NHS Test and Trace Service & Construction

The Government guidance on Working safely during coronavirus (COVID‐19): Construction and other outdoor work includes a section on assisting the NHS Test and Trace service, which states that companies should keep a temporary record of staff shift patterns and visitors to sites for 21 days.

The following should be recorded for staff:

• Names of staff working on site
• Contact phone number for each member of staff
• Dates and times that staff are at work

and for visitors:

• Name of the site visitor. For groups, the name of the ‘lead member’ and the number of people should be recorded
• Contact phone number for the visitor or the lead member of a group
• Date of visit, arrival time and, where possible, departure time.

For companies using the Go Smart App to read TICA or ACAD Skill Cards, gathering the data will be a quick and simple process.  Go Smart card checkers can be installed for free on smart phones, laptops and PC’s.  They can:

• Verify that cards are valid.
• Ensure that cardholders have the required training and qualifications for the type of work they carry out.
• Keep a record of cards that have been checked, with the time and GPS location, where available.

Where staff are notified by the Test and Trace service that they must self‐isolate, employers with fewer than 250 employees can apply to HMRC to recover the costs of paying coronavirus‐related SSP under the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme.  Claims should be submitted via the online service and there is currently no indication of when the scheme will close.