Government has set out a number of guidelines for the safe reopening of job sites across the island, following the outbreak of COVID-19.
These guidelines are designed to minimise the risks associated with the disease.
Under the Occupational Safety at Work Act Cap. 356, employers are required to take steps to protect persons against risks to health and safety, in connection with the activities of the workplace.
Along with this existing legislation, the guidelines are designed to provide employers and workers with educational material and procedures to ensure that they are protected.
The Environmental Health Department of the Ministry of Health will be responsible for scrutinising the infection, prevention and control measures, and the implementation of social distancing protocols and the monitoring of illness among employees at construction sites.
The protocols for all employees on the worksite are as follows:Â
Employers must have a register with the workers’ names, addresses and
telephone numbers, which should be kept on the site, and contractors must keep a log of all persons entering the work area every day.
Regarding deliveries to the sites, all suppliers’ information must be logged, including the registration numbers of all vehicles. Delivery personnel must wash or sanitise their hands after every delivery where possible.
Workers queueing at the food van must also observe social distancing protocols, and where possible, lunch times should be staggered to avoid crowding in lunchrooms, or at food vans. Persons at break must also observe social distancing guidelines.
Contractors are encouraged to conduct their own risk assessment to determine the risk of exposure and eliminate those risks where possible. Where the risk cannot be eliminated, administrative controls, such as social distancing, should be the next option. Where these are not possible, the requisite personal protective equipment must be provided. (BGIS)
