Health and Safety for Businesses during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 Outbreak

Risk assessing your business during COVID19

If you employ people, then you should review your risk assessments based on the most up to date information provided by the Public Health Agency (PHA) and take appropriate action.

In Northern Ireland the Public Health Agency (PHA) are taking the lead and co-ordinating all advice and information. Its website can be accessed via the link below and should contain the most up to date local information and guidance:

COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Situation in Northern Ireland

You can download below an information sheet 'Advice for Employers in Preventing the Spread of COVID-19' to help you and your workers.  

 Advice for Employers in Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 (pdf 130 KB)

Example risk assessment for COVID-19 in workplaces

HSENI has produced an example risk assessment that shows the kind of approach a small business or workplace is expected to take when carrying out a risk assessment for COVID-19 in the workplace.

Download an 'Example Risk Assessment Template' at the bottom of this page.

Use it as a guide to think about:

  • The additional hazard that COVID 19 introduces into your business  
  • The steps you need to take to control the risks.

Don't just copy it and put your company name to it as that would not satisfy the law - and would not protect your employees. Every business is different - you need to think about the hazards and control measures your business needs to take to keep workers safe and healthy.  The control measures you adopt may have to be different from those in the example to meet the particular conditions in your workplace. 

You should ensure that you follow the latest advice from the Public Health Agency which is available at the following link and incorporate this information into your risk assessment.

Public Health Agency  

Remember: A risk assessment is only effective if you and your staff act on it. You must follow through with any actions required and review it on a regular basis.

Example Risk Assessment Template (pdf 715 KB)

Health and Safety for Businesses during the Coronavirus/COVID19 Outbreak

Advice prepared by the Council to assist businesses operating or re-opening during the current pandemic may be accessed by downloading the documents at the bottom of this page;

Covid-19 Business H&S Checklist
Covid-19 Building Re-opening H&S Checklist
Covid-19 H&S Advice for Businesses
Covid-19 Small Retailers Social Distancing and Hygiene Advice

And links to further advice for protecting workers’ health and for sector specific businesses are listed below;

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19

http://www.bohs.org/return-to-work-guidance/

Environmental health