COVID-19 POLICY

Blowes Electrical’s principle business is the selling and installation, servicing and repair of electrical and communication products. This policy applies to all staff, apprentices, contractors and other personnel at workplaces under the management of Blowes Electrical.

Blowes Electrical aims to:

  • ensure all employees and contractors work in a healthy environment
  • minimise the spread of infectious diseases by having access to sanitisation products where appropriate and taking reasonable and appropriate action where required
  • ensure risk management principles are applied to all places of work
  • encourage all employees that feel unwell to stop any activity and report this to a supervisor or manager.

New protocols and physical distancing in the workplace:

  • Risk assess vulnerable employees who are at particularly high risk of becoming seriously ill if they are infected with COVID-19. Strictly apply the below protocols to those workers and ensure they are redeployed to non-customer based roles.
  • The introduction of a physical isolation roster (where possible and appropriate), so that not all employees start and finish work at the same time.  
  • Before work each day, each employee is instructed to check for symptoms of COVID-19 (this includes taking their temperature with a thermometer). If employees have a cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or a temperature above 37.3Co, they must not come into work and phone their supervisor;
  • Employees are encouraged, where possible to travel to and from work as well as between sites in their own vehicles (without passengers) if they have not been issued with their own work vehicle. If this is not possible, the Company will seek to reduce the number of workers required to travel in each vehicle;   
  • Working in smaller teams and practice distancing while onsite of 4m2 (2m either side) where possible and limit closer interactions for a maximum time of 15mins;
  • Providing additional PPE, including masks, sanitiser and latex gloves when working in a public environment;
  • Restricting non urgent maintenance work in Hospitals, Health Care Centre’s and Aged Care facilities;
  • Staggering lunch breaks during the day and requiring workers to eat outside on their own, where possible; 
  • Requiring workers to clean worksites before and after work. This includes vehicles, touch points, tools, and any equipment, if required;
  • Use food safe disposable gloves when touching equipment that might be contaminated (such as switches, light fittings or smoke detectors);   
  • Limiting visits to the office, workshop or wholesaler; 
  • Organising delivery of products to work sites where possible;
  • Telephoning customers before crews arrive to understand whether the customer is in isolation or a high-risk group;
  • Limit face to face interactions with all clients – where possible, crews will announce their arrival by phone and continue straight to the location of work with minimal human interaction. 
  • Sing-offs or completions will be completed via emails and supported by photographs.

Where protocols and physical distancing cannot be achieved a formal risk assessment must be completed that applies the heirachy of controls and signed off by the managing director. 

Monitoring and Review

Blowes Electrical will review this policy 6 months after implementation (or when required). Effectiveness of the policy will be assessed through:

  • consultation with employees, the Health and Safety Committee (if applicable), management and where applicable to stakeholders
  • review of the policy by management and committee to determine if objectives have been met and to identify any incidences or occurrences which affect this policy through active monitoring

Dan Blowes

Managing Director.