Keep your workplace ventilated to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19

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Keep your workplace ventilated to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19

With winter weather making workers reluctant to keep windows and doors open, it is even more important to ensure your workplace is adequately ventilated. Good ventilation helps reduce the risk from aerosol transmission and prevents the spread of COVID-19.

Following useful feedback from businesses, HSE has updated its website on providing ventilation during the pandemic to make the advice easier to find and understand.

We have updated our pages to include simplified advice on using CO2 monitors to identify poor ventilation. This covers the types of monitor to use, how to measure CO2 and deciding if a work space is suitable for monitors.

There is also a new video on keeping vehicles ventilated, explaining how you can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus when using vehicles.

Our guidance on balancing ventilation with keeping people warm at work has simple steps you can take to make sure your workplace is adequately ventilated without being too cold.

These include:

  • partially opening windows and doors as this can still provide adequate ventilation
  • opening higher-level windows to create fewer draughts
  • if the area is cold, relaxing dress codes so people can wear extra layers and warmer clothing

 

COVID-19: latest government guidance

In light of announcements made by the UK government, check the latest advice: View the latest GOV.UK guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

What has changed

In England, temporary measures have been put in place to respond to the Omicron variant to slow its arrival and spread.

This means that:

  • At midday 26 November

South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia were added to the red list of countries.

  •  At 4am 28 November

Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola were added to the red list of countries.

  • From 4am Tuesday 30 November

a) International arrivals from non-red list countries who are fully vaccinated will need to isolate at home and take a PCR test on or before day 2 following your arrival. You are only permitted to leave isolation if this test result is negative. If your test result is positive, you will need to isolate for 10 days. This is the law.

b) Face coverings are a legal requirement in shops and on public transport. This is the law.

c)Those who have come into contact with an individual who may have been infected with the Omicron variant will need to self-isolate. This will apply even if you are fully-vaccinated or aged 18 or under. This is the law.

These temporary measures will be reviewed in 3 weeks’ time.