The British Retail Consortium has provided guidelines on pest control procedures during the current crisis.
It acknowledged that pest control is a key factor in protecting food and, therefore, public health and safety. However, it does specify that contractors must have procedures in place to safeguard employees and to reduce the chance of introducing coronavirus onto sites.
The BRC goes on to highlight that sites are to challenge contractors to ensure that this is in place, making a thorough risk assessment and safe working practices critical.
The National Pest Technicians Association has advised its members that currently service BRC sites to make contact with these sites to put in place a plan of action to deal with ongoing pest issues and preventative measures.
As always, we are here to help where necessary, so if you need further guidance, please contact us.
In a statement, the BRC said: “We need to meet twin objectives of the safety of site employees and that of the pest controller whilst ensuring that product is protected from any risks associated with the ingress of pests.
“Clearly not all manufacturing environments face the same risk from pests, this may depend for example, on type of products manufactured, age/construction of the site, pest history and seasonality. This needs to be considered when deciding how to proceed.”