Build UK Update

Source - Build UK

What to do if a Worker has COVID‐19
Keeping sites open and maintaining output requires projects to respond quickly in the event of workers displaying symptoms of coronavirus and any subsequent outbreaks of infection. To help the industry, Build UK has published an easy to follow flowchart on the actions a company or site should take if a worker develops COVID‐19 symptoms, receives a positive test result, or has to self‐isolate due to either NHS Test and Trace or a member of their household or support bubble developing symptoms or testing positive.

Claiming the Job Retention Bonus
The Government has published guidance for employers to check whether they are eligible to claim the Job Retention Bonus. This is a one‐off taxable payment of £1,000 for each eligible employee that an employer has furloughed and kept continuously employed until at least 31 January 2021. Employers will be able to claim the bonus between 15 February and 31 March 2021, after they submit PAYE information for the period to 5 February 2021, and details of the online claim service will be made available by the end of January.

Canteen Requirements
Face coverings must now be worn in canteens except when seated at a table to eat or drink. A canteen is a place that serves food; if workers are consuming their own food and drink, it would be classed as a rest area and face coverings should be worn if it is an enclosed space where social distancing isn’t always possible and workers come into contact with others they do not normally meet.

CITB Levy Return
CITB Levy registered employers should have now received their 2020 Levy Return, covering 6 April 2019 ‐ 5 April 2020, which must be completed and submitted by 30 November 2020. Failure to submit the Levy Return by 30 November will result in grant claims being withheld and if it is not received by 31 March 2021 employers will lose eligibility for all grant claims.

An Infrastructure Revolution
Build UK has published the latest in its series of factsheets on major infrastructure projects showing how they will benefit the UK. Northern Powerhouse Rail will involve the construction of six new rail lines to link the North’s major cities, including Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds, transforming the way people travel and unlocking the economic potential of the North of England.

Covering a range of national and local projects, such as Hinkley Point C and the Lower Thames Crossing, Build UK factsheets are designed to help everyone in the industry explain what each project is and why it is being built in Britain today.

Setting the Bar Report Published
The Competence Steering Group has published its Setting the Bar report, which responds to comments received on proposals to raise competency requirements across the construction sector, as set out in 2019’s Raising the Bar report. The new report identifies sector‐specific frameworks that will provide the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours required to safely carry out specific roles, including installers, site supervisors and project managers. Key recommendations include:

• The creation of an industry‐led building safety competence committee
• The introduction of an overarching competence framework covering core skills
• Maintaining registers of individuals certified under recognised schemes.

Working Group 2 has proposed a framework to improve the competence of installers working on site, including a requirement for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and mandatory knowledge of fire safety in buildings, which starts on page 53 of the report.