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Keeping workers and clients safe during COVID19 in close contact services
Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Guidance and support for businesses and self-employed people.
The UK is currently experiencing a public health emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is critical that employers, employees, the self-employed and clients take steps to keep everyone safe. This document is to help you understand how to work safely and keep your clients safe during this pandemic, ensuring as many people as possible comply with social distancing guidelines (2m, or 1m with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable, is acceptable).
We hope it gives you freedom within a practical framework to think about what you need to do to continue, or restart, operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand how important it is that you can work safely and support your employees’ and clients’ health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic and not contribute to the spread of the virus.
We know that many of these businesses are currently closed, by government regulation, for their usual service - this guidance will be useful for those businesses as they develop new ways of working or to help prepare for the time when they are able to reopen. The government is clear that workers should not be forced into an unsafe workplace and the health and safety of workers and clients, and public health, should not be put at risk.
We know many people are also keen to return to or contribute to volunteering. Organisations have a duty of care to volunteers to ensure as far as reasonably practicable they are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. This guidance around working safely during COVID19 should ensure that volunteers are afforded the same level of protection to their health and safety as others, such as workers and clients.
This document has been prepared by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with input from firms, unions, industry bodies and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Public health is devolved in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales; this guidance should be considered alongside local public health and safety requirements and legislation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For advice to businesses in other parts of the UK please see guidance set by the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government, and the Welsh Government.
We expect that this document will be updated over time. This version is up to date as of 23 June 2020. You can check for updates at https://www.gov.uk/workingsafely. If you have any feedback for us, please email safer.workplaces@beis.gov.uk.
This document is one of a set of documents about how to work safely in different types of workplace. This one is designed to be relevant for people who provide close contact services.
People delivering services in other people's homes or retail environments should also refer to guidance on working safely during COVID-19 in other people’s homes and in shops and branches.
What do we mean by ‘close contact services’?
Close contact services include hairdressing, barbershops, beauty and nail bars, makeup, tattoo and spray tanning studios, spas, sports and massage therapy, well-being and holistic locations, dress fitters, tailors and fashion designers.
This guidance is also designed for those who provide mobile close contact services from their homes and in other people’s homes, those in retail environments and the arts, as well as those studying hair and beauty in vocational training environments.
Dress fitters, tailors and fashion designers were permitted to reopen in line with non-essential retail on 15 June 2020.
Hairdressers and barbershops will be permitted to reopen for services that relate to cutting or treating hair on the head only from 4 July 2020. The other services outlined above will remain closed until further notice subject to the five tests but this guidance will help them prepare for reopening.
How to use this guidance
This document sets out guidance on how to open workplaces safely while minimising the risk of spreading COVID-19. It gives practical considerations of how this can be applied in the workplace.
Each business will need to translate this into the specific actions it needs to take, depending on the nature of their business, including the size and type of business, how it is organised, operated, managed and regulated. They will also need to monitor these measures to make sure they are continuing to protect clients and workers.
This guidance does not supersede any legal obligations relating to health and safety, employment or equalities and it is important that as a business or an employer you continue to comply with your existing obligations, including those relating to individuals with protected characteristics. It contains non-statutory guidance to take into account when complying with these existing obligations. When considering how to apply this guidance, take into account agency workers, contractors and other people, as well as your employees.
Where a premises delivers a mix of services, only those services that are permitted to be open should be available. For example, a hairdresser should ensure that beauty or nail treatments are not offered.
To help you decide which actions to take, you must carry out an appropriate COVID-19 risk assessment, just as you would for other health and safety related hazards. This risk assessment must be done in consultation with unions or workers.
If you have any question for the BBA team contact us at admin@britishbarbers.com or call +44 (0) 7553 826582
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