Joint operation to ensure businesses are Covid secure
The Council has teamed up with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and is contacting West Oxfordshire businesses to check they have Covid secure measures in place.
We are also working alongside local public health authorities to support the understanding of any patterns in confirmed coronavirus cases in the area.
During the checks, we provide advice and guidance to manage risk and protect workers, customers and visitors but where some businesses are not managing this, we will take immediate action.
This can range from the provision of specific advice, issuing enforcement notices, stopping certain work practices until they are made safe and, where businesses fail to comply, prosecution.
Being Covid secure means businesses need to take measure to manage risk and protect workers and others from Covid-19. For further information on different business sectors see the government guidance.
Cllr Norman MacRae, Cabinet Member for the Environment with responsibility for environmental and regulatory matters, said: “We are talking to local businesses and visiting and inspecting sites in and around West Oxfordshire to understand how they are managing risks in line with their specific business activity.
“Becoming Covid secure needs to be the priority for all businesses. 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. We advise employers to work with staff 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 that 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 MacRae added: “Businesses of any size, in any sector, can receive an unannounced 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