I'm looking for some guidance on usage of communal equipment in the kitchen please. My risk assessment to date shows that we can't use the microwave, coffee machine, toaster, crockery or cutlery. I have stated that people must bring in their own food and milk and use the Quooker tap for hot water. However, I was still letting people put their lunch in the fridge but our Head of HR doesn't think we should be. Surely if people are antibacing their hands before and after opening the fridge then it should be ok? With that in mind, what are people's thoughts about using the microwave or coffee machine if they do the same thing? I want to keep social distancing but also give our employees some sort of normality! 

So looking at the weather forecast and an upcoming week of  "we need a maximum workplace temperature" it is not ideal that employees bringing food to work have this sat on their desk breeding potential food poisoning rather than being safely stored in a fridge.

Unless you are going to provide each employee with their own equipment - microwave/cooker, fridge, kettle - the logical thing is that each person looks after themself (eliminate brew rounds, stick with a single cup and spoon all day) wiping communal equipment and washing hands.

Is there really a difference between touching microwave controls, kettle, fridge or operating a combi-tap?

We are not restricting these things, we are limiting number of people in our rest areas adn in the coffee area. We are increasing the cleaning of touch points and providing cleaning materials, although there has always been this. I beleive the risk is really low and if people are hand washing as they should and not touching their face there should be only minimal risk.

Putting in all these extreme restrictions is an over-reaction that will breed further anxiety (as well as food poisoning bugs).

If these things are really that dangerous then the workplace shouldn't be open at all.

The well-being of staff matters as well as hygiene.  I do worry that the mental health effects of all this worry will end up greater than the effects of the virus itself.

We are planning a daily clean of kitchen appliances by the cleaners, providing cleaning materials and hand sanitiser for staff in the kitchen, restricting the number of people in the kitchen area to one at a time with a designated waiting point, setting the dishwasher to an intensive setting and writing some guidelines about not making tea for each other, etc.  And I thought that was erring on the side of caution!

I had gone down the same route as Kate, but have just been asked the "Milk in fridge" question.  I think that if everything is claened a couple of times a day, people are cleaning their hands, wipes all over the place as well as  making their own drinks etc surely the likelihood of cootjies being on the frige door is negligable.

 I do worry that we are in danger of becoming risk adverse