Welcome Guest! The IOSH forums are a free resource to both members and non-members. Login or register to use them

Postings made by forum users are personal opinions. IOSH is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any of the information contained in forum postings. Please carefully consider any advice you receive.

Notification

Icon
Error
Covid and School closure
Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
Previous Topic Next Topic
craigroberts76  
#1 Posted : 02 September 2020 11:52:28(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
craigroberts76

One of our workers has had to go and pick his child up from School already as they "suspect" a child has symptoms.  What are your views on whether our worker is ok to return to work? personally I dont think this 14 day isolation is now going to work when schools start sending classes out daily, half the workforce would have to isolate....
Back to top
Hsquared14  
#2 Posted : 02 September 2020 12:36:41(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

I can see it causing absolute chaos because every child who sneezes or has a runny nose is likely to provoke a scare which will result in whole classes being sent home.

Back to top
thanks 1 user thanked Hsquared14 for this useful post.
N Hancock on 02/09/2020(UTC)
elburt  
#3 Posted : 02 September 2020 12:41:16(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
elburt

At the moment the guidance is if your child is not symptomatic anyone in the 'bubble' does not need to isolate. If the child starts to show symptoms then they should self isolate and go and get a test.

Hopefully the current covid controls will help minimise the spread of all airborne infections so we should hopefully see a reduction in flu virus' over the coming months. So long as people follow the rules

L
Back to top
Hsquared14  
#4 Posted : 02 September 2020 14:46:05(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

Strange isn't it that it takes something like this for people to realise that colds and 'flu get passed around every year but we have the power to stop it happening by being more mindful of keeping ourselves and our environment clean.

Back to top
thanks 1 user thanked Hsquared14 for this useful post.
biker1 on 03/09/2020(UTC)
Roundtuit  
#5 Posted : 02 September 2020 19:31:01(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Now the little darlings are back into contact with each other there will be the usual coughs and sniffles whose handling will need careful reaction.

Unfortunately having been programmed over many months the "germ averse" will be acting at the highest level and "Eliminating" risk from the school regardless of any accuracy in their determination.
Back to top
Roundtuit  
#6 Posted : 02 September 2020 19:31:01(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Now the little darlings are back into contact with each other there will be the usual coughs and sniffles whose handling will need careful reaction.

Unfortunately having been programmed over many months the "germ averse" will be acting at the highest level and "Eliminating" risk from the school regardless of any accuracy in their determination.
Back to top
John Murray  
#7 Posted : 03 September 2020 09:27:23(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
John Murray

The schools already have guidance from the govt about any sickness among children, individual or collective.

Facts are hard to find, and from many sources; unreliable.

But since the evidence, so far, suggests children have a better outcome from a CV19 infection than adults, and since schools are staffed by adults in the 20-60 range (+-), who get a much worse form of the disease, schools are obviously going to err on the side of adults living longer lives.

If the H&S (sometimes) industry dislikes this approach, they can go work in a school or an acute-case ward in a hospital.

Don't forget you face covering (I got requested to leave a McD the other day because my "face covering" was not the "right sort" (I was wearing an N95 facemask, without an exhaust valve)). Apparently I should wear a folded T shirt mask or a surgical facemask. Sad.

Back to top
craigroberts76  
#8 Posted : 03 September 2020 12:42:00(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
craigroberts76

So what is the guidance? should our worker also isolate even though it wasnt his kid until the results come back as + or - ? 

I had a conversation yesterday with a worker who couldnt wear a face covering on a site as he had claustrophobia, and had an exemption letter... but is fine wearing a fitted half face mask.. hows that work?
Back to top
Hsquared14  
#9 Posted : 03 September 2020 13:09:34(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

I had a conversation yesterday with a worker who couldnt wear a face covering on a site as he had claustrophobia, and had an exemption letter... but is fine wearing a fitted half face mask.. hows that work?

TBH that sounds a bit dodgy to me - at this point I would be contacting the school to find out if this really happened at all!!

Back to top
craigroberts76  
#10 Posted : 03 September 2020 14:07:29(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
craigroberts76
Originally Posted by: Hsquared14 Go to Quoted Post

I had a conversation yesterday with a worker who couldnt wear a face covering on a site as he had claustrophobia, and had an exemption letter... but is fine wearing a fitted half face mask.. hows that work?

TBH that sounds a bit dodgy to me - at this point I would be contacting the school to find out if this really happened at all!!

Sorry, 2 different workers.  1 got called to go and collect his kid, and the other said he couldnt wear the mask
Back to top
thanks 1 user thanked craigroberts76 for this useful post.
Hsquared14 on 04/09/2020(UTC)
biker1  
#11 Posted : 03 September 2020 15:48:26(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
biker1
Originally Posted by: John Murray Go to Quoted Post

Don't forget you face covering (I got requested to leave a McD the other day because my "face covering" was not the "right sort" (I was wearing an N95 facemask, without an exhaust valve)). Apparently I should wear a folded T shirt mask or a surgical facemask. Sad.

An American company kicking up a fuss about a face mask? That's a bit rich, isn't it?

The children returning to school is going to kick up a lot of trouble. Young children are little bug factories at the best of times, notorious for bringing all sorts of infections home. The average school is not going to differentiate between 'normal' bugs and COVID, so I can foresee a lot of parents getting the summons to take little Johnny or Jenny home. Then what do the parents do? According to some latest news, they face a 100/200 mile journey to get the family tested, then wait for results. Do they self-isolate in the meantime?

It's a pity we haven't got an epedemiologist in charge, like they had in Sweden, then we might know what we're doing.

Back to top
thanks 1 user thanked biker1 for this useful post.
Hsquared14 on 04/09/2020(UTC)
Roundtuit  
#12 Posted : 03 September 2020 16:00:49(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Letters of exemption are not required by the face coverings regulation - that sounds like someone playing whoever wrote the document for a sucker.

I would ring the issuer for confirmation of their diagnosis as it would be an irresponsible employer to ask someone to work in a fitted half mask if a loose face covering causes them such psychological issues.

Do they travel to work on public transport (and don't want to wear a mask)?
Back to top
Roundtuit  
#13 Posted : 03 September 2020 16:00:49(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Letters of exemption are not required by the face coverings regulation - that sounds like someone playing whoever wrote the document for a sucker.

I would ring the issuer for confirmation of their diagnosis as it would be an irresponsible employer to ask someone to work in a fitted half mask if a loose face covering causes them such psychological issues.

Do they travel to work on public transport (and don't want to wear a mask)?
Back to top
John Murray  
#14 Posted : 04 September 2020 07:12:45(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
John Murray

Plenty of scope for not wearing.....

Reasonable excuse

4.—(1) For the purposes of regulation 3(1), the circumstances in which a person (“P”) has a reasonable excuse include those where—

(a)P cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering—

(i)because of any physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability (within the meaning of section 6 of the Equality Act 2010(1)), or

(ii)without severe distress;

(b)P is accompanying, or providing assistance to, another person (“B”) and B relies on lip reading to communicate with P;

(c)P removes their face covering to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to themselves or others;

(d)P is entering or within a relevant place to avoid injury, or to escape a risk of harm, and does not have a face covering with them;

(e)it is reasonably necessary for P to eat or drink, P removes their face covering to eat or drink;

(f)P has to remove their face covering to take medication;

(g)a person responsible for a relevant place or an employee of that person acting in the course of their employment, requires that P remove their face covering in order to verify P’s identity;

(h)in a registered pharmacy, an employee of that registered pharmacy acting in the course of their employment, requires that P remove their face covering in order to assist in the provision of healthcare or healthcare advice to P;

(i)a relevant person requests that P remove their face covering.

(2) In this regulation “registered pharmacy” has the same meaning as in section 74 of the Medicines Act 1968(2).

I'll not put the rest here......it carries-on in the same sort of drivel..... Waht would we need an epidemiologist for. Experts:Who needs 'em ;-)

Back to top
craigroberts76  
#15 Posted : 04 September 2020 08:20:46(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
craigroberts76

the fact that hes happy in a tight fitting face mask made me laugh.  Def playing a game of trying to not to go to that job, so hes been told to just wear his 3M in future and not a face covering, offers FFP3 protection as well, so no excuse.
Back to top
Hsquared14  
#16 Posted : 04 September 2020 12:48:15(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14
Originally Posted by: craigroberts76 Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Hsquared14 Go to Quoted Post

I had a conversation yesterday with a worker who couldnt wear a face covering on a site as he had claustrophobia, and had an exemption letter... but is fine wearing a fitted half face mask.. hows that work?

TBH that sounds a bit dodgy to me - at this point I would be contacting the school to find out if this really happened at all!!

Now I understand - thought it was a bit odd!! 

Sorry, 2 different workers.  1 got called to go and collect his kid, and the other said he couldnt wear the mask
Back to top
Users browsing this topic
Guest (4)
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

Powered by YAF.NET | YAF.NET © 2003-2024, Yet Another Forum.NET