Risk Assessment for Covid

farmbrew · Jan 5, 2021

I am a tenant farmer, have a few diy liveries visiting the farm on a regular basis.

I am wondering if anybody has done a risk assessment for Covid 19.
Should I have something on paper or in place incase of inspection.
Any thoughts on here?
Thanks

2tractors · Jan 5, 2021

Would be worth filling in one and sharing with your customers.

Risk assessment: Template and examples - HSE

www.hse.gov.uk

farmbrew · Jan 5, 2021

Thanks, Just looking at that. Other info online reads as though I don't need to do too much because I don't employ anybody else. Hand washing, social distancing, sanitising etc.
I've dropped TFA a question so waiting for their response.

Still Farming · Jan 5, 2021

I did this one
£5

COVID-19 Training

Learn about COVID-19 and how you and your business can make best practice decisions and understand the key principles. This training course is available to everyone regardless of the position or industry.

www.virtual-college.co.uk

farmbrew · Jan 5, 2021

haha, not sure I have a 30 minute attention span. It is worth considering though, Thank you

Adeptandy · Jan 5, 2021

Its a nightmare at the moment, averaging 8 homes a day up to Christmas, worked between the Bank holidays and breakdowns still coming in. Really not enjoying fixing boiler at the moment with being at risk myself and daughter High risk at home.

farmerm · Jan 5, 2021

Adeptandy said:
Its a nightmare at the moment, averaging 8 homes a day up to Christmas, worked between the Bank holidays and breakdowns still coming in. Really not enjoying fixing boiler at the moment with being at risk myself and daughter High risk at home.

perhaps you need to treat each house as having confirmed covid.. Disposable gloves, goggles and a respirator...

Still Farming · Jan 5, 2021

farmerm said:
perhaps you need to treat each house as having confirmed covid.. Disposable gloves, goggles and a respirator...

Worst case scenario.
Your covered then

Adeptandy · Jan 5, 2021

farmerm said:
perhaps you need to treat each house as having confirmed covid.. Disposable gloves, goggles and a respirator...

Wear glasses, respirator is a problem, important part of assessing a boiler breakdown is the sense of smell, can quite often work out what's happening, gloves I always wear, but then its the cross contamination in the toolbox of the tools which is an issue. Not trying to be difficult, just pointing out the problems I face with it all

farmbrew · Jan 5, 2021

We, as farmers, are very lucky from Covid point of view, must be the least effected group. We really should count our blessings.

Adeptandy · Jan 5, 2021

farmbrew said:
We, as farmers, are very lucky from Covid point of view, must be the least effected group. We really should count our blessings.

Yes, I'm trying to hide on farm this week, just doing emergencies only, but its still a pain.
Have loads of paperwork to do and a heating system in an empty house, so won't be twiddling my thumbs

farmbrew · Jan 5, 2021

2tractors said:
Would be worth filling in one and sharing with your customers.

Risk assessment: Template and examples - HSE

www.hse.gov.uk

TFA have come back to me, they are very helpful.
Basically saying I am not likely to be inspected but wise to have risk assessment just in case. It included a useful link to Health and Safety site showing a very thorough 15 page document.
The suggestion from 2tractors should suffice. A simplified version.
Thankyou

Brisel · Jan 13, 2021

farmbrew said:
TFA have come back to me, they are very helpful.
Basically saying I am not likely to be inspected but wise to have risk assessment just in case. It included a useful link to Health and Safety site showing a very thorough 15 page document.
The suggestion from 2tractors should suffice. A simplified version.
Thankyou

The idea of a risk assessment is to identify risks and document how you manage them. It's a way of actually reducing the likelihood of transmitting the disease, not a piece of paper to cover you if you're inspected! YOU have a duty of care towards your ~~inmates~~ customers.

A few examples would be;

If the tack room is small, one person in there at once, hand sanitiser station and sign on the door to say this.
If bigger, marker tape 2m apart or on the floor at the end of an aisle & masks to be worn at all times in the feed room & tack room.
Sanitising wipes by the place where common tools are stored eg. muck forks. A sign above the shelf where the wipes should be kept to say that this is where they are
Whiteboard with times of day people are normally around to show when the yard is busiest
Daily wipe down of door handles etc and a sheet in the tack room/communal area to show who has done this & when

I've taken a screen shot of part of my Covid risk assessment relating to our retail Xmas tree enterprise as a guide. It's not all of it as it runs to 4 A4 pages.

Still Farming · Jan 13, 2021

Local Authorities have Covid Compliant Officers going around premises also checking everything.
Had a visit this week off them

farmbrew · Jan 13, 2021

Thank you Brisel, very thorough.
Unfortunately I'm am a old fashioned farmer, I thinks if everybody is sensible they'll be fine. However these days local authority and officials seem to be out to trip us up. "Jobs worths" springs to mind.

Still Farming said:
Local Authorities have Covid Compliant Officers going around premises also checking everything.
Had a visit this week off them

Thats what I was worried about. Thank you Still Farming

Still Farming · Jan 13, 2021

farmbrew said:
Thank you Brisel, very thorough.
Unfortunately I'm am a old fashioned farmer, I thinks if everybody is sensible they'll be fine. However these days local authority and officials seem to be out to trip us up. "Jobs worths" springs to mind.

Thats what I was worried about. Thank you Still Farming

They been giving Supermarkets bollockings and enforcement notices and takeaways improvment notices to make a start in area apparently???

Brisel · Jan 13, 2021

Still Farming said:
Local Authorities have Covid Compliant Officers going around premises also checking everything.
Had a visit this week off them

What did you think of their visit? Were they helpful and constructive or just officious little Hitlers?

Dry Rot · Jan 13, 2021

Local engineers had this on the door:

Attention! Corvid!

Please observe social distancing, wear face covering, and
sanitise hands and genitals on entering and leaving the premises.

Will that cover it?

Brisel · Jan 13, 2021

farmbrew said:
Thank you Brisel, very thorough.
Unfortunately I'm am a old fashioned farmer, I thinks if everybody is sensible they'll be fine. However these days local authority and officials seem to be out to trip us up. "Jobs worths" springs to mind.

Alas, people don’t always have or use common sense, which is why we have health & safety laws to give stupid the space it requires to thrive and not shorten its life!

Perhaps it’s just me, but an outsider can spot things we take for granted and might do unconsciously that carry manageable risks. We had a consultant in to help with our H&S and a Covid risk assessment but that’s because we have a reasonable sized business, some of which is public facing.

Any sensible person who doesn’t see your yard every day might be able to help you spot the little things you’ve missed.

You can either engage with the safety process to try and keep people from their own stupidity or just tick the boxes to keep the paperwork straight. Even if you do alter a few processes to make life safer, you then need to get the others on board! Good luck.

farmbrew · Jan 13, 2021

I consider myself being quite lucky really. A small scale farmer with no employees etc. I will try to do the basics but carry on hopefully flying below the radar....and keep my fingers crossed.

Risk Assessment for Covid

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