Covid 19 Risk assessment for Beeson Farm
Covid-19 Risk Assessment – Record of Significant Findings | |||
Risk Assessment for | Risk Assessment Carried Out By | ||
Beeson Farm Holiday Cottages, Beeson TQ7 2HW
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Date: 01/07/2020
Completed by: Robin Cross Signature: |
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6 Cottages, games room, playground Private enclosed gardens. Shared driveway. Shared bin area, tumble drier, clothes line | Use:
Holiday Let
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Step 1 – Virus Hazards | |||
Virus droplets in the air | Virus droplets on hard surfaces | Virus droplets on soft furnishings | |
Virus can be transmitted by breathing in air with virus droplets in it. It may last up to 3 hours in the air.[i]
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Virus can be transmitted by the virus living on hard surfaces, which are touched. The virus then transmits to the person’s hands and they then touch their face. The virus may last up to 72 hours depending on the surface type.[ii] |
The virus may be able to live on soft furnishings, which are touched. The virus then transmits to the person’s hands and they then touch their face. The virus may last up to 72 hours depending on the surface type.[iii] |
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Mitigation of virus in the air: provide sufficient time for droplets to fall out of air or increase airflow to change air over. Social distancing. | Mitigation of virus droplets on hard surfaces: hot soapy water, multisurface sanitiser (BSEN1276), steam cleaner or time | Mitigation of virus droplets on soft furnishings: hot soapy water, multisurface sanitiser (BSEN1276), steam cleaner or time | |
Step 2 – People at risk | |||
Guests anywhere in the property including any who are elderly, disabled or very young.
Housekeeping staff Children accompanying staff to work will be told to remain at home Any workmen/tradesmen needed for reactive and planned maintenance. |
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Step 3 – Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk | |||
What is the risk that an infectious person enters a cottage?
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Approximately 50% of people catch Covid-19 and have no symptoms. [iv] This means that health surveillance alone will not prevent anyone from entering with Covid-19. We have to assume that each set of guests is potentially infectious and clean accordingly.
However, the number of people entering the property is very low and is generally a single household/family plus housekeeping and maintenance staff. The main risk is at changeover when two households and housekeeping staff will be in the property in a 24 hour period.
Guests and staff asked to report if they have symptoms prior to taking up occupation of the cottage or during their stay and for staff embarking on cleaning . Declaration for guests and cleaning/maintenance staff to be completed. Guests not allowed to self-isolate at Beeson Farm and must return home if infectious. Guests not allowed to arrive if self-isolating. Staff not allowed to enter if they have symptoms.
Staff not allowed to enter when guests are there unless 2 m social distancing is followed.
Avoid all scheduled maintenance on changeover days if at all possible. Reschedule to designated maintenance periods later in the year when property is closed.
Provide soap/hand sanitiser so guests to use on hands as soon as they arrive and during their stay. Hand sanitisers are BSEN1276 and are located at the entrance to the courtyard and in each cottage |
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What is the risk in the shared drive? | Guests have spaces on the car park which will allow social distancing.
Guests to be asked to social distance by 2m, signage in place to reinforce this.
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What is the risk from the shared waste bin area? | There is a small risk that there will be virus on the bin handle and lid. Each cottage has its own dedicated waste bin. Staff to wash/sanitise their hands/handles immediately after touching the bin. Gate into the communal recycling area to be permanently open and recycling bins to be unlidded. Provide each cottage with their own black bin for domestic waste | ||
What is the risk from virus droplets in the air? | There is a small risk that there are droplets in the air at the start of the changeover period from the outgoing guests. There is a small risk that there are droplets in the air at the end of the changeover period from the housekeeping team.
Mitigate risk by asking guests to leave all windows ajar on leaving and internal doors. Ask housekeeping team to leave all windows ajar at the end of cleaning and internal doors. This will give better airflow to changeover the air inside the property.
Extend the normal changeover time to allow at least 1 hour of open windows prior to cleaning and post cleaning.
No staff allowed in the property when guests are inside (and vice versa) unless essential. If essential (e.g. reactive maintenance issue); require social distancing. All keys, door handles, remote controls, window latches, banisters and light switches will be sanitised. |
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What is the risk from droplets on hard surfaces? | There will be a risk that there are droplets of virus on hard surfaces. The virus can be killed on hard surfaces by cleaning with multisurface sanitiser BSEN1276 or steam cleaned
Instruct all housekeeping staff to follow the following government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings This includes using a disposable cloth, use hot soapy with multisurface sanitiser BSEN1276 or steam clean handles, light switches, TV remote controls, handrails etc. This includes cleaning the garden gate latches, external and internal doors, plus keys.
Use disposable cleaning cloths and mop head or treat with multisurface sanitiser BSEN1276. Bag and leave to be disposed of in the waste bin.
All crockery, glassware and cutlery to be run through dishwasher on a hot wash during changeover as these items likely to have had guest saliva on. Leave items in dishwasher for guests to unload so that they know that items are clean. Sanitise handles of kitchen pots, pans and cooking utensils.
The risk is low from shared books and games left at the property. Tell guests about risk and let them decide if they wish to use them or leave them inside the furniture. (Guests all stay more than 72 hours so they would have no risk from using them during the latter part of their stay.) Toys will be removed.
Provide online guest information book.
Provide cleaning materials for guest use. |
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What is the risk from droplets on soft furnishings? | The highest risk items are bedding and towels as they are the most likely to have bodily fluids on them (saliva or breath). All towels and bedding goes to the commercial laundry. Ask guests to strip their beds and put all towels and laundry into sealed bags to be taken to the laundry.
Where guests have not stripped the beds/inserted it into sealed bags; housekeeping team must wash hands immediately after handling any dirty laundry and before touching anything else.
The medium level risk items are pillows/duvets as they already have a fabric cover (e.g. duvet case/pillow case/pillow protector) which has been removed and washed and stored in a locked cupboard between changeovers. Duvets, pillows and mattresses to be steam cleaned.
The lowest level risk items are curtains, sofas and garden furniture cushions. Hoover and rotate (i.e. swap top side under for sofa cushions) wherever possible or steam clean
We will no longer provide tea, coffee, milk or biscuits on a welcome tray as these are not single use items |
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External areas in the garden such as table and chairs, sun loungers etc. | Disinfect with with multisurface sanitiser BSEN1276 or steam clean on changeover day. Remind guests of good hygiene in all external areas (e.g. risk of contamination from bird faeces etc, not just Covid-19).
Guest will be told to not use the badminton area or table tennis room as these areas can not be sanitised between each use.
The playground will be open as per government guidelines on play equipment. Signage and hand sanitiser will be provided to remind guests to sanitise hands before and after use.
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Risk of legionella | Run all taps and water sources for 2 mins each week
The risk is low are there are no water storage tanks onsite all water coming directly from the main and heated in combi boiler by electricity. |
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Assessment/review | |||
Assessment/review date
July 2021 or as necessary. |
Completed by
Robin Cross |
Signature
Robin Cross
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[i] https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-basics & National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Laboratory of Virology in the Division of Intramural Research in Hamilton, Montana study published New England Journal of Medicine on March 17, 2020
[ii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-basics
[iii] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8165731/Coronavirus-DONT-need-worry-catching-COVID-19-clothes-soft-furnishings.html
[iv] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/30/could-nearly-half-of-those-with-covid-19-have-no-idea-they-are-infected