The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK lockdown from March 23rd 2020. Three months later he then reported that lockdown easing measures would start to be implemented from July 4th with the re-opening of some of the hospitality industry and other public spaces. Since that date there has been the gradual easing of measures across many sectors of society but notably also the introduction of more targeted local lockdowns that are based on increased outbreaks of coronavirus tracked against the R number.
Businesses throughout the UK have had to make tough decisions on how to comply with the lockdown legislation and how to best protect the interests of their customers and staff alike. Advice from the government has been fast moving and often changing on a weekly basis, so sometimes difficult to follow, but a very good source of collective business advice has been readily available from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Obviously, their support and advice has been specifically targeted at industry and they have featured a regularly updated Coronavirus Hub that is particularly useful in helping companies understand their obligations throughout the pandemic.
Action Handling Equipment have developed a dedicated section on their website to provide businesses with the basic essentials to provide a safe environment from which their employees can operate along with the required protection for customers who deal with those businesses..
Recently there has been a particular increase in advice being sought over face coverings or face masks. Face coverings are of course the very basic level of protection available and by no way provide the level of protection that a designated KN95 face mask will provide. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have warned against a ‘substantial number of face masks, claiming to be of KN95 standards, provide an inadequate level of protection and are likely to be poor quality products accompanied by fake or fraudulent paperwork’. Employers should be careful when buying masks to ensure that they do comply with the KN95 standards. Ensuring you source supplies from a reputable company can help overcome this potential problem.
For regular Action Handling updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, Sign up to our monthly newsletter for company news and information.