PHSC plc www.phsc.co.

uk
The Old Church
31 Rochester Road Tel: 01622 717700
Aylesford ME20 7PR Email: phsc@phsc.co.uk

PHSC plc Contingency Plan

Covid 19
Introduction

This contingency plan outlines the main purpose and guidance to PHSC plc subsidiary
directors of mitigation actions to minimise the risk to staff, customers and business
productivity following the recent outbreak of Covid-19.

It follows the latest guidance from the Government on Social Distancing and seeks to
maintain a balance between maintaining the health, safety and welfare of our stakeholders
and business continuity, as follows:

The Prime Minister also today (18.03.20) set out a number of social distancing measures
to reduce the risk of infection from the spread of coronavirus. For those who remain well,
are under 70 or do not have an underlying health condition, they are advised to limit their
social contact where possible, including using less public transport, working at home and
considering not going to pubs, restaurants, theatres and bars.

This does not mean closing business. It means taking sensible measures that maintains
business continuity whilst protecting health of our staff, customers and other stakeholders.
We will continue to monitor this strategy, using a risk-based approach in response to
updated information from Public Health England, and continuing to provide

Professional Help at Sensible Cost

This plan will be revised and updated as and when there is significant new guidance from
Public Health England / Health Protection Scotland.

Purpose
To minimise the risk of PHSC plc personnel contracting Covid-19

To minimise risk of infecting PHSC plc clients

To minimise the impact upon PHSC plc subsidiaries from potential effects of
business disruption due to staff sickness/ isolation or inability to service clients

To maintain its duty of care to employees, contractors, customers and others who
may be affected by our operations.

To reassure customers and other key stakeholders of PHSC’s proactive and reactive
strategy for managing risks presented by Covid-19. Ad-hoc discussions en-route
whilst auditing with individuals.

To ensure business continuity for all our customers, shareholders and staff and to
minimise the impact of financial loss whilst protecting health.
PHSC/ Contingency Plan – Covid 19 / 03.20 Page 1
 PHSC plc www.phsc.co.uk
The Old Church
31 Rochester Road Tel: 01622 717700
Aylesford ME20 7PR Email: phsc@phsc.co.uk

Plan

Subsidiary directors are to identify any staff or associates working for the subsidiary
who may be more vulnerable due to underlying health issues that could be
exacerbated if Covid-19 was contracted. Such information will be processed in line
with our Data Protection protocols.

Any staff who come within the category of vulnerable to be assessed for suitability
for travelling on public transport / working with clients where there are high
numbers of staff etc so as to minimise contact with persons or environment who
may be infected. If no such assignments are available, then consideration should
be given to providing alternative desk-based work, either at the office or at home.

Work schedules to be closely monitored and close liaison with clients to occur daily.
Where a client wishes to postpone or is closed down by PHE or Health Protection
Scotland our cancellation terms and conditions should be considered. Directors
have discretion over the circumstances of each case. It may be that other non-site
work might be completed instead.

Work that can be completed remotely should be agreed, eg via telephone,

webinars and arranging for photographs/documents to be sent to our consultants
where feasible.

In the short term, agreement with clients should be made in advance to minimise
time spent on site, and reasonable distance between individuals, particularly where
training is being delivered.

Directors are to brief/remind consultants (bearing in mind the Chartered Safety

Practitioner status of our management systems and health and safety consultants)
on leading by example at all times, including when at client sites or when in transit.

Do:
Briefings / guidance must be given to staff on:
o Hand hygiene protocols
o To obtain (if possible) hand sanitizer and carry with them
o To cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose immediately, or to cough/sneeze
into their elbow if a tissue is not immediately available.
o Always to keep 2 metres distance wherever possible from their clients, or a
minimum of 1 metre if the area is crowded.
o To avoid touching face, nose and mouth
o If someone coughs/ sneezes immediately in the proximity of a staff member to
ask to be excused to wash hands and sanitise.
o Not to shake hands with clients and to explain politely the reason why, in the
current circumstances.

PHSC/ Contingency Plan – Covid 19 / 03.20 Page 2

 PHSC plc www.phsc.co.uk
The Old Church
31 Rochester Road Tel: 01622 717700
Aylesford ME20 7PR Email: phsc@phsc.co.uk

o To update directors if they feel they are experiencing symptoms associated with
a cold, flu or virus (high temperature, headache, aching muscles, respiratory
problems).

When visiting clients, do not come into close contact with them. Do not shake
hands and explain the reasons why. Maintain a polite and safe distance from clients
wherever possible

Maintain a safe distance from people you are in contact with (ideally 2 metres).

Seek to arrange transit to client sites in the short-term via your own vehicle rather
than public transport, to avoid close contact with large numbers of the public.

Encourage staff when not at work to avoid large crowds. Encourage spare time
activities to include such pleasures as walks in the country-side or by the sea. Being
in nature is not only healthy mentally and physically, but the Covid-19 virus dies
naturally in the countryside so risk of infection is very low.

Avoid wherever possible using door handles / rails in public places. If possible, cover
your hands with a tissue or a sleeve when opening /closing doors or holding
handrails on stairs. If this cannot be avoided, wash your hands at the earliest
convenience afterwards, or use sanitiser.

Reassure clients of our measures in all correspondence.

For staff who have report writing days, encourage them to do so at home unless
they need to be in the office, and consider the appropriateness of administration
staff to work from home if this is viable.
Check
Undertake a daily check of your team to ensure they continue to follow these
guidelines, and to check on their physical and emotional health. This can be a
worrying time for some employees, especially if they or their family come within
the vulnerable group of people.

Check work schedules to identify at the earliest stage to monitor those clients who
may be more likely to close down (eg healthcare centres, schools, leisure centres).

Monitor the effectiveness of the controls in this strategy.

Act
If a staff member reports symptoms, ask them to self-isolate and contact NHS on
111 for further advice. This website also provides useful information:
https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

PHSC/ Contingency Plan – Covid 19 / 03.20 Page 3

 PHSC plc www.phsc.co.uk
The Old Church
31 Rochester Road Tel: 01622 717700
Aylesford ME20 7PR Email: phsc@phsc.co.uk

If they are still feeling well, seek to provide them with work that can be completed
from home (even if this is updating training programmes, writing a blog or other
ancillary task that was not planned but could provide benefit to the company.
Isolation must occur for at least two 2 weeks, although this may change in
accordance with PHE guidance. If testing occurs and the result is negative for Covid-
19 then self-isolation can be reduced to a few days until the person’s symptoms
reduce sufficiently/disappear. Guidance from a health professional will be sought
on the suitability of someone to return to work.

Liaise with other subsidiary directors to provide a suitable replacement member of

staff so as not to inconvenience the client. There is sufficient additional resource
within the group to support a short-term and medium level of disruption due to
staff sickness.

If no suitable replacement is available then liaison with the client will be necessary
to postpone. In such circumstances directors should consider maintaining business
relationships and the inconvenience this may cause and if/what other
compensating work can be provided if this is necessary. Usually the client will be
happy to reschedule and work plans must cater for the need of flexibility under the
current circumstance.

Training Services

Those members of staff who interact with training delegates may have to adhere to
additional controls, given that they meet and work with personnel outside the business.
The following guidance is given:

As with containment, government advice shall form the basis of actions to be taken

Seek to provide training in larger premises where increased distance between

delegates can be achieved

Communications with delegates will be of high importance – firstly to reassure that

arrangements are in place to protect their health and also to ask them to provide
necessary information to the company if necessary. Communications with
delegates may include (depending on the nature of the situation):

o Asking delegates to confirm their recent travel movements

o Asking delegates to confirm that they have not been in contact with persons
infected or persons who may have been exposed to the disease (the
definition of contact will depend upon the nature of the disease)

PHSC/ Contingency Plan – Covid 19 / 03.20 Page 4

 PHSC plc www.phsc.co.uk
The Old Church
31 Rochester Road Tel: 01622 717700
Aylesford ME20 7PR Email: phsc@phsc.co.uk

o Asking delegates to follow some key instructions on arrival at our training

venue, which may include following guidance on personal hygiene, use of
PPE etc – the exact arrangements will depend upon the nature of the
disease
o Reassuring delegates of arrangements made should they have reservations
to attend

Noting that training may be cancelled or re-scheduled if government advice was to make
this a requirement. Should any associate working in a training facility be diagnosed with
an illness, have been in contact with a person/s with the illness or travelled to areas that
are deemed high risk (with reference to advice) these persons are not to work and not to
attend the training facility.

PHSC/ Contingency Plan – Covid 19 / 03.20 Page 5