COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS)  – COMMUNICATION FOR WORKERS  

As lockdown measures are beginning to be eased, more of our client companies are re-opening and we are able to place more of our agency workers back into work. Your health & safety at work is extremely important to Acorn and we are working with our clients to ensure that you are not put at risk in the workplace.

Staying safe in the workplace

All of our clients will be required to provide us with a detailed risk assessment detailing what measures are going to be taken to protect you. This information will be shared with you and you will be expected to follow all site health & safety rules at all times.

Measures will vary depending on your job role but some examples include:

• Ensuring, wherever possible, that you are at least 2m away from your colleagues
• Staggered start & finish times
• Taking breaks on your own; in accordance with a rota
• Wearing protective gloves or masks
• Back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face)
• Working in a fixed team, with the same people
• Strict hand washing / hand sanitising procedures
• Temperature checks
• One-way systems
• Virtual meetings and training
• Avoiding public transport wherever possible and travelling on your own via car, bicycle or on foot.

It is essential that you adhere to the health & safety measures that have been put in place to protect you. If you have any concerns about where you are working, please contact your Acorn Representative.

Please also adhere to all social distancing rules when you are not at work. Further advice can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Symptoms

In order to avoid putting anyone at risk of contracting the virus, prior to any assignment, you will be asked a series of questions regarding symptoms of COVID-19. If you have any symptoms detailed below, you will not be able to start work. If you develop any of these symptoms while on an assignment, you cannot attend work and must contact your Acorn Representative as soon as possible.

The common symptoms are:

• A high temperature (this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• A new, continuous cough (this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

Self-Isolation

If you are required to self-isolate in accordance with government guidelines (i.e. 7 days if you have symptoms or 14 days if someone else in your household has symptoms), you may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). You will be required to provide an Isolation Note. Please send this to your Acorn Representative who will advise if you are eligible.

Testing

The Government has now made testing available to anyone with Coronavirus symptoms (as above) who is unable to work from home. Testing must be done within the first 5 days of developing symptoms.

You can apply for a test online via this link: Apply for a coronavirus test. The test will either be administered at home or via a drive through testing centre.
 

Vulnerable or Shielding Workers

If you are in a vulnerable group and / or you have been advised to ‘shield’ for 12 weeks by the NHS, please contact your Acorn Representative.

Further information

We advise you to stay updated with the government guidance – this is a fast-moving area and the guidance is being updated daily https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus