Lockdown Roadmap Announced
The Government has announced its roadmap for gradually easing lockdown restrictions in England. It has four main steps:
- In the first step of the prime minister’s roadmap, all pupils in England’s schools are expected to return to class from 8 March, with mass testing and wider use of face masks in secondary schools. There will be a further easing on 29 March, with groups of up to six people or two households allowed to gather in parks and gardens.
- Shops, hairdressers, gyms and outdoor hospitality, as well as self-contained holiday accommodation, could reopen on 12 April. A review of international leisure travel restrictions will be completed by this date.
- From 17 May, two households or a group of six may be able to meet indoors in a pub or other hospitality venue such as restaurants. Cinemas, museums, hotels, performances and sporting events will also reopen, with up to 30 people able to attend weddings, receptions, funerals and wakes.
- The final step from 21 June will potentially see all legal limits on social contact removed, with the final closed sectors of the economy reopened – such as nightclubs.
We will update our COVID documents as and when changes are needed based on the release of updated government guidance but we do not anticipate many changes for the workplace at this time.
£80k Fine After Worker Fell to His Death Through Fragile Asbestos Roof
A roofer was fatally injured when he fell six metres whilst working on a replacement roof at a property in Kirkdale, Liverpool.
A roofer was completing snagging work on a replacement roof, Liverpool Crown Court was told. The worker had accessed a part of the old roof made of fragile asbestos cement sheets, which gave way. He fell through the sheets to the ground below sustaining fatal injuries. The incident happened on 22 May 2017.
The HSE’s investigation found that the area accessed did not have safety nets fitted and the building occupier failed to take reasonably practicable measures to reduce the risk to those working on the roof.
Owners of the building Pearsons Glass, of Maddrell Street, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,656. The prosecution of the roofing contractor is ongoing.
Read more from the SHPOnline.
1.12 million FFP3 NHS Masks Withdrawn Over Safety Concerns
A million high-grade masks used in the NHS may not meet the right safety standards and have been withdrawn. The Department of Health told the BBC there are 1.12 million of these masks either in use or in hospital stores and has told staff to stop using them. Distribution of some gloves has also been suspended because they may not meet technical requirements.
Its warning concerns a specific brand of FFP3 mask, which are more sophisticated than surgical masks and are worn in intensive care or when certain procedures are carried out that can generate aerosols. These are tiny virus particles that can build up in stuffy rooms and have been linked to outbreaks of Covid-19. The British Medical Association appealed last month for staff on general wards to be given this type of mask to guard against coronavirus infection.
The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) alert last week warned that a certain type of FFP3 – branded “Fang Tian” and marked as FT-045 – may not meet the required technical specifications. It advised health and care providers to check to see if their stock included the product and to stop using them until further investigation. These masks make up approximately 4% of its overall stock, the department said, and about 1.7% of the masks used every day. The DHSC also issued an alert about “nitri-hand” non-sterile nitrile examination gloves – 27 million of these have been supplied by Full Support Group since June last year.
Read more from the BBC.
Book Onto Our Emergency First Aid at Work Open Course!
It’s your last chance to book onto our open Emergency First Aid at Work training course taking place on 8th March in Coventry. The course costs just £125 +VAT per person or £115 +VAT for 3 or more people.
We are running these courses as it is considered essential for many of our customers to have qualified first aid trainers. Rest assured that COVID-19 guidelines will all be followed during the day to ensure the safety of our trainers and trainees.
We can also arrange course bookings for in-house training sessions as well.
If you are interested, please get in touch with us to book your course!