Advice, support and information for businesses

Since the pandemic began Environmental Health Officers have been patrolling Wealden district to check that businesses are complying with the restrictions and giving advice over the telephone. If you have questions or concerns about the operation of a business please email us at foodhs@rother.gov.uk (a shared service with Rother). 

Non-food retailers

For advice or complaints regarding non-food retailers email ESCC Trading Standards on trading.standards@eastsussex.gov.uk

For all other categories email Wealden District Council on foodhs@rother.gov.uk 

There are guides for specific workplaces and you may need to use more than one. You must read each that is relevant for your workplace. Each guide has specific actions for businesses to take based on five steps. Further guidance will be published as more businesses are able to reopen.

1. Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment

Before restarting work, you should ensure the safety of the workplace by:

• carrying out a risk assessment in line with the HSE guidance
• consulting with your workers or trade unions
• sharing the results of the risk assessment with your workforce and on your website

2. Develop cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures

You should increase the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning by:

• encouraging people to follow the guidance on hand washing and hygiene
• providing hand sanitiser around the workplace, in addition to washrooms
• frequently cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces that are touched regularly
• enhancing cleaning for busy areas
• setting clear use and cleaning guidance for toilets
• providing hand drying facilities – either paper towels or electrical dryers

3. Help people to work from home

You should take all reasonable steps to help people work from home by:

• discussing home working arrangements
• ensuring they have the right equipment, for example remote access to work systems
• including them in all necessary communications
• looking after their physical and mental wellbeing

4. Maintain 2m social distancing, where possible

Where possible, you should maintain 2m between people by:

• putting up signs to remind workers and visitors of social distancing guidance
• avoiding sharing workstations
• using floor tape or paint to mark areas to help people keep to a 2m distance
• arranging one-way traffic through the workplace if possible
• switching to seeing visitors by appointment only if possible

5. Where people cannot be 2m apart, manage transmission risk

Where it is not possible for people to be 2m apart, you should do everything practical to manage the transmission risk by:

• considering whether an activity needs to continue for the business to operate
• keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
• using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
• using back-to-back or side-to-side working whenever possible
• staggering arrival and departure times
• reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’

The government has also published simplified guidance for 14 different types of work: working safely during coronavirus

Helping food businesses understand their legal responsibilities in relation to health and safety at work and advice on creating a safe and healthy workplace. 

• Safe food and healthy workplaces