Site Operating Procedures ‐ Version 3 which has now been published by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC).
The Public Health England (PHE) guidance on Social distancing in the workplace during coronavirus (COVID‐19), which includes sections on Construction and the use of private vehicles and car pooling for travelling to work, has been incorporated into what is now industry‐recognised guidance, supported by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma.
The key changes in Version 3 include:
- Confirmation that the HSE is the enforcing authority for PHE guidelines
- The need for sites to monitor the implementation of the procedures
- Further details on who should not travel to work
- Guidance for those who have no option but to share transport to work
- Information on the hierarchy of controls which should be implemented to reduce the risk of transmission where social distancing of 2 metres cannot be achieved
- Information on first aid and emergency service response.
The latest PHE guidance for construction states that “where face‐to‐face contact is essential, this should be kept to 15 minutes or less wherever possible”. Build UK have requested further clarification from PHE on this point.
