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With most businesses on track and either open or reopening, most states and local governments have published some form of guidelines to help provide a safer environment. COVID-19 is still around and will be for some time, so finding ways to operate more safely is important.
What is apparent is that most states and local governments require businesses to have a plan in place to help guide them in creating safer workspaces. A safe workplace is an obligation of every business.
The Security Industry is unique in the way it deploys staff in a variety of ways, including providing labour, office-based personnel, control rooms, patrol cars, etc. It is important that businesses consider how their deployments of staff may be impacted by the pandemic and to have a way of minimising risk to them and the community.
Purpose
Security activities vary according to client requirements, however, are often performed at a client’s site. Activities often include asset protection, mobile patrols, lockdowns, handling deliveries, operating control rooms and crowd control.
Different settings may expose workers to a higher risk of COVID-19 due to the environment they are working in, such as being indoors, proximity to others, working in confined spaces, handling first aid jobs or controlling patrons at a venue. Interaction with clients, the client’s patrons or with the general public is variable and at times unpredictable.
For this reason, security firms must consider their exposure to the COVID-19 infection and ways of managing that risk.
For the most part, where security firms are supplying labour to others, the client will usually be responsible for having a COVID-19 Safe Plan for their premises and operations, which would include staff and contractor management. Of course, there are times where the security firm may also have staff such as at their office, a control room, patrol cars, etc.
And, to ensure the employer is meeting their obligations under the WHS Act, along with any state or local government directions (e.g. Chief Health Officer Directions in Victoria), security firms must develop their own COVID-19 Safe Plan and protocols so there is an additional layer of protection. This avoids relying solely on a client and provides a better piece of mind to the security firm and its employees, and also ensures compliance with regulations.
How to comply with the requirements
Plans should be developed in consultation with Employees, Safety Reps or Clients where required.
A risk assessment, or review of current risks, will assist in finding potential areas of exposure and then allow a more thorough plan to be established.
Your COVID-19 Safe Plan must demonstrate:
- your actions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus
- the type of face mask or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your employees
- how you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus in your workplace
Businesses must review and update their COVID-19 Safe Plans regularly, especially when restrictions or public health advice changes. Organisations with multiple worksites must complete a COVID-19 Safe Plan for each worksite (e.g. more than one office, or patrol base, etc.).
The 6 COVID-19 Safe Principles
- Ensure physical distancing
- Wear a face covering
- Practise good hygiene
- Keep records and act quickly if workers become unwell
- Reduce or Avoid interactions in enclosed spaces
- Create workforce bubbles
Creating a Security Industry COVID-19 Safe Plan
A COVID-19 Safe Plan can be developed from the many available templates, or created by the business themselves, so long as it covers the 6 COVID-19 Safe Principles and demonstrates the businesses compliance with their specific operational needs.
If a certain COVID-19 safe principle cannot be followed due to the inherent requirements of the role (for example, the removal of intoxicated persons), the security firm must make other provisions to reduce the risk as much as possible or remove it (e.g. through changes to their SOPs, use of additional PPE, etc.) and document these in their plan.
Your plan should be divided as follows:
- Title Page and Business Introduction
- Details of who has conducted the risk assessment and safety plan
- Details of what services you provide
- Your responses to the 6 COVID-19 Safe Principles
There is no need to over-design or over-complicate the plan. You will see from the many templates available that they are designed to be filled in easily.
The important aspect of this is implementing your plan. You should ensure, regardless of what your clients have established, that your employees have access to facemasks, hand sanitiser and gloves and that they are aware of basic infection control and hand hygiene.
Specific points related to security:
- There is no medical training required to operate a hand-held temperature checker. Security firms can assist in checking temperatures on a client’s site as long as they are shown how to use the device and provided a procedure on how to act according to the detected temperatures, acceptable range, etc. PPE will be required.
- In many cases, security will have to interact with members of the public and still respond to behavioural issues, first aid incidents and emergencies. These officers should be provided with a PPE kit containing sanitiser, gloves, glasses and masks and it should be company policy to be worn when attending such incidents. Masks must be worn following your state’s requirements.
- Patrol Officers should also be provided PPE and practice good hand hygiene as they arrive and depart client premises.
- Patrol Officers should also be provided PPE and practice good hand hygiene as they arrive and depart client premises.
- Physical distancing should be maintained whenever possible.
- The use of physical intervention should be risk assessed and adjusted to suit the environment and working conditions. It will not always be possible for employees to remain distanced when performing certain tasks.
- The use of physical intervention should be risk assessed and adjusted to suit the environment and working conditions. It will not always be possible for employees to remain distanced when performing certain tasks.
- Commonly used security equipment (such as torches, radios, etc.) should be, if possible, issued to the same person, otherwise routinely sanitised, taking care of electronics that may be sensitive to liquid or sanitising agents. Remember that the best option is hand hygiene which reduces contaminants and will help maintain safe equipment.
- You can offer free online training to your workers which would assist in several compliance areas. This training is offered by the Australian Government. Simply have your staff create their account and complete the “Infection Control Training – COVID-19” located in the course catalogue (https://www.covid-19training.gov.au). A certificate of completion is issued which you can hold on record.
- Changes in training delivery methods have been agreed for First Aid training, HSR training and Construction Induction (White Card) training. Check your states updates.
- Ensure your team are clocking in and out correctly so you have a log of all employees and where they worked, and also record visitors, contractors and others at your places of work or as needed by your clients. These records can help with contact tracing.
- Prepare a continuity plan for your client sites or control room in case a worker or workers are off due to isolation requirements.
- You should also consider your rosters, and where possible, restrict the number of sites a person works at.
- Provide signage and clear instructions, and a copy of the safety plan to your workers so they can take immediate actions on site, such as increasing airflow, cleaning surfaces, etc.
- You can keep your employees up to date with your businesses safety plan through workplace communications such as e-mail and text. Make sure your method is documented in your safety plan.
Useful info and further templates and resources
ASIAL: https://www.asial.com.au/blog/developing-a-COVID-19-safe-plan-where-to-start
Safe Work Australia: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/covid-19-information-workplaces/industry-information/private-security
Victorian Safe Plans: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/COVID-19safe-plan
This blog provides plenty of info on how to make the plan yourself.
But, it does take time, effort and research to ensure you cover the key points needed for our industry.
Save time and hassle by engaging me to make the plan for you!
For only $69.00, including GST, you will receive a prefilled and formatted COVID Safe Plan for the security industry, tailored to your needs, as well as a COVID Risk Register with prefilled security industry information.
These templates are designed for our industry and are based on information included from Safe Work Australia and local governments.
The two documents are fully editable once you receive them so you can fit them into your branding. The COVID Safe Plan is 6 prefilled pages and the Risk Register Template is prefilled with 7 risks and controls.
Want to get your COVID Safe Plan sorted?
