Barugh Green

Not sure if this is recent but fish and chip shop next door to country kitchen cafe is open.


Words defo seem busier today than last 3 weeks

 

I’ve said on another forum that the roads are busier this week, still at about 50% of usual levels but in week 1 of lockdown I could nearly get all the way home without being behind another car, this week its different. Some B&Q branches have re opened ( next door neighbour going tomorrow asked if I needed owt) and Wimpeys have announced that their sites are re opening, expect the other housebuilders will follow suit. We put measures in for social distancing, hand washing, disinfecting plant controls etc etc so I expect firms have had plenty of time to work out how to adapt their workplaces where possible. Lockdown was never intended to stop the infection but to slow the rates to manageable levels. Personally I think they’ll be further periods of lockdown and release up until a cure can be found. This will be the new normal for a long while yet I think.

 

Know a few mates who are builders and scaffolders and they have started back at work this week

 

More people will start to return to work. Businesses will go to the wall If not. The staff are better off returning too. If the employer goes bust then furlough ends and they will have to apply for universal credit.
Things cannot return to normal. But they can't stay like this either. A balance must be found.

 

I know lads who's sites have opened this week, I read a few main house builders are opening there sites from monday. Definitely busier this week, one thing which will stop some going back is schools and nurserys still shut.

 

A lot are self employed and are really suffering financially now, the vulnerable need to stay safe in lockdown, the rest of us have to put measures in place and get back to work until the next lockdown period, firms still have outgoings even though the furlough scheme is covering a proportion of their wage bill, if firms don’t start earning soon there’ll be no job to go back to when furlough ends.

 

Putting measures in place, is that comply with the social distancing guidance or to circumvent them. Saw quite a few construction workers coming out of the Market Gate car park this morning, and basically none of the guidelines were being practised. Walking close together in 2’s and 3’s.Cars arriving with 2 and 3 people in them. Can’t see them social distancing during work if their doing that

 

Would imagine it's the case in most work places that have remained open.

 

Does anyone know how a workplace is covered under HSE if someone catches a serious/fatal disease from a colleague where the workplace don't provide adequate protection and take steps to eliminate close contact?

There is a strong possibility of corporate manslaughter or gross negligence manslaughter for the employer.

 

We were told that if someone at work contracts it following contact with a colleague who has a confirmed case then it's reportable to the HSE under RIDDOR.
But how would you prove that you caught it from an infected colleague ? You could have caught it in Tesco.

 

Are you not submitting a case for the dead NHS staff?

In my opinion, by now, everyone knows the rules. If your employer ignores them, you walk out.

Looking around in real life though, employers are the least of everyone's problems.

There are individuals living their lives as though nothing's going on.

 

I suppose employers can only control what happens on their sites, out of work it's up to us all to take personal responsibility in complying with the guidelines.
It's difficult where we've got operatives and/or engineers working together in close proximity where team handling may be required, but it's a case of adding additional control measures such as gloves, goggles, face masks.
Of course we can do us much as possible on our quarry sites but once folk aren't on site we've no control over what they do.

 

Coronavirus itself was made reportable regardless of it being caught from a colleague at work or from any other source.

 

Not really a option for many.

 

only if there's evidence it was due to exposure at work though. As I say, how do you prove you caught it at work and not whilst out shopping.

 

These people going back to work may well be dead when the "next lockdown" comes around anyway.
My daughter and son-in law are self-employed but neither have worked since lockdown. They have 2 young kids too.
They've managed financially (have socially isolated as requested, we havn't seen them as requested). Of course things will get more difficult the longer the lockdown continues but the lockdown will continue longer because more and more people are taking themselves out of lockdown.

 

If you have a job you can't just refuse to go to work

 

Well he has: his single/no kids work partner has gone back though. It's never been a lockdown though in reality.

 

He's self employed, as in he can make decisions about when and where his business chooses to operate. The vast majority of the country are employed by others and can't just choose not to bother going to work

 

Not sure if that’s the case. We had clear instructions from HSE to classify any confirmed cases as reportable regardless of source. I run a site with 100 plus people at any time operating 24/7 and we had instructions to raise a riddor for any positive cases identified.