Site Operating Procedures amid COVID-19 for UOL
Introduction
Construction sites operating during the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic need to ensure they are protecting their
workforce and minimizing the risk of spread of infection.
This guidance is intended to introduce consistent measures on sites of all sizes in line with the Government’s
Recommendations on social distancing.
These are exceptional circumstances and the industry must comply with the latest Government advice
on Coronavirus at all times.
The occupational health and safety requirements of any construction activity must also not be compromised at this
time. If an activity cannot be undertaken safely due to a lack of suitably qualified personnel being available or social
distancing being implemented, such constraints should be discussed with Supervising Engineer and if he agrees
to the constraints, it should not take place.
Please be aware that emergency services are also under great pressure and may not be in a position to
respond as quickly as usual.
Sites should remind the workforce at every opportunity of the Site Operating Procedures which are aimed at
protecting them, their colleagues, their families and the entire population.
Self-Isolation
Anyone who meets one of the following criteria should not come to site:
• Has a high temperature or a new persistent cough - follow the guidance on self-isolation
• Is a vulnerable person (by virtue of their age, underlying health condition, clinical condition or pregnancy)
• Is living with someone in self-isolation or a vulnerable person.
Procedure if Someone Falls Ill
If a worker develops a high temperature or a persistent cough while at work, they should:
• Return home immediately
• Avoid touching anything
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue and put it in a bin, or if they do not have tissues, cough
and sneeze into the crook of their elbow.
They must then follow the guidance on self-isolation and not return to work until their period of self-isolation
has been completed.
Travel to Site
• Wherever possible workers should travel to site alone using their own transport and sites need to consider:
o Parking arrangements for additional cars and bicycles
o Other means of transport to avoid public transport e.g. cycling
o Providing hand cleaning facilities at entrances and exits. This should be soap and water
wherever possible or hand sanitizer if water is not available.
o How someone taken ill would get home.
Site Access Points
• Stop all non-essential visitors
• Body temperature of all the entering persons shall be checked with non-contact thermometer.
• Introduce staggered start and finish times to reduce congestion and contact at all times
• Monitor site access points to enable social distancing – you may need to change the number of access
points, either increase to reduce congestion or decrease to enable monitoring
• Remove or disable entry systems that require skin contact e.g. fingerprint scanners
• Require all workers to wash or clean their hands before entering or leaving the site
• Allow plenty of space (two meters) between people waiting to enter site
• Regularly clean common contact surfaces in reception, office, access control and delivery areas
e.g. scanners, turnstiles, screens, telephone handsets, desks, particularly during peak flow times
• Reduce the number of people in attendance at site inductions and consider holding them outdoors
wherever possible
• Drivers should remain in their vehicles if the load will allow it and must wash or clean their hands
before unloading goods and materials.
Hand Washing
• Provide additional hand washing facilities to the usual welfare facilities if a large spread out site or
significant numbers of personnel on site
• Ensure soap and fresh water is readily available and kept topped up at all times
• Provide hand sanitizer where hand washing facilities are unavailable
• Regularly clean the hand washing facilities and check soap and sanitizer levels
• Provide suitable and sufficient rubbish bins for hand towels with regular removal and disposal.
Sites will need extra supplies of soap, hand sanitizer and paper towels and these should be securely
stored.
Toilet Facilities
• Restrict the number of people using toilet facilities at any one time e.g. use a welfare attendant
• Wash hands before and after using the facilities
• Enhance the cleaning regimes for toilet facilities particularly door handles, locks and the toilet flush
• Portable toilets should be avoided wherever possible, but where in use these should be cleaned
and emptied more frequently
• Provide suitable and enough rubbish bins for hand towels with regular removal and disposal.
Canteens and Eating Arrangements
With cafés and restaurants having been closed across the country, canteens cannot operate as normal.
Whilst there is a requirement for construction sites to provide a means of heating food and making hot drinks,
These are exceptional circumstances and where it is not possible to introduce a means of keeping equipment
clean between uses, kettles, microwaves etc. must be removed from use.
The workforce should also be required to stay on site once they have entered it and not use local shops.
• Dedicated eating areas should be identified on site to reduce food waste and contamination
• Break times should be staggered to reduce congestion and contact at all times
• Hand cleaning facilities or hand sanitizer should be available at the entrance of any room where people
and should be used by workers when entering and leaving the area.
• The workforce should be asked to bring pre-prepared meals and refillable drinking bottles from home
• Workers should sit 2 meters apart from each other whilst eating and avoid all contact
• Where catering is provided on site, it should provide pre-prepared and wrapped food only
o Payments should be taken by contactless card wherever possible
o Crockery, eating utensils, cups etc. should not be used. Disposable utensils should be used.
• Drinking water should be provided with enhanced cleaning measures of the tap mechanism introduced
and disposable water cups should be provided
• Tables should be cleaned between each use
• All rubbish should be put straight in the bin and not left for someone else to clear up
• All areas used for eating must be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each break and shift, including
chairs, door handles, vending machines and payment devices.
Changing Facilities, Showers and Drying Rooms
• Introduce staggered start and finish times to reduce congestion and contact at all times
• Introduce enhanced cleaning of all facilities throughout the day and at the end of each day
• Consider increasing the number or size of facilities available on site if possible
• Based on the size of each facility, determine how many people can use it at any one time to maintain
a distance of two meters
• Provide suitable and sufficient rubbish bins in these areas with regular removal and disposal.
Avoiding Close Working
There will be situations where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other
by 2 meters.
General Principles
• Non-essential physical work that requires close contact between workers should not be carried out
• Work requiring skin to skin contact should not be carried out
• Plan all other work to minimize contact between workers
• Re-usable PPE should be thoroughly cleaned after use and not shared between workers
• Single use PPE should be disposed of so that it cannot be reused
• Stairs should be used in preference to lifts or hoists
• Where lifts or hoists must be used:
o Lower their capacity to reduce congestion and contact at all times
o Regularly clean touchpoints, doors, buttons etc.
• Increase ventilation in enclosed spaces
• Regularly clean the inside of vehicle cabs and between use by different operators.
Site Meetings
• Prefer teleconferences and web-based meetings. Only absolutely necessary meeting participants
should attend.
• Attendees should be two meters apart from each other
• Rooms should be well ventilated / windows opened to allow fresh air circulation
• Consider holding meetings in open areas where possible.
Cleaning
• Enhanced cleaning procedures should be in place across the site, particularly in communal areas and
at touch points including:
o Taps and washing facilities
o Toilet flush and seats
o Door handles and push plates
o Handrails on staircases and corridors
o Lift and hoist controls
o Machinery and equipment controls
o Food preparation and eating surfaces
o Telephone equipment
o Keyboards, photocopiers and other office equipment
• Rubbish collection and storage points should be increased and emptied regularly throughout and at the
end of each day.
Restrictions
• Any laborer / technician or staff with a travel history or any history of contact with overseas. Shall be
restricted from entry in to construction site.
