Work vehicles and COVID measures

Work vehicles and COVID measures

Work vehicles, like other workplaces are subject to the relevant home nation Government secure guidelines.

In England, employers should be following the hierarchy of risk control measures for vehicles and, in particular, should avoid the sharing of vehicles if possible.

Where vehicles must be shared, social distancing requirements should be applied where this is practicable.

Additional measures that the employer should consider noted in the guidance include:

• keeping numbers to a minimum required to undertake work activities
• use of physical screening and increased ventilation
• sitting side-by-side rather than face-to-face
• regular cleaning of the vehicle
• use of fixed pairing systems
• use of face coverings if employees wish.

Employers implementing a shift or pairing system such as noted should be keeping appropriate records of employees in pairings so as to assist the NHS Test and Trace service where necessary.

Any employee showing symptoms of Covid-19 should clearly not attend work and should arrange for a Covid-19 test to be undertaken.

The employer should at this stage be identifying any person who is deemed to be a close contact so as to support Test and Trace in identifying close contacts. The definition of a close contact includes:

• a person who has had any face-to-face contact (within one metre) with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, including contact within one metre for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact
• a person who has been within 2 metres of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 for more than 15 minutes
• a person who has travelled in a small vehicle with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 or in a large vehicle or plane near someone who has tested positive for Covid-19

Where the employee does test positive for Covid-19, those employee contacts falling within the above definitions will be required to self-isolate in accordance with Government guidelines.

It is therefore highly likely, based upon the above definition, that the paired employee may have to self-isolate but ultimately this decision will be made by the Test and Trace service, potentially in consultation with the local public health service.

If you require further information, please contact us.