What are the rules about social distancing on site?

Currently as many people as possible are asked to work from home, but the government advises that anyone who cannot do so can still go to work. Businesses, though, need to make every effort to ensure workplaces comply with the social distancing guidelines.

It’s therefore vital to be thoroughly conversant with the official guidance whether you’re conducting an on-site survey or engaging contractors as part of one of your projects.

These are the guidelines from the government so you can be confident that a site you are attending does comply, and that you’re taking the right actions to protect clients, contractors and yourself.

Note that the guidelines below apply to England. You can find advice for other nations of the UK via the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish government, and the Welsh government.

What are the social distancing rules on site?

Workers on a site should be following the guidelines from Public Health England. These state that, where possible, employees should maintain a two metre distance from others, and wash their hands with soap and water often, and for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitiser where soap and water isn’t available.

Public Health England guidance for construction sites says ‘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.’

The Construction Leadership Council has produced site operating procedures based on Public Health England guidance, with information on issues such as travel to and from sites, access, facilities, work planning, first aid and emergency service response, and cleaning. Get the latest version of the CLC site operating procedures.

What are the rules for contractors who’re working in clients’ homes?

If you’re arranging tradespeople to carry out work in a client’s home, be aware that it’s vital that they are well and do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, however mild these might be.

Note also that work cannot take place in a household which is isolating because someone has symptoms of the virus, or where someone is being shielded. Remember that shielding is for those identified as clinically extremely vulnerable, and these people are advised to stay at home at all times, and avoid any face-to-face contact.

Read the guidance for households with possible COVID-19 infection and the guidance on shielding

The only exception to this is in the event of a direct risk to the safety of the household – for example, emergency plumbing or repairs. In this event, the contractor also needs to be willing to do the work. Public Health England can provide advice to both the tradesperson and the household if this is the case.

Any contractor working in a client’s home must follow the Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining the two metre distance from any household occupants.

The guidelines also state that the contractor should notify all clients in advance of their arrival.

Once in the home the contractor should:

• On arrival, wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Wash their hands regularly, and particularly after blowing their noses, sneezing or coughing.
• Maintain a distance of at least two metres from household occupants at all times.
• Ensure there is good ventilation in the area in which they are working, including opening the window.
• Wash their hands when leaving the home.

The guidance states that if facilities for hand washing aren’t available, hand sanitiser should be used and the tradesperson should carry this with them at all times.

Stay up to date on social distancing.

Government and other relevant guidance may be updated, so it’s essential to check that you’re following the most recent version. You can find specific sector information within the guidance on social distancing in the workplace, which includes sections on tradespeople working in other people’s homes and construction.