Social distancing not being enforced at Department for Work and Pensions in Quarry House Leeds

A Government department says it has taken “urgent action” after inspectors found social distancing was not being enforced in one of its Leeds offices.

Health and safety inspectors visited the Department for Work and Pensions’s (DWP) Quarry House building in Leeds city centre and issued a Notice of Contravention.

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Office staff were pictured gathered around a desk at the centre, which is also used by NHS staff.

Quarry House, Leeds.Quarry House, Leeds.
Quarry House, Leeds.
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According to the BBC, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspected on August 27 and its report said: “You are failing to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of your employees/agency staff at work because you have not implemented necessary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.”

It said the DWP’s risk-assessed Covid-safe capacity for the office of 50% full “may be ambitious and unrealistic”.

An HSE spokesman said: “We received a workplace concern and this has been processed in line with our concerns handling procedure. Following a site visit, a letter (Notification of Contravention) was sent to DWP.”

A DWP spokesman said: “We take the health and safety of staff extremely seriously, and have implemented Covid-secure measures across our sites to ensure they comply with government guidelines.

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“We have taken urgent action to rectify all issues identified by the HSE.”

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