Staggering shift times, reducing face-to-face interaction and keeping lifts half-empty are some of the workplace measures the government is considering as it looks to ease the lockdown.
Seven government documents, drawn up by cabinet office minister Michael Gove and business secretary Alok Sharma, have revealed what guidance will be given as people are allowed to gradually return to work.
Boris Johnson is expected to announce the relaxation of some of the coronavirus lockdown measures this week.
According to the draft documents, businesses with more than five employees must provide a risk assessment of working conditions if they are to be able to reopen.
Shielded "extremely vulnerable" people - such as those with various cancers or severe respiratory conditions - will still have to work from home, and non-shielded "vulnerable" people should still work from home wherever possible.
Those who are able to work from home should continue to do so.
The guidance states: "It will not always be possible to keep a distance of 2m. In these circumstances both employers and employees must do everything they reasonably can to reduce risk."
"The government is clear that workers will not be forced into an unsafe workplace," it adds.
Below is the guidance for a number of sectors.
General guidance for all workplaces
Providing equipment for staff to work effectively and safely from home where possible
Facing employees away from each other or side-to-side where possible, so they are not face-to-face
Staggering shift times and break times
Providing staff with packaged meals instead of using canteens
Handwashing or hand sanitisers at entrances and exits
Changing seating, tables and layouts so staff work further apart and reduce face-to-face interaction
Reducing maximum occupancy for lifts and regulating use of corridors, lifts and staircases
Providing hand sanitiser for the operation of lifts and encouraging use of stairs
Monitoring the wellbeing of colleagues working from home and offering support
Getting staff to change into uniforms on site, providing storage for clothes and bags, and washing uniforms on site rather than at home
Having separate entry and exit points to the building, and introducing one-way flow routes
Reducing congestion by having more entry points
Using floor tape or paint to mark out two-metre distances
Discouraging non-essential trips within buildings and sites
Reducing job and location rotation - this could involve assigning employees to specific floors
Providing more parking or bike racks
Providing protective screening for staff in receptions or similar areas
Using screens to create physical barriers between people where possible
Alternatives to touch-based security devices such as keypads
Offices
Where possible, office staff should continue to work from home, although those in roles critical for business or who cannot work from home due to personal circumstances can go in.
Businesses should plan for the minimum number of people to be on site
Avoiding use of hot desks
Using remote working tools to avoid in-person meetings
Avoiding transmission during meetings, for example avoiding sharing pens and other objects
Only absolutely necessary participants should attend meetings
Providing hand sanitation in meeting rooms
Holding meetings in well-ventilated rooms, where possible
Using outside areas for breaks
Limiting use of high-touch items and shared office equipment
Hotels and restaurants
All food and drink outlets should serve takeaways only, and seated restaurants and cafe areas must be closed
Bar areas must be closed
Using signage to make clear these areas are closed
Minimising the number of people in kitchens and reducing interaction between kitchen workers and other workers, including during breaks
Spacing workstations two metres apart as much as possible
Consider cleanable panels to separate workstations in bigger kitchens
Minimising access to walk-in pantries, fridges and freezers
Minimising contact at "handover" points with other staff, including delivery drivers
Using a "grab and go" service or room service for hotel guests
Hand sanitiser for visitors
Avoiding crowded reception areas - staggering check-in and check-out times or placing two metre markers on the floor
Carrying out essential services and contractor visits at night where possible
Reducing the number of guests who can stay in a single room, particularly in dormitories
Interacting with guests via phone, emails and guest apps
Encouraging customers to order online or via phone to avoid queues
Serving customers in walk-in takeaways with tills two metres away from the kitchen, ideally behind a screen and separated from the kitchen by a partition or wall
Using contactless payments
Marking out two-metre distances for customers queuing
Enhancing cleaning and providing signage on good hygiene practices
Limiting access to premises for people waiting for takeaways. Asking customers to wait in their cars
Workers in other people's homes
No work should be carried out in a household where a person is isolating or has been asked to shield
Avoiding face-to-face contact with vulnerable people in households
Contacting households ahead of the visit to discuss how to minimise risk
Wash hands on arrival and maintain social distancing
Travel to the site using your own transport where possible, or limit the number of people per vehicle if this cannot be avoided
Match workers to households local to them to minimise transportation
Workers should bring their own food and take breaks outside
Limit time spent in close proximity to no more than 15 minutes
Identifying busy areas across the household where people travel to, from or through, for example, stairs and corridors
Asking that households leave all internal doors open
Allocating the same worker to the same household each time there is a visit
Limiting the number of workers in a confined space
Avoiding direct contact where possible
Using electronic payment methods
Factories and warehouses
Limited number of people in company vehicles
Regularly cleaning work areas, equipment, tools, vehicles and reusable delivery boxes
Cleaning equipment, tools and vehicles after each use and at the end of each shift
Regularly cleaning objects and services
Servicing and adjusting ventilation systems
Removing waste at the end of a shift
Hand sanitiser for employees to use boarding vehicles or handling deliveries
Minimising use of portable toilets
Keeping a record of visitors
Shops and branches
Defining the number of customers that can reasonably follow two-metre social distancing within the store, taking into account total floorspace and busy areas
Limiting the number of customers at any one time
Suspending customer services which cannot comply with social distancing
Encouraging customers to shop alone
Updating plans for store traffic and queue management, and using outside areas for queuing such as car parks
Shopping centres should regulate the number of customers
Informing customers who are accompanied by children that they are responsible for supervising them at all times
Continuing to keep customer restaurants and/or cafes closed until further notice, unless offering hot or cold food to be consumed off the premises
Providing guidance to people on arrival
Restocking/replenishing outside of store operating hours
Working outdoors
Only workers deemed necessary to carry out physical work or supervision should physically attend
In an emergency (for example, an accident, fire, break-in or trespass), people do not have to stay two metres apart if it would be unsafe
Providing signage to inform the public what work is taking place and to remind them to maintain social distancing
Providing any necessary training for people who act as hosts for visitors
Working in a vehicle
Making sure vehicles are well-ventilated
Reducing the number of employees at base depots or distribution centres
Scheduling collection times
Avoiding interacting with the driver when loading goods onto vehicles
Minimising contact during payments or exchange of documentation
Regularly cleaning vehicles
Making sure the same people are paired together if they must be in close proximity
Non-contact deliveries where possible
Limiting exposure to large crowds and rush hours
Having single employees load or unload vehicles
Having drivers stay in their vehicles if possible
Preparing for goods to be dropped off to a previously agreed area to avoid transmission, eg. click and collect
Keeping hand sanitiser or wipes within vehicles
