Union produces alternative guide for Covid site safety

Unite’s Construction Sector: Covid-19 Guide runs to 30 pages, compared to just seven for the more concise Site Operating Procedures published by the Construction Leadership Council.

The union has regularly expressed concern that the industry’s official guidance appears to have been largely based on the assumption that construction is an outdoor activity, and less adequately addresses the risks faced by indoor construction workers, Unite says.

Unite’s guide promotes mask wearing and social distancing on sites. It stresses the importance of ventilation and offers advice on travelling to and from site.

Unite national officer Ian Woodland said: “With cases of Covid-19 surging and with a vaccination still many months off for most workers, it is imperative that there is not only no let up on site safety but further measures are taken to prevent the virus being transmitted.

“Unite activists are on the frontline in keeping fellow workers and themselves safe from when they leave home until when they return home at night.”