13th April 2021
Test and Trace Update
As we are now in stage 2 of the Government’s plan to ease restrictions, they have confirmed that test and trace obligations will resume when the industry reopens from 12 April, including for outdoor use only and are to remain in place until at least September.
In a change to previous requirement, the contact details for all persons in a party must be captured – it is no longer sufficient to have the lead booker only. This means that for pre-booked activities either all contact details must be captured at the point of booking or customers will have to scan a QR code or provide contact details manually on arrival.
There is an additional requirement for hospitality businesses to take ‘reasonable steps’ to refuse entry to those not providing contact details or scanning the QR code. It is a legal requirement for premises to display the QR code posters – even if they choose to collect data by other means.
|
|
Apprentice Advice From Skill Up
For businesses that have apprentices, they are part of the business flexibility, adaptation, and continuity plan.
There has been several Government financial support programmes and guidance for business with support being provided by employer groups. Part of this guidance has been for businesses with apprentices with technical guidance being issued.
Skill Up Somerset is intended to help businesses interpret the guidance to support a business and find a solution to maintain apprentices as part of their continuity plan and their talent for the future.
Skill Up can also provide independent support from colleges and training providers. They will: listen to your questions to understand what information you require and provide an answer based on the Government guidelines. They will also offer options where required.
|
|
Stress Awareness Month
After we all stopped to reflect on the past year, the clocks have sprung us forward into British Summer Time and into April – Stress Awareness month.
Stress Awareness Month has been held every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic.
Stress can be tackled in the workplace by promoting positive wellbeing. If employees are more aware of what ‘wellbeing’ is, what the benefits are and how they can achieve it, they will be better equipped to look after themselves and be more sensitive to the needs of others. As we travel along the roadmap to ‘building back better’ it’s important to remain focussed on workplace wellbeing, no matter how big or small your organisation may be.
|
|
Free Advice for Green Start-ups
Somerset’s local authorities are providing free business advice to people wanting to set up their own Green business. The workshops, run by Business West advisers, are fully funded by Somerset County Council and the four District Councils.
The project is being funded through a Business Rates Retention (BRR) pilot scheme that allows councils in Somerset to retain a proportion of the business rates income locally to invest in developing the economy.
There are 22 workshops on the Somerset Green Start-up programme until the end of May – and are all run virtually.
The free courses last from one to three hours and there are also opportunities for one-to-one sessions. They cover topics from setting up a business to market testing and analysis, business planning, finance, and cyber security.
|
|
Spotlight Business
TMB Patterns
|
|
The business in the Spotlight for this issue is TMB Patterns. If you would like us to feature your business and have a story to tell, please email us.
A local business that has put the Carbon Grant to good use is TMB Patterns. They have used the funds to get a laptop which is being used as an alternative to printed 2d paper drawings.
TMB Patterns are the leading thermoforming toolmaker for the packaging industry.
TMB have said that the laptop “can save on 2d design labour and between 80 and 160 sheets of A3 paper per full tool-set. It is a staggering saving that we hope to expand further over the coming year. We have identified significant advantages (and some disadvantages) that we iron out soon.”
We have implemented another research project that has seen several coolant recovery devices fitted to our CNC machines. This has shown positive results with a significant reduction in waste coolant disposal. The recovery devices are fitted to swarf bins and return any coolant from the swarf back to the machine, requiring no additional power source. Instead this utilises venturi effect from the machine’s own coolant circulation.
This benefits the environment via reducing the amount of waste coolant being generated, reduces transport emissions with fewer visits to remove waste oils, and saves the company ‘some cash’ by reusing coolant that would have been wasted.
|
|
Sedgemoor District Council supporting businesses during coronavirus pandemic
|
|
Visit our support pages dedicated to providing latest business information and advice regarding Covid-19 (coronavirus).
|
|
