Construction: Covid security best practice

HSE are very actively conducting construction site visits during Lockdown, primarily to check Covid security best practice arrangements are in place.

As the construction sector is still able to operate during Lockdown 3, it is essential that sites are Covid-secure. Employers must make sure that appropriate measures are in place to keep workers, visitors and customers are safe.

Senior Consultant, Wayne Hodgson, has shared these examples of best practice to protect your workforce during the pandemic:

• All workforce attending site to be briefed on hazards associated with Coronavirus and the importance of maintaining good standards of hygiene.
• Only those personnel who cannot work from home should be attending the site. Office and admin staff should be working from home where possible.
• A record of the personnel attending site on each shift needs to be kept for at least 21 days by Site Management to allow information to be provided to Test & Trace if needed.
• Where possible, meetings should be held by phone or video conferencing.
• Limit the number of workers arriving on site at one time.
• Hand sanitiser stations can be placed at all entry/exit points
• Use Thermo screening – taking the temperature of workers as they arrive is an important way to highlight anyone who is potentially infected.

Other key areas that HSE are focusing on during spot checks are the control of dust (internally and externally), and how pedestrians are segregated from construction site transport.

SML are on hand to support your business all year round. Contact us today for more information on Covid security best practice and keeping your sites and workers safe.