“Covid Secure” practical workplace guidance for employers

The Covid Secure guidance published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (DBEIS), covers workplaces that can re-open this week, as well as some the Government hopes will reopen on 1 June 2020:

• Construction and outdoor work
• Factories, plants and warehouses
• Homes
• Labs and research facilities
• Offices and contact centres
• Restaurants offering takeaway or delivery
• Shops and branches
• Vehicles

The guidance relates to workplaces, rather than sectors. This means that a firm could have workers in several of these workplace categories and will need to take account of the guidance relating to each workplace category. For example, a construction business could have workers on a construction site, in vehicles, in other people’s homes and in offices.

DBEIS says that the key points underpinning the guidance in each type of workplace are:

1. Those who can work from home should continue to do so, but those who cannot should return to work.

Clinically extremely vulnerable people who have been asked to shield should not return to work, but clinically vulnerable employees may do so if they cannot work from home. However, clinically vulnerable employees should be offered the safest roles available.