The chair of the British Safety Council says that all non-essential construction should end now to preserve the health and safety of construction workers.
As the UK heads into at least three weeks of lockdown, the BSC says concerns are being raised across the country as thousands of construction workers headed out to work, including on packed London Underground trains.
On Monday (March 23) the Prime Minister gave an instruction that everyone should stay at home for all but the most essential reasons. Yesterday (March 24) the Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove said all major construction work should go ahead but jobs carried out at close quarters in someone’s home would not be appropriate. A tweet from the Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “If you are working on site, you can continue to do so. But follow Public Health England guidance on social distancing.”
Construction workers have raised concerns that they are not able to practice social distancing and stay at least two metres apart from one another on site.
BSC chair Lawrence Waterman says: “The construction sector needs clarity from the government – on most sites social distancing will be impossible or simply unsafe. All non-essential construction should end now so that construction workers can go home and stay home like everyone else.
“Some building work will be deemed essential – for example, building work that will improve access to hospitals or road access which will help tackle the virus. It is also the case that half-built buildings need to be made safe and workers should prioritise work that can safely suspend construction for as long as necessary.”
Waterman – who headed the construction project for the London 2012 Olympic Games – added that many thousands of construction workers are self-employed and do not get paid if they don’t go to work. He said that the government and developers need to work together to ensure that workers are protected when their building sites are shut down.
