Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the guidance on face coverings for people working in food preparation environments following recent ONS findings that they are more at risk of contracting covid-19 in their place of employment.

Employers and businesses have existing legal obligations to manage workplace health and safety risks through the Health and Safety at Work Act and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. In addition, The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided detailed guidance on working safely during the pandemic for specific workplace settings. Employers must complete an assessment of the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace, using the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s guidance to inform decisions and identify control measures to manage that risk.

These measures, including social distancing and increased surface cleaning, remain the best ways of managing risk in the workplace. Should workers choose to wear face coverings in addition to the more vital measures, their employer should support them in this.

It is mandatory for workers to wear a face covering in an array of indoor areas which are open to the public and where they come or are likely to come within close contact of a member of the public, to limit the risk of transmission as the public move around and to protect both staff and customers. We will be keeping the situation and the evidence under review and will take further action if needed.