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Coronavirus – Toolbox Talk For Construction Workers

Coronavirus – Toolbox Talk

Construction Industry Training BoardThis Coronavirus Toolbox Talk is from the CITB website – reproduced here for the benefit of SuperSkills website visitors, site supervisors and construction workers in general.

This toolbox talk has been updated and you should now Click Here

Reason Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease that can have severe effects on people, especially those who are vulnerable. The virus is likely to pass from person to person in communal areas and where it is not possible to maintain safe distances between persons. If a person is infected while working it can be passed on through families and other contacts. You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.
Outline This talk covers the ways to maintain your health while working on construction sites.

Getting to work

  1. Wherever possible travel to site alone, using your own transport (for example, a car or bicycle).
  2. Avoid public transport.

On site

  1. Wash your hands when you arrive on site, regularly throughout the day (especially if you sneeze or cough and after eating or handling food) and again when you leave site.
  2. Always keep at least 2 metres away from other workers. This includes while you are working and during breaks and mealtimes – staggered breaks will help achieve this.
  3. Stay on site for your breaks. Do not use local shops. Bring your own meals and refillable drinking bottles. Do not share items (for example, cups).
  4. Only hold meetings that are absolutely necessary. Ideally, these should take place outdoors, with the minimum number of people and those people should be kept at least 2 metres apart.

Close work

Close working should be avoided.

  1. Non-essential physical work that requires close contact between workers should not be carried out.
  2. Work requiring skin-to-skin contact should not be carried out.
  3. All other work should be planned to minimise contact between workers.
  4. Re-usable PPE should be thoroughly cleaned after use and not shared between workers.
  5. Single use PPE should be disposed of so that it cannot be reused.
  6. Stairs should be used in preference to lifts or hoists.

Cleaning

Extra cleaning should be carried out on site, particularly in the following areas.

  1. Taps and washing facilities.
  2. Toilet flush and seats.
  3. Door handles and push plates.
  4. Handrails on staircases and corridors.
  5. Lift and hoist controls.
  6. Machinery and equipment controls.
  7. Food preparation and eating surfaces.
  8. Telephone equipment.
  9. Keyboards, photocopiers and other office equipment.

What to do if you think you are ill

If you develop a high temperature or a persistent cough while at work, you should:

  1. Report this to your supervisor.
  2. Avoid touching anything.
  3. Cough or sneeze into a tissue and put it in a bin or, if you do not have tissues, cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow.
  4. Return home immediately.
  5. You must then follow the guidance on self-isolation and not return to work until your period of self-isolation has been completed.

Self-isolation

If you have any one of the following criteria, do not come to site.

  1. A high temperature or a new persistent cough – follow the guidance on self-isolation.
  2. Are a vulnerable person (by virtue of age, underlying health condition, clinical condition or pregnancy).
  3. Living with someone in self-isolation or with a vulnerable person.

Site policy

Now inform your workers of the site specific policy on coronavirus. 

Follow the 2 metre rule at all times.

Further guidance

The Construction Leadership Council has issued site operating procedures aimed at introducing consistent measures on sites of all sizes in line with the Government’s recommendations on social distancing.

Note: this is a rapidly developing situation – please ensure that you follow the latest Government guidance as it is published. 

This Coronavirus Toolbox Talk is from the CITB website - reproduced here for the benefit of SuperSkills website visitors, site supervisors and construction workers in general. Read More...

Business As (Almost) Usual…..

Update – as time has moved on, so have the circumstances surrounding Covid-19.  Presently, SuperSkills is fully open and conducting assessments as normal.  Call 01845 527445 to book and we will give you any later information.

Everyone has been taken aback by the sudden increase in Corona Virus infections across the world.Coronavirus Particle

That a pathogen of this nature can make its way across the globe in such a short time – inflicting illness and even death along the way seems hard to comprehend – and our hearts go out to those made ill or who have died or lost loved ones.

It’s a sign of our times that air travel and the ease of access to it have no doubt contributed to the present circumstances.

But it is also heartening to know our public servants plan for these things and have the scientific knowledge to give effective and timely advice to politicians with the unenviable task of leading the country through these events.

Today’s news comes apace – the Premier League games for this weekend called off; the first two Grand Prix postponed; an ever-increasing count of people infected.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom – although people buying up all the hand sanitiser in Tesco and promptly putting it on Amazon would provide a contrary argument – there have already been some outstanding examples of folk who have helped others who have been in difficulty.  There’s no doubt we will see the best of humankind amongst the (relatively few) examples of selfishness over the next few weeks.

And in the meantime, we need to keep to the Government advice about self-isolating if we think we have been infected by the virus and making sure we do not pass it on.

And hand-washing.  Given the seriousness of the situation, it’s amazing that such a routine activity can have so much effect.  But it does, for which we should be thankful.

Every business should by now have put into place a planned response to these events and SuperSkills is no exception.

We are fortunate to have the ability to arrange for colleagues to work at home, so the only people in the business are those who have to be there at any one time.

Our assessment centre runs on the basis of very few candidates being assessed together and as you can imagine, every precaution we can think of is in place.

And whilst we always take a deposit from people when they book their assessment date, we have today put into place a means by which people don’t worry losing that deposit if they fall ill or have had to commence a period of self-isolation.

And now we wait – hoping this will pass during the next few weeks and months.  Praying it will not effect our friends and families.  Worrying about the long term impact on the economy as a whole and the livelihoods of people who work in construction.

But also making sure we continue to offer that helping hand, to provide the services our customers have come to value and to keep our business running in tough times.  We’re lucky to have built-in resilience, a product of being around for a long time and we are no strangers to hard work.

So, as the title says – “Business As (Almost) Usual”  – and let’s plan for the worst, whilst hoping for the best.

 

Update – as time has moved on, so have the circumstances surrounding Covid-19.  Presently, SuperSkills is fully open and conducting assessments as normal.  Call 01845 527445 to book and we will give you any later information. Everyone has been taken aback by the sudden increase in Corona Virus infections across the world. That a pathogen […] Read More...