The RRT has been closely monitoring the numbers of positive Coronavirus cases in the UK business. As anticipated, there has been an increase in cases following the festive period, when people were out in the community and socialising more.

As of today, the number of active cases in the UK business equates to below 2% of all employees, which is in line with the national figures for the whole population. There has been a slight spike amongst our employees based in the South East, although this also reflects the country trend.  Of the total number of positive cases reported throughout the pandemic, it’s worth noting that over 95% of transmissions have happened while away from work.

This proves that the Health & Safety protocols and guidelines are effective and are being closely followed by our teams; thank you all for your commitment to keeping yourselves and your colleagues safe and doing all you can to minimise the spread of the virus. Please continue to keep following these protocols and Behaviours that Save Lives at all times, as this ensures our workplaces are safe and operations can continue.

Site Visits by Health & Safety team

With the announcement of the national lockdown at the beginning of the month, we have asked that relevant personnel revert to remote-working, with visits to sites or customers being on an exceptional basis, with Director approval. The purpose being to minimise the risk to individuals and limit the potential spread of the virus.

In agreement with the RRT and following consultation with the Health and Safety team, we have however agreed that visits by the Health and Safety Managers and Advisors should continue. The team will maintain their inspection programme, with a specific focus on COVID controls, and will also be available for ongoing advice and support.

This decision was made based on a number of factors including:

• Widespread feedback after the first national lockdown, where operations commented that they missed the visibility of the team when they were off the road.
• Gaps in control measures that were apparent when visits resumed after the first lockdown.
• With increasing infection rates, the need to ensure we have all necessary controls in place and are adhering to them.
• The need to ensure safety standards are maintained, in spite of the challenges and distractions caused by COVID.

To ensure everyone’s safety, the team have been asked to call ahead of any visits and limit inspections to physical standards out on site, rather than reviewing paperwork in the offices.  While on site, they will also be observing adherence to the Key Behaviours that Save Lives, as it is essential that we are all doing everything we can to keep ourselves, our colleagues and ultimately our families safe. While naturally there are concerns about limiting general visitors to sites, it would be appreciated if local teams can support the visits by the Health and Safety team.