OBEY RULES OR WE'LL SHUT YOU

 » HSA powers to close down all businesses  » Handshakes ban & contact logs essential

- LIZ FARSACI

HEALTH inspectors can force businesses to close if new Covid-19 safety protocols are not obeyed, the Government warned yesterday.

Business Minister Heather Humphreys published new rules for employers and staff to ensure everyone’s safety as firms reopen.

The Return To Work Safety Protocol outlines how reopening will require temperature screening, handshake bans and contact logs as well as other stringent conditions.

Minister Humphreys warned HSA inspectors will be “able to take appropriate action” if a business fails to comply with these guidelines.

Each workplace must appoint and train at least one “lead worker representative” to ensure health measures are strictly adhered to. Under the rules, staff must tell employers if they have Covid-19 symptoms and whether they have been in contact with someone displaying symptoms before returning to work.

If a worker displays any symptoms during work hours, a manager must direct them to an isolation area, maintaining a two-meter distance.

Social distancing and the provision of hand sanitizers, tissues and clinical waste disposal are mandatory.