Following clarification from the Scottish Government the BiKBBI has confirmed that kitchen and bathroom installations must not start or continue in Scotland during the current lockdown – unless failure to do so would create an emergency situation for the household.
In a statement sent out by the BiKBBI this afternoon, it revealed that the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) had been forced to clarify its definition of essential installation in Scotland during lockdown – in relation to kitchens and bathrooms – as its guidance was previously deemed unclear.
According to the BiKBBI the Scottish Government’s updated definition of ‘essential installation’ is now as follows: “Unless there was some sort of emergency and a bathroom / kitchen was necessary for the health and safety of residents it would not be covered under the essential definition”.
For further clarity, the Scottish Government website outlines the following examples as goods and services that are deemed ‘essential’.
“Essential goods and services are those that fundamentally underpin, sustain and safeguard households. This includes:
- utility engineers and telecoms workers (e.g electricity, gas, solid fuel, water, broadband) for the purpose of safety checks, repairs, maintenance and installations’
- ;
- urgent repairs and maintenance – time-critical repairs and maintenance that threaten the households health and safety;
- delivery, installation and repair of key household furniture and appliances, such as washing machine, refrigerator, cooker etc;
- provision of informal childcare (e.g childcare provided by family members) and formal childcare (e.g childcare provided by a registered child minder) for anyone employed in essential or permitted services;
- provision of health, medical and veterinary care to household occupants including animals i.e to prevent a health or welfare issue arising or address a current health or welfare issue.
- services in support of a home move;.
- domestic cleaner providing services in support of a clean and safe living environment for people in vulnerable circumstance, living with a disability or otherwise unable to clean their own home.”
Further guidance on working in people’s homes can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-general-guidance-for-safer-workplaces/pages/work-in-other-peoples-homes-faq/
See the full statement from the BiKBBI here: https://www.bikbbi.org.uk/bikbbi-news/