PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Construction: Coronavirus (24 April 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to enforce staggered start times for construction sites to enable social distancing for construction workers on public transport during rush hour.

Asked by:
James Murray (Labour)

The health and safety of construction workers is a priority for the Government. To help ensure that it is safe for construction workers to operate in their workplace, the Government has worked with Public Health England to develop sector-specific guidance on social distancing, and has also worked with the Construction Leadership Council to develop Site Operating Procedures (SOP) which provide practical advice to those seeking to implement the guidance.

The SOP set out that sites should consider introducing staggered start and finish times to reduce congestion and contact, and plan site access and egress points to enable social distancing. The Government has asked the Health and Safety Executive to consider enforcement action if a site is not consistently implementing the measures set out by PHE.

Answered by:
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative)
29 April 2020