Covid-19 Safety Statement for Make Coffee Ltd

The safety of our customers, staff and any other person is our top priority at all times. To arrive at a decision that it is safe to open, given the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we have considered and carried out the government risk assessment guidelines for starting to work at this time.

COVID-19 Risk assessment for opening Make Coffee Ltd to the public

  • Methodology
  • Conclusions
  •  Actions

    1. Methodology 

    To arrive at a decision that it is safe to open, given the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we have considered and carried out the government risk assessment guidelines for starting to work at this time. Included here in italics.


    Assessing and Managing Risk: 


    Employers have a duty to reduce workplace risk to the lowest reasonably practicable level by taking preventative measures. Employers must work with any other employers or contractors sharing the workplace so that everybody’s health and safety is protected. In the context of COVID-19 this means working through these steps in order:


    1. In every workplace, increasing the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning.
    2. Businesses and workplaces should make every reasonable effort to enable working from home as a first option. Where working from home is not possible, workplaces should make every reasonable effort to comply with the social distancing guidelines set out by the government (keeping people 2m apart wherever possible).
    3. Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be followed in full, in relation to a particular activity, businesses should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between their staff.

      Further mitigating actions include:

      – increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning
      – 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 (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible
      – reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others)

    1. Finally, if people must work face-to-face for a sustained period with more than a small group of fixed partners, then you will need to assess whether the activity can safely go ahead. No one is obliged to work in an unsafe work environment.

      In your assessment you should have particular regard to whether the people doing the work are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

    1. Conclusions

    Make Coffee Ltd recognises that opening a business of this nature (i.e that serves the public) at this time carries risks. We have concluded, after consultation with staff and suppliers who will be working with us, that it is nonetheless reasonable to open the site at this time (September 2020), on the understanding that we all understand and have considered the unique risks associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and that we all understand the steps we are required to take to mitigate the risks of Covid-19 during the day-to-day operation as a coffee bar and deli. The health of our staff, customers and suppliers as our first priority when operating our business. This is why we will take the following actions. 

    1. Actions

    Make Coffee Ltd, its staff and any suppliers who interact with us at the site, will work in line with specific Covid-19 safety guidelines at all times. These guidelines follow on from this risk assessment.


    The guidelines are written up in the document: 


    ‘Make Coffee Ltd Covid-19 Safety Guidelines for Staff and Suppliers'


    This statement regarding risk assessment was written with reference to government advice, accessed August 27 2020:


    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/5-steps-to-working-safely