Guidance on installing during the third national lockdown

Following the new lockdown announcement and restrictions which come into effect today on Tuesday 5th January, we can confirm that all FENSA Approved Installers, and all tradespeople, will still be allowed to work and to enter people’s homes as long as they do so following COVID safety protocol. This is the case in both England and Wales.

New lockdown rules for installers

• England: Where it is necessary for you to work in other people’s homes – for example, for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople – you can do so. Otherwise, you should avoid meeting for work in a private home or garden, where COVID-19 Secure measures may not be in place.” (See: England National Lockdown guidance)
  
  
• Wales: Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople, can continue as long as it is managed in a safe way and both the worker and household members are well and have no symptoms of coronavirus. (See: Wales Alert Level 4 guidance)

Whilst this is obviously good news for the industry, there will, understandably, be some of your customers who have concerns about welcoming you into their home currently. Please take the time to speak to them and reassure them you will be doing everything within your power to keep them safe.

We also understand that there will be a number of you who have concerns about continuing to work whilst infection levels are so high across the country and we would ask each and every one of you to discuss the matter with your staff and installation teams to ensure nobody is asked to continue to work without them feeling comfortable to do so and they are able to follow COVID safety protocols at all times.

Resources to help you work safe

For those of you who decide to continue to work and enter people’s homes over the coming weeks, we have produced COVID working guidelines for both yourselves and your customers.

Resources for your customers:

Homeowner guide to having windows & doors installed during COVID-19 (PDF)

We encourage you to share this guide with all your customers. It is small enough to attach to an email and will help to reassure homeowners you will install their windows and doors safely.

Window and door installations during England’s third national lockdown and alert level 4 restrictions in Wales

In this article we share guidance for homeowners so they understand what installation companies can and can’t do under the latest lockdown rules. Please feel free to direct your customers to it as it also contains links to Government guidance.

Resources for your business:

• Practical safety precautions when installing windows & doors during the COVID-19 pandemic (PDF)
• Guidance on completing a risk assessment (PDF)
• Risk assessment template (DOC)

FENSA Approved Installers can download these documents from the FENSA Installer Portal.