BESA publishes new Covid-19 guidance

THE Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has published new guidance to help engineering and constructions firms ensure their staff are safe amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

The association said that the new documents provide clear and practical information on how to reduce the risk of virus transmission on-site and methods of carrying out risk assessments for workers who are not on site.

Becky Crosland, health and safety advisor at BESA, said “The new guides are all about prioritising workers and customer/client safety. As we see a rise in the R number across the country, it is clear that the threat of infection from Covid-19 remains very much alive. It is, therefore, vital that businesses have robust procedures to safeguard against the risks employees face on-site and in domestic settings.

“The new guides are all about prioritising workers and customer/client safety. As we see a rise in the R number across the country, it is clear that the threat of infection from Covid-19 remains very much alive. It is, therefore, vital that businesses have robust procedures to safeguard against the risks employees face on-site and in domestic settings.

“Some people seem to think the two-metre restriction has been reduced to one metre – it has not. Infection risk is between and two and 10 times higher at one metre. If it is impossible to remain two metres apart, you should apply other controls like reducing the duration of time you spend together or avoiding face-to-face contact.”

The guidance is freely available and can be accessed by clicking here.