Membership Resource
If you are an NCASS member, you should already be following our guidelines for best practice for running your business safely and legally.
Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, we have produced additional resources that enable you to trade safely in line with current Government legislation. We now need to work differently as an industry, keeping these 3 core principals in mind to ensure we are working through Covid-19 safely, setting an example and securing the future of the independent sector.
Making your customers, and enforcement officers aware that you are trained and implementing additional measures during the pandemic is critical. The NCASS COVID-19 Training Certification scheme is designed to enhance confidence in you and your business.
We teamed up with food safety expert Jenny Morris MBE to develop our Covid-19 Safety Training and certification scheme, ensuring it’s in line with current coronavirus safety regulations and meets EHO expectations during inspections at your business.
I’m really, really pleased to be helping NCASS and its members… I think you’re all excellent in the ways you look to innovate and change
Jenny Morris MBE – Practitioner of Environmental Health
The NCASS Covid-19 Certification scheme has been designed for independent businesses like yours as it demonstrates that you are aware of the increased risks the pandemic has in relation to staff & customers and that you are trained to implement and monitor preventative measures.
The Certification scheme is based around COVID-19 documents and resources provided as part of membership. Completing the steps for each required document unlocks certification for your business.
The Covid-19 Safety Training course is ideal for business owners or staff who work in the hospitality sector and want to demonstrate that their premises and they way in which they are trading is Covid-19 secure.
The course has been created by the Nationwide Caterers Association in order to provide extra reassurance to businesses, their customers and staff that they are trading safely, legally and within the current guidelines required to operate a catering business during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
It is FREE to all NCASS members and comes with a certificate upon completion. Undertaking Covid-19 Safety Training is just one of a number of measures you can carry out to ensure that your business is compliant with current guidelines on mitigating the risks of Covid-19 within environments where food and drink is being handled and consumed.
Please note: You will be credited with multiple places on the COVID19 course for yourself and staff but in order for the system to recognise it as part of the overall Certification Scheme the email address linked to your NCASS membership will need a completed COVID19 course linked to it.
Carrying out a thorough risk assessment is important in any case if you want to keep staff and customers safe from hazards. Operating during and after Covid-19 raises the necessity for you as a business and all staff members to have outlined appropriate controls, monitoring procedures and corrective actions to prevent the spread of this highly contagious virus.
We’ve put together an updated risk assessment for Non-Food Borne Viruses (e.g CV19) to include in your NCASS Due Diligence System. This identifies additional hazards specific to CV19 as well as thorough guidelines to follow in order to ensure you are trading safely during the pandemic. You will also find example documents that have been filled for you as a reference tool.
As you will know, we work closely with the FSA and have adapted their reopening checklist for our members, making some additions for you as independent food & drink businesses to be aware of.
Reopening after a period of closure or after implementing new policies will require some extra checks alongside your ‘normal’ daily opening checks. These will help to make sure that your business can restart and continue to operate safely. This is a very useful review tool and should be read, checked, dated and upload to your Business Documents area.
The checklist review should include all changes to your business’s processes and services connected to coronavirus (COVID-19); production, workflow management, staffing, customer interactions and any required control measures.
It’s important you and all staff know exactly what procedures to follow when handling food, packaging and cash. Maintaining good hygiene practices is the best way to prevent the virus from affecting your business in any way, but there are many new rules that you will need to adhere to in order be fully compliant with current regulations.
This document, once each section is read, ticked and signed, confirms that you have carried out and comply with the Special Measures Policy, plus the procedures outlined within. It covers Infection, isolation and deep cleaning, Responsible Persons, Social Distancing, Training, Packaging, Payments, PPE & more.
Once you have completed the required steps, you’ll be part of the NCASS Covid-19 Certification Scheme and will have access to your certificate and promotional assets for your website, social media platforms and to display in your premises. Whether you operate from a food truck, bar, restaurant or anything in between, you’ll be able to show your customers that you, your staff and overall business are COVID-19 trained and confident.
Use these assets to demonstrate your compliance, commitment and professionalism during the Covid-19 crisis.
The business owner or the member of your team responsible for compliance completes the Covid-19 Safety Training, the Covid-19 Virus Risk Assessment, the Covid-19 Compliance Statement & the reopening checklist.
Once you’ve completed the relevant documents simply upload them to the Business Documents area of your membership dashboard. We’ll add your training certificate automatically upon completion.
If you’ve completed the steps above you’ll gain access to your Certificate and promotional assets via the dedicated Certification page.
Display your COVID-19 Certificate, assets and promo material when you trade and post them online to show you’ve taken the additional required steps to keep yourself, staff and customers safe when trading.
Want to get started with your documentation? Head to the membership resource area and download the 3 required certification documents.
If you want to take the FREE COVID-19 Training Course head over to the dedicate page for instructions and info on how to do so.
Already completed some of the steps? Head to the tracker page to see what you’ve got left to do and complete certification.
