Royal Mail Agency Worker COVID-19 Communication : Mandatory wearing of face coverings in indoor workplaces

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail Agency Worker COVID-19 Communication

IMPORTANT NOTICE; Please read this before you attend your next shift at Royal Mail

Mandatory wearing of face coverings in indoor workplaces

We recently communicated that the wearing of face coverings in enclosed workplaces was strongly and actively encouraged. As the infection rate continues to rise, we enter flu season and welcome temporary colleagues to support Christmas peak, we now need to standardise our approach to the wearing of face coverings.

It will therefore be mandatory for all workers to wear a face covering in all Royal Mail Group indoor workplaces from Monday, 9th November 2020. We also support and actively encourage the use of face coverings in all outdoor settings to keep all our workers and customers safe. Face coverings do not replace other preventative measures, i.e. increased hand hygiene, social distancing, increased cleaning, etc, which must remain in place.

A move to mandatory face coverings in all indoor workplaces strengthens the existing preventative measures already in place to protect you and others from coronavirus and supports our risk management strategy which we are responsible for under health and safety legislation. This is a view shared by regulatory bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive and many local authorities. We have already seen some excellent examples where indoor workplaces are wearing face coverings and uptake has been good.

On site visitors and contractors should be asked to wear a face covering. Evidence of exemptions do not need to be requested.

We recognise that some employees are unable to wear face coverings for medical reasons, and that they are not practical to wear for some activities in certain job roles, e.g. in a call centre where full social distancing measures are in place.

Workers who are hard of hearing and who rely on lip reading can share any concerns they may have around face coverings with a manager onsite and discuss options to resolve any communication barriers. We do understand the communication barrier with opaque face coverings and where colleagues would like to wear a clear face covering these can be purchased locally and claimed back via travel and expenses. Any clear face coverings worn must meet basic safety requirements and be comfortable to wear.

Face coverings and visors which must be worn with a face covering are available for all employees from managers onsite. Workers may also choose to wear their own personal face coverings but these must not have an exhalation valve.

For comfort and to protect the environment, we will be providing re-usable face coverings from early next year, once stocks of disposables are utilised. A quantity of disposable face coverings will continue to be available.
When wearing a face covering, employees should always adhere to hand washing and social distancing guidance and other preventative measures.

Managers should contact Advice and Support on 0345 6043657 with questions related to employees who refuse to wear a face covering in indoor settings. The key message is to engage employees in understanding the importance of wearing face coverings as an additional protective measure.

Why are face coverings important?

Coronavirus (COVID-19) usually spreads by droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking. These droplets can also be picked up from surfaces, if you touch a surface and then your face without washing your hands first. This is why social distancing, regular hand hygiene, and covering coughs and sneezes is so important in controlling the spread of the virus.

We must all continue to do everything we can to protect ourselves, colleagues, family and customers. Wearing a face covering can help us stay safe by reducing the risk of infection. This is even more important in situations where social distancing is difficult, with the onset of the flu season and where we meet new people, e.g. when new temporary colleagues join us over the Christmas peak.

How to wear a face covering
• Before putting on a face covering, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub, or soap and water.
• Cover your mouth and nose with the face covering and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the face covering.
• Avoid touching the face covering while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
• Replace the face covering with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks.

How to remove and dispose of a single-use face mask
• Remove the mask from behind (do not touch the front of mask).
• Discard immediately in a waste bin, do not place the mask on surfaces or frames.
• Clean hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.
• Drivers should take a polythene bag with them and dispose of any waste that they generate into it immediately after use and put in the bin in the office when they return.

There is UK Government guidance available on face coverings including a list of exemptions (not exhaustive), when to use them, how to make your own and when to wear one. This is available via the link.
Please note, the lockdown rules introduced from 5 November to 2 December 2020 only apply in England. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales continue to have their own restrictions in place.

If you have any queries or need to report a Covid-19 related absence, please contact your agency on 0333 240 8502

Thanks once again and please stay safe.

Yours faithfully,

Royal Mail Flexible Recruitment Team