You’re finally back to business – all the planning and appraisal of your workplace will pay dividends.

Your COVID-19 risk assessment, though, must be fit for purpose and workable. It should draw on the control measures that follow the hierarchy of controls set out in health and safety legislation. This law requires you to explore measures, where possible, that don’t rely on individuals taking precautions – for example, by instead using practical physical controls such as screens or barriers to separate people.

Other control measures you should look to implement include: 

• Limiting the number of customers in store – the shopping area should be one person per 10 sq. metres.
• As with essential retail, encouraging shoppers to shop alone where possible.
• Markings to indicate correct queue distancing – in and outside stores. Be aware that bigger than normal queues may form on reopening. Put in place measures to reduce the risks to customers and members of the public.
• Signage that clearly explains your social distancing measures – in and outside stores. Use ‘Wait here’ signs where it’s difficult to maintain social distancing, such as at points of sale.
• Installing cleaning stations.
• One-way systems and barriers to separate people from each other.
• More frequent cleaning.
• Limiting customers’ handling of merchandise through different display methods or the rotation of high-touch stock.
• Installing panels to protect staff at tills.
• Using contactless payment where possible.

Aside from the return of stock to the shop floor, where you no longer need to quarantine returned clothes for 48 hours, the guidance hasn’t changed much. The 48-hour rule was recently changed but kept quiet!

However, we still await clarification on the return of clothes from changing/fitting rooms, so their use should be carefully considered and only permitted where absolutely necessary.

With few major changes, it’s all about applying and sticking to the same safety precautions that existed before this latest lockdown: social distancing, wearing of masks, good hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting, adequate ventilation, etc.   

Although the vaccine programme is being successfully rolled out at pace and case numbers have fallen significantly, the threat of the virus remains, and it’s not a case that reopening marks ‘business as usual’. As the Prime Minister said when announcing his roadmap out of lockdown back in February, “there is no credible route to a zero-COVID Britain or indeed a zero-COVID world”. In other words, we have to accept that it’s simply not possible to completely eliminate the COVID-19 hazard; it’s going to be with us for a long time, hence it’s all the more critical that effective controls are in place to reduce risk to a minimum.

This all comes back to the primary risk control measure of maintaining two-metre social distancing, where possible, if you have people within the same area. As such, make sure your signage clearly reminds workers and members of the public of this crucial measure – attract their attention through the use of images and colour where possible.

The big question once open, of course, is are you doing what you set out to do? It’s incumbent on you to monitor adherence to the controls, promote the right behaviours and ensure measures remain effective. If they aren’t working as intended, act.

Finally, remember that from a health and safety point of view, it’s not just COVID-19 that need to be considered and managed. Your shop will have been unoccupied for a considerable period, so now is a good time to also check that ‘basic’ health and safety risks, including fire, are still being properly controlled.

Complete the following checklist on reopening:

• Apply the hierarchy of control measures.
• Maintain two-metre social distancing, wherever possible. Where people can’t be kept two metres apart, do everything “reasonably practicable” to minimise transmission risk.
• Revisit your COVID-19 risk assessment control measures.
• Check all health and safety and fire controls remain effective.
• Monitor compliance with your rules.
• Continue homeworking for those who can.