Jul 28th, 2020
3 mins
Updated 28/07/2020- At the beginning of June the government announced that “spot inspections” would be carried out to make sure businesses were safe places to work. At the same time the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has announced the HSE could access extra funding of up to £14m, which could be used for “extra call-centre employees, inspectors and equipment.
More recently we have seen evidence that some of our members have been visited by the Health and Safety Executive to carry out these spot checks in relation to COVID-19.
As inspections are ongoing, HSE has been utilising a number of different ways to gather intelligence and reach out to businesses with a combination of site visits, phone calls and through collection of supporting visual evidence such as photos and video footage.
Some of the most common issues that HSE and local authority inspectors are finding include: failing to provide arrangements for monitoring, supervising and maintaining social distancing, failing to introduce an adequate cleaning regime – particularly at busy times of the day – and providing access to welfare facilities to allow employees to frequently wash their hands with warm water and soap.
Being COVID-secure means being adaptable to the current guidance and putting measures in place to control the risk of coronavirus to protect workers and others.
There are five practical steps that businesses can take to do that:
- Step 1. carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment in line with HSE guidance
- Step 2. develop increased cleaning, hand washing and hygiene procedures
- Step 3. take all reasonable steps to help people work from home
- Step 4. maintain 2m social distancing where possible
- Step 5. where people cannot be 2m apart, manage transmission risk.
For the latest on making you business COVID-secure please visit:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
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