social distancing guidance; sars-cov-2 (covid-19)€¦ · and other persons can return to campus...

Health and Safety Service Social Distancing Guidance; Covid-19

Dr James D. Holt & Dr Robert J. Lee; UH&SS, Loughborough University

If you are LU staff, please visit the Covid-19 Learn page to view

the guidance and associated resources and to complete the

declaration before returning to campus:

https://learn.lboro.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14766

Social Distancing

Guidance;

SARS-CoV-2

(Covid-19)

https://learn.lboro.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14766

Health and Safety Service Social Distancing Guidance; Covid-19 1

Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2

Face Coverings..................................................................................................................................... 3

Access to and egress from buildings ................................................................................................ 5

Corridors/Staircases/Lifts .................................................................................................................... 7

Service Desks ....................................................................................................................................... 8

Open plan/communal offices ............................................................................................................ 10

Communal Kitchens ........................................................................................................................... 12

Toilets ................................................................................................................................................... 14

Single/accessible facilities ............................................................................................................ 15

Communal/multi-occupancy facilities .......................................................................................... 15

Labs and workshops .......................................................................................................................... 16


Introduction In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, this guidance has been produced to outline the

University’s procedures in relation to workers and other persons returning to the workplace.

Government guidelines focus on maintaining social distancing measures, but this will also

serve to provide additional guidelines aimed at minimising the spread of the novel coronavirus

on campus.

This document pertains to the immediate measures being put in place to ensure employees

and other persons can return to campus and work safely. It will also cover how these

processes can be implemented in the long term to ensure compliance for the foreseeable

future.

This guidance exists in addition to all current policies and guidance. In such moments, the

temptation from a person’s health and safety perspective can be to concentrate solely on the

primary focus. It must not be forgotten that all health and safety policies and guidelines must

still be followed.

General advice to minimise risk associated with Covid-19 is as follows:

1. If displaying symptoms, you must self-isolate and inform your line manager.

2. Vulnerable workers should be shielded and be supported in working from home.

3. Where workers can work from home this should still be strongly encouraged.

4. Wash hands regularly with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

5. Coughs and sneezes should be covered with a tissue and disposed of immediately

(into your elbow if no tissue) followed by the washing of hands.

6. Workers must maintain social distancing when greeting others, this includes avoiding

of shaking hands.


Face Coverings As more people return to work, there will be more movement outside people's immediate

household. This increased mobility means the Government is now advising that people should,

where possible, wear a face covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing isn’t possible

and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet. This is most

relevant for short periods indoors in crowded areas, for example on public transport or in some

shops.

Homemade cloth face-coverings can help reduce the risk of transmission in some

circumstances. Face-coverings are not intended to help the wearer, but to protect against

inadvertent transmission of the disease to others if you have it asymptomatically.

Physical distancing, hand washing and respiratory hygiene, are the most important and

effective measures we can all adopt to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, the

wearing of facial coverings must not be used as an alternative to any of these other

precautions. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (cough and/or high temperature) you and

your household should isolate at home: wearing a face covering does not change this.

A face covering is not the same as the surgical masks or respirators used as part of personal

protective equipment by healthcare and other workers; these supplies should continue to be

reserved for those who need them to protect against risks in their workplace, such as health

and care workers and those in industrial settings like those exposed to dust hazards. You can

make face coverings at home; the key thing is it should cover your mouth and nose.

When applying or removing the covering, it is important that you wash your hands first and

avoid touching your face. After each use, you must wash the face covering at 60 degrees

centigrade or dispose of safely.

Cloth face coverings should:

• Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face; • Be secured with ties or ear loops; • Include multiple layers of fabric where possible; • Allow for breathing without restriction (however face coverings should not be used by

people with respiratory conditions); • Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape.


The UK Government has published guidance on how to make your own face coverings (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering).

Loughborough University recommends face coverings made from multiple layers of fabric. An alternative face covering with multiple layers can be made simply using a no-sew method. Diagrammatic instructions for making this covering are shown below and the CDC has published an instructional video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPx1yqvJgf4).

Materials Needed:

• Bandana (or square cotton cloth approximately 50cm x 50cm) • Rubber bands (or hair ties) • Scissors (if you are cutting your own cloth)

Instructions for several other face coverings can also be found on the BBC News Website (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52609777).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPx1yqvJgf4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52609777


Access to and egress from buildings Where safe to do so, the use of just one door for general access and one door for general

egress to help control the flow of persons in and out of building should be considered, though

building design and circumstances should be taken in to account. For example, in some areas

it may be appropriate to use one door for access and one (or multiple if deemed more

appropriate) for egress at a single point whereas other buildings may use a doorway to the

side of, or back of a building. Consideration should be given to using corridors and doorways

that were not previously used for general access (pre Covid-19) to help facilitate social

distancing through buildings.

Fire exit doors should all remain operational as per normal (pre Covid-19) circumstances and

therefore only used in emergencies.

At all entrance points to buildings, signs should be in place to remind persons of the social

distancing that is expected to be adhered to (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 – Typical suggested signage to be used at entrances to buildings

It may be necessary to regulate entry so that the premises do not become overcrowded. Use

additional signage to ask customers not to enter the premises if they have symptoms.


If hand sanitisers have been made available at access points or within buildings, you are

encouraged to use these.

The official NHS technique illustration is provided below (see Figure 2):

Figure 2 – NHS alcohol handrub hand hygiene technique – for visibly clean hands


Corridors/Staircases/Lifts Maintaining social distancing in the corridors of buildings will involve several factors. Where

possible, a one-way system should be designed, creating a series of loops that persons should

follow when moving around buildings. If corridors are sufficiently wide (i.e. exceeding 2m in

width), a marking down the corridor centre should be made to provide two ‘lanes’, in which a

one-way system should be implemented (e.g. always keep left) as illustrated in Figure 3.

Signage should be placed at regular intervals along corridors, reminding persons to maintain

a distance of at least 2m from others. In sections of corridors where queues are likely to form

(e.g. outside kitchen areas, toilets etc.), corridors should be marked at 2m intervals to ensure

social distancing is maintained whilst queueing.

The use of lifts in buildings should be avoided at all times where possible and used only by

disabled persons, or for the transport of large/heavy/hazardous materials where transport on

stairways would not be possible or safe. In most buildings, more than one stairway connecting

floors will be present; stairways should be designated as an ‘up route’ or a ‘down route’ to

prevent face-to-face interaction of persons, and to ensure 2m distancing is maintained. Where

only one stairwell to a floor is present, one of two options should be implemented: on wide

staircases where a 2m distance between persons is possible, a central marking should be

placed, and a one-way system implemented (e.g. always keep left). Where staircases are

narrow and passing would result in close proximity (or if using a one-way stair system

increases risk, such as when transporting hazardous materials), a verbal alert procedure (i.e.

shouting “Is anyone using this stairwell?”) should be put in place before using a stairwell to

ensure there is not another person already using it.

Figure 3 – Suggested one-way system to be implemented for wider corridors


Service Desks Many departments and teams across campus offer customer facing services e.g. admin

receptions, library services, creative and print services etc.

Within these areas, appropriate queuing arrangements should be clearly laid out for

customers. Examples include, where to queue from, tape (or similar) on the floor to keep 2m

between persons as they queue and clear signage. Railing or tape will be required where

longer queues are likely to form (see Figure 4).

Figure 4 – Suggested floor markings, signage and layouts for social distancing and queuing

It may be more appropriate to regulate entry so that the premises do not become overcrowded.

Use additional signage to ask customers not to enter the premises if this is the case.

To prevent customers coming too close to desks, consider using a temporary barrier across

the desk to better enforce social distancing (see Figure 5).

To ensure good practice, high contact surfaces such as service desks and communal

computer equipment should be wiped down frequently. Frequency of cleaning should increase

with increased usage but a minimum of twice daily is suggested where possible.

Figure 5 – Rope and post rails in front of desks to help customers distance themselves from staff


For those working behind the desks and therefore at higher risk due to unavoidable face to

face contact, the university can provide appropriate shielding (see Figure 6). Sizes and shapes

will vary greatly for the various points across campus. Staff working in these areas need to

measure the size they will need, reducing the workload and face to face contact of FM staff to

individually measure up. Consider whether free standing (see Figure 6 for example) or semi-

permanent is required. The university will not replace damaged furniture or infrastructure

where screw holes and alike have been made for such fixings.

When measuring the dimensions for a Perspex screen to be made, please ensure that the

minimum width of the screen should be no less than 1m across per user sitting behind the

screen, and the top of the screen should be no less than 2m from the ground.

Figure 6 – Typical Perspex shield, those made on campus may look different

Once measured, your request needs to be sent to facilities management via Archibus.

https://fmsdesk.lboro.ac.uk/archibus/login.axvw


Open plan/communal offices Many staff work in open offices which make social distancing guidelines difficult to implement

under normal practice. To overcome this, staff should communicate with their

departments/teams to facilitate this.

A work rota may be appropriate, reducing the number of workers in an area but also splitting

staff into teams, limiting the number of different people workers can encounter. In other

scenarios, shift work should be considered if practical or staggered start and finish times so

that unnecessary face to face contact is reduced. Scenarios across campus will differ but

under normal working conditions, workers may need to pass others at a distance of less than

2m to get to their desks, and systems such as those suggested here aim to minimise the risk

associated with Covid-19. Where workers can work from home this should still be strongly

encouraged, aiding minimisation of workers on campus.

Figure 7 shows a typical four worker station. It would be most appropriate to limit areas such

as these to one person to ensure compliance with social distancing. In these cases, the above

suggestions should help your team arrange how this can be facilitated.

Figure 7 – Typical four worker station layout at reduced capacity

Government guidelines specifically state:

• Where it is not possible to remain 2 metres apart, staff should work side by side, or

facing away from each other, rather than face to face if possible.

• Where face-to-face contact is essential, this should be kept to 15 minutes or less

wherever possible.

• As much as possible, keep teams of workers together, and keep teams as small

as possible.


Where larger desk areas are in place, workers should be staggered as illustrated in Figure 8.

Where maintaining the recommended 2m separation during passing is not possible, the

addition of a screen between desks and the removal of seats (red crosses in Figure 8)

will allow for social distancing to be observed.

Figure 8 – Suggested staggered working position arrangement where chairs are removed to allow person A to access desk behind screen


Communal Kitchens Many buildings on campus have small, communal kitchen areas for use by members of staff

and research students. To ensure social distancing measures are adhered to, communal

kitchens should employ a ‘one out, one in’ procedure (Figure 9), with no more than one person

being in the area at any time.

Figure 9 – Suggested ‘one out, one in’ procedure for smaller kitchens

In the case of much larger kitchens (plentiful, accessible, uninterrupted floor space) floor

markings at 2m intervals may be employed to allow for a well-spaced queue within the kitchen

area (Figure 10). Any persons who would fall outside the maximum occupancy of a kitchen

area should form a queue in the adjoining corridor (see Figure 9), with the start of the queue

being set 2m away from the entrance to the kitchen area to allow persons to exit the area

whilst maintaining a 2m distance from persons queueing.


Figure 10 – Suggested one-way systems for larger kitchens

Prior to the handling of communal items in the kitchen, such as kettles and cutlery, all persons

should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds in accordance with government guidance to

prevent contamination of surfaces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm94ChOPw50). It is

highly recommended that communal cutlery/mugs etc. should not be used, and personal ones

be taken home to be washed, not left in communal areas. Where this is not possible,

communal cutlery/mugs etc. should be washed thoroughly using soap and warm water, dried

using a paper towel or towel designated for this purpose (not a hand towel), and put away

immediately to reduce the risk of transfer of contamination to other persons.

In addition, consideration should also be given to staggering mealtimes to avoid crowding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm94ChOPw50


Toilets Toilet facilities across campus differ greatly, ranging from single, lockable WCs to larger

communal facilities.

In all cases, please respect good hygiene, making a conscious effort to wash your hands

effectively. Please see the advice in the university video:


The official NHS technique illustration is provided below (see Figure 11):

Figure 11 – NHS hand-washing technique with soap and water



Single/accessible facilities In the case of single, lockable facilities, please leave the facility in a respectable condition.

If waiting to use such a facility, ensure you stand at least 2m from the door to allow the previous

occupant the appropriate space to leave without breaking social distance guidelines.

Communal/multi-occupancy facilities For the majority of communal toilets on campus, it is envisaged that maintaining social

distancing will be extremely difficult. Consequently, all communal toilets will need to change

to a ‘one out, one in’ system with no more than one person being in the room at any time, and

where users are asked to use a ‘knock and call’ system. A sign should highlight this on the

outside of the door (Figure 12).

In addition, a sign on the inside of the door should exist, reminding persons of good hand

washing practice given this will be a higher risk area with contact on the doors by all users.

Where it is believed social distancing can be maintained, and there is a justifiable need for

multiple occupancy, the University Health and Safety Service must be contacted to authorise

this.

Figure 12 –Signage for multi-occupancy toilets


Labs and workshops This guidance is in addition to standard Health and Safety guidance; a degree of common

sense will be required when undertaking work in laboratories or workshops. For example, if a

spillage of a toxic chemical in a lab resulted in the blockage of a designated exit route of a

one-way system outlined in this guidance, persons should not attempt to cross the spill to

evacuate the area. The use of another, non-designated route would be permissible as the risk

associated with the spill would likely be higher than that of using a non-designated route. An

attempt should still be made however, to ensure a 2m distance between persons evacuating

by the new route.

In all laboratories and/or workshops, the maximum occupancy of the room should be set at no

more than 25% of the normal maximum occupancy (e.g. for a lab with 5 bays, each with 8

fume hoods, the total number of workers in the lab should not exceed 10). Work should be

carried out in shifts, to allow the maximum number of workers to access a space, whilst

maintaining a minimum number of persons working at any given time. Working space should

be vacated upon completion of work, or where any significant period of delay is expected (e.g.

a 3-hour experiment is running, and no other work can be completed during this time). During

shorter periods of delay (e.g. a 30-minute experiment is running, and no other work can be

completed during this time) the area should be vacated at the discretion of the worker, using

common sense and consideration for other persons who may require the use of the space.

In laboratory and workshop environments, floors should be marked at 2m intervals to ensure

persons are maintaining adequate distance from one another. Where bay systems are in

place, there should be no more than one person per half bay (maximum 2 persons per full

bay). Where multiple points of access and egress to the laboratory or workshop are present,

a one-way system should be implemented, with certain doors being designated for entry only

and others for exit only (Figure 13). Where possible, wide (greater than 2m) footways in bay-

system laboratories or workshops should be marked into two ‘lanes’ to allow for movement in

both directions, with persons always keeping to the left. Where this is not possible, a

communication approach should be maintained between all persons in a workspace, so

movement of one individual can occur in either direction whilst other persons remain within

the bays and maintain the 2m minimum distancing. All workers in bay-system laboratories or

workshops should work at least 2m from any primary footways, and work facing away from

the central reservation of a bay where possible to minimise any face-to-face contact between

persons.


Figure 13 - Suggested one-way systems for open plan laboratories

In open plan laboratories and workshops, floor markings at 2m intervals should be made

(illustrated in Figure 4), and a one-way system implemented around the room with spurs as

necessary to pieces of equipment that cannot reasonably be moved, provided a 2m distance

can be maintained. Where multiple points of access and egress to the laboratory or workshop

are present, one-way systems should be implemented, with certain doors being designated

for entry only and others for exit only (Figure 14).

Figure 14 – Suggested one-way systems for open plan workshops

social distancing guidance; sars-cov-2 (covid-19)€¦ · and other persons can return to campus...

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