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GGF Advises Caution As Lockdown Eases
As lockdown restrictions continue to ease around the UK, the GGF has advised all companies to be cautious and still adhere to the GGF and...
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Covid Carry On - Construction & Manufacturing Can Continue
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has categorically declared if you are employed in construction or manufacturing and have to be on site - there is no reason not to go to work.
As with the previous national lockdown, you cannot be fined for going to or being at work so long as safe working protocols are adhered to whilst you are at work and on your journey to and from work.
The advice covers all building work, including refurbishment and home improvement.
Official working safely during coronavirus guides were published by the government in May 2020 - they were updated on 1 January 2021 and are expected to receive a further update in the coming days (after a more severe lockdown was announced on 4 January 2021).
To access general guidance - Click Here
To access Construction and other outdoor work guidance - Click Here
To access Factories, plants and warehouses guidance - Click Here
Working in domestic homes
The GGF was early during the first phase of the pandemic to issue a guide for Home improvement companies working in domestic homes. It is available to both members and non-members of the GGF.
Keeping customers feeling safe
The GGF also produced a guide for specific use by homeowners to reassure them that they could get a quote and/or a survey in person (although many companies are now performing these online); and see installations and inspection safely completed. The Safe Guide for Homeowners was drafted to help customers feel sure the company they employed would operate in line with the latest government health and safety guidelines.
To access it - Click Here
https://www.ggf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GGF_Safe_Guide_For_Homeowners_CV19_LR-2-2.pdf
Reasonable excuse
You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a ‘reasonable excuse’. The police can take action against you if you leave home without a ‘reasonable excuse’, and issue you with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.
A ‘reasonable excuse’ includes:
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Work - you can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home.
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Volunteering - you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services.
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Essential activities - you can leave home to buy things at shops or obtain services. You may also leave your home to do these things on behalf of a disabled or vulnerable person or someone self-isolating.
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Education and childcare - you can only leave home for education, registered childcare and supervised activities for children where they are eligible to attend. People can continue existing arrangements for contact between parents and children where they live apart. This includes childcare bubbles.
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Meeting others and care - You can leave home to visit people in your support bubble, to provide informal childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work but not to enable social contact between adults), to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people, to provide emergency assistance, to attend a support group (of up to 15 people) or for respite care where that care is being provided to a vulnerable person or a person with a disability or is a short break in respect of a looked-after child.
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Exercise - You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area. You should maintain social distancing.
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Medical reasons - You can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a Covid-19 test, for medical appointments and emergencies.
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Harm and compassionate visits - you can leave home to be with someone who is giving birth, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse). You can also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice or hospital or to accompany them to a medical appointment.
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Animal welfare reasons – you can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.
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Communal worship and life events - You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden or to attend a wedding ceremony. You should follow the guidance on the safe use of places of worship and must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble when attending a place of worship. Weddings, funerals and religious, belief-based or commemorative events linked to someone’s death are all subject to limits on the numbers that can attend. Weddings and civil ceremonies may only take place in exceptional circumstances.
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There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property.
The lockdown restrictions are, at this time, expected to last until mid-February.
Picture: Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announce a national lockdown and tough new lockdown rules but construction including home improvement and manufacturing can continue under safe working guidelines.
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
06th January 2021