All Employee & Labour Contractor Communication 31/01/22
Subject: Changes in Coronavirus (COVID-19) protective measures.
Please re-circulate as appropriate to subcontractors / site attendees
On Friday, 21st January 2022, following public health advice, the Government announced the removal of most of the Covid-19 public health restrictions and today the Government issued updated workplace guidance protocols.
in response the CIF have issued advice to its members to continue to operate the Standard Operating Procedures introduced by the industry at the start of the pandemic, on a site-specific, risk-based approach until there is further clarity on the likely impact of the removal of the public health restrictions.
With this in mind and based on review, we have decided to introduce the following changes to some of our Covid-19 protective measures.
IMPORTANT: THE CHANGES OUTLINED BELOW APPLY TO MJ CONROY CONTROLLED SITES/ WORKPLACES ONLY.
ALL REQUIREMENTS ON ANY CLIENT SITES/ WORKPLACES MUST CONTINUE TO BE FULLY ADHERED TO.
- The mandatory requirement for wearing of a face mask is no longer required except in any restricted or crowded area such as in a meeting room setting or when deemed required as part of a risk assessment in a method statement or Safe Plan of Action.
Note that any person may continue to wear a mask/ face covering if they so wish.
- The request for people to travel to and from work alone no longer applies. When more than one person in the vehicle, the advice to wear a face mask remains.
- The 2-metre distancing rule no longer applies.
- One-way/ designated walkways no longer applies.
- The requirement to complete the Covid-19 Self-Declaration Form is no longer required.
The pandemic is not over, and the emergence of new variants remains a risk. Current Public Health advice is that infections may now increase in the immediate term following the lifting of most restrictions. Everyone must remain cautious. If someone develops symptoms of the virus, they must restrict their movements and follow HSE guidance. With this in mind some requirements still remain, namely;
- The requirement for company employees to take an antigen test every second workday remains , i.e., Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the morning before attending work and adhere to HSE guidance if the test returns as positive.
*If a person has symptoms of Covid-19 they must adhere to HSE guidance by self-isolating and arranging a test.
*Anyone who is a close contact of a confirmed case must continue to follow HSE guidance.
* https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/
- We still advice everyone to follow good hand hygiene practices – wash and sanitise hands regularly.
- Continue to sign in and out on all sites and continue to use your own pen when signing log sheets etc.
- The provision of hand sanitising stations and Covid-19 advisory posters in workplaces will remain.
- The Covid-19 Compliance Officers role will remain in our workplaces for the foreseeable in line with industry guidance.
