COVID-19 Construction Industry Update

Alok Sharma, the Secretary of State for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy statement on construction work and CLC Site Operating Procedures-Version 2 published.

Alok Sharma, the Secretary of State for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, has stated that:

The Government has advised that wherever possible, people should work at home. However, we know that for many people working in construction their job requires them to travel to their place of work, and they can continue to do so. This is consistent with the Chief Medical Officer’s advice. To help ensure that it is safe for you to operate in your workplace, the industry has worked to develop Site Operating Procedures (SOP), which were published by the Construction Leadership Council. These align with the latest guidance from Public Health England. As this health guidance updates, the SOP will reflect any changes.

The full copy of the letter from which the above was taken can be downloaded via this link

CLC Site Operating Procedures

In response to feedback, the Site Operating Procedures – Version 2 has now been published to include:

• Clarification that, where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by 2 metres, work should not be carried out.
• The request from Transport for London (TfL) to avoid using the tube network during peak times.
• Updates from PHE to reference:
  • those living with someone who has shown signs of COVID-19 infection
  • those living with someone who is shielding
  • 60%+ alcohol-based hand sanitiser
  • keeping groups of workers together to minimise transfer of infection across the workforce
• The need to monitor implementation of the procedures.