self-isolation, shielding and travelling to work as well as your arrangements for returning to work following illness with COVID-19.  You should keep records of any information or training you provide. These should contain detail relating to the persons who were trained (including their signatures to say that they have received and understood the training); when they were trained and by whom; an overview of the training that was provided etc.  In addition to this, you may want to keep staff up to date with how safety measures are being implemented or updated over time.
• If your premises have been shut for a period of time, you may want to inspect them to ensure that they remain in good condition.  This will include checking that all utilities, water systems, work and emergency equipment (such as, fire-fighting or fire detection equipment), ventilation systems, access routes including any emergency routes or exits etc. remain serviceable.  You may also want to check that there are no accumulations of waste, stock etc. that could present an additional hazard.  Obviously, before re-opening your premises you will want to complete any necessary workplace adaptations identified by your risk assessment.  You will also want to carry out any required cleaning.  In some cases, you may want to consider resuming work at your premises in stages to help with this.  Whatever the case, you will need to make sure that staff know about any changes and the additional precautions to be taken before they start work.
• In starting up any equipment, such as heating plant, you should make sure that this is done safely following any necessary procedures.  You should also make sure that any statutory inspections of equipment are up to date or that appropriate action is being taken.  Further information on carrying out thorough examination and testing of lifting and pressure equipment during the coronavirus outbreak is available here.    
• You should carry out any necessary periodic checks to ensure that the precautions you have taken remain effective and adequate.  This may include simple inspections to check that the premises and any equipment is safe.  If you have completed risk assessments, these will help you identify where these checks will be necessary.
• If you have prepared a written health and safety policy, update it to reflect any changes to your arrangements for managing the risk from COVID-19.
• You may need to report an outbreak of COVID-19.  Specific guidance sets out how to recognise an outbreak, report it and understand what measure the local health protection teams may advise in order to contain it.  The guidance also provides action cards for various workplaces that you can download to display or refer to.
• For some premises you may need to keep accurate records of those attending.  Further guidance about what is required is available here. 
• In the event of a claim, evidence of what you have done to manage any risk may be important.  As such, you should keep evidence as you apply the guidance to be able to demonstrate your decision making process and what you have done to manage the risks identified.  This may include specific health and safety documents, such as risk assessments; records of maintenance, inspections and other checks; records of information and training provided; policy etc.  These records should be kept in-line with your document retention policy.
• As things start to normalise, you may want to review any business continuity plans you have in place.  You may be able to learn from your recent experiences to develop contingencies further to deal with any shutdown and start-up events in the future.  If you don’t have a business continuity plan already, we have developed some guidance that may be of use to you.

• Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)
• COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings
• COVID-19: guidance for the adult social care sector
• COVID-19: guidance for schools and other educational settings
• COVID-19: volunteering
• COVID-19: guidance for industry sectors in Scotland
• COVID-19: guidance for industry sectors in Wales
• COVID-19: what the restrictions mean for you in Northern Ireland

• COVID-19: latest information and advice
• Working safely during the coronavirus outbreak

• Employees must not carrying out the testing or vaccinations, as these should be given by trained medical professionals.  In most cases, tests are self-administered by the individuals concerned.
• In some cases, your employees may be involved in the ‘processing’ of COVID-19 tests.  This is acceptable but only where all of the testing equipment is provided by the NHS and documented training is given to the employees.
• Any cases where your employees are undertaking COVID-19 testing (not any vaccinating) should be referred to us.