<article data-sf-ec-immutable=""><p>Sarah Schütte of Schutte Consulting Limited discusses the issues on site due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of the practicalities facing the construction industry.</p></article><h3>Why are construction sites still open and should they close?</h3><p>Do whatever you can to avoid the risk of coronavirus. That’s what the government led by Boris Johnson, as sagely advised by Sir Patrick Vallance (Government Chief Scientific Adviser) and Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Adviser), are saying. As of
Monday 23 March, ‘stay at home’ became an order, enforceable by emergency police powers.</p><p>And yet, construction sites remain open. Why?</p><p>It comes down to the complexity, and harshness, of life in construction. Many coal-face workers are individuals on day rates. They may be British, European or from elsewhere, it doesn’t matter. For them, the risk of the virus is less important
than the need to earn, to have that clutch of cash in the hand at the end of the day. Organisations ‘up the chain’ know this but are turning a blind eye—funders won’t release access to a facility unless progress is made
(and shown, usually to their own (ie engaged by the funder) monitoring agent or similar clipboard-wielding official). Progress can’t be made and shown until the whole chain delivers—employer, contractor, sub-contractor, sub-sub-contractor,
labourer. And so the problem is pushed down and down until it reaches the bottom. Where the brickie, or sparkie or chippie or welder is actually doing the work.</p><p>A programme manager that I talked to yesterday said:</p><blockquote><p>How do you maintain social distance when your contract programme assumes clear access to a work face, but </p></blockquote>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Industry insight: Should construction sites close due to coronavirus (COVID-19)?
