Nottinghamshire County Council to work with HSE to ensure Hucknall and Bulwell close contact services are Covid-secure

During the checks, officers will provide advice and guidance to manage risk and protect workers, customers and visitors.

Where some businesses are not managing this, immediate action will be taken.

This can range from the provision of specific advice, issuing enforcement notices, and stopping certain work practices until they are made safe.

Where businesses fail to comply, this could lead to prosecution.

Being Covid-secure means that all businesses need to put measures in place to manage the risk and protect workers and others from coronavirus.

Close contact services are also required to ask every customer or visitor over 16 years of age to provide their name and contact details and keep these records for 21 days.

Mark Walker group manager for trading standards and communities at the council said: “We are talking to our local close contact businesses, and visiting and inspecting sites in and around Nottinghamshire to understand how they are managing risks in line with their specific business activity.

“Being Covid-secure needs to be the priority for all businesses across the county.

"It is a legal duty for businesses to protect their workers, customers and others from harm and this includes taking reasonable steps to control the risk and protect people from coronavirus.

"This means making business adjustments to become Covid-secure.

"We advise employers to work with their employees when implementing changes, to help increase confidence with workers, customers and the local community.”

HSE and local authority inspectors are finding some common issues across businesses that include failing to provide arrangements for monitoring, supervising and maintaining social distancing, and failing to introduce an adequate cleaning regime particularly at busy times of the day.

Mr Walker added: “All businesses are in scope for spot checks which means businesses of any size, in any sector can receive an unannounced check to ensure they are Covid-secure.

For the latest information and safer business guidance, click here.