The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has backtracked on updated guidance for workers on site which would not allow tasks to be carried out at all if it wasn’t possible for them to remain two metres apart.
The CLC said it had received “significant feedback” on the guidelines updated yesterday, which read: “Where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by 2 metres then work should not be carried out”.
But after construction firms contacted the CLC to express their concerns that the guidance would be unworkable, the CLC has today reverted to the previous version of its guidance, which advises workers to avoid close working but accepts that: “There will be situations where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by two metres”.
Under the previous guidance, a general principle was that “non-essential physical work that requires close contact between workers should not be carried out” and that work requiring “skin-to-skin contact” should not be carried out. The original guidance also recommended thoroughly cleaning re-usable PPE, lowering the capacity of lifts and hoists to reduce congestion and contact, cleaning touchpoints regularly, and holding only site meetings that were “absolutely necessary” with attendees two metres apart.
To read the full original guidance, click here.
