Nottingham City Council’s Environmental Health Officers are working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local public health authorities to make sure local businesses are Covid-secure.
Checks are being carried out to help tackle coronavirus and to identify any patterns in confirmed coronavirus cases in the city.
During the checks, advice and guidance is provided to businesses to manage risk and protect workers, customers and visitors – but where some businesses are not managing this, immediate action is taken. This can range from providing specific advice, issuing enforcement notices, stopping certain work practices until they are made safe and, where businesses fail to comply, possible prosecution.
Being Covid-secure means that businesses need to put adjustments in place to manage the risk and protect workers and others from coronavirus. Further information on how to manage the risk of coronavirus is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Portfolio Holder for Finance, Growth and the City Centre, Cllr Sam Webster, said: “We are talking to local businesses and inspecting sites across the city to understand how they are managing risks in line with their specific business activity. Most have done a great job responding to the changing situation and Government restrictions and requirements of businesses, and I thank them for their efforts.
“Becoming Covid-secure needs to be the priority for all businesses in Nottingham – it is a legal duty for businesses to protect their workers and others from harm – so the checks are to help and advise, with tougher action following if there is no compliance. We advise employers to work with their employees when implementing changes, to help increase confidence with workers, customers and the local community.”
HSE and local authority inspectors are finding some common issues across a range of sectors. These include failing to provide arrangements for monitoring, supervising and maintaining social distancing, and failing to introduce an adequate cleaning regime particularly at busy times of the day.
Cllr Sam Webster added: “All businesses of any size and in any sector can receive a spot check to ensure they are Covid-secure. By making sure that businesses have measures in place to manage the risks, we can benefit the health of the local community as well as support the local and national UK economy.”
For the latest information and safer business guidance, see www.gov.uk