The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out a month-long inspection initiative across Great Britain to check on construction site health standards.
Although the initiative, which begins on Monday 5 October 2020, will primarily focus on health risks including respiratory risks and occupational lung disease, the HSE says if an inspector identifies any other issues, they will take any necessary enforcement action. This includes making sure that businesses are doing all they can to protect their workers from the risk of coronavirus and make workplaces COVID-secure.
These checks come in addition to an existing programme of COVID-secure spot checks and inspections during which HSE inspectors are calling and visiting workplaces, often unannounced, and putting employers on the spot to make sure they are following COVID-secure guidelines.
Crack down on dust
As part of the focus on respiratory risks, HSE inspectors will be looking at what measures businesses have in place to protect their workers’ lungs from the likes of asbestos, silica and wood dust as part of longer term efforts to improve health within the construction industry.
HSE’s chief inspector of construction, Sarah Jardine explains: “There are a few simple things that everyone can do to make sure they are protecting their health and their future. Be aware of the risks associated with activities you do every day, recognise the dangers of hazardous dust and consider how it can affect your health. We want businesses and their workers to think of the job from start to finish and avoid creating dust by working in different ways to keep dust down and wear the right mask and clothing.”
The construction initiative will be supported by HSE’s ‘Dustbuster’ campaign, aimed to influence employer behaviour by encouraging builders to download free guidance and advice, increasing knowledge and capability to protect workers’ health.
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Making your workplace COVID-secure
When checking how employers are managing the risk of coronavirus the HSE says inspectors will provide advice and guidance to help employers manage risk and protect workers and visitors, but where businesses are not managing this, they are ready to take immediate action.
This may range from the provision of specific advice, issuing enforcement notices, stopping certain work practices until they are made safe and, where businesses fail to comply, this could lead to prosecution.
To be COVID-secure businesses should put measures in place to manage the risk and protect workers and others. Practical steps that businesses can take include:
- Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment
- Develop increased cleaning, hand washing and hygiene procedures
- Take all reasonable steps to help people work from home
- Maintain two-metre social distancing where possible
- Where people cannot be two metres apart, manage transmission risk
Changes to COVID-secure rules affecting construction sites
Businesses are also obliged to keep up to date with any latest guidance affecting their organisation and therefore should be aware that stricter rules around making business premises COVID-secure which could affect construction sites came into place from the 28th September which includes:
- Employers must not knowingly require or encourage someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work
- Businesses must remind people to wear face coverings where mandated
Although they are not currently obliged to do so, construction site managers may also want to consider creating a Coronavirus QR code for their venue to support the use of the new NHS COVID-19 app.
