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Delivering social care in a changing climate - Climate Exchange Scotland

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Delivering social care in a changing climate - Climate Exchange Scotland

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Weather disruption is a 'system stressor' that is projected to increase in the coming decades as the global climate changes. The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment has identified climate change as one of the greatest risks to public health in the UK, and one which will impact vulnerable people disproportionally.

This project looks at how providers of social care support at home in Scotland respond to extreme weather events. Based on experience from three case studies of extreme weather, it considers how the sector is planning for, dealing with and learning from such events. The study only looks at support provided in people's homes. It does not address care provided in other settings such as residential care homes.

The report is a first step in making an assessment of the social care support sector's resilience to climate change and helping to improve this. The research is based on interviews with social care providers and with those working in business continuity, emergency planning and community resilience in six geographical focus areas. It also involved desk research, drawing on strategies and plans relevant to the provision of social care support at home which are in the public domain.

The study was commissioned and carried out prior to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, and also at a time when the Scottish Government was working with partners to develop a programme to support reform of adult social care support.

The report is published with the hope that the findings and recommendations resonate with and can support the recovery and remobilisation of the sector, and the ongoing reform work that was underway prior to the pandemic, and can support the wider learning around resilience from the pandemic.

Key findings

While extreme weather is a consideration in social care support, the research suggests planning for more frequent events caused by climate change is not front of mind for current leaders and managers in the sector.

The case study extreme weather events increased staff workload and travel times. Some providers moved to working from priority lists following Met Office weather warnings, continuing care and support categorised as critical or essential. We did not find data on the impact on clients not on the priority lists. It is also worth noting that priority list clients have complex needs that require specialist skills, which those staff who can reach them during travel disruption may not have. This makes staff re-deployment more challenging.

The social care support sector - thanks to the extraordinary commitment of staff - flexes at a time of crisis. Delivering social care through the case study extreme weather events was dependent on the goodwill, flexibility and high levels of motivation of the existing workforce. Some of the challenges faced during extreme weather bear aspects of similarity to those emerging as key factors for responding to the pandemic and during the first steps towards recovery.

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Delivering social care in a changing climate

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Weather disruption is a 'system stressor' that is projected to increase in the coming decades as the global climate changes. The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment has identified climate change as one of the greatest risks to public health in the UK, and one which will impact vulnerable people disproportionally.

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Coping with climate change in the care sector - Workers’ guide

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Coping with climate change in the care sector - Workers’ guide

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A report from Belgium published by the ITUC, full of useful resources

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TUC Webinar - Protecting Workers from Extreme Temperatures

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TUC Webinar - Protecting Workers from Extreme Temperatures

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Protecting workers from extreme temperatures in the workplace

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How to protect workers from extreme temperatures and fight climate change

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Advice on working temperatures and what employers should do if extreme weather is expected.

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Public Health Wales - Extreme Hot Weather advice Hub

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Public Health Wales - Extreme Hot Weather advice Hub

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Excessive exposure to high temperatures can kill.

Those most at risk include older people, very young children and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Downloadable information

The following advice information is available to download:

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Excessive exposure to high temperatures can kill. Those most at risk include older people, very young children and people with pre-existing medical conditions. Downloadable information The following advice information is available to download:

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Heatwave - Welsh Governance Guidance for Health & Social Care

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Heatwave - Welsh Governance Guidance for Health & Social Care

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Travelling to work in Bad Weather - Northern Ireland Government

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Travelling to work in Bad Weather - Northern Ireland Government

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If you can't get to work because of extreme bad weather, check if your rights about travel disruption are in your employment contract. If not, speak to your employer. The following advice is also available.

Employees

As an employee:

you must go to work unless you're sick or on leave so it's your responsibility to get to work even in extreme weather conditions

you shouldn't risk your safety to get to work

you have no legal right to be paid if you don't go into work, unless it's in your contract

you should check if your employer has a "bad weather" policy which covers what is expected of you

you have the right to unpaid time off to deal with emergency situations about your dependants

The right to unpaid time off doesn't normally apply to a school closure as it's not the same as a disruption to childcare. However, an unexpected school closure could be seen as an emergency situation, and you would be entitled to taking a reasonable amount of time off to make alternative arrangements for care of your dependants.

A reasonable amount of time off would probably be the rest of that day at the most. This time off is normally unpaid but not all employers would take this approach.

Your employer

Your employer:

may ask you to work from home, take annual leave or make up time later

can't force you to take a day's holiday without your consent or without giving proper notice unless your contract gives your employer the right to direct when a holiday is taken

can't usually withhold pay if they temporarily close the business at short notice because of the weather and you can't work as a result

If your employer does withhold pay you could bring unauthorised deduction from wages claims to recover the pay owed.

However, if your employer has a 'temporary lay off' clause in your contract of employment which allows them to temporarily lay off employees without pay (other than legal guarantee pay), or it is custom and practice for your employer to operate on this basis, then it may be allowed for your employer to close the business at short notice.

Further information

Further information is available from Advice NI or the Labour Relations Agency.

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If you can't get to work because of extreme bad weather, check if your rights about travel disruption are in your employment contract. If not, speak to your employer. The following advice is also available.

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5. Outdoor working

When working outdoors, the weather can have a serious impact on worker's health if the risks have not been properly managed.

This impact may be immediate or occur over a longer time, leading to conditions like skin cancer.

The weather can also affect a worker's ability to keep safe, for example when handling machinery.

There are simple actions you can take to protect people working outdoors.

Cold environments

Ensure the personal protective equipment issued is appropriate

Provide mobile facilities for warming up, and soup or hot drinks

Introduce more frequent rest breaks

Consider delaying the work until warmer times of the year without compromising on safety

Make sure workers can recognise the early symptoms of cold stress, such as a cough or body aches

Hot environments

Reschedule work to cooler times of the day

Provide more frequent rest breaks and introduce shading to rest areas

Provide free access to cool drinking water

Introduce shading in areas where people are working

Encourage workers to remove personal protective equipment when resting to help encourage heat loss

Make sure workers can recognise the early symptoms of heat stress

Working in the sun

Too much sunlight can cause skin damage including sunburn, blistering and skin ageing. In the long term, it can lead to an increased risk of skin cancer.

You can find more guidance on outdoor workers and sun exposure.

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When working outdoors, the weather can have a serious impact on worker's health if the risks have not been properly managed. This impact may be immediate or occur over a longer time, leading to conditions like skin cancer. The weather can also affect a worker's ability to keep safe, for example when handling machinery.

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Emergency Planning Advice for Education - Welsh Government 

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Emergency Planning Advice for Education - Welsh Government 

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This guidance does not cover every aspect of what settings should do in relation to emergency planning. Settings must comply with their legal responsibilities, including health and safety law, and should seek legal advice as needed.

This guidance is structured to provide specific advice for:

schools

early years, childcare and play settings (including childminding, day care, sessional care, open access play and Flying Start provision)

further and higher education

Overview

Every emergency is different. However, in all cases, educational and well-being impacts should be considered when taking any emergency and risk management actions.

The extent of any disruption to education or childcare should be kept to a minimum, including maximising the number of children, learners and students in face-to-face provision, in order to avoid longer term impacts on the development and well-being of children and young people. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people remains of paramount importance. Schools and settings should continue to have regard for their normal statutory safeguarding guidance.

Schools are required to communicate details of temporary local school closures or incidents to their local authority director of education. Local authorities are responsible for informing the Welsh Government of any temporary local closures. Notification of closures should be sent to Education.CorporateBusinessandResilience@gov.wales or, in the event of power loss or loss of connectivity, please telephone 03001 231664.

Early years, childcare and play settings should inform Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) of any temporary closures. Those funded to deliver education provision, Childcare Offer or Flying Start settings should also report their closure to the relevant local authority officer.

Emergency planning principles

All education, childcare and play settings should have emergency plans in place detailing actions to be taken in the event of an emergency. The aim of an emergency plan is to help setting leaders and staff respond effectively to an emergency at the setting, or on a visit or outing, while continuing to prioritise and maximise face-to-face learning, development and care, where possible. While it is not possible to plan for every emergency, emergency plans should be generic enough to cover a range of potential incidents, which may occur during or outside normal working hours, including weekends and holidays.

These incidents include:

public health incidents (for example, a significant infectious disease incident)

severe weather (for example, extreme heat, flooding, storms or snow)

serious injury to a child, learner, student or member of staff (for example, transport accident)

significant damage to property (for example, fire, accidental damage)

criminal activity (for example, bomb threat, anti-social or threatening attack, intruder, cyber security attack)

the effects of a disaster in the local community

loss of water or utilities

A good plan should cover:

roles and responsibilities

when and how to seek advice should it be needed

details on the types of steps that might be taken in the event of an emergency and what actions should be taken to enact them quickly

how to ensure every child, learner or student receives the quantity and quality of education and care to which they are normally entitled, including through remote means where appropriate

support for the well-being of staff, children, learners and students

who should be informed (for example, the local authority, insurers, landlords, CIW)

how changes will be communicated to children, learners, students, parents, carers and staff, with any timescales of returning to usual if possible

how to respond if advice is not accepted

The plan should also include emergency procedures for:

If the setting has wider facilities, emergency plans cover the whole of the estate. This includes facilities which may not be used for educational purposes, such as accommodation, leisure or entertainment facilities, conference centres, and other facilities which may be rented out. If the site is not owned, such as a childcare setting based at a school, joint planning will be required to ensure emergency plans align.

Paper copies of all plans and contact information for all staff, children, learners and students should be available in the event that it is not possible to access digital information.

Emergency planning process

Preparing for emergencies is an ongoing process involving:

Throughout each stage of this process, it is important that members of staff, management boards, committees and governing bodies (or their equivalent for the setting) are consulted to gain their involvement and support.

Emergency plan template and guidance

An example of a critical incident management planning guidance is available and includes examples of:

a template for developing a school emergency plan

a critical incident management process

lockdown procedures for schools

All settings may find these resources helpful to develop appropriate emergency arrangements. It provides a framework which can be adapted to suit the local authority or education setting.

The sample templates and resources do not need to replace any existing arrangements that may already be in place.

Resources

Sample risk assessment templates can be found in ' Opening schools as well as childcare and play settings in extreme bad weather and extreme hot weather'.

To prepare children, young people, parents and carers for how to handle an emergency situation, resources and information on emergency planning that can be used in the classroom can be found at hwb.gov.wales, which also provides advice and tools for distance learning.

For early years, childcare and play settings, support and guidance is also available from:

A Cwlwm factsheet on temporary or emergency closures of childcare and play settings provides useful advice to all settings. Further advice can be sought from the sector representative bodies listed above.

Significant public health incidents

A single suspected outbreak or incident of infectious disease will not normally constitute an emergency. Most infectious diseases in education can be managed by following Public Health Wales' Infection Prevention & Control: Guidance for Childcare and Educational Settings. Additional information can also be found in NHS Wales' The Communicable Disease Outbreak Plan for Wales.

Emergency plans should include a range of steps that might be taken in the event of a significant public health incident. They should also consider when it would be appropriate to seek specialist advice from public health advisors and the local authority health protection team in line with Public Health Wales' guidance.

In Wales, registered medical practitioners have a statutory duty to notify their local authority or Public Health Wales teams of suspected cases of certain (notifiable) infectious diseases. Schools and settings will be contacted if there are actions required within the setting as part of public health management. Most infectious diseases in education settings can be managed by following the latest Public Health Wales guidance.

In large-scale public health incidents where decisions about actions to take in education settings are made at a national level, the Welsh Government will work with NHS Wales, Public Health Wales, the Chief Medical Officer, the Chief Scientific Officer and many other Government departments, as well as local authorities and their public health directors to provide the best possible advice and support to schools.

The latest public health advice for schools in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19) is available. This advice includes a useful checklist that can support consideration of which control measures remain proportionate to apply in the school or setting.

In line with Health and Safety Executive regulations on ventilation in the workplace and Public Health Wales advice, the effective use of carbon dioxide (CO ²) monitors and good ventilation provides an effective public health control measure. ' Carbondioxidemonitorsineducation settings' provides guidance on how to use carbon dioxide monitors as an aid to managing ventilation in education settings.

Education settings will also need to consider the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as appropriate.

The Welsh Government monitors the ongoing public health situation closely and will make changes to this advice as necessary, based on the latest advice from Public Health Wales and the Chief Medical Officer. In the event of a worsening public health situation, there are a range of interventions that would be considered for deployment depending on the seriousness of the situation and risk to public health. Schools will be aware that these options can include, and have included in the past, the introduction of non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing or the wearing of face coverings, and full or partial closures of schools and a move to online learning.

Severe weather

During severe weather conditions (for example, flooding, storms, snow or heatwave), the Welsh Government's default position is that settings should be kept open for as many children, learners and students as possible. However, it might be necessary to close temporarily due to inaccessibility or risk of injury. ' Opening schools as well as childcare and play settings in extreme bad weather and extreme hot weather' gives headteachers practical advice about what to consider if faced with having to decide whether to keep a school open in periods of extreme bad weather. It includes generic risk assessment material which can be adapted to suit every school's circumstances.

We know that younger children can be especially vulnerable to extreme heat. Education settings should ensure they take the necessary steps to keep children and young people safe, indoors and outdoors. Our advice to schools and childcare settings to deal with the extreme heat is to avoid vigorous physical activity and to maximise shade, ventilation and hydration. Children should wear loose, light coloured clothing if possible, and wear hats and suncream outdoors. Further downloadable advice on extreme hot weather is available from Public Health Wales for the general public and those looking after children. Education settings should ensure they are familiar with the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, as well as the steps to take should anyone in their learning community, including those working remotely, show signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Further guidance on this can be found in NHS advice. Heat stroke should always be treated as an emergency.

Public Heath Wales provide further advice on other extreme weather events, such as cold weather and flooding.

Where settings are temporarily closed during severe weather, you should consider providing remote education for the duration of the closure in line with learning continuity guidance (see 'Learning continuity' section below). Providing remote education does not change the need to remain open or to reopen as soon as possible provided that it is safe to do so.

If flooding or severe weather has significantly impacted the setting and additional support is required, the local authority will be able to provide assistance to get the setting reopened as quickly and safely as possible. It is important to reopen as soon as possible provided it is safe to do so.

Settings should also be alert to the Met Office weather warnings and Air Quality in Wales air pollution forecast.

Security-related incidents in schools

Responsibility for the health and safety of learners lies with the governing body of the school, either as the employer of staff or because it controls the premises (or both). Where the governing body does not employ school staff, the local authority has responsibilities as the employer.

Learners are protected by the duties imposed under the Health and Safety Act because they are affected by an employer's undertaking or are using school premises. The legislation requires employers to assess and manage risk and is usually enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in respect of schools.

Schools and local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure effective safeguarding of their learners, which includes online safety. Local authorities should consider cyber security, alongside their safeguarding obligations, as part of the Education Act 1996 and the UK Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Schools and local authorities should have appropriate cyber policies and incident management plans in place, developed alongside their safeguarding and security policies. Any cyber security incidents should be managed in accordance with the latest advice and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre.

The Welsh Government is responsible for any cyber incidents relating to Hwb. Working closely with stakeholders across the education sector, cyber security incidents related to Hwb will be managed in accordance with the National Cyber Security Centre advice and procedures. The Welsh Government regularly undertake health checks to provide assurances that the integrity and availability of Hwb is protected from threats or attempted unauthorised access.

Plan to Prepare: Prepare to Protect also provides support to evaluate and manage risk posed by terrorism.

Supporting your workforce, children, learners and students through an emergency

Employers should be able to explain to the workforce any steps taken to keep staff safe at work as part of the emergency plans. The workplace risk assessment should already consider any risks to female employees of childbearing age and, in particular, risks to new and expectant mothers. Employers should discuss concerns with staff.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has more information on managing risks and risk assessment in the workplace. Public Health Wales' Audit Tool For Childcare and Education Settings in Wales can support providers in the prevention and control of a range of infections. Risk assessments and resulting policies should make clear any action to be taken in an emergency.

Individual settings are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of children, learners and students in the setting. Where unplanned staff absences are being experienced, the usual process for covering absences should be followed in the first instance. ' Effective management of school workforce attendance ' provides further guidance.

Schools considering changing class arrangements should be mindful of guidance of school capacity and the limits placed on infant class sizes. The School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (Wales) Regulations 2013 limit the size of an infant class to 30 learners per teacher, subject to a limited number of exceptions set out in the School Admissions Code.

Prioritising places

If, in exceptional circumstances, there is a need to temporarily prioritise places within the setting due to high levels of workforce absence (for example, where a setting is unable to operate at full capacity), priority should be given to vulnerable children and young people (see 'Annex A: Vulnerable children and young people') and children of critical workers (see 'Annex B: Critical workers'). Remaining spaces can be filled by children outside of these priority groups.

Exceptional circumstances may include:

a local authority or Government enforced closure in the local or national interest - this does not include bank holidays, but could include widespread illness within the school community resulting in a full closure or safe staffing levels unable to be achieved

short-term building closure because of safety issues (for example, heating failure, issues with power supply, minor fire or flood)

long-term building closure because of major safety issues (for example, structure of the building, major fire or flood)

Recording attendance during an emergency

Schools and settings should keep a record of attendance and families should notify their school if their child is unable to attend and explain the reason for this to enable the school to record attendance correctly.

Attendance guidance is available on the Welsh Government's website and 'Guidance on school attendance codes ' sets out the list of attendance codes for use in all schools in Wales.

Vulnerable children and young people

For children and young people who require additional support (for example, learners with special educational needs (SEN), additional learning needs (ALN) or disabilities), schools and settings should continue to work with the local authority, as well as with parents and carers, to decide how best to continue supporting these children to stay healthy.

In all circumstances, schools and local authorities should work with the family to reassure the family of the safety measures in place with a view to supporting their return to school. In all circumstances, it is vital the school continues to engage regularly with the learner remotely.

'Keeping Learners Safe' contains guidance for local authorities and governing bodies on arrangements for safeguarding children.

Safeguarding

Every local authority in Wales must have a single point of contact for those working with children to raise concerns about a child at risk. Everyone working in an education setting should be familiar with the local authority contact and the details of the designated safeguarding person (DSP) within their setting to raise such a concern.

Every school must ensure that there is a safeguarding policy that clearly sets out the contact details for the local authority first point of contact. This policy should be readily available to all staff and is effective practice for all education settings.

Well-being and support

The Welsh Government has published statutory guidance for maintained education providers which may also be utilised by non-maintained providers, including nurseries, further education and higher education, on supporting the mental health and well-being needs of learners, students and staff.

There is also additional support to accompany and support learners, students and staff to implement the whole-school approach framework:

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in-reach support via health boards provides supervision and guidance to school staff on issues that learners and students present

additional counselling provision is available for children and young people, as well as staff

training for school staff to utilise interventions to support children and young people

additional funding for schools to access therapeutic interventions

online resources for learners, students and staff hosted on Hwb

young person's mental health toolkit

guidance for professionals and schools on responding to issues of self-harm and thoughts of suicide in young people

CALL 24-hour telephone and text message helpline

Examination and assessment disruption

Should there be a substantial period of national disruption to face-to-face teaching and learning, or a public health situation that prevents the running of the full examination series, the Welsh Government will work with Qualifications Wales and WJEC to plan for scenarios where it is not possible to rely on a full examination series to award grades.

An Exam System Contingency Plan is available to deal with any major disruption that may affect examination candidates and should there be a need to implement alternative assessment arrangements.

In the event of significant disruption, further advice and support will also be available from the WJEC and Qualifications Wales.

Additional learning needs (ALN) and specialist settings

Statutory guidance on ' Supporting learners with healthcare needs ' requires local authorities and education settings in Wales to have a healthcare needs policy in place which should seek to ensure that learners with any medical condition are properly supported. Schools should continue to consult parents and carers about specific support needs and use their discretion flexibly in agreeing the way forward for specific learners.

We would encourage a practical and flexible approach to ensure individual needs are met. This should be considered as part of any risk assessment. For example, timetabling and scheduling one-to-one support over a longer cycle, in order to maintain overall levels of support while minimising close interactions between individuals, may be appropriate. While schools are not advised to maintain contact groups, we acknowledge that some schools may wish to tailor provision for some learners with ALN as a result of specific health needs identified as part of the risk assessment process.

Residential specialist settings

The ' Independent schools registration and operational guidance ' will be updated as part of the work to strengthen the independent school standard regulations.

Learning continuity

During periods of disruption, it is critical that the learning and well-being of all children and young people in our schools in Wales is maintained. In order to ensure that learning continuity is planned for, and that the impact of any disruption to the learning of children and young people is mitigated, all schools in Wales should set out their contingencies for learning continuity and include these within their routine business continuity planning or school development plan arrangements.

A learning continuity planning template and separate learning continuity guidance have been developed to provide additional support to schools.

This section is relevant for early years, childcare and play settings, which includes childminding, day care, sessional care, open access play and Flying Start provision.

Significant public health incidents

A single suspected outbreak or incident of infectious disease will not normally constitute an emergency.

In Wales, registered medical practitioners have a statutory duty to notify their local authority or Public Health Wales teams of suspected cases of certain (notifiable) infectious diseases. Settings will be contacted if there are actions required within the setting as part of public health management.

Most infectious diseases in childcare settings can be managed by following Public Health Wales' Infection Prevention & Control: Guidance for Childcare and Educational Settingsin addition to using the Audit Tool for Childcare and Education Settings in Wales, which provides guidance in relation to infection prevention and control practice, including the cleaning of toys and equipment and how to deal with waste. Additional information can also be found in the Public Health Walesguidanceand NHS Wales' The Communicable Disease Outbreak Plan for Wales.

However, settings should have an emergency plan in place to cover significant public health incidents. The plan should include a range of steps that might be taken in the event of a significant public health incident, such as:

In large-scale public health incidents where decisions about actions to take in childcare settings are made at a national level, the Welsh Government will work with NHS Wales, Public Health Wales, the Chief Medical Officer, the Chief Scientific Officer and many other Government departments, as well as local authorities and their public health directors to provide the best possible advice and support to childcare settings.

The latest public health advice for childcare and play settings in relation to COVID-19 is available. This advice includes a useful checklist that can support the setting in considering which control measures remain proportionate to apply in the school or setting.

The Welsh Government monitors the ongoing public health situation closely and will make changes to this advice as necessary, based on the latest advice from Public Health Wales and the Chief Medical Officer. In the event of a worsening public health situation, there are a range of interventions that would be considered for deployment depending on the seriousness of the situation and risk to public health.

Severe weather

Childcare and play settings cannot offer remote provision and so those settings who may need to close as a result of severe weather should re-open when it is safe to do so. Childcare settings should contact their local authority childcare and play team for help and advice where the setting and its operation has been impacted by severe weather.

We know that younger children can be especially vulnerable to extreme heat. Settings should ensure they take the necessary steps to keep children safe, indoors and outdoors. Our advice to childcare settings to deal with the extreme heat is to avoid vigorous physical activity and to maximise shade, ventilation and hydration. Children should wear loose, light coloured clothing if possible, and wear hats and suncream outdoors. Further downloadable advice is available from Public Health Wales for the general public and those looking after children.

Childcare and play settings should ensure they are familiar with the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Further guidance on this can be found in NHS advice. Heat stroke should always be treated as an emergency.

Public Heath Wales provide further advice on other extreme weather events, such as cold weather and flooding. Childcare and play providers who have had to move to temporary premises due to severe weather should inform CIW and check to see if they need to register the new premises.

Where a setting has to close as a consequence of adverse weather, decisions on payments regarding any childcare booked under the Childcare Offer will be made by the local authority on a case-by-case basis as outlined in the Childcare Offer for Wales guidance.

If severe weather has significantly impacted a Flying Start setting, the local authority should be contacted for advice and support.

Security-related incidents in childcare settings

Children and staff are protected by the duties imposed under the Health and Safety Act because they are affected by an employer's undertaking. The legislation requires employers to assess and manage risk. It is therefore important for childcare settings to have a policy and plan in place to manage and respond to security-related incidents.

A setting's security policy should complement their safeguarding policy, particularly where it puts in place measures to protect children. It should form part of a suite of policies to ensure the health, safety and well-being of children and staff.

Settings should have appropriate cyber policies and incident management plans in place, developed alongside their safeguarding and security policies. Any cyber security incidents should be managed in accordance with the latest advice and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre.

Plan to Prepare: Prepare to Protect also provides support to evaluate and manage risk posed by terrorism.

Supporting your workforce and children through an emergency

As an employer, you should be able to explain to your workforce any steps taken to keep staff safe at work as part of the emergency plans. The workplace risk assessment should also consider risks to staff in the setting, with due regard to vulnerable members of staff as well as new or expectant mothers.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has more information on managing risks and risk assessment in the workplace. Public Health Wales' Audit Tool For Childcare and Education Settings in Wales can support providers in the prevention and control of a range of infections.

Risk assessments and resulting policies should make clear any action to be taken in an emergency.

Settings should also consider how they maintain communication with their families to keep them up to date with developments, and provide potential support (for example, provision of activity ideas) for children.

Staff shortages during an emergency

The National Minimum Standards for regulated childcare set the requirements that childcare and play settings must meet for the development and care of children from birth to age 12. Childcare and play settings, including after school and holidays providers, who experience staff shortages will need to ensure that they can remain within the requirements of group sizes and the staff:child ratio outlined in the National Minimum Standards.

Prioritising places

If there is a need to temporarily prioritise places in the setting due to high levels of workforce absence (for example, where a setting is unable to operate at full capacity), priority should be given to vulnerable children and young people (see 'Annex A: Vulnerable children and young people') and children of critical workers (see 'Annex B: Critical workers'). Remaining spaces can be filled by children outside of these priority groups.

Vulnerable children

For children who require additional support (for example, children with ALN or disabilities), settings should continue to work with the local authority, as well as with parents and carers, to decide how best to continue supporting these children to stay healthy. In all circumstances, settings and local authorities should work with the family to reassure the family of the safety measures in place with a view to supporting their attendance at a setting.

Safeguarding

Every local authority in Wales must have a single point of contact for those working with children to raise concerns about a child at risk. In line with the requirements of the National Minimum Standards for regulated childcare, registered providers are responsible for ensuring that everyone working in their childcare and play setting are familiar with the local authority contact and the details of the designated safeguarding person (DSP) within their setting to raise such a concern.

Each setting must ensure that there is a safeguarding policy and procedure that clearly sets out the contact details for the local authority first point of contact. This policy should be readily available to all staff.

Non-registered childcare and play settings (for example, childcare and play sessions and/or after-school clubs operating under 2 hours) are expected to follow the advice in the Welsh Government's voluntary code of practice ' Working together to safeguard people: code of safeguarding practice '.

Further advice is available from the Wales Safeguarding Procedures and your regional safeguarding boards.

Well-being and support

Support for settings and staff is available via Social Care Wales' Health and Wellbeing Framework.

Settings should think carefully about how they can communicate with staff and families during a closure. Agree methods for keeping in touch with staff on a regular basis and supervising staff to support any work being undertaken.

For early years, childcare and play settings, the following can also offer support and guidance:

Significant public health incidents

A single suspected outbreak or incident of infectious disease will not normally constitute an emergency. Most infectious diseases in education can be managed by following Public Health Wales' Infection Prevention & Control: Guidance for Childcare and Educational Settings. Additional information can also be found in NHS Wales' The Communicable Disease Outbreak Plan for Wales.

Emergency plans should include a range of steps that might be taken in the event of a significant public health incident. They should also consider when it would be appropriate to seek specialist advice from public health advisors and the local authority health protection team in line with the Public Health Wales' guidance.

The latest public health advice for employers, businesses and organisations in relation to COVID-19 includes a useful checklist that can support consideration of which control measures remain proportionate to apply in the college.

In line with Health and Safety Executive regulations on ventilation in the workplace and Public Health Wales advice, the effective use of carbon dioxide (CO ²)monitors and good ventilation provides an effective public health control measure. ' Carbon dioxide monitors in education settings ' provides guidance on how to use carbon dioxide monitors as an aid to managing ventilation in the college.

Severe weather

During severe weather conditions (for example, flooding, storms, snow or heatwave), the Welsh Government's default position is that settings should be kept open for as many students as possible. However, it might be necessary to close temporarily due to inaccessibility or risk of injury.

It is the responsibility of the college to carry out risk assessments in their organisation and make decisions around how they continue to operate safely across their teaching and learning environments.

Security-related incidents in further education settings

The safety of students and staff are the responsibility of the college and should consider security alongside safeguarding responsibilities and the legal obligations you have as employers under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR). As employers, colleges should ensure that their staff and students are familiar with what is required by their security policy and plan.

Security-related incidents, including cyber security incidents, should form part of the operational risk management register and be tested under business continuity plans. Colleges can also access support from Jisc to deal with cyber and other systems security incidents.

Supporting your workforce and students through an emergency

Employers have a general legal responsibility to maintain the health and safety and welfare of workers and others attending their premises.

The public health advice for employers, businesses and organisations is intended to be used as a guide for safely mitigating against the most common communicable diseases (including flu, norovirus and COVID-19) risks. This does not replace business and employer statutory responsibilities, and it is important you continue to comply with legal obligations relating to Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Equality Act 2010 and any other employment regulations.

Workplace risk assessments should also consider risks to staff in the college with due regard to vulnerable members of staff as well as new or expectant mothers.

Staff shortages during an emergency

Further education settings are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of students.

Colleges should remain open and operational for in-person learning where it is safe to do so. Where further education settings experience staff absences, in the first instance, they should follow their usual process for covering absences.

As a further education provider, if some staff cannot get to work consideration may be given to:

continuing to make use of temporary staff

the way in which staff are deployed and existing staff can be used more flexibly

bringing together groups and classes with practitioners and support staff working together

using blended learning practices or delivering digitally to ensure the continuation of education

Well-being and support

Some young people and adults may experience a variety of emotions in response to an emergency situation, such as anxiety, stress, or low mood. As employers, colleges have a duty of care to their staff and students, and should provide the necessary support for individuals experiencing well-being issues.

We recommend that colleges work collaboratively with their staff, students and their families who are anxious to reassure them. Discussions should have a collaborative approach, focusing on the welfare of the student and responding to the concerns of the parent, carer or student.

Examination and assessment disruption

In the event of students being unable to attend the college to take examinations as normal, the college will liaise with students to identify whether the examination can be sat at an alternative venue in agreement with the relevant awarding organisations. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) guidance on alternative site arrangements can be accessed through the JCQ website.

An Exam System Contingency Plan is available to deal with any major disruption that may affect examination candidates and should there be a need to implement alternative assessment arrangements.

Additional learning needs (ALN) and specialist settings

Statutory guidance on ' Supporting learners with healthcare needs ' requires local authorities and education settings in Wales to have a healthcare needs policy in place which should seek to ensure that students with any medical condition are properly supported.

We would encourage a practical and flexible approach to ensure individual needs are met. This should be considered as part of any risk assessment. For example, timetabling and scheduling one-to-one support over a longer cycle, in order to maintain overall levels of support while minimising close interactions between individuals, may be appropriate.

We would encourage specialist further education settings, where safe to do so, to continue to care for young people where possible.

Specialist further education settings should inform the Welsh Government immediately if a young person is absent from college, regardless of reason. More information about what colleges need to do in these situations can be found in their funding agreement letters from the Welsh Government.

If a student is unable to complete their agreed programme of study, colleges can refer to guidance contained in the ' Securing provision for young people with learning difficulties at specialist further education establishments' policy. It is the college's responsibility to review a student's programme of study and, if necessary, submit an extension request for consideration by the Welsh Government. Requests to extend a student's placement beyond the programme's original agreed end date will only be agreed in exceptional circumstances.

Significant public health incidents

A single suspected outbreak or incident of infectious disease will not normally constitute an emergency. As autonomous institutions, higher education settings can operate in compliance with national public health guidance. Higher education providers should ensure that responses to the most serious public health incidents are discussed with their local director of public health and agreed in advance as part of their contingency planning, for example for the start of academic years.

The latest public health advice for employers, businesses and organisations in relation to COVID-19 includes a useful checklist that can support consideration of which control measures remain proportionate to apply in the higher education setting.

In line with Health and Safety Executive regulations on ventilation in the workplace and Public Health Wales advice, the effective use of carbon dioxide (CO ²)monitors and good ventilation provides an effective public health control measure. ' Carbon dioxide monitors in education settings ' provides guidance on how to use carbon dioxide monitors as an aid to managing ventilation in the higher education setting.

Severe weather

During severe weather conditions (for example, flooding, storms, snow or heatwave), the Welsh Government's default position is that settings should be kept open for as many students as possible. However, it might be necessary to close temporarily due to inaccessibility or risk of injury.

As universities are autonomous institutions, it is their responsibility to carry out risk assessments in their organisation and make decisions around how they continue to operate safely across their teaching and learning environments.

Security-related incidents in higher education settings

The safety of students and staff are the responsibility of the university and you should consider security alongside your safeguarding responsibilities and the legal obligations you have as employers under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR). As employers, universities should ensure that their staff and students are familiar with what is required by their security policy and plan.

Security-related incidents, including cyber security incidents, should form part of the operational risk management register and be tested under business continuity plans. Universities can also access support from Jisc to deal with cyber and other systems security incidents.

Supporting your workforce and students through an emergency

Employers have a general legal responsibility to maintain the health and safety and welfare of workers, and others attending their premises.

The public health advice for employers, businesses and organisations is intended to be used as a guide for safely mitigating against the most common communicable diseases (including flu, norovirus and COVID-19) risks. This does not replace business and employer statutory responsibilities, and it is important you continue to comply with your legal obligations relating to Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Equality Act 2010 and any other employment regulations.

Workplace risk assessments should also consider risks to staff in the setting with due regard to vulnerable members of staff as well as new or expectant mothers.

Staff shortages during an emergency

Higher education settings are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of students.

Higher education settings should remain open and operational for in-person learning where it is safe to do so. Where settings experience staff absences, in the first instance, they should follow their usual process for covering absences.

Well-being and support

Some young people and adults may experience a variety of emotions in response to an emergency situation, such as anxiety, stress, or low mood. As employers, universities have a duty of care to their staff and students, and should provide the necessary support for individuals experiencing well-being issues.

We recommend that universities work collaboratively with their staff, students and their families (where appropriate) who are anxious to reassure them. Discussions should have a collaborative approach, focusing on the welfare of the student and responding to the concerns of the parent, carer or student.

We would advise any student in higher education is experiencing mental or physical health issues to contact their student union who can help explore the student support and welfare services available to them by their university provider.

A wide definition of vulnerable and disadvantaged learners was adopted during the COVID-19 emergency response. It includes, but is not limited to, learners who are in one or more of the following groups:

learners with special educational needs (SEN) or additional learning needs (ALN)

learners from minority ethnic groups who have English or Welsh as an additional language (EAL/WAL)

care-experienced children, including looked after children

learners educated other than at school (EOTAS)

children of refugees and asylum seekers

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children

learners eligible for free school meals (eFSM)

young carers

children at risk of harm, abuse or neglect

This list is not exhaustive and not all learners from these groups will face barriers to learning or be vulnerable to underachieving. Learners from these groups may face a range of barriers to achieving their potential and will, therefore, require different solutions and support targeted towards meeting each of their individual needs. In addition, learners may belong to several of the above groups at the same time, depending on their individual circumstances.

Learners not in these groups may be considered vulnerable or disadvantaged, including specifically as a result of COVID-19. For example, some learners who would not have been considered vulnerable or disadvantaged pre-COVID-19 may require additional support when they return to school because of their experience during lockdowns.

Learners educated though the medium of Welsh from homes where Welsh is not spoken may also require additional support, especially where they also face other barriers to learning. This may also be the case for those learners where English or Welsh is not their first language.

Education settings should seek to maximise the number of children, learners and students who are in face-to-face provision during an emergency. If the impact of an emergency means that not everyone can attend face-to-face provision, parents and carers should be informed as part of emergency communications of the impact. Communications should set out the groups that are prioritised for face-to-face provision and should invite parents and carers to notify the setting if they meet one of the critical worker categories.

Parents and careers whose work is critical to an emergency response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined in the following sections. If exceptional circumstances mean that attendance is temporarily limited, children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to their setting if required, but parents and carers should keep their children at home if they can.

Health and social care

This includes, but is not limited to:

doctors

nurses

midwives

paramedics

social workers

care workers

other frontline health and social care staff, including volunteers

support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK's health and social care sector

those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment

Education and childcare

This includes:

childcare

support and teaching staff

social workers

specialist education professionals who must remain active during an emergency response to deliver this approach

Key public services

This includes:

Local and national government

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of:

an emergency response

essential public services, such as the payment of benefits including in government agencies and arm's length bodies (ALB)

Food and other necessary goods

This includes those involved in food:

Public safety and national security

This includes:

police and support staff

Ministry of Defence civilians

contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to an emergency response)

fire and rescue service employees (including support staff)

National Crime Agency staff

those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas

Transport

This includes:

those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during an emergency response

those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass

Utilities, communication and financial services

This includes:

staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure)

the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage)

information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during an emergency response

key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services)

postal services and delivery

payments providers

waste disposal sectors

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Emergency planning and response guidance for education and childcare settings

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This guidance does not cover every aspect of what settings should do in relation to emergency planning. Settings must comply with their legal responsibilities, including health and safety law, and should seek legal advice as needed.

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Workplace design for Climate Resilience - UN Environment Programme

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Workplace design for Climate Resilience - UN Environment Programme

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This practical guide demonstrates how buildings and community spaces can be constructed to increase their resilience to climate change, especially in developing countries where structures are largely self-built. The publication provides an overview of the fundamental types of interventions at the building scale, including the use of nature-based solutions.

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a practical guide to climate-resilient buildings & communities

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A Practical Guide to Climate-resilient Buildings & Communities

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This practical guide demonstrates how buildings and community spaces can be constructed to increase their resilience to climate change, especially in developing countries where structures are largely self-built. The publication provides an overview of the fundamental types of interventions at the building scale, including the use of nature-based solutions.

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University of Leeds - Climate Resilience

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Key Info

Principal Investigator

Prof Michael Davies (University College London)

Co-Investigators

Dr Anna Mavrogianni (University College London), Prof Rajat Gupta (Oxford Brookes University), Prof Paul Wilkinson (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

Partners

Emer O'Connell (Public Health England), Annette Figueiredo (Greater London Authority), David James (Care Quality Commission), Andrew Mellor (PRP Architects LLP), Dr Anastasia Mylona (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers - CIBSE)

Start Date

2 February 2019

Duration

12 months

Value

£250,000

The UK's growing older population, and particularly people over 65 residing in care settings, are at the highest risk of heat-related mortality. Understanding the factors that contribute to high indoor temperatures in care homes is crucial in developing strategies to avoid summertime overheating and the associated negative health impacts, which are expected to intensify as a result of climate change. The pilot project is undertaking preliminary work in five care settings in London to monitor the summertime conditions experienced by residents and staff, model future overheating risks and investigate the effectiveness of different strategies for reducing the risk of overheating. It will then bring together the learning from monitoring and modelling in expert workshops to explore the implications for guidelines and regulations, and the potential for scaling-up the project to a national scale. The work will be of interest to relevant stakeholders from the built environment, social care, public health and policy development.

As a result of global climate change, the UK is expected to experience hotter and drier summers and heatwaves are expected to occur with greater frequency, intensity and duration. According to recent climate change projections by the Met Office, increases in mean daily temperatures could be up to 5.4 deg. C during the summer months and 4.2 deg. C during winter by 2070 under a high emissions scenario. In 2003, 2,091 heat-related deaths were reported in the UK alone as a result of the European heatwave, meaning future temperature increases could lead to a parallel rise in heat-related mortality. The UK also currently has a rapidly growing number of old people, with people aged 75 or over expected to account for 13% of the total population by 2035, compared with 8% in 2012. Older populations are more vulnerable to climate-induced effects as they are more likely to have underlying, chronic health complications, making them more vulnerable to heat stress. The 2003 heatwave demonstrated that older people in care settings are at the highest risk of heat-related mortality. People aged over 65 years spend more than 80% of their time in residential environments or care settings, and people aged over 85 years more than 90%. Therefore, the indoor environment is a huge moderator of heat exposure in older populations: poor building design and the lack of effective heat management in care settings may contribute to increased indoor heat exposure with detrimental health impacts falling on the most vulnerable residents. Care facilities function as both a home for residents and a workplace for staff, meaning that the people sharing those spaces can have diverging needs and preferences making overheating prevention measures difficult to enforce. Interactions between staff and residents play an important role in preventing overheating in care settings and it has previously been noted that staff are often made to prioritise warmth due to wide recognition of the detrimental effect cold weather can have on old-age health, leading to overheating risks being overlooked. Understanding factors that contribute to indoor summertime overheating in care homes is crucial in developing methods to prevent overheating and the subsequent negative health impacts.

Previous research by the applicants has indicated that care facilities are already overheating even under non-extreme summers, highlighting the need to develop timely prevention measures given the way temperatures are expected to rise in the UK over the next century. A key target for climate adaptation in care settings is to limit such risks by introducing passive cooling strategies via building design and occupant behaviour. Development of passive cooling strategies will reduce the likelihood of uptake of mechanical cooling, which would undermine government efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the principal aim of the project is to undertake preliminary work to develop methods that will support a system of care provision in the UK that is adequately prepared for rising heat stress under climate change. The project will undertake pilot work in five care settings in the UK to monitor the thermal environment and conduct surveys with residents, frontline care staff and care home managers. Within these buildings, it will test novel approaches for understanding the comfort levels of the residents and relating this to the thermal environment. It will also test novel measurement techniques for assessing impact of heat on the health of the residents. Via detailed modelling work, it will then test methods to assess future overheating risks and to evaluate the effectiveness of overheating mitigation strategies. Throughout the project the work will bring together multidisciplinary research perspectives with those of care home practitioners and other stakeholders. Via these packages of work, plans for the large-scale project that is so urgently needed in this area will be developed.
Image: Care UK
This project is described in ClimaCare: Climate resilience in care settings (R104), CIBSE 2020 by Eleni Oikonomou; Anna Mavrogianni; Mike Davies, and Rajat Gupta.

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ClimaCare: Climate Resilience of Care Settings -

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Key Info Principal Investigator Prof Michael Davies (University College London) Co-Investigators Dr Anna Mavrogianni (University College London), Prof Rajat Gupta (Oxford Brookes University), Prof Paul Wilkinson (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) Partners Emer O'Connell (Public Health England), Annette Figueiredo (Greater London Authority), David James (Care Quality Commission), Andrew Mellor (PRP Architects LLP), Dr Anastasia Mylona (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers - CIBSE) Start Date 2 February 2019 Duration 12 months Value £250,000 The UK's growing older population, and particularly people over 65 residing in care settings, are at the highest risk of heat-related mortality.

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Ceredigion Council Severe Weather Advice

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Ceredigion Council Severe Weather Advice

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NOTE: Does not include heatwaves

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Severe Weather Advice - Ceredigion County Council

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Ceredigion County Council, mid Wales covers an area of 696 square miles and has a population of around 75,000.

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The following advice is being given to householders returning to their homes following flooding:

Ask For Help And Advice

Before you start, don't feel that you have to deal with this on your own, therefore ask for help and advice.

Safety Is Paramount

Ensure it is safe to enter your property. Local authority officers are available if you need advice on this.

Engage a professional to deal with any gas, electrical, plumbing or structural work.

Do not switch on electrical appliances that have been in contact with floodwater unless they have been checked out by a competent electrician and any person who conducts work on gas appliances and services has to be 'Gas Safe' registered.

You should exercise caution if approached by unknown tradesmen who suddenly appear on their doorstep offering to carry out remedial work to your home. A genuine tradesman will always provide you with written details of the work that needs to be carried out and will provide you with details of your right to cancel the contract you are entering into along with details of his home or business address. Whilst it can be tempting to accept an offer to immediately rectify a difficult situation; in most cases it is time well spent seeking the advice of neighbours and family or your insurance company in relation to reputable building contractors. Please be aware that your insurance company might insist on you using one of their approved tradesmen in order to process your claim.

Be Aware Of Health Risks

Before entering your property, ensure you are aware of health risks as flood water is often contaminated and, even if it appears 'clean', it may include bacteria that can cause illness. If you do feel unwell, ensure you visit your GP as soon as possible. Use gloves and overalls before starting any clean-up. Personal hygiene including washing hands and covering cuts or scratches is very important.

Gather Tools And Equipment

For cleaning, ensure you have enough tools and equipment such as brooms, scrubbing brushes, mops, buckets, detergent and disinfectant, rubber gloves, face mask and overalls. Do not mix detergents with bleaches, but ensure you use plenty of clean water.

Take Pictures Of Your Property And Any Damaged Possessions. Keep A Record Of The Damage And Any Action Taken.

This includes writing down a description of the overall state of the property, marking off high water points, making a list of damaged items and condition.

Remove Standing Water And Mud Where Possible

Remove saturated carpets, rugs and furnishings. Protect furniture and possessions from further damage by removing to a higher level where possible. Plastic bags should be placed under the legs of wooden furniture to avoid further water being absorbed.

Clothing And Bedding

Wash these and other soft fabric articles such as children's toys on a hot cycle (60 degrees or higher), which will destroy most germs that may be present. Wash all clothes worn cleaning up separately to uncontaminated clothes.

Food Preparation And Storage

Don't eat any food that has been in contact with any flood water. Ensure that all surfaces and equipment, pots, pans and cutlery that food will come into contact with have been cleaned using hot tap water and detergent (washing up liquid) and sanitised (using a food safe spray sanitiser available at the supermarket). If work tops show signs of damage do not use.

Frozen food that is at ambient temperature for a few hours should be thrown away. Put contaminated food into black plastic refuse sacks and put out when your next collection is due. Check with your insurers before disposal.

Don't be tempted to use food that has been in contact with flood water, even tins may pose a health risk if they have been contaminated with sewage.

Don't eat garden or allotment produce that has been in contact with flood water.

Any areas showing signs of mould should be treated with a fungicidal solution

Dry With Care

Open windows and doors to assist drying. Do not attempt to dry out property with the use of central heating or other heating appliances. Do not use diesel or petrol generators indoors. Be aware that a combination of heat and damp can cause further damage and can encourage mould growth.

If you would like any further advice or guidance please do not hesitate to contact the Ceredigion County Council contact centre on 01545 570881 or email: housing@ceredigion.gov.uk

Public Health Wales has advice to help clean up safely:
www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/94751

Information From Natural Resources Wales

Flood Warnings

Find out if you're at risk from river or coastal flooding now or in the next few days:

River Levels Online

Use the river level map to check river levels near you:

Flooding Advice

Learn about your flood risk and what to do during a flood, including how to sign up for flood alerts:

Ceredigion Tide Tables

From the Ceredigion Tourism website:

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The following advice is being given to householders returning to their homes following flooding: Before you start, don't feel that you have to deal with this on your own, therefore ask for help and advice. Ensure it is safe to enter your property. Local authority officers are available if you need advice on this.

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Overheating, drafts, mould, damp, and poor air quality, are common issues in the workplace as a result of poor maintenance and lack of insulation. This can contribute to ill health including respiratory conditions & allergies.

Reduce costs and build a working relationship with your employer

The cost of heating and cooling is putting businesses under risk of closure. Improving insulation and replacing inefficient old equipment can slash a building's energy use, when done correctly. Your ideas for reducing workplace accidents and increasing energy efficiency will appeal to your employer and help build a good working relationship.

Take climate action and mobilise new members

Climate change is a great issue for recruitment and organising, in particular with younger workers. Reducing energy use and decarbonising heat sources can decrease carbon emissions, in many cases up to 60%. Upgrading old buildings emits much less carbon than building new ones. Talking to workers about the unions' efforts and the support it needs, can help to attract new, active members to your branch.

Talk to workers about it

Talk to all workers, not just members. Have they been too hot or cold at work, or had problems with ventilation or damp?

Are they feeling OK? Have they got ideas for how to deal with building issues?

Do they understand how the temperature could be adjusted?

Are there particular times or parts of their work process when temperatures are a problem?

What issues have they noticed? (e.g. damp, gaps, cracks in walls)

Make sure incidents or ill health are reported to your employer and recorded in the accident book.

Are building works (such as boiler, ventilation, and cooling systems) completed by outside contractors being signed off and handed over by a professional?

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The TUC guide to building retrofit at work

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Cold and draughty buildings with poor air quality affect our wellbeing and health at work. Running buildings is increasingly expensive due to the cost of living and energy bill crisis, and is the third largest carbon emitting sector globally. Done in the right way, maintenance and retrofit can fix these issues.