HVAC Engineer Safety During COVID-19

November 16th, 2020

Last updated: October 7th, 2022

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has amended existing workplace guidance and advice for working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sixth version of the formal guidance aims to streamline existing advice and mainly centres on the need to maintain social distancing and use face coverings. This advice has been adopted by Robinsons Facilities Services as it continues site work as normal during the implementation of the latest restrictions to control the virus.

When the amended CLC advice was originally issued in October, it was intended to reflect changes in practice enforced by the local restrictions put in place, and the different tiers of action introduced based on regional levels of infection. Since then, of course, England has been forced into a second period of lockdown, albeit with slightly reduced levels of restrictions.

However, the details of the guidance still apply now and will continue to when the second lockdown period ends on December 2^nd 2020 and it is widely expected that the tiered approach to restrictions will be re-introduced. However, whatever happens on December 2^nd, this new guidance will apply until any further communication is made.

What Does the New CLC COVID-19 Guidance Mean?

The simplified and streamlined guidance includes the introduction of some important measures that weren’t in place previously, and reflects developments in the Government’s infrastructure in battling the pandemic. The main differences outlined in the latest guidance include:

• Where sites include a canteen providing food, a QR code must be displayed so that contractors can ‘check-in’ using the Government’s Track & Trace app.
• Workers on site must maintain a distance of two metres between themselves and any co-workers. Where this is not possible, risk mitigation must be applied to reduce the chances of transmission as much as possible.
• Face coverings are not required to be worn on sites where respiratory protective equipment is not normally mandatory.
• Face coverings should, however, be provided and available to all personnel on site who want them, and they must be provided where work is carried out in enclosed spaces or where maintaining a distance of two metres is not possible.
• Face coverings are required where personnel are in contact with other people they would not normally be in contact with. This is mainly to protect domestic workers, but also applies on sites where many different contractors can be working together.
• HVAC engineers working in domestic properties must also adhere to additional requirements regarding regular use of hand sanitiser and washing of hands.
• Staff on sites where a QR code for Track & Trace is on display as a matter of course, must use it to comply with the Government’s system.

How Robinsons Facilities Services Can Address Your HVAC Needs During the Pandemic

In issuing this amended guidance the CLC has reiterated that compliance is mandatory and will be a major contribution to ensuring construction sites remain open during this latest period of COVID-19 restrictions.

Robinsons Facilities Services have issued strict internal guidelines to all our engineers from the beginning of the pandemic, which very much fall in line with this CLC advice. We would like to ensure all our customers that we have thorough and comprehensive compliance procedures in place for our own staff, which has enabled us to continue working throughout the pandemic, and our customers can be assured that these high standards will be in place where engineers or staff visit your site. We will also adhere to any additional site restrictions that are implemented in line with your internal policies.

If you have any HVAC requirements we are still operating as normal, so please contact us to discuss your needs today. We are careful to adhere to all Covid-19 regulations.