On 10 May, Boris Johnson announced that the government would be relaxing certain lockdown measures in order to get the economy moving again. Going forwards, he said, those who were unable to work from home (with particular emphasis on construction and manufacturing workers) should be “actively encouraged” to return to work.
With the risk of a second spike in infections still very much present, however, and ONS data[1] showing that construction workers have suffered some of the highest death rates from COVID-19, safety remains of paramount importance. Therefore, to help site managers with the gargantuan task of ensuring site-wide compliance with Covid safety guidance, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) have published a series of forms to help managers brief their workers and operate sites safely.
Site operating procedures
The CC01 Site Operating Procedures Compliance Checklist is a comprehensive, 53-question interactive questionnaire that managers can use to ensure they are doing all they can to protect their workforce on site and minimise the risk of spreading the infection.
It covers areas such as travelling into work, site access and egress, hand washing and toilet facilities, among others, and encourages managers to work through and action each point thoroughly.
Health and safety risk assessment
The CCo2 Health, Safety and Environmental Risk Assessment Template enables managers to carry out a comprehensive risk assessment of the site to plan for potential coronavirus-related hazards, such as airborne or surface transmission of the disease, and implement control measures to minimise the risk of spreading it.
It enables firms to identify the likelihood of a hazard occurring, how many people would be at risk, who will be responsible for implementing control measures, etc.
Helping managers communicate
The key to good site safety is communication; all workers must first understand the rules before they can comply with them. To facilitate this, the CITB and CLC have formulated the CC03 Toolbox Talk for Construction Workers, which managers can use to outline the key points of safety procedure to staff as well as ways in which workers can maintain their health while working on construction sites.
It allows managers to communicate with workers in a structured way, taking them through key points such as getting to work, close working and when it is permitted, what workers should do if they believe they might be ill, and any other site-specific procedures workers should comply with to prevent further infections.
Maintaining compliance at all times
It only takes a small slip in hygiene or safety practices for a worker to become infected and put the whole site at risk. As such, the final form in this series, the CC04 Weekly Site Operating Procedures Checklist, ensures sites are continually monitoring key risk areas and re-implementing any measures that may be starting to slip.
Getting construction moving safely
With work now having recommenced on 86% of major sites[2], it’s more important than ever to get safety right. Using the CITB’s checklists, or other specialist products such as our own Site Safety Assessment Tool, will help firms adhere to best practice and enable them to get up to maximum capacity as soon and as safely as possible.
[1] https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/construction-sites-safe-work-coronavirus-covid-19-building-employer-worker-050033337.html
[2] https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2020/05/20/construction-now-restarted-on-86-of-major-sites/