COVID-19: Spain - changes and workplace requirements

These expectations will continue to be the situation after transition to phase 2 of de-escalation, which is already in force in some regions of Spain. Madrid and Cataluña could possibly transition to phase 2 next week or, more likely, in two weeks’ time:

• Wherever possible, continued teleworking will be encouraged for those workers who are able to work remotely.

• The employer must ensure that all workers have hydroalcoholic gels or disinfectants authorised and registered by the Ministry of Health for hand cleaning permanently available at the workplace, or when this is not possible, water and soap.

• Likewise, when the interpersonal safety distance of approximately two metres cannot be guaranteed, it shall be ensured that workers have protective equipment appropriate to the level of risk. In this case, all personnel must be trained and informed on the correct use of this protective equipment.

• Fingerprinting shall be replaced by any other time control system that ensures adequate hygiene measures for the protection of workers' health and safety, or the fingerprinting device shall be disinfected before and after each use and workers shall be warned of this measure.

• The layout of the workstations, the organisation of shifts and the rest of the working conditions existing in the centres, entities, premises and establishments will be modified, to the extent necessary, to guarantee the possibility of maintaining the minimum interpersonal safety distance of two metres between the workers.

• Likewise, the distance measures provided for in this order must be complied with, where appropriate, in the workers' changing rooms, lockers and toilets, as well as in any other area of common use.

• If a worker begins to have symptoms compatible with the illness, he or she will immediately contact the telephone number provided by the corresponding autonomous community or health centre and, if necessary, the corresponding occupational risk prevention services. Whenever possible, the worker will put on a mask and must, in any case, leave his work post until his medical situation is assessed by a health professional.

• Without prejudice to the adoption of the necessary collective and individual protection measures, the centres shall make the necessary adjustments to the organisation of schedules to avoid the risk of a mass influx of people, whether or not they are workers, into workplaces or centres during the time slots with a foreseeable maximum concentration. A risk of a maximum concentration shall be deemed to exist where there is no reasonable expectation that minimum safety distances will be observed, particularly at work entry and exit.

• The employer must ensure that the appropriate cleaning and disinfection measures are adopted. Special attention will be given to the areas of common use and to the most frequent contact surfaces such as door handles, tables, furniture, handrails, floors, telephones, hangers, and other elements of similar characteristics.