CSO Control Measures: strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in CSO workplaces

Working from Home During the Pandemic

The majority of CSO staff have been working from home since March 2020. However, the Government has signalled that a return to the workplace will start from 20 september 2021. The CSO continues to support and evaluate a blended approach to work for its staff through:

• adapting and developing COVID-19 related home-working solutions across areas including technology, L&D, HR, communications and wellbeing
• return to CSO locations on a phased basis from 20 September 2021 with comprehensive and well sign-posted control measures and COVID-19 protocols in place

Return to Office Protocol

The CSO has issued Office Notice 13/2021 for staff returning to the Office during the transition pahse. This details the required steps to be taken before attending the office:

• agree your attendance pattern with your line manager and HOD
• complete and return the Return to Workplace eform three days prior to returning to the office
• familiarise themselves with the process for maintaining ‘Daily Contact Logs’ which must be completed, maintained and submitted for each day of attendance
• familiarise themselves with the details of how the individual workplaces are organised to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 and the House Rules to be strictly adhered to by staff to support this initiative
• complete COVID-19 induction training

Competence and Training Requirements

The CSO has identified and will deliver COVID-19 training requirements through One Learning and other learning resources:

• the CSO will ensure all relevant people receive the required training, including completing the mandatory OneLearning induction, before returning to the office/field
• the CSO has produced and published booklets containing House Rules for each workplace location – staff are required to read these documents before returning on-site or to field work
• the CSO requires contractors working on its behalf to demonstrate that person(s) doing work under its control have the requisite competence and training for COVID-19

Restriction of Visitors

CSO has implemented new protocols, based on HSA guidelines, in relation to visitors and contractors coming on site:

• Notice of attendance must be given of visitors/contractors to Facilities Management
• Visitors and contractors can only attend for essential business
• Contractors must wear PPE on site if required to
• Visitors/Contractors must sign a declaration before entering the building, confirming they have no symptoms and have not come in contact with any confirmed cases of COVID-19

Travel

The following arrangements apply to civil and public servants travelling overseas:

• Ireland now operates the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) for travel originating within the EU/EEA.
• if you are travelling within the EU/EEA and have a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC), you are not required to restrict movements or quarantine on arrival or return.
• staff are advised to check and adhere to all requirements related to retuning to Ireland from overseas - particularly with reference to self-isolation or restricting movement. Full details of these requirements are available on gov.ie
• where there is an intention to undertake travel overseas to any country which requires them to undertake a restricted movement period on their return to Ireland, staff must make provision by way of annual leave or unpaid leave for the period of restricted movement.

Cleaning

Cleaning plays a pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19. The following steps are being taken to increase levels of cleaning and hygiene throughout the buildings:

• continuous cleaning of high touch surfaces; deep cleaning of office areas and IT equipment
• provide staff with materials to clean their own as well as shared workspaces (ie printers)
• availability of cleaning provisions for individuals to clean workspaces and communal spaces
• implement protocols for cleaning the office after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the office in line with HSA and risk assessment guidelines

Respiratory and Hand hygiene

The best way to prevent person-to-person spread of COVID-19 is to use proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette and practice physical distancing.

The following steps have been taken to ensure staff maintain good hygiene practices:

• signage has been installed detailing correct hand and respiratory hygiene
• hand sanitizer points have been increased in all buildings
• staff are provided with individual supplies of hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes
• tissues are available throughout all buildings
• bins are widely available throughout all buildings to discard used tissues

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The CSO is committed to following the current best practice advised by the HSE in relation to PPE in the workplace:

• masks should be worn by staff when circulating the office and anywhere that a physical distance of 2m cannot be maintained
• if you are wearing a mask it remains essential to follow the other advice to prevent the virus spreading, such as proper hand/respiratory hygiene and observing social distancing where possible
• if you travel to work on public transport, there is a legal requirement to wear a face covering for that part of your journey
• advice on making, wearing, washing and disposing of face coverings is available on the HSE website
• the HSE advice regarding the use of disposable gloves is that they are not recommended for use outside of a medical setting and that regular hand washing is preferable
• while gloves are not recommended to reduce the spread of COVID-19, there may be other Health and Safety requirements for their use in the office
• field staff have been issued with tailored PPE packs based on extensive internal consultation and independent risk assessment associated with the particular conditions attached to their roles

Business Continuity Planning 

The CSO's current Business Continuity Plan (BCP) was developed in 2019 and was put into practice following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. The purpose of this plan is to ensure the continuation of core business activity during and following any critical business disruption event which results in an interruption to our normal operational capability. The plan is not a static document and will continue to evolve as learnings increase during the course of the current pandemic.

The Management Board has identified the new innovations, challenges, proposed solutions and increased risks in the CSO, as a result of the pandemic. This was done during the modified Divisional Action Plan (DAP) process. The staff survey has also provided clarity around the impact of the pandemic on staff. The outputs from both these processes are helping to inform how the CSO continues to respond to the challenges of ensuring business continuity and will help inform planning over the next three, six, twelve and eighteen months. 

In addition, the pandemic has seen an increasing demand for statistical and analytical expertise and new data services to support central government's response to the pandemic, along with an increasing demand from users for real time insight into the impact of the pandemic on Irish society and the economy. The Management Board is constantly reviewing how the CSO responds to the challenge of delivering on its mandate, of ensuring business continuity and of meeting these increasing demands.

Risk assessment and Safety Statement 

The CSO has a Safety Statement and associated risk assessments in place for the business, which are available on the Health and Safety homepage on Lotus Notes.

In light of the changes that will be required due to COVID-19, the Safety Statement is currently being updated and will be available presently.

The CSO has also commissioned an independent COVID-19 specific risk assessment, to ensure we are fully aware of any areas of potential risk in relation to the virus and how we operate our business.

The Risk Assessments cover all three buildings, Cork, Ardee Rd. and Swords and all field operations currently under consideration. These Risk Assessments are currently being finalised, with key actions associated with recommendations already in the process of being implemented.

Workplace Spatial Planning

Social distancing requirements will mean changes to the way we use our workplace. This is to reduce any possible transmission of the virus in the office environment. The use of the workplace is planned and managed by Facilities Management on an ongoing basis to ensure the 2m social distancing requirements can be accommodated.

A number of measures have been introduced to allow for the management of this spatial planning:

• in offices, available desks will be restricted to those that are 2m apart
• survey interviewers will maintain 2m distance from householders and not enter households
• adequate notice must be given of attendance to allow for the management of desk spaces
• one-way systems have been introduced where appropriate.
• reduced capacity in bathrooms, lifts and canteens to ensure people do not come within 2m of each other to use the facility
• floor markings to define 2m distances have been installed on the floor in areas where queuing may be required
• preference for virtual meetings where possible – reduced room capacity in the case that an in-person meeting is essential

Vulnerable Staff

Coronavirus (COVID-19) can make anyone seriously ill. But for some people, the risk is higher. The HSE have identified 2 levels of risk – very high-risk (also called extremely vulnerable) and high-risk. The CSO will facilitate working from home for staff in the very high-risk group to the maximum extent possible per DPER guidelines. Staff in the high-risk group should also work remotely as much as possible. If they are required to attend the office or field for their work, they need to take extra care to follow the correct public health and job-specific hygiene advice. Staff are asked to consult with HR if they have any concerns in this regard. 

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