Engineering Services Recovery

Managing the risk to the workforce from respiratory infections such as COVID-19

The new guidance sets out actions that businesses should follow to help reduce the spread of infection, including ensuring adequate ventilation and encouraging vaccination.

Whilst there is no longer an expectation that every employer will consider COVID-19 explicitly in their risk assessment, employers “should continue to comply with their legal obligations to their staff”.

Although free COVID-19 tests are no longer available for the general public, the Department for Health and Social Care has confirmed that tests will continue to be available to help protect specific groups, including eligible patients and NHS and care staff.

Anyone with a positive COVID-19 test result is advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days (which is generally when they are most infectious).

Headings in the new guidance (link below, with selected extracts from the guidance) include:

Know which symptoms to look out for

The symptoms of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections are (now) very similar so it is not possible to tell if you have COVID-19, flu or another infection based on symptoms alone. The list of symptoms of COVID-19 (along with flu and common respiratory infections) have been extended to include:

• continuous cough
• high temperature, fever or chills
• loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
• shortness of breath
• unexplained tiredness, lack of energy
• muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
• not wanting to eat or not feeling hungry
• headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
• sore throat, stuffy or runny nose
• diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick.

Actions to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19

Encourage and enable vaccination

A COVID-19 vaccination guide for employers contains information on actions employers can take to enable (rather than mandate) staff vaccination.

Fresh air/ventilation

The HSE provides guidance on how to assess and improve ventilation in line with requirements under Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Maintain a clean workplace

Staff can be supported to maintain a clean working environment by providing cleaning products, soap and hot water, and/or sanitiser.

There is specific guidance for people whose immune system means that they are at higher risk because they have a reduced ability to fight infections such as COVID-19. Employers may wish to consider the needs of employees at greater risk from COVID-19, including (but not necessarily restricted to) those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

Risk assessment

Employers may choose to continue to cover COVID-19 in their risk assessments (and should) continue to comply with the requirements for cleaning, ventilation and welfare facilities in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and/or the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 to control occupational health and safety risks.

www.gov.uk/guidance/reducing-the-spread-of-respiratory-infections-including-covid-19-in-the-workplace

ECA’s eRAMS (free to Members) may be a useful way of recording your risk assessments, for any hazard.

Minor updates to SOP, face covering and BMF industry guidance

On January 27 2022, with the lifting (in England) of COVID-19 ‘Plan B’ restrictions the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) issued minor revisions to the Site Operating Procedures (SOP) – v9.1. Version.9.1(the current version) is here.

Please note: other restrictions and guidance may apply in Scotland (notably from CICV), Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Use of Face Coverings in Construction during Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Version 6 moved from face coverings being a legal requirement (stated in version 5) in some settings to the following statement:

‘The Government suggests that face coverings should be worn in crowded and enclosed spaces where people may come into contact with others they don’t normally meet. Employers can choose to ask workers to wear a face covering, even though they are not legally required to, but need to consider reasonable adjustments for workers with disabilities, as well as other obligations to workers arising from legislation. Workers may also choose to wear a face covering where it is not legally required.’

End to 'Plan B' restrictions in England

The Government confirmed that the COVID‐19 ‘Plan B’ restrictions in England ended on Wednesday 26 January 2022, with the guidance to work from home withdrawn with immediate effect.

The COVID Pass will no longer be required to enter certain venues and face coverings will not be mandatory in any setting although people will still be advised to wear them in crowded and enclosed spaces where they come into contact with others they do not normally meet.

Self-Isolation cut to 5 full days

Self-isolation for people with coronavirus (COVID-19) changes from 17th January 2022. It is now possible to end self-isolation for those who tested positive for Coronavirus after 5 full days, following 2 negative Lateral Flow tests taken 24 hours apart.

The first test should not be taken before the fifth day. The new guidance applies to everyone, regardless of vaccination status. People who are not double-jabbed and come in close contact with a positive case must still isolate for a full 10 days. More information can be found here.

CLC Site Operating Procedures (SOP) - Version 9

The Construction Leadership Council has issued an updated version of the Site Operating Procedures (SOP). Version 9 of the SOP is available here, and it incorporates the following changes: 

• A revised introduction to recognise that ‘working with COVID-19’ is now essentially ‘business as usual’ for the industry
• More relevant language to reflect the current situation onsite, for example ‘managing’ rather than ‘restricting’ numbers of workers
• Removing out of date references regarding when to go to work, shielding etc. 

Protective screens in vehicles

Government guidance on the fitting of protective screens (in taxis) but which may also be of use to those considering or fitting such screens in work vans etc.