People working in your house
We all need people to visit our homes to carry out essential repair and maintenance work. The boiler needs servicing, the washing machine mended or maybe there are mice in the loft! There are the less essential tasks too: decorating, fitting a new bathroom or installing a home cinema? The list goes on.
We’d normally spread these tasks out but it’s no surprise that many people have been putting things off lately. Delaying or failing to arrange service and repair work can increase different risks as well as costs. Work may not get done when you want due to backlogs.
For householders:
Our personal circumstances differ. You may be comfortable booking someone to visit your house or it may make you anxious. Regardless of how you feel it will be reassuring to know that the person coming has some procedures to minimise risks. It shows they care about you and about themselves and any employees.
You may find working procedures on their website or social media. Perhaps they will email you a copy. Or, just pick up the phone and get your questions answered.
The main things you want to see are:
- Questions about the health of people in your household and a confirmation of the same at their end.
- An agreement to notify each other of any change before the appointment date.
- Observing the minimum distancing guidelines. It’s usually easy to be in a different room anyway.
- Additional hygiene procedures – e.g. hand washing / sanitising, cleaning etc. It’s worth knowing that these are considered more important than PPE measures.
For tradespeople:
It doesn’t matter if you are a plumber, cleaner, painter or chimney sweep: get yourself a set of procedures / routines and stick to them every time you visit a house. A good set of procedures reduces risks to a very low level. It also makes good business sense to reassure your customers.
There is specific government guidance for working in people’s homes. See the link below – it’s mostly common sense. It will help you identify and minimise the risks to you (or your employees) and to the households you visit.
It’s easy to do (just adapt someone else’s). It makes all the difference, especially to a vulnerable or anxious person. Show you care by publishing procedures to your website or social media or send them directly to you customers.
http://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes
Here are the new procedures for my business. Feel free to copy whatever seems useful for your work.
J L Wight new procedures at: camsweep.co.uk