Spot checks are to be carried out on Bristol’s businesses to make sure staff and visitors are being properly protected from Covid-19, the city council has confirmed.
Public protection teams at the local authority are working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to carry out the checks.
The council said local enforcement teams would focus on areas where Covid safety concerns have already been identified - and provide an overview on the level of compliance within the city's business community.
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Companies failing to manage the risks properly will face "immediate action", according to the council, which said it would have the power to issue enforcement notices and even halt certain work practices until workplaces are made safe.
If companies fail to comply they could face prosecution, the local authority said.
The checks will be carried out, in particular, on companies using shared tools or equipment, handling goods, or where employees need to work closely together, such as warehouses, tyre and exhaust centres, offices and timber and builders merchants.
The work will include calls and visits to businesses to assess the level of awareness of Covid guidance and examine what control measures in place.
"Where checks raise concerns, they will be investigated via a site visit or follow up call, with the HSE passing concerns onto council enforcement teams to carry out a further inspection if necessary," a spokesperson for the council explained.
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The council said common areas for improvement include:
- insufficient cleaning regimes;
- poor understanding of good hygiene practices;
- the ongoing management of control measures such as social distancing.
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The HSE spot check programme was first launched last year. Steve Pearce, Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for regulatory services, said "the vast majority" of Bristol’s businesses had done a "magnificent job" of following guidance.
“We thank them for this considerable effort during what has been an incredibly challenging period," he said.
"Working with the HSE, our fresh approach to these checks is to support businesses where there is responsibility for the enforcement of health and safety legislation by suggesting and overseeing improvements.
“As well as identifying specific problems, we want to get the message out to businesses, workers, and stakeholders around following the Covid-secure guidance.’’