Construction sites operating during the Coronavirus

Construction sites operating during the Coronavirus

Construction sites operating during the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic need to ensure they are protecting their workforce and minimising the risk of spread of infection. This guidance is intended to introduce consistent measures on sites of all sizes, in line with the Government’s recommendations on social distancing.

Self-Isolation

Anyone who meets one of the following criteria should not come to site:

• Has a high temperature or a new persistent cough - follow the guidance on self-isolation

• Is a vulnerable person (by virtue of their age, underlying health condition, clinical condition or are pregnant)

• Is living with someone in self-isolation or a vulnerable person.

Procedure if Someone Falls Ill

If a worker develops a high temperature or a persistent cough while at work, they should:

• Return home immediately

• Avoid touching anything

• Cough or sneeze into a tissue and put it in a bin, or if they do not have tissues, cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow.

They must then follow the guidance on self-isolation and not return to work until their period of self-isolation has been completed.

Travel to Site

• Wherever possible workers should travel to the site alone using their own transport and sites need to consider:

o Parking arrangements for additional cars and bicycles

o Other means of transport to avoid public transport e.g. cycling

o Providing hand cleaning facilities at entrances and exits. This should be soap and water wherever possible or hand sanitiser if water is not available

o How someone taken ill would get home.

Site Access Points

• Stop all non-essential visitors • Introduce staggered start and finish times to reduce congestion and contact at all times • Monitor site access points to enable social distancing – you may need to change the number of access points, either increase to reduce congestion or decrease to enable monitoring • Remove or disable entry systems that require skin contact e.g. fingerprint scanners • Require all workers to wash or clean their hands before entering or leaving the site • Allow plenty of space (two metres) between people waiting to enter the site • Regularly clean common contact surfaces in reception, office, access control and delivery areas e.g. scanners, turnstiles, screens, telephone handsets, desks, particularly during peak flow times • Reduce the number of people in attendance at site inductions and consider holding them outdoors wherever possible • Drivers should remain in their vehicles if the load will allow it and must wash or clean their hands before unloading goods and materials.

Click here for our Covid-19 FAQ’s

Hand Washing

• Provide additional hand washing facilities to the usual welfare facilities if a large spread out site or significant numbers of personnel on site • Ensure soap and fresh water is readily available and kept topped up at all times • Provide hand sanitiser where hand washing facilities are unavailable • Regularly clean the hand washing facilities and check soap and sanitiser levels • Provide suitable and sufficient rubbish bins for hand towels with regular removal and disposal. Sites will need extra supplies of soap, hand sanitiser and paper towels and these should be securely stored.

Toilet Facilities

• Restrict the number of people using toilet facilities at any one time e.g. use a welfare attendant • Wash hands before and after using the facilities • Enhance the cleaning regimes for toilet facilities particularly door handles, locks and the toilet flush • Portable toilets should be avoided wherever possible, but where in use these should be cleaned and emptied more frequently • Provide suitable and sufficient rubbish bins for hand towels with regular removal and disposal.

Click here to read our article on Mothballed Construction Sites: Leaving the Site

Please contact Simon Horton or David Baker at Ascend Broking Group to discuss any of your requirements – info@ascendbrokingold.co.uk

Telephone: 01245 449060  Author:  Daisy Ambrose, Ascend Broking