Back to News >

 

Advice for employers on social distancing during coronavirus (COVID-19) – Updated 07 April 2020

Source & full guidance available at www.gov.uk

Overview

This is a list of tailored advice for different scenarios as an example of how social distancing and other measures might be implemented by employers in England to help protect their workforce and customers from coronavirus while still continuing to trade.

For advice for business in other nations of the UK please see guidance set by the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.

These are not intended to be comprehensive or to represent every business’s situation, but are illustrative examples.

Businesses should also look to the advice being published by trade associations and similar groups on how to work out government guidance in their sector.

Read the general guidance for employers and businesses on coronavirus.

---

Construction

Construction work plays an important role in ensuring public safety and the provision of public services. It can continue if done in accordance with the social distancing guidelines wherever possible.

Where it is not possible to follow the social distancing guidelines in full in relation to a particular activity, you should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the site to continue to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission.

If you decide the work should go ahead, you should advise staff to wash their hands frequently using soap and water for 20 seconds, and especially after blowing their nose, sneezing or coughing, on arrival at work, before and after eating, after using public transport, and when they arrive home. Where facilities to wash hands are not available, hand sanitiser should be used.

You should still advise staff to keep 2 metres apart as much as possible.

You should plan work to minimise contact between workers and avoid skin-to-skin and face-to-face contact. Where face-to-face contact is essential, this should be kept to 15 minutes or less wherever possible.

As much as possible, keep groups of workers working together in teams that are as small as possible (cohorting). For example, you keep vehicle crews working together, rather than mixing crew members on different shifts.

Staff should also wash their hands each time before getting into enclosed machinery (such as diggers) with others, and wash their hands every time they get out. To help with this, you should consider adding additional pop-up handwashing stations or facilities, providing soap, water and/or hand sanitiser.

Employees should keep the windows of enclosed machinery or enclosed spaces open for ventilation and be careful to avoid touching their face at all times. The inside of cabs should be regularly cleaned, particularly between use by different operators.

You should try to use stairs in preference to lifts or hoists. Where lifts or hoists must be used, you should lower their capacity to reduce congestion and contact at all times, and regularly clean touchpoints, such as doors and buttons.

To protect your staff, you should remind colleagues daily to only come into work if they are well and no one in their household is self-isolating.

The Construction Leadership Council has published more detailed advice on how you might carry out government guidance.

Additional useful information for firms can be accessed on BuildUK’s website.

---

Manufacturing and processing businesses

Manufacturing plays an important role in the economy. It can continue if done in accordance with the social distancing guidelines wherever possible.

Where it is not possible to follow the social distancing guidelines in full in relation to a particular activity, you should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to continue to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between staff.

If you decide the work should continue, staff should work side by side or facing away from each other rather than face-to-face if possible.

You should increase the frequency of cleaning procedures, pausing production in the day if necessary for cleaning staff to wipe down workstations with disinfectant.

You should assign staff to the same shift teams to limit social interaction.

You should not allow staff to congregate in break times; you should consider arrangements such as staggered break times so that staff can continue to practice social distancing when taking breaks.

You should communicate to all staff that they should wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or more at the beginning and end of every break, when they arrive at work and before they leave. To help with this, you should consider adding additional pop-up handwashing stations or facilities, providing soap, water and/or hand sanitiser.

When entering and leaving, you should ensure your workforce stays 2 metres apart as much as possible. To protect your staff, you should remind colleagues daily to only come into work if they are well and no one in their household is self-isolating.

Read the detailed guidance on food processing.

---

Logistics businesses

Logistics businesses play an important role in ensuring goods can get to where they are needed and they can continue to operate if they do so in accordance with the social distancing guidelines wherever possible.

Where it is not possible to follow the social distancing guidelines in full in relation to a particular activity, you should consider whether that activity needs to continue for the business to continue to operate, and, if so, take all the mitigating actions possible to reduce the risk of transmission between staff.

If a 2 metre distance cannot be maintained, staff should work side by side, or facing away from each other, rather than face to face if possible.

To protect your staff, you should remind colleagues daily to only come into work if they are well and no one in their household is self-isolating.

You should also put up signage and floor markings in the warehouse, encouraging a 2 metre distance from colleagues where it is at all feasible.

In addition, you should regularly encourage staff to wash their hands with soap and water as often as possible and for a minimum of 20 seconds every time.

To help with this, you should consider adding additional pop-up handwashing stations or facilities, providing soap, water and hand sanitiser.

You should still advise staff to keep 2 metres apart as much as possible.

To protect your staff, you should remind colleagues daily to only come into work if they are well and no one in their household is self-isolating.

---

Cargo-shipping or other long-term offshore work

You operate one or more cargo vessels or offshore concrete structures where staff are offshore for prolonged periods of duty and are not always able to be 2 metres apart.

Where this is the case, staff should work side by side, or facing away from each other, rather than face to face if possible.

You should communicate to all those working on board that they should wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or more and more frequently than normal. You should still advise staff to keep 2 metres apart as much as possible.

Those working aboard should follow social distancing guidelines when ashore as strictly as possible. They should not board if they suspect they have been in contact with the virus to avoid introducing it to others on board.

Staff with a new continuous cough or a high temperature should not be allowed to board or go off-shore. Staff who are either symptomatic themselves or are a member of a household where someone else is unwell with symptoms of coronavirus should follow the stay at home guidance.

Staff should be given clear instructions on what to do if they develop symptoms and how and to whom they should report this.

---

Transport businesses

Transport is vital to support our economy and public services. It can continue if done in accordance with the social distancing guidelines wherever possible. This applies if you operate trains, buses, planes, ferries or other enclosed transport where staff on board cannot stay 2 metres away from each other or passengers at all times.

You remind all customers that they should only travel when essential, such as travelling to work when they cannot work from home, and that when they do so they should also remain 2 metres apart where possible.

You may consider the use of signage, e.g. floor markings, to signal 2 metre intervals to facilitate social distancing between passengers whilst transiting through transport hubs and on public transport.

You communicate that staff should wash their hands for 20 seconds or more and more frequently than normal.

Other customer facing staff that are not on board one of these transport modes (e.g. staff at a train station) should comply with the public health guidance applicable at the time, including principles of social distancing wherever possible.

You communicate that staff should move around the train, plane or ferry as little as possible to maintain distance from passengers. You increase the frequency of cleaning procedures on board and in terminal or stations areas, to ensure all areas are disinfected as often as is feasible.

---

Use of private vehicles and car pooling

When using a private vehicle to make a journey that is essential, cars should only be shared by members of the same household. Those who normally share a car with people who are not members of their own household for a journey that is essential, e.g. getting to work, should consider alternatives such as walking, cycling and public transport where you maintain a distance of 2 metres from others.

If the journey is essential, such as travel to work, and there is no option but to share a car with people who are not part of the same household, journeys should be shared with the same individuals and with the minimum number of people at any one time.

Good ventilation (i.e. keeping the windows open) and facing away from each other may help to reduce the risk of transmission. Private vehicles that are used by people from multiple households should be cleaned regularly using gloves and standard cleaning products with particular emphasis on handles and other areas where passengers may touch surfaces.

Read further advice for staff in the transport sector.

---

Waste management businesses

Waste management is an important service for other businesses, public services and households. It can continue if done in accordance with the social distancing guidelines wherever possible. This applies if you operate a waste site where staff cannot be more than 2 metres apart at all times.

You should advise staff to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds more frequently than usual. Staff should also wash their hands each time before getting into enclosed machinery (such as fork lift trucks or crane grabbers), and wash their hands for 20 seconds or more, or use hand sanitiser when they cannot wash their hands, every time they get out.

To help with this, you should consider adding additional pop-up handwashing stations or facilities, providing soap, water and hand sanitiser.

On waste sorting and picking lines staff should observe the same rules as for Manufacturing. You should allow frequent cleaning and disinfecting of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using standard cleaning products, particularly at the end and beginning of shifts.

When staff are sharing an enclosed space, such as in refuse and waste collection vehicle cabs and are unable to maintain a 2 metre distance, they should wash their hands for 20 seconds or longer before getting into, or after getting out of, the vehicle, or use hand sanitiser where hand washing is not possible.

Where it is not possible to avoid having more than one person in the vehicle, teams should keep the windows of the vehicle open for ventilation, and be careful to avoid touching their face at all times. Staff should still be advised to keep 2 metres apart as much as possible.

The Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) have published further advice relating to COVID-19 and the waste management industry.

---

Published 7 April 2020