Personal protective equipment (PPE) and face coverings

The advice on PPE to protect against Covid-19 is that, unless the risk of transmission is very high, the risk assessment should reflect the fact that PPE has an extremely limited role in providing extra protection. If it is required, it must be provided free of charge to workers who need it, and it must fit properly.

Face coverings, which safely cover the mouth and nose, are no longer required by law, but the government “expects and recommends that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded, enclosed spaces”.

Employers should consider encouraging the use of face coverings by workers — through signage for example — particularly in indoor areas where they may come into contact with people they do not normally meet. This is especially important in enclosed and crowded spaces.

If employers ask workers or customers to wear a face covering, they must consider the reasonable adjustments for staff and clients with disabilities and how this fits in with other obligations to workers and customers arising from employment, equality, and health and safety law.

If workers choose to wear a face covering, employers should support them in using them safely — by advising them to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser when putting on or removing them, for example.

Also see Chapter 8.