Tag: checklist

Taking your dog abroad this summer? Time to get your pooch travel ready

Vets are advising anyone planning to travel abroad this summer with their pets or assistance dogs to book an appointment with their vet practice well in advance to allow plenty of time to complete all the required health checks and paperwork.

With school summer holidays here, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling on owners to first carefully consider if it would be in their pets’ best interests to travel overseas with them.

For anyone choosing to holiday abroad with their pet, BVA has issued a handy checklist to remind owners about the checks their animal will need before travel. This includes trips from Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the European Union, as post-Brexit rules mean owners now have to get the more complex and time-consuming Animal Health Certificate (AHC) from a vet trained to issue them no more than ten days before travel.

British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Justine Shotton said: “The countdown to summer break has begun. While we should all consider whether a holiday abroad is appropriate for our pets’ welfare or their carbon pawprint, if you are making plans that include travelling with your pet or assistance dog, now is the time to contact your local vet for information on pet travel requirements.

“Book an appointment as soon as possible to make sure your pet has all the necessary paperwork and is fully protected against diseases they may encounter in their travels.

“We’d like to remind owners that the post-Brexit requirements for travel to the EU are a significant change from the previous and much simpler ‘pet passport’ system, so they will take longer to complete and cost more. A pet travel consult at the vets can now take around an hour and even longer where there are multiple animals.

“Vet practices are already under a huge workload pressure. To help make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible for yourself, your pet and your vet, we would urge you to contact your vet as early as you can ahead of travel to make sure there’s a vet available for this certification work and enough time to complete the required health checks and paperwork.”

Prior to Brexit, as many as 250,000 cats and dogs from the UK were taken to the EU on holiday every year.

BVA has prepared a seven-point checklist for to help pet owners:

  • Timings: Contact your vet well in advance to ensure that you can get an appointment at least three weeks before your planned travel. Dogs, cats and ferrets need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) for each trip from Great Britain to an EU country or Northern Ireland. Unlike pet passports, AHCs are 9-12 pages long, which means a much more complex, time consuming and costly paperwork process. Some vaccinations, like rabies, are time-sensitive, so even a one-day delay could result in your papers being rejected at the border. As Northern Ireland remains part of the EU pet travel scheme, travellers from the country can use an EU pet passport as an alternative to an AHC. Contact your vet to update the pet passport.
  • Destination: Be clear about the countries you intend to travel to so that your vet can identify specific health risks your pet may be exposed to, such as ticks, sandflies, heartworm or tapeworm.
  • Rabies: Check that your pet’s rabies vaccination is up to date.
  • Microchip: Ensure your pet’s microchip is working and contact details are up to date.
  • Heat: Talk to your vet if going somewhere hot to discuss prevention of heatstroke and how to recognise symptoms in your dog.
  • Emergencies: Identify a local vet in the area where you will be holidaying in case of an emergency and to administer compulsory tapeworm treatment to dogs one to five days before arrival back into the UK. 
  • Return: If your pet becomes ill after returning to the UK, it is very important to tell your vet that you have been abroad with your pet, even if it was some time ago.

More information for travellers from Great Britain is available on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-an-eu-country-or-northern-ireland

Has your employer made it safe to return to work?

Employers up and down the country are planning to welcome back employees to the workplace, and they must bring in strict COVID-safe plans as lockdown measures ease.

But British workers should confirm with their employer the steps that are being taken to make it safe and compliant to return to work.

All UK businesses who ask their staff members to return to work have been informed that they need to undertake a risk assessment and put in place various measures to protect their staff from contracting the virus.

Employees need to feel safe, and depending on the specific industry, certain unions have claimed that employees can even refuse to go back to the office if precautions aren’t taken.

Health and safety experts at CE Safety have made it easier for Brits to understand what their employers should be doing to comply with new safety rules.

A spokesperson for CE Safety says: “There are countless sensible measures to take when it comes to a safe return to work.

“The Coronavirus guidelines and measures are fast-paced, so all employers and employees need to follow the latest developments. As it stands, if Brits can work from home, then they should continue to do so.

“But this could change by August. Retail, hospitality, service and leisure industries are reopening from 4th July, it’s important to look at what employees need to know ahead of a return to the ‘new normal’. 

“It’s worth mentioning that Brits should not return to work if they have been advised by the Government to shield. This will apply only to those in receipt of a letter, who are in the extremely vulnerable category.”

Here is a need-to-know checklist when it comes to returning to work:

  1. Has the employer carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment?

Sounds simple, but before reopening the office, employers should ensure the safety of the workplace by carrying out a risk assessment. This might result in reorganising the office layout to give employees more space between work stations and/or install sneeze guards between spaces. A phased return might also be an option to employers.

  1. Check employer’s cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures

Employers should encourage staff to wash hands regularly, and provide hand sanitiser around the workplace as well as the washrooms. There also needs to be a schedule that allows frequent cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and objects that are touched regularly.

Clear use of toilets may sound too particular, but employers need to outline cleaning guidance for the toilets, as well as providing adequate hand drying facilities, either paper towels or hand dryers.

  1. Ask the employer to clarify working from home stance

Employers have been advised by the UK government to take all reasonable steps to help people work from home.

Has there been internal discussing home working arrangements? Do employees have the correct equipment to allow effective working from home such as remote access work systems?

Employees who have family members that are at greater risk from COVID-19 will understandably be concerned about returning to work. Hence the need for employers to consider employees working work from home.

For employee physical and mental wellbeing, this is an important step for employers to help look after their staff. Mental health issues that can arise from periods of isolation, and employers need to allow the best possible working conditions for their staff.

  1. What is there in place to ensure social distancing?

Where possible, social distance between colleagues should be maintained. Employers need to put up signs to remind workers and visitors of social distance guidance. Workstations should not be shared. Floor tape is a cost-effective way to visualise social distancing guidelines.

Employers may need to look at their processes too, and perhaps switch to visitors by appointment only, or do meetings via video service platform such as Zoom, or Google Hangouts.

  1. What to do if British workers aren’t happy?

If you have raised concerns or requested clarification with your employer, but you don’t feel they have been addressed, you can consider whether to contact the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about your concerns. They are the Government body with responsibility for safety in the workplace and can take enforcement action against employers who are lacking.