Employer unable to ensure social distancing regulations are met

kathynewbie09

Hi, I apologise if this has already been queried. I work in a food manufacturing factory so I have been informed that I am a key worker. My employer has over 1000 staff at the site I work at. I feel like an employer has a duty of care to ensure that their employees are protected. I work in one of the offices inside the factory and there is not enough space to ensure that everyone is social distancing. I asked if I would be able to work in the upstairs office and was told no. I am waiting to find out if I am able to work from home but I feel like this is unlikely to be permitted. They are not abiding by the social distancing regulations set by the government nor are they providing PPE to protect their staff. Are they allowed to do this? What can I do if they are breaking the rules?
Sorry this is a little lengthy. I want to stay safe and follow the rules the government has put in place for everyone's sake. 

JustAnotherSaver

Sorry i can't help you but you're not the only one.

A branch of our company continues to run. They argue that because of XYZ which i wont go in to they are able to stay open. What they don't comment on is the second half of that XYZ being dependant on the 2 metre rule. They fall foul of this. Management themselves sit within 2metres of each other and the bottom rung of employees also frequently break this rule and have this rule broken as they carry out their day-to-day duties.

They could have it work, but it would involve constantly telling people to back up and keep their distance. This is something i was having to do in my final days. I got in to a bit of an argument with a delivery driver myself because he thought it was a laughing matter & basically made out that i was overreacting. Told the guy i couldn't give any less of a toss what he thinks but he better back himself up right now.

It's a constant battle. Employers are hearing what they want to hear and ignoring the rest, just to make a bit more cash.

kathynewbie09

I have emailed HR and the Health and Safety manager for guidance. I think when I go back next week I will be telling anyone who breaks the 2 meter rule to back off. They are putting their employees health at risk for profit and it is horrible to see that my employer is not the only one doing this 

JustAnotherSaver

kathynewbie09 said:

I have emailed HR and the Health and Safety manager for guidance. I think when I go back next week I will be telling anyone who breaks the 2 meter rule to back off. They are putting their employees health at risk for profit and it is horrible to see that my employer is not the only one doing this 

Agreed.

If i'm brought back in then i'm having a 2metre stick with me at all times (part of our job is dealing with various pieces of timber so it's not like i'm taking a cane to an office). People will be kept to an acceptable distance if i'm to continue working. That's not me refusing to work, that's me valuing my health over the coin.

kathynewbie09

JustAnotherSaver said:

kathynewbie09 said:

I have emailed HR and the Health and Safety manager for guidance. I think when I go back next week I will be telling anyone who breaks the 2 meter rule to back off. They are putting their employees health at risk for profit and it is horrible to see that my employer is not the only one doing this 

Agreed.

If i'm brought back in then i'm having a 2metre stick with me at all times (part of our job is dealing with various pieces of timber so it's not like i'm taking a cane to an office). People will be kept to an acceptable distance if i'm to continue working. That's not me refusing to work, that's me valuing my health over the coin.

I emailed the Health & Safety manager who must have forwarded my email onto my Operations Manager (One level lower than the big boss) and his reply was as follows;
Hi, With ref to your query, I am sure you can imagine that there are countless guidelines and changes being implemented on site to protect our colleagues. There are many localised actions that we can discuss with you on your return. Regards NB

My husband works for the same company as I do (we do alternating continental shifts) so I will ask him when he gets home tonight if anything has changed compared to last time he was in.
Tried to contact citizen's advice but no luck sadly.