Nottinghamshire County Council is working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to contact businesses across the county to check they have Covid-secure measures in place which will help tackle Covid-19 in the local area.
During the checks officers will provide advice and guidance to manage risk and protect workers, customers and visitors.
Where some businesses are not managing this, immediate action will be taken. This may include providing specific advice, issuing enforcement notices and stopping certain work practices until they are made safe.
Where businesses fail to comply, this could ultimately lead to prosecution.
Being Covid-secure means that businesses need to put adjustments in place to manage the risk and protect workers and others from coronavirus.
Local authorities and the Government want to support businesses to to operate safely, but it is critical that non-compliant businesses are tackled swiftly to resolve any issues.
Jonathan Gribbin, Director of Public Health said: “We are talking to local businesses and visiting and inspecting sites across the county to understand how they are managing risks in line with their specific business activity.
“Being Covid-secure needs to be the priority for all businesses in Nottinghamshire. It is a legal duty for businesses to protect their workers and others from harm and this includes taking reasonable steps to control the risk and protect people from coronavirus.
“This means making business adjustments to maintain Covid-security. We advise employers to work with their employees when they are bringing in these changes, to help increase confidence with workers, customers and the local community.”
HSE and local authority inspectors are finding some common issues across businesses including:
> failing to monitor, supervise and maintain social distancing, and;
> inadequate cleaning regimes, particularly when busy.
Jonathan added: “All businesses are in scope for spot checks. Businesses of any size, in any sector may receive an unannounced check to ensure they are Covid-secure. By making sure that businesses have measures in place, we can benefit the health of the local community as well as support the local and national economy.”
