Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Callanan on 14 May (HL Deb, cols 781–2), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what plans they have to review their guidance Working Safely during COVID-19, published on 11 May, to ensure that it is compatible with the statutory duty to provide personal protection equipment to any employee who may be at risk. [T]

The Government continues to work with stakeholders on developing sensible guidance for businesses that will give UK workers the utmost confidence on their return to work. We will now focus on sectors that are not currently open to help them plan for when they can open. The Government is keen to stay in close contact with other business sectors so we have the right information ahead of any further guidance publications.

We will keep the guidance under review and will consider updating it as circumstances change. We are being led by the science and we will make changes to the guidance when they are needed as determined by the science and as we learn best practices from businesses. We welcome views on the guidance. If there are specific points you would want to make about safer working, contact details can be found on the gov.uk/workingsafely?webpages.

The guidance outlines where an employer’s risk assessment identifies that certain steps need to be taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19, such as ensuring social distancing is maintained or providing additional handwashing facilities, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that these steps are taken. This is already an existing obligation for employers, which this guidance does not change. If an employer’s risk assessment does show that PPE is required, employers must provide this PPE free of charge to workers who need it, and any PPE must fit properly.