Friday 22nd May 2020

Signage – What You May Need and How to Display

Clinic 7 of 11

Housekeeping

• Please mute your sound and turn off your camera

• Please type questions in the chat area by clicking on the chat button to bring up the message box (please note everyone can see)

• We will be recording the session and if the quality is good, (with no misdemeanours), uploading it to our social media channels.

Welcome to our Seventh

Clinic

Hosted by Caroline Constantine, Gill Twell and Ian Warren

• AimTo stimulate thought and discussion on the Covid-19 awareness signage you may need and how it could be displayed

• Key factors • Provide staff and customers with confidence in your

arrangements for controlling the spread of Covid-19

• Provide staff and customers with information on how to keep themselves safe

• Provide customers with information on facilities and activities available

Using our operational experience including our health and safety knowledge, we have developed a draft Reopening Mobilisation Checklist that may help your organisation and managers to ask themselves the right questions and implement appropriate action.

Please ask questions and please share any advice that you have. We will be

sharing the Q&A’s from each clinic

Quick recap!

• Business Continuity Plan

• Risk assessments for the facility to consider

customers, visitors & staff

• Risk assessment for vulnerable employees

• Response Plan and Team / Mobilisation /

Reopening Checklist

• Risk Assessments – general areas and

activities

• Cleaning & Maintenance best practice

• Staff Training

Keep it Simple:- Follow our 4

S’s

Follow the 4S’s:

• Spacing• Sanitising • Signage • Smiling

Writing your risk assessment(s) & developing your

plans

Risk Assessments – SignageEnsuring suitable and sufficient signage is displayed to inform customers and staff and to provide confidence in your arrangements to control the spread of Covid-19.

• Provision of professional, effective signage advising customers and staff of social distancing and hygiene measures in place

• Ensuring signage depicts facilities and activities post opening

• Making sure prominent signage is displayed in all relevant areas to draw attention to rules and arrangements

The above are things we will consider today to include in your risk assessment, but it is not an exhaustive list. Please don’t forget to involve your stakeholders and consider advice and guidance from NGBs and the government.

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Existing signage

What signage do you have in place currently?

• Leisure facilities typically have a lot of signage, notices and banners displayed. Covid-19 related signage may be missed – less is more.

• Consider walking the facility (include outdoor spaces) and ‘remove’ as much as you can (but retain as it may be needed in future):• Any information that is out of date, for example, Easter

half term activities

• Anything promoting activities you’re not going to open, or that will not be available:• Parties

• Café menus

• Club information

• Upcoming events

• Holiday activities

• Rules / etiquette notices if these conflict with Covid-19 guidance

• Details of classes available (new details may need to be produced)

• Out of date customer feedback

• Any out of date leaflets and those that are not currently applicable

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Existing signage

What signage do you have in place currently?

• Walk the facility (include outdoor spaces) and ‘keep’ in place necessary signage for example:

• Statutory and safety signage

• Fire signage

• First aid signage

• Safeguarding policies

• Food allergens

• Pool rules

• Park rules

• Directional signage (ensuring any temporary one-way system does not affect this)

• Other rules, including local and corporate policies that will still be applicable, for example, rules of use, photography

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Covid-19 related

signage

What signage do you need in relation to Covid-19?

• Government guidance (for sectors which are ‘currently’ allowed to open) states you should display a notice showing you have followed the guidance. See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19, where the template is available.

• It is likely similar guidance will follow for the leisure sector

• Consider where you might display this – Reception? Other areas? On website?

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Covid-19 related

signage

Covid-19 Related Signage – General

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Covid-19 related

signage

Covid-19 Related Signage – Social Distancing

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Covid-19 related

signage

Covid-19 Related Signage – Hygiene

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Other signage

What other signage or notices might you need?

Consider:

• Details of facilities closed, for example:• Therapists - beauty / sports / physio • Health suite• Creche• Clubs• Contact sports

• Details of restrictions in areas that are open, for example:• No fun sessions or slides in pool (customers may not

be happy if they’ve paid for a swim and expect all features to be running)

• Specific rules for the activity• Refunds – extension of return policy• Opening times – if different • Admission policy – if different• Booking and payment arrangements• Changes in membership terms and conditions

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Positioning

Where should signs be positioned?

Consider the ‘types’ of signs, for example, floor graphics, free standing signs, door/wall signs, digital signage and where they need to go:

• Outside facility – social distancing and what to expect on entry

• Reception areas – social distancing, hygiene advice, payment arrangements

• Circulation areas and lifts – one way systems, social distancing

• Activity areas – maximum capacity, personal hygiene and belongings, social distancing (dots/symbols on the floor?), entry requirements, for example not entering studios until invited

• Toilets and changing rooms – hand washing – behind toilet and changing cubicle doors, above urinals and washbasins

• Staff areas – offices, staff rooms, plant rooms – social distancing, markings on workstations signifying which ones can be used and hand hygiene measures

Think about what notices, signage and information you need on your website, for example, do not come in if unwell

Where do we start:

Points to consider – Signage standards

To ensure signage is effective and portrays the message(s) you want to get across:

• Keep it simple

• Ensure it is consistent with current advice and guidance –don’t make it up – check and check again

• Professional presentation – branding, consistent fonts

• Check spelling and grammar!

• Ensure it’s prominent – Covid-19 signage should not ‘blend in’ with other signage

• Materials – appropriate for the environment, for example, slip and wear resistant floor graphics

• Review ‘regularly’ to ensure it’s still appropriate and in the correct position

• Removal, for example avoid permanent spray paint

Covid-19 related signage may need to be in place for some time

What next…

• Please, if you haven’t booked onto future clinics, grab a slot now, as we only have limited numbers and they are getting booked up

• We are here to help, please let us know and we can support you with:• Writing risk assessments (virtual / on site)• Writing your response plan / mobilisation reopening

checklist • Pre-opening inspection audits / Support Days• Post opening inspection audits• Reviewing your procedures to include Covid-19

• We are currently developing online ‘Frontline Staff Pandemic Awareness Training’ which will be available before facilities open

Questions and Best

Practice Tips

•Over to you

Questions and Best

Practice Tips

Questions are copied directly from the Teams chat, apologies for typos and grammar mistakes.

• Question: We have had a suggestion regarding Covid-testing; if we ask staff and members to have a Covid test before allowing them to return to work or use the club, do you think that is a practical step to take? The principle is obviously that if we know that everybody who comes into the building has had a test and is “negative” (and can provide proof) it will provide reassurance to all.

• What do you think?

• Response: Your risk assessment should determine this. However, it should be considered that someone may be ‘negative’ one day but contract the virus soon after. It should also be considered that test results take time to come back. Test, track and trace may help and this may well be in place more widely by the time facilities are allowed to re-open. The antibody test may also be more widely used by then too. Until there is a vaccine, we do not think you could be sure that someone has not caught the virus.

• Question: Physical barriers will be needed as well as signage - any views on this?

• Response: You may determine through your risk assessment that physical barriers may be an effective control measure. Signage may also be incorporated into equipment, including banners that act as a barrier. You will probably need a mixture of both throughout your facilities.

• Question: We want to have doors open to activity areas. What about if they're fire doors?

• Response: Fire doors may be left open if they have maglocks on them which operate on fire alarm activation. Subject to risk assessment, you may also implement strict controls to ensure that a nominated person shuts the doors following the activity. External fire doors may be left open during the activity. Foot pulls maybe a cheaper more effective solution on some doors.

• Question: We've had a suggestion that we ask all staff and members are tested and proved "clear" before being allowed to use the building...any thoughts?

• Response: Please see earlier response.

Questions and Best

Practice Tips

• Question: Would you train instructors to close doors if the alarm went off. That good enough? For internal doors, doors only open when activity on

• Response: Please see earlier response. The only problem with doors being held opened in studios, is that air con will probably be ineffective.

• Question: Should we be encouraging or discouraging members to bring in gym towels/ yoga mats?

• Response: Your risk assessment should consider whether this is practical. Ukactive have said no personal towels in their guidance, however your risk assessment may consider allowing towels for personal use, provided the members keep them on their person and do not use them to wipe down equipment – you would need to make that clear to them.

• There should be minimal risk by bringing in yoga mats – it will save you having to sanitise your own mats.

• Question: Would there be any concerns with handing a customer a bottle of disinfection to clean their own equipment and to become a cleaning ambassador?

• Response: We would suggest that it would be more appropriate and easier to manage to have bottles strategically placed and/or wall-mounted. This, coupled with prominent signage, should suffice.

• Question: What about towels for personal use but not for equipment?

• Response: Please see previous response

Questions and Best

Practice Tips

• Question: In terms of track & trace - we have casual users who are unregistered - should we insist on registration in order that we have details in order to track & trace?

• Response: It is always a good idea to have details of users regardless of whether they are used for Covid-19 track and trace, although casual customers may choose not to provide their details. The track and trace system may be being used more widely by the time sites re-open, although that will rely on people using the app.

• Question: Our biggest and perhaps unique challenge is the use of changing rooms /showers - should we discourage

• Response: This will be down to you to risk assess. It will also depend on what the changing rooms / showers are being used for. It may be easier to discourage use for dryside activities where customers can arrive changed for their activity and then return home to take a shower and change. However, it may be less reasonable to expect customers not to at least change out of wet swimming gear following a swim. One suggestion maybe to not open changing rooms initially and gradually phase them back in.

Thank you –we hope you

found the clinic useful

• Please email any questions that you wanted to ask but didn’t to info@rightdirections.co.uk

• The recording will be on social media and our website if the quality and content is good enough

• Please click here to leave feedback

Covid-19 Branded Signage SolutionsPay 10% deposit and receive 3 months interest free credit on your order*

*Payment credit based on minimum order of £500. Full payment required 3 months after order.

www.store.bigwave.co.uk/product-category/signage

Useful websites • Government UK Guidance for employees, employers and businesses here

• UK Government/Public Health England Advice here

• NHS Advice here

• Health Protection Scotland Advice here

• Public Health Wales Guidance here

• Public Health England Useful Resources here

• Guidance on Expectant Mothers here

• Guidance on Cleaning and Disinfecting, including contaminated areas here

• HSE: Latest Information and Advice here

• CIPD Advice here

• IOSH Guidance here

• Pool Water Treatment and Advisory Group (PWTAG) Advice here

• The RCUK and RLSS UK guidance on teaching and performing CPR can

be sourced at: here

• Ofqual recognised Awarding Organisation, manikin hygiene information here