New Zealand Financial Markets Authority: WorkSafe Guidelines For Financial Services Businesses And Staff Under COVID-19 Alert Level 3
Source: Mondo Visione
Financial services businesses and staff who can operate from home must do so. Workplaces may open if the work cannot be done from home and the workplace can operate consistently within public health guidance and ensure the appropriate protections for workers and where applicable customers. If you are unsure about what activities you can undertake, please contact the FMA or RBNZ.
Operating in Level 3 carries great responsibility to ensure the health and safety of workers and customers. The expectations of customers, the community, workers, and regulators is that workplaces will meet the highest possible standards and that managers, supervisors, and individual workers actively manage adherence to the safety measures and expectations. We expect all staff to demonstrate leadership and appropriate self-supervision to ensure that these standards are met and that they are looking out for the health and safety of their colleagues and community while at work.
The following guidance is been supported by WorkSafe for the Financial Services sector and must be applied for any business which requires physical presence of staff at the workplace during Level 3:
- Workplaces must significantly reduce workers numbers on premise with physical distancing (min. two metres) between all on-site staff
- Workplaces which interact with other businesses must communicate ahead of time to establish a clear understanding of responsibility and overlap.
- Workplaces must take practical hygiene steps to avoid the spread of the virus. E.g. ensuring only essential work is done; supplying soap and water or hand sanitiser to ensure workers can frequently wash their hands; splitting meal breaks to reduce the number of people using a kitchen; ensuring only one worker at a time in bathroom
- Workplaces must hold centralised records of any workers working together
- Workplaces must take centralised contact tracing measures (i.e. sign-in and sign-out procedures for customers and staff, recording interactions and floor access)
- Workplaces must enact controlled entry procedures (i.e. security guards at the entrance, appointment only, pre-screening remotely) to manage customer numbers
- Workers are not to attend workplace if they have any symptoms of feeling unwell or are being tested for COVID-19
- Workers are not to attend workplace if they have been in close contact with anyone who is displaying respiratory symptoms, being tested for COVID-19, or has a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19
- Workers are not to attend workplace if they, or someone they come into close contact with, are considered ‘higher risk’ of becoming severely ill from COVID 19 (Ministry of Health - most at risk)
- Interaction with customers should be via remote means wherever possible. Face to face customer interaction continue to be permitted only for essential financial services (as at Alert Level 4). Within this category, the following guidance applies:
- Over-the-counter (OTC) transactions to be completed at distances of over one metre and only if increased hygiene in these areas can be ensured (i.e. hand sanitiser, Perspex screens, increased cleaning etc.).
- For transactions which require face-to-face engagement but cannot take place OTC – we expect these to only be completed when equivalent safety precautions as OTC transactions can be followed
- Businesses are obliged to eliminate transmission risks where possible, and where not, to substitute work practices or provide as higher level of control as possible. We expect that businesses maintain, or create new, practices that meet or exceed the MoH guidelines as they are updated.
- The information provided is of a general nature only, and is not intended to address specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity.
- WorkSafe makes no warranties, guaranties or undertakings as to results that may be obtained from use of the document this endorsement applies to. Information provided is not professional or legal advice. Specific advice should be sought from qualified professionals prior to relying solely on any information in this document.
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