General Guidelines for Businesses other than the Health

Guidelines for Health and Safety at Work

during the Coronavirus pandemic General Guidelines for Businesses other than the Health Care Sector

PIO 00/2020 - ePublication

Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance

Medical and Public Health Services

Ministry of Health

1HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK

Health and Safety at Work

Guidelines for Health and Safety at Work

during the Coronavirus pandemic General Guidelines for Businesses other than the Health Care Sector

1. Introduction

With the actual outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Cyprus, businesses should reopen

under the appropriate and controlled health and safety conditions to eliminate or reduce

to the greatest extent possible the risk of spreading the virus to employees (staff,

employees and self-employed persons) and to the society in general.

The Department of Labour Inspection, Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance in

cooperation with the Medical and Public Health Services, Ministry of Health has prepared

these guidelines to create the appropriate working conditions and environment. They

describe the obligations of employers, self-employed persons and employees, as well as

the measures to be taken in accordance with the health and safety at work law.

It is noted that these guidelines are complementary and do not replace the obligations enforced by the Quarantine Law and the relevant decrees issued.

2. Obligations of employers and self-employed persons

2.1. General obligations of employers and self-employed persons

• Employers or self-employed persons should review the Written Risk Assessment for the

transmission and spreading of the virus according to the current developments and

implement appropriate and sufficient preventive measures at work.

• Employers or self-employed persons, according to the procedures they apply and their

activities, should apply a Health and Safety Management System at Work, which shall

include all procedures, working methods and information on the protection of employees

and the implementation of preventive and protective measures.

• Employers are obliged to properly inform the safety officer, if any, of their business, the

employees in charge of Internal Protection and Prevention Services, as well as the

members of the Safety Committee and the employees’ safety representatives, about the

latest developments on coronavirus. The employees are obliged, in turn, to inform their

colleagues about the protective measures and contribute to their implementation by the

staff, the visitors and any other person entering their workplace.

• Employers should appoint a crisis management team to take immediate decisions on

coronavirus. Moreover, employers should prepare a check list on the preventive and

protective measures contained in this Guide, which should be taken at work according to the

nature of the working activities. A draft of this Check List is attached hereto as Annex 1.

• Employers should prepare, and if necessary, implement an emergency plan for the

management of suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 in their business or workplace.

(Annex 2).

• Employers are obliged to set out and implement the monitoring procedures for the

implementation of all preventive and protective measures. To that effect, they may use

those in charge of the Internal and External Protection and Prevention Services and the

occupational health physician, if any, of the business. When monitoring the implementation


of measures, importance should be given to vulnerable groups of employees who remain

at work.

2.2. Specific obligations of employers and self-employed persons relating to the preventive and protective measures to be taken at work against coronavirus (Covid-19)

2.2.1. Employers or self-employed persons should make the necessary arrangements for the strict observation of personal hygiene rules by their staff. To this effect, the following measures should be implemented:

• Install a sufficient number of disinfection stations with running water and soap or with

disinfectant liquid in prominent places around the workplace and at the entrance and exit

of the workplace, as well as in the cleaning facilities. If there is an automatic entrance,

the antiseptic solution should be placed next to the door inside the premises. If there is

no automatic entrance, the antiseptic solution should be placed next to the door inside

and outside the premises.

• Display posters/guidelines promoting handwashing and personal hygiene rules at the

entrance and exit points and in prominent places around the workplace.

• Provide the appropriate and sufficient areas of sanitary facilities such as toilets and in

cases where this is required by the nature of work or for hygiene purposes, changing

rooms and showers.

• Apply sanitary measures in toilets (always flush the toilet with the toilet lid down and

maintain the lid down when the toilet is not in use). Avoid using air jets to dry your hands.

• Supply and give direct access of sufficient materials and consumables to your employees

to prevent infections such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (masks and gloves for

single use), thermometers, garbage bags, surface cleaning products and antiseptics. PPE

shall be specified in the written risk assessment. Masks are recommended for the initial

phase/return to work in indoor overcrowded areas (co-existence or close contact or social

interaction) such as open plan offices with a great number of employees and areas serving

the public continuously.

• Provide the appropriate instructions and train your employees on how to use protective

equipment, especially those belonging to vulnerable groups of the population.

• Place closed bins at the entrance and exit points and in prominent locations around the

workplace.

• Ensure controlled discharge of packaging or other objects using gloves or disinfection

procedures where applicable.

• Make sure that each employee has, as far as possible, individual tools and working

equipment. Wherever possible, tools should be regularly cleaned before being handed over

to another person.

• Ensure that individual working clothes and PPE provided to employees are kept at work

separately from their personal daily clothes.

4 HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK

2.2.2. Employers or self-employed persons, as the case may be, should make the necessary arrangements to observe the rules of physical and social distancing for their employees

• Only the minimum number of employees required shall be present at work.

• Employees with respiratory infection symptoms or fever should be prevented from entering

the workplace. Where necessary, the employees’ body temperature shall be measured.

• Make arrangements to avoid physical contacts and maintain the distance of at least 2

meters between employees and clients/visitors at work including in the catering service

and resting areas, as well as in sanitary or cleaning facilities areas.

• Place signs on the floor of the premises to ensure the distance of 2 meters between

employees and clients/visitors.

• Observe the ratio of 8 sqm per person in areas serving the public or as the relevant decree

may be amended from time to time.

• Adjust the working stations and equipment (furniture, desks, machinery, appliances) in

order to observe the appropriate distances and the area ratio as mentioned above.

• Install natural dividers (e.g. transparent or compact dividers) in specific areas inside the

workplace if distances cannot be kept or if the working conditions dictate so according to

the risk assessment.

• Separate or isolate areas of the workplace, where necessary, to ensure that the necessary

distances are kept provided that this shall not prevent people from exiting the premises in

case of an emergency.

• Isolate employees who can perform their duties on their own without the presence of other

persons in the same area or when using specialised equipment or transferring other

objects in their area is not necessary.

• Make small working groups or/and groups working on a shift basis always maintaining

the same employees for each group, where possible.

• Establish a work rotation system or a working system on a non-overlapping shift basis,

where possible.

• Promote automation at work where possible and limit manual handling of documents,

envelops, packages, objects, loads etc.

• Implement arrangements of stepwise interruption of work or stepwise breaks for lunch

or/and rest, so there are sufficient lunch/rest areas for employees who interrupt their

work at the same time, in order to reduce congestion, avoid contact at any time and

observe in general the distancing measures.

• Limit meetings and gatherings in general between employees and visitors in indoor areas,

canteens or rest areas to the greatest extent possible. Meetings that cannot be avoided

should be as short as possible not exceeding 15 minutes and held in naturally ventilated

areas.

• Use naturally ventilated stairs for moving between floors, where possible, instead using

the elevator.

• Arrange communication via teleconference or telephone conversation such as Skype, Viber,

MsTeams and Zoom or send your correspondence via emails and faxes between employees

and between employees and external partners.

• Ask your employees to use their private vehicles and not the company’s vehicles or public

transport and to observe the special restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Transport,

Communications and Works.


2.2.3. Employers or self-employed persons, as the case may be, should make appropriate arrangements so they and their employees can work from home.

• Make arrangements and promote teleworking and remote provision of services. Priority

should be given to vulnerable groups.

• Make arrangements and promote communication through teleconference, telephones or

electronic transmission of correspondence between employees working from home and

those at the workplace and between employees working from home and the external

partners.

• Support and train employees who can work from home and provide them with the

appropriate technical infrastructure.

• Adjust work to the employees’ needs and capabilities to create a safe working environment

at home.

2.2.4. Employers or self-employed persons, as the case may be, should make appropriate arrangements for the ventilation, cleaning and disinfection of the workplace

• Make sure that all workplaces are sufficiently, frequently and systematically ventilated.

Natural ventilation of the workplaces through open windows or doors should be preferred

and this for at least 10 minutes per day.

• If possible, make sure that the ventilation system in the WC is working 24h/day and avoid

opening the windows of the WC to achieve the correct direction of air flow.

• Avoid using air conditioners. Where necessary, use the air conditioning in fresh air

circulation mode not in air recycling mode;

• Air conditioners and central systems of artificial ventilation should be regularly checked

and maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• The workplaces, floors and equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected daily

with cleaning solutions (preferably with diluted chlorine solution).

• Hand-contact surfaces (benches, tables, desks, door handles, switches, telephone sets,

keyboards, elevator buttons, locking systems etc.) should be thoroughly cleaned and

disinfected daily with an alcoholic solution or diluted chlorine solution.

• Areas of sanitary facilities such as toilets and, in cases where this is required by the nature

of work or for hygiene purposes, changing rooms and showers should be thoroughly

cleaned and disinfected daily with diluted chlorine solution.

• Provide instructions and training to employees and cleaning staff on environmental

cleaning procedures (disinfection) for workplaces.

• Provide cleaning products and disinfectants, as well as individual protective equipment to

employees and to the cleaning staff. The cleaning procedures (disinfection) may be

assigned to licensed companies.

• Provide instructions to employees on how to clean their personal belongings at work

(mobile phones, bags, glasses, tablets) with disinfectants or disinfecting wipes.

• Keep cleaning record from the workplaces and areas of sanitary and other facilities (date

of cleaning, frequency of cleaning, name of cleaner).


2.2.5. Employers or self-employed persons, as the case may be, should make appropriate arrangements for the protective measures to be taken when external partners, visitors and employees enter the workplace

• Keep records of incoming external partners, visitors and other employees entering the

workplace.

• Apply hand disinfection procedures for each external partner or visitor or employee

entering the workplace both at the entrance and exit of the facilities/premises.

• Where necessary or where conditions dictate so prevent external partners, visitors and

other employees from entering the workplace or limit their access where possible and

reasonably practicable.

• Prevent external partners, visitors and other employees from entering the workplace when

they have respiratory infection symptoms. Body temperature should be measured where

necessary.

• Provide instructions to external partners, visitors and other employees entering the

workplace to avoid touching unnecessarily any objects during their stay at the workplace.

• Assign, where practicable, separate sanitary facilities (toilets) for external partners,

visitors or other employees entering the workplace.

• Use electronic payment systems at work and limit the use of cash and forms. Where

possible, promote electronic payment systems without the physical presence of external

visitors at the workplace.

• Install a secured box at the entrance of the business for the incoming

mail/packages/products from partners/visitors, as part of the reception procedure.

3. 3. Monitoring the health of employees as to Coronavirus

In case there is an occupational health physician in charge of the workplace, he should provide medical services to employees. The aim of monitoring the employees’ health by the occupational health physician is, inter alia, to:

• provide personal information to employees about health issues related to coronavirus;

• monitor and supervise the implementation of the necessary preventive and protective

measures to be taken at work;

• implement psychological support programmes for employees where necessary;

• provide information to the employer on the adjustment of the work to human needs and

on other protective and preventive measures to be taken at work, especially for employees

with Covid-19 and the vulnerable groups;

• provide guidance to employees with Covid-19 or to those who have been placed in

quarantine on how to return to work.

Provided that, where required, the employees’ personal physician and the occupational health physician shall inform each other.


4. Obligations and rights of employees

The general obligations and the rights of employees are included in Annex 3.

5. Implementation monitoring – enforcing compliance

5.1. Inspection

The Minister of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance appoints inspectors for an

effective implementation of the provisions of these Guidelines under the Safety

and Health at Work Law of 1996 to (No 2) of 2015.

5.2. Penalties

Under the powers vested in the competent Inspectors by the above Laws, in case

any person to whom obligations are imposed by the above Law fails to comply with

the provisions of these Guidelines, the Inspectors may use the following legal

tools to enforce compliance at their judgment and based on the gravity of the

infringement.

5.2.1. Issue of an Improvement Warning to the person who fails to comply in order to

remedy the infringement or, as the case may be, the situation causing such

infringement, within a certain period of time indicated in the Improvement

Warning, which may not be less than 14 days;

5.2.2. Issue of a Prohibition Warning to any person who is responsible for or in charge

of the workplace or the activities carried out thereat, prohibiting the use of the

workplace or of the activities, until the risk is removed to the satisfaction of the

Inspector. The Prohibition Warning shall have immediate effect.

5.2.3. Propose legal proceedings against the person who fails to comply with the

provisions of these Guidelines.



ANNEX 1

Check List for the Implementation of

Preventive and Protective Measures

against Coronavirus at Work

The Check List is based on the Guidelines for Health and Safety at Work during the

Coronavirus pandemic.

Premises/Workplace:...........…………………………….......................................................................

Number of employees:……………......................………

How to use the Check List:

1. The employer shall assign the person(s) who shall carry out the checks

2. The check shall be carried out after consulting the employees/Safety committee where

applicable

3. Scheduling checks to be carried out

4. Where corrective actions are needed the risk should be assessed (probability x gravity)

5. When corrective actions are identified, an implementation programme should be set

out.






ANNEX 2 How to manage a case of Covid-19 at work

Under the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work legislation, employers should

prepare and if necessary, implement an action plan for the management of a suspected

case of Covid-19 at the workplace of his business or facilities. Moreover, they must appoint

a crisis management team which shall undertake to implement the requested actions

contained in the action plan.

In case a suspected case of Covid-19 is found at the workplace, the crisis management team should take the following actions in a calm and sensible way and with respect towards the personal data of the suspected case:

1. Isolate the suspected case at his workplace or another predetermined area away from

other employees, visitors or other persons at work;

2. Provide immediately a mask and tissues to the suspected case with symptoms of infection

(fever, cough, chest pain, sore throat, diarrhoea);

3. Call immediately 1420 (24h service) and give them the information below:

• Name and surname of the employee

• Country of origin

• Symptoms

• Address of workplace

4. Provide also a simple surgical mask to one of his colleagues in case someone must stay

with him and take care of him. In this case instructions should be given to his colleague to

wash his hands thoroughly with water and soap every time he comes in contact with

secretions (e.g. saliva) and in any case before touching his face or eating or drinking.

5. Give instructions to the rest of the staff or visitors to avoid entering the workplace of the

suspected case.

6. Request that the protective equipment (mask, gloves) and other consumables used by the

suspected case and other employees who came into contact with him, be disposed of in a

closed waste bin and in no way reused.

7. Give instructions to the suspected case and other employees on how to use, remove and

dispose of personal protective equipment, as well as on how to thoroughly wash their

hands with water and soap after removing such equipment.

8. Ensure that all areas where the suspected case was including the catering service

areas/resting areas and areas of sanitary facilities are immediately cleaned and

disinfected. The necessary arrangements must be made under the directives on

environmental cleaning (disinfection) in non-healthcare settings exposed to Covid-19.

9. Ensure that all areas where the suspected case was, remain closed until the cleaning

procedures (disinfection) are completed and for an additional period of time requested

accordingly.

10. Keep a record with the details of all the employees who came into contact with the

suspected case for contact tracing purposes.



ANNEX 3 Health and Safety at Work during the Coronavirus pandemic General instructions for the protection of employees at work

1. Introduction

The general instructions are for employees working in all sectors of economic activities

other than the health care sector.

Employees should work under controlled health and safety conditions at work to eliminate

or reduce to the greatest extent possible the risk of spreading the virus to employees and

to the society in general. The obligations and rights described hereto are based on the

provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Law.

These instructions are complementary and do not replace the obligations enforced with

the Quarantine Law and the relevant decrees issued.

2. Obligations of employees and rights

2.1. General Obligations

Employees should: • take all the necessary preventive and protective measures to protect their health; and

• cooperate with the employer’s safety officer, if any, the members of the Safety Committee,

the safety representatives, the persons who have been assigned with the Internal and

External Protection and Prevention Services and the occupational health physician, if any.

2.2. Rights

Employees are entitled to: • get training and information from the employer about the risks from Covid-19 and the

necessary protective and preventive measures to be taken at work; and

• participate in the Covid-19 information programme.

3. Special obligations of employees for the appropriate preventive and protective measures

Employees are obliged to: • take the appropriate preventive and protective measures determined by the risk

assessment such as personal hygiene measures and personal protective measures,

measures of physical and social distancing between colleagues and external partners,

measures for the ventilation of the workplace and the cleaning of surfaces and personal

belongings;

• wash their hands regularly and thoroughly with water and soap for at least 20 seconds or

if their hands are not obviously soiled, to use an alcoholic solution containing more than


60% alcohol. They should thoroughly wash their hands before entering and exiting the

workplace and every time before entering and exiting the catering service area;

• avoid touching their hands, nose and eyes;

• cough or sneeze into their elbow or cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they

cough or sneeze, then dispose of the tissue in a covered waste bin and finally wash their

hands with water and soap or if their hands are not obviously soiled, to use an alcoholic

solution containing more than 60% alcohol;

• use personal protective equipment (mask, gloves etc.) if required by the risk assessment,

by specific instructions given by the employer or by the Quarantine Law;

• safely dispose of consumables such as personal protective equipment, in closed waste

bins placed at work;

• avoid going to work with respiratory infection symptoms or fever and inform the employer

immediately;

• avoid or limit, to the greatest extent possible, any meetings and gatherings in general with

their colleagues, visitors/clients or other employees visiting the workplace. Meetings that

cannot be avoided should be as short as possible;

• observe the ratio of one person per 8 sqm in areas serving the public;

• keep a distance of at least 2 meters from colleagues, visitors/clients or other employees

visiting the workplace;

• adjust their working station and equipment (benches, desks) to observe the required

distances;

• avoid going unnecessarily to other workplaces (offices, warehouses);

• avoid physical contact such as shaking hands, hugs and kisses with colleagues,

visitors/clients or other employees visiting the workplace;

• use automation systems at work;

• avoid manual handling of envelops, packages, objects and loads;

• communicate by teleconference and telephones or transmit correspondence with

colleagues and other external partners electronically;

• use stairs for moving between floors, where possible, instead using the elevator;

• observe the arrangements of small working groups that are as stable as possible and of

groups working on a shift basis

• ventilate the workplace with fresh air daily and regularly where practicable for at least 10

minutes daily;

• observe the hours of stepwise interruption of work or stepwise breaks for lunch or/and

rest;

• avoid using the air conditioning in air recycling mode;

• make sure that hand-contact surfaces (benches, tables, desks, door handles, switches,

telephone sets, buttons, keyboards etc.) are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with

disinfectant or disinfecting wipes where reasonably practicable and in addition to the

cleaning procedures;

• implement sanitary measures in toilets (always flush the toilet with the toilet lid down and

maintain the lid down when the toilet is not in use). Avoid using air jets to dry their hands;

• clean their personal belongings (mobile phones, bags, glasses, tablets) with disinfectant

or disinfecting wipes;

• avoid touching unnecessarily any objects they do not use at work; and

• implement any other specific measures set out by the risk assessment for protection from

Covid-19.


Guidelines for Health and Safety at Work during the Coronavirus pandemic

General Guidelines for Businessesother than the Health Care Sector

PIO 100/2020 - ePublication

Ministry of Labour, Welfareand Social Insurance

Medical and Public HealthServices

Ministry of Health

Documents

General Guidelines for Businesses other than the Health