Chamber of Commerce launches ‘Safe Return to Work’ Guidelines

The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce has launched a ‘Safe Return to Work’ guide containing recommendations for health and safety protocols and approaches to COVID-19 prevention in the workplace.

As more businesses receive permission from the government to reopen, preventive measures are necessary in order to prepare for a safe return to work and a gradual restart of business activities. Physical distancing measures, increased hygiene and other precautions will, therefore, have to be enforced in the workplace to contain infections during the phased reopening of Cayman’s economy.

The publication aims to provide general guidance and information to employers on how to adapt their working environment so that returning workers can feel safe and protected. All enterprises, regardless of their size or sector, are encouraged to adopt these recommendations to enable workers to return to work safely and, as far as possible, not affect business activities negatively.

The ‘Safe Return to Work’ publication is based on an original work by the International Labour Office (ILO). It has been carefully adapted by The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce to reflect the laws and regulations in Cayman, and has been thoroughly reviewed by Public Health Cayman Islands.

In addition to this comprehensive guideline, the Chamber will also focus on protocols for specific industry sectors in more detail.

“We will be releasing a series of easy-to-read infographic posters as each sector is permitted to return to work”, said Chamber CEO, Will Pineau.  “We hope that these posters will be useful for employers to distribute to employees and display in their workplace as a visual reminder of the protocols that employees should be following on a day-to-day basis.”

Posters have already been completed for the construction industry, as well as those who work in an office environment, and will soon be followed by other industry sectors such as retail, restaurants, transport, childcare, and personal care services.

As employers across the Cayman Islands have grappled to cope with the challenges brought on by the threat of COVID-19, the Chamber of Commerce has been consistently offering support to the business community, both for members and non-members. The recently launched guideline will add to their support efforts, which have included a dedicated website, free informative zoom webinars, live Facebook Q&A sessions, and daily email updates on the latest news and COVID-19 developments.

To download your copy of the full ‘Safe Return to Work’ document, or the industry specific protocols posters, please visit the Chamber’s dedicated COVID-19 website: chambercovidupdates.ky/safe-return-to-work

About the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce:

The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce represents more than 650 businesses and associations across all industry sectors in the Cayman Islands. Its members employ over 18,000 persons or about 45-percent of the country’s labour force. The Chamber supports, promotes and protects the interests of its members and the public’s welfare and serves as a catalyst for positive change, connecting community, business and government.