NEW guidance has been issued to tradespeople working in the home, as well as how households can help in keeping people safe as the UK continues to ease Covid measures.
The government’s official working safely during coronavirus advice outlines precautions residents should expect professional tradespeople to take when visiting their homes to carry out heating, plumbing or maintenance services.
To support the guidance, Oftec, the registration body for off-gas grid heating, has created a checklist for consumers so they know what to expect.
Tradespeople are advised to discuss with households how work will be carried out to reduce risk and ensure that all parties are comfortable.
Malcolm Farrow of Oftec, said: “As Covid-19 precautions continue to ease, more people in Brighton will be comfortable welcoming tradespeople into their homes to complete projects or maintenance work.
“It’s important, however, for everybody to remain cautious to protect themselves and others and avoid any risk of increasing the rate of transmission again as we head towards the colder months.”
“For the households in Brighton who need to have work completed on their heating system, always ensure you use a GasSafe registered technician for mains gas, or an Oftec registered professional for oil and other non-gas heating as they are fully qualified and follow strict safety guidelines.”
The list states that work must not be carried out if either the tradesperson or any member of the household displays Covid-19 symptoms, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to safety.
Additional measures that are recommended to be taken by tradespeople include continuing to wear a facemask, regularly sanitise hands, leave all internal doors open to reduce contact with handles, minimise movement in busy areas of the home and limiting the number of workers in confined spaces.
While households can also keep both parties safe by keeping surfaces clean, rooms ventilated and clearly outlining the work required to reduce the amount of time tradespeople need to spend in the home.
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