CSO COVID-19 Response Plan

The purpose of the CSO COVID-19 Response Plan is to provide all CSO staff with details of the measures necessary to ensure compliance with the Government’s ‘Work Safely Protocol’, and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.  The plan addresses the risks arising from COVID-19 which are specific to the workplace and sets out appropriate preventive and protective measures to be put in place to minimise those risks.

The guiding principle of the Response Plan is a commitment to ensuring the health and safety of all staff, while maintaining the continued delivery of the CSO’s core outputs. A central pillar of the Response Plan process is consultation and communication with staff. To enhance this communication channel, the Office has appointed a team of Lead Worker Representatives who can be contacted whenever staff have concerns or questions related to work and the workplace during the pandemic. The plan also documents a range of supports and contacts that staff can access within the CSO and the broader Civil Service.

On-site attendance will be informed by Public Health Guidelines and business needs, whilst having regard to the personal circumstances of staff and the ongoing availability of remote working alternatives where possible and appropriate. In order to enable a safe return to workplace for staff, on-site (or field) attendance has to be carefully managed to ensure adherence to Return to Work Safely protocols. This plan outlines the measures implemented and resources available across CSO work locations to allow this to happen.

The plan is a live working document and will be kept under review. It will be updated as required and as and when public health advice necessitates.

The CSO COVID-19 Response Plan puts in place a comprehensive framework to allow continued safe and supportive work practices.  However, for the plan to be fully effective, it requires buy-in from all staff. Working together, and with care, is the only way to meet the challenges that COVID-19 poses for all of us today.

 Stay well

 You should not attend the office or return to field work if you have been advised to self-isolate, cocoon, have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or its symptoms, or have been in close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. For the purpose of this document, a person with ‘suspected COVID-19’ means someone who has been referred for a COVID-19 test under medical direction.

The CSO is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all our staff and customers. To ensure that, we have developed the following COVID-19 Response Plan. All managers and staff are responsible for the implementation of this plan and a combined effort will help contain the spread of the virus. We will: 

• continue to monitor our COVID-19 response and amend this plan in consultation with our staff
• provide up to date information to our staff on the Public Health advice issued by the HSE and Gov.ie
• display information on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and correct hand-washing techniques
• provide an adequate number of trained Worker Representative(s) who are easily identifiable and put in place a reporting system
• inform all staff of essential hygiene and respiratory etiquette and physical distancing requirements
• adapt the workplace to facilitate physical distancing
• keep a contact log to help with contact tracing
• have all staff undergo an induction / familiarisation briefing
• develop a procedure to be followed in the event of someone showing symptoms of COVID-19 while at work or in the workplace
• provide instructions for staff to follow if they develop signs and symptoms of COVID-19 during work
• intensify cleaning in line with government advice

All managers and staff will be consulted on an ongoing basis and feedback is encouraged on any concerns, issues or suggestions.

Signed:                                                                                                                                 

Pádraig Dalton – Director General

Jennifer Banim – Assistant Director General

Economic Statistics

Maria Hurley – Assistant Director General

Corporate Affairs

Richard McMahon – Assistant Director General

Social & Demographic Statistics

Paul Morrin – Assistant Director General

Statistical Systems Co-ordination Unit

Joe Treacy – Director

Business Statistics 

Francesca Kay - Assistant Director General

Technology and Statistical Services

Date: 12 September 2021

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