The UK government, just like many others, have put a number of restrictions in place to try to help reduce the spread of the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The aim is to decrease contact between people and to promote social distancing through as many people staying at home as much as possible.
One of these restrictions is that all non-essential businesses have to close; however, many construction projects have been deemed as essential services by the government. Therefor, as long as a range of procedures minimising the risk of spreading COVID-19 are put in place to protect employees, your construction firm can continue to operate.
The following advice outlines how you can ensure your business adheres to the site procedures, keeping your employees safe, continuing construction work and avoiding the government requiring you to close.
Site Access Provisions
- Reduce Access – Deny access to all other than essential visitors as well as implementing varied start and finish times for employees to reduce the number of people on a site and the amount of contact.
- Social distancing – Ensure that employees on-site and waiting to enter keep a minimum of 2-3 metres between each other.
- Sanitation – Have employees wash their hands before and after handling equipment and materials as well as before entering and after leaving the site. Also, temporarily remove control systems involving skin contact and regularly clean contacted surfaces.
Eating Arrangements
- Heating equipment – Usually Construction sites are required to provide employees the ability of making hot food and drinks. However, in the current situation this equipment (e.g kettles and microwaves) should be removed from the site.
- Pre-prepared meals – Employees will need to bring pre-prepared meals and reusable bottles to work and cannot leave the worksite to eat.
- Designated areas – Provide designated areas where employees must eat. Include cleaning facilities in these areas and thoroughly clean any designated areas after breaks and at the end of the day.
- Staggered breaks – As well as staggering shifts stagger breaks to reduce traffic in eating areas and enforce a 2-3 metre minimum distance between workers.
Facilities
- Toilets – Require employees to wash their hands before and after using the toilet and set a limit to the number of people using the toilet facilities at the same time.
- Changing rooms and Showers – Again, restrict access to each facility at any one time and also look at increasing the number of facilities on site.
Travel
- Personal Transport – Have employees use personal transport alone as much as possible to avoid congestion on public transport.
- Parking – Provide sufficient parking areas for cars and bicycles with area between spaces to limit contact between staff.
Contact Bullerwell & Co Ltd today for additional COVID-19 resources, industry-specific guidance and insurance solutions.
