UK Government Covid-19 Guidance for Construction Sites
Read on for an overview of the official guidelines laid out to maintain safety when working on site
To ensure construction businesses keep their staff healthy while working outside, the government released a set of Covid-19 safety guidelines on 11 May. Here’s a rundown of the advice to help you create a workplace that runs safely.
Before actioning any of this advice, bear in mind that it’s a set of guidelines. (For Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it should also be considered alongside local public health and safety requirements and legislation.) The government stipulates that you should carry out an appropriate Covid-19 risk assessment first, just as you would for other health-and-safety-related hazards, and this should be done in consultation with unions or workers.
Before actioning any of this advice, bear in mind that it’s a set of guidelines. (For Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it should also be considered alongside local public health and safety requirements and legislation.) The government stipulates that you should carry out an appropriate Covid-19 risk assessment first, just as you would for other health-and-safety-related hazards, and this should be done in consultation with unions or workers.
What if social distancing is tricky?
Of course, there are times when social distancing is impossible. If that’s the case, the government asks that you consider whether that particular activity needs to continue for your business to operate.
If it does, then you should take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between your staff, such as:
Of course, there are times when social distancing is impossible. If that’s the case, the government asks that you consider whether that particular activity needs to continue for your business to operate.
If it does, then you should take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between your staff, such as:
- Increase the frequency of hand-washing and surface-cleaning.
- Keep the activity time involved as short as possible.
- Use screens or barriers to separate people from each other.
- Use back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible.
- Reduce the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others).
What is the advice on arriving at and leaving work?
There are quite a few things you can do to protect staff who are arriving and leaving the site, including:
There are quite a few things you can do to protect staff who are arriving and leaving the site, including:
- Reduce crowding into and out of the workplace by staggering arrival and departure times. Take particular account of the impact on those with protected characteristics.
- Provide additional parking or facilities such as bike racks to help people cycle, walk or run to work where possible.
- If you use a corporate vehicle, such as a minibus, limit the number of passengers. This could include leaving seats empty.
- Create more entry points to the workplace in order to reduce congestion, and use markings to introduce a one-way flow at the entry and exit.
- Provide hand-washing facilities, or hand sanitiser where that’s not possible, at entry and exit points.
- Provide alternatives to touch-based security devices, and deactivate pass readers at turnstiles in favour of showing a pass to security personnel at a distance.
Is there a way to minimise risk while moving around the site?
The government lists a number of methods for keeping employees safe while on site, such as:
The government lists a number of methods for keeping employees safe while on site, such as:
- Discourage non-essential trips within buildings and sites. For example, you could restrict access to some areas, and ask employees to use telephones where possible – remembering to clean them each time.
- Encourage workers to carry out a single task for the day to reduce job and equipment rotation.
- Create one-way systems where possible on walkways around the workplace. Make signage using ground markings or other objects to mark out two metres.
- Limit the number of people who use on-site vehicles, such as shuttle buses. If you do need to use them, follow social distancing within the vehicles.
- Divide sites into working zones to keep different groups of workers physically separated as much as is practical.
- Plan site access and ‘area of safety’ points to enable social distancing.
- Reduce the number of people at site inductions and consider holding them outdoors wherever possible with social distancing.
- Regulate the use of high-traffic areas, including corridors, lifts, turnstiles and walkways, to maintain social distancing.
Where should my team take their breaks?
Safe outdoor areas should be used for breaks where possible. Other guidelines include:
Safe outdoor areas should be used for breaks where possible. Other guidelines include:
- Stagger break times to reduce pressure on break rooms or places to eat.
- Create additional space by using other parts of the workplace freed up by remote working.
- Reconfigure seating and tables to maintain spacing and reduce face-to-face interactions.
Are there rules for visitors and contractors who come on site?
The key is to limit the number of visitors at any one time and encourage as many remote meetings as possible.
If essential services and contractors need to come on site, it’s advisable to revise their schedules to reduce the possibility of people overlapping and interacting.
When people do visit, explain the site guidance on social distancing and hygiene before they arrive.
Read advice from four experienced pros on how to bounce back after a crisis.
The key is to limit the number of visitors at any one time and encourage as many remote meetings as possible.
If essential services and contractors need to come on site, it’s advisable to revise their schedules to reduce the possibility of people overlapping and interacting.
When people do visit, explain the site guidance on social distancing and hygiene before they arrive.
Read advice from four experienced pros on how to bounce back after a crisis.
How do I maintain safe hygiene on site?
It’s important to clean everything frequently using your usual cleaning products. Pay particular attention to objects and surfaces that are touched frequently, such as buckets, site equipment and control panels. Also, make sure there are enough places for disposal.
At the end of the shift, clear workspaces and remove waste and belongings. Sanitise all the hand tools, controls, machinery and equipment after use.
For good staff hygiene, hand-washing is paramount, so make sure there are additional places to do this, and use signs and posters to build awareness of good hand-washing techniques. Remember to also provide hand-drying facilities – either paper towels or electric dryers.
It’s also important to pay particular attention to the cleaning of portable toilets and to provide more waste facilities and collections.
It’s important to clean everything frequently using your usual cleaning products. Pay particular attention to objects and surfaces that are touched frequently, such as buckets, site equipment and control panels. Also, make sure there are enough places for disposal.
At the end of the shift, clear workspaces and remove waste and belongings. Sanitise all the hand tools, controls, machinery and equipment after use.
For good staff hygiene, hand-washing is paramount, so make sure there are additional places to do this, and use signs and posters to build awareness of good hand-washing techniques. Remember to also provide hand-drying facilities – either paper towels or electric dryers.
It’s also important to pay particular attention to the cleaning of portable toilets and to provide more waste facilities and collections.
Should my team wear face coverings?
Wearing a face covering is optional, but if you do decide to use them, it’s important to give guidelines including:
Wearing a face covering is optional, but if you do decide to use them, it’s important to give guidelines including:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds, or use hand sanitiser, both before putting a face covering on and after removing it.
- When wearing a face covering, avoid touching your face or face covering, as you could contaminate them with germs from your hands.
- Change your face covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it.
- Continue to wash your hands frequently.
- Change and wash your face covering daily.
- If the material is washable, wash in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. If it’s not washable, dispose of it carefully in your usual waste.
- Practice social distancing wherever possible.
How do we take deliveries on site?
When goods arrive at your site, it’s necessary to have some measures in place to avoid surface transmission and maintain social distancing.
Minimise unnecessary contact by organising electronic pre-booking and reduce the frequency of deliveries by ordering larger quantities less often. Encourage drivers to stay in their vehicles where it’s safe to do so.
If it’s possible and safe, have single workers load or unload vehicles, and if more people are needed for unloading, try to use the same pairs of people.
When goods arrive at your site, it’s necessary to have some measures in place to avoid surface transmission and maintain social distancing.
Minimise unnecessary contact by organising electronic pre-booking and reduce the frequency of deliveries by ordering larger quantities less often. Encourage drivers to stay in their vehicles where it’s safe to do so.
If it’s possible and safe, have single workers load or unload vehicles, and if more people are needed for unloading, try to use the same pairs of people.
How do I identify and protect my vulnerable staff?
It’s essential to protect those people who are clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable – these individuals have been strongly advised not to work outside the home.
Government advice includes:
It’s essential to protect those people who are clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable – these individuals have been strongly advised not to work outside the home.
Government advice includes:
- You should help clinically vulnerable individuals, who are at higher risk of severe illness, to work from home, either in their current role or an alternative role.
- If clinically vulnerable (but not extremely clinically vulnerable) individuals cannot work from home, you should offer them the safest available on-site roles, enabling them to stay 2m away from others. If this isn’t possible, you should carefully assess whether this involves an acceptable level of risk.
- Consider, also, other employees with protected characteristics. Expectant mothers, for example, are entitled to suspension on full pay if suitable roles cannot be found. Also, pay particular attention to people who live with clinically extremely vulnerable individuals.
How do I look after staff who are working from home?
The advice is to monitor the wellbeing of people who are working from home and to help them stay connected to those operating in an outdoor environment. This is particularly important if most of their colleagues are on site.
Keep in touch with your off-site workers and pay attention to their welfare, mental and physical
health, and personal security.
It’s also important to provide equipment for people to work from home safely and effectively, and to ensure they can access all the work systems.
Read the full UK government guidelines for construction work during Covid-19.
Tell us…
How are you finding implementing the safety guidelines so far? Share your thoughts and experiences in the Comments.
The advice is to monitor the wellbeing of people who are working from home and to help them stay connected to those operating in an outdoor environment. This is particularly important if most of their colleagues are on site.
Keep in touch with your off-site workers and pay attention to their welfare, mental and physical
health, and personal security.
It’s also important to provide equipment for people to work from home safely and effectively, and to ensure they can access all the work systems.
Read the full UK government guidelines for construction work during Covid-19.
Tell us…
How are you finding implementing the safety guidelines so far? Share your thoughts and experiences in the Comments.
The government advises that the first option should be to work from home and asks businesses to do everything they can to make that happen.
You should consider who is actually needed on site. Support staff, for example, should work from home if possible.
Think about how many people you need on site in order to operate safely and effectively. Plan for the minimum number of workers deemed necessary to carry out physical works, supervise work, or conduct work in order to operate safely.
If working from home is not an option, you should make every reasonable effort to comply with social distancing guidelines of keeping people two metres apart wherever possible.