Build UK’s update the industry amid the covid-19 outbreak 

Thank you for your patience on the Site Operating Procedures – Version 3 which has now been published by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC). We can only apologise for the delay; as we are all finding at the moment, nothing is quite as easy as it should be.

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 2m 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”. We have requested further clarification from PHE on this point.

We are also seeking further guidance on the use of RPE on construction sites as a means of reducing the transmission of coronavirus (covid-19).

Please note that you may be required to refresh your browser cache in order to view the latest version of the Site Operating Procedures. This can be done in Windows by pressing Ctrl+Shift+R or on a Mac with Cmd+Shift+R.

CITB has announced additional support for the industry including:

  • The launch of a one-year Leadership and Management Fund to help large businesses develop the leadership, management and supervisory skills of their staff. CITB registered employers with more than 250 directly employed staff can bid for up to £100,000 by submitting the application form by 12 June 2020.
  • An increase in the amount of time Approved Training Organisations (ATOs) have to submit information in relation to the training they provide – further details can be found in the CITB ATO update.

CITB confirmed earlier this week that it would be expanding the Skills and Training Fund, enabling small and micro-sized businesses to apply for up to £10,000 and medium-sized businesses with up to 250 employees to claim up to £25,000.

Businesses should continue to follow the most up-to-date Government guidance and for the latest updates please follow Build UK on Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any construction-specific queries or feedback on what is happening within the industry, please contact Build UK.

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