Infection Control and Returning to Work

A pandemic, epidemic or mass infection could dramatically affect the way your business operates so there is no better time to prepare than before an event happens.

If you are concerned about what an outbreak will do to your business and how to take the necessary steps to minimise harm to your workforce then contact us at Policy Pros.

We are also offering bespoke Return to the Workplace policy and procedure writing services which detail best practice to observe for your collegaues and visitors based on your company type and building layouts. We can provide you with the following:

• Pandemic/Epidemic Policy for your business
• Returning to the workplace policies and procedures suited to your industry and tailored to your workplace
• Business Continuity Policy and Training Guide
• Infection Control Policy and Training Guide
• Working from Home Polices and Procedures
• Working from Home Acceptable Use Policy
• Disaster Recovery Policy
• Updates to Data and Information Security Policies and Procedures to ensure they are up to date in the event of Business Continuity/Home Working being activated
• Any custom documents you require to manage your business – for example: supplier and staff instructions

Planning when to activate a business continuity or emergency plan, who is involved, and the steps taken to maintain ‘business as usual’ are vital in keeping your business afloat.

Infection control planning including guides and advice of how owners, managers and the workforce can minimise the risk of becoming infected and spreading infections to coworkers and client is also vitally important.

Written by an NHS, qualified clinician and a business analyst we scope out your business needs and find the appropriate level of detail required in your documentation. This can include day to day best practice.

All of our policies and training guides are tailored to the size and nature of your business so whether you work in healthcare, IT, production, construction or retail we can provide the documents you need to protect your business, minimise disruption and protect your workforce.

Please contact us for more information.

Related Health and Safety Pages

The Legal and Regulatory Framework

UK infection prevention and control (IPC) sits across the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH, with biological agents in scope), the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections for CQC-regulated providers.

For non-healthcare workplaces, the legal duty is to assess and control biological-agent risk under COSHH and to provide a safe place of work under HSAWA. The post-2020 lessons-learned literature has consistently emphasised written, role-specific IPC policies.

What an IPC Policy Should Cover

• Risk assessment under COSHH Schedule 3 for biological agents.
• Hand hygiene, personal protective equipment and respiratory protection.
• Cleaning and decontamination standards by area type.
• Outbreak management plan with named lead and escalation criteria.
• Vaccination policy (where applicable to the sector).
• Fit-testing for tight-fitting RPE.
• Visitor and contractor screening.
• Reporting under RIDDOR and to UKHSA / Public Health Wales / Public Health Scotland / Public Health Agency NI.
• Clinical waste handling and sharps management (in healthcare).

Common Compliance Gaps

• COSHH assessments that omit biological agents entirely.
• RPE in use without face-fit testing records.
• Cleaning specifications that do not match the area's risk classification.
• Outbreak plan that does not name a current responsible person.
• No documented training or competency assessment for IPC champions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is COVID-19 still a workplace risk to assess?

Yes, although the regime has normalised. Endemic respiratory infections including COVID-19, influenza and RSV are within the scope of biological-agent COSHH assessment, and outbreak management procedures should still address them.

Do non-healthcare employers need an IPC policy?

The depth required is much less, but a documented approach to biological-agent risk and outbreak management is part of standard COSHH compliance. Sectors with concentrated workforces (manufacturing, food production, hospitality, education) face the most scrutiny.

Is fit-testing legally required?

For tight-fitting RPE, yes. The HSE's INDG479 fit-testing guidance is the standard reference.

What Policy Pros Delivers

Our Infection Prevention and Control package includes the main IPC policy, the COSHH biological-agents assessment framework, an outbreak management plan, a fit-testing schedule, and area-specific cleaning specifications.

Healthcare-sector add-ons cover the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice in full.