Company fined £1k for no NHS QR code
ellis.lane@reachplc.com
ABUSINESS has been given a £1,000 fine for not displaying the NHS Coronavirus QR code. The code allows users of the NHS Test and Trace app to check-in to venues, such as pubs and restaurants.
Two further Health and Safety Notices have been served for businesses not having adequate measures in place to control risk for Covid-19.
Councillor Mark Hawthorne, leader of the county council, which issued the fine, said: “It’s a difficult time for us all and, in particular for our county businesses, who are all working hard to implement the crucial prevention measures - but it is important that we stick with it.
“Our environmental health officers are there to help businesses; to provide advice and guidance, but also to enforce the guidance, where there is no other choice. I want to thank our district enforcement teams for the work they are already doing to help slow the spread of the virus - and our local business community - keep it up.” The council, through the Government’s Test and Trace grant, has funded six new Covid-19 Compliance Officers to help businesses do all they can to minimise the spread of the virus.
Around £300,000 of the £2.2m Government grant has been used to fund the new officers - one located within each district - to provide additional support to the local enforcement teams and ensure Covid compliance across the county.
Since the start of September, local environmental health officers have worked closely with more than 550 businesses in the county to make sure they have the support they need to manage the risks linked to Covid-19.
Ongoing activity will include: Continuing to engage with and provide advice to businesses on managing the risks from Covid-19 in the communityidentifying trends and collecting insight on business sectors needing additional support to comply with safe workplace requirements, and;further Covid prevention activities including: street walks, spot checks and drop in clinics
If you receive personal data from the EU for business use, you need to act now to ensure you comply with new data protection requirements that may come into force on January 1.
Whether you receive details for payroll admin, or customers’ email addresses, you’ll find a host of helpful tools and information on the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) website.
“We realise many companies won’t know data protection law in detail, and it might seem a bit daunting,” says the ICO’S Steve Wood. “This is why we’ve produced guidance aimed at SMES.
“Businesses that receive personal data from the EU may need to make changes by the end of the year if they want to keep receiving that information lawfully. Therefore it’s important to start preparing now.”
The best way to prepare is to ensure you comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. “GDPR asks businesses to be accountable for the personal data they hold and process,” explains Steve. “Knowing what information you have, and operating effective storage systems for retaining or deleting personal data, make good business sense, and will show customers you’re taking care of their data. Further changes may be needed depending on what is agreed between the UK and the EU.”
One business owner who has already made plans is Alex Stewart, founder of eco-conscious travel goods company Onenine5. “Germany is our second biggest market outside the UK, and we hold data from EU countries when we ship orders and when we ask people to sign up to our newsletters,” says Alex. “So we’ll take an extra step to make sure we’re EU compliant – we don’t want to fall short.”
Steve agrees it’s wise for SMES like Onenine5 to take action now. “You may need to get in touch with your partner in the EU to agree on additional steps to protect personal data,” he says. “Again, the ICO’S guidance talks through measures you may need to take, such as putting a standard contractual clause (SCC) in place.”
An SCC is a set of terms and conditions that the sender and receiver of personal data sign up to, which offers protection under GDPR for both parties. Find more at ico.org.uk.