Covid in Construction

Covid-19 is a term everyone has become very familiar with in the past year or so. It has had a massive impact on everybody's life. The way we socialise, the way we shop and the way we work. Many workplaces have had to adapt and change to make the workplace covid safe, with construction being the one industry (away from emergency services) that has stayed running throughout. So how have construction companies changed there sites? Have the changes worked? Are they as safe as they believe?

I work in construction and have done for 10 years. When the country first went into lockdown on March 23rd 2020, the site I was working on shut down for just a couple of days to set up the social distancing measures required by the government to keep going. With my wife being type 1 diabetic, and not fully understanding the extent of the situation, I decided to isolate myself for a few weeks, but many worked through. The set up on site was simple. One way routes, the 2 meter rule was introduced, face masks were to be worn and sanitiser was put everywhere. A year later, and we are in the same situation. The country in lockdown (just starting to come out) and covid cases still high in some parts of the country, with numbers at a record high just a few weeks ago.

Construction as a whole was largely ignored in terms of media presence, with many on site thinking that they weren't being protected as much as they should've been. With many rules being broken, by senior figures also, and standards slipping, it has been clear for many on site that covid-19 is not a priority for construction managers.

Speaking from my experience, less than 20% of workers are using the NHS track and trace app. This means that there is a high risk to exposure, as many on site will probably not know they have been in contact. There have been reports on top of this of workers returning to work even though they have been told to isolate because of the app, as well as workers deleting the app after having a week of isolation, citing that they don't want to lose any more money through any potential future isolations.

Many sites, do not enforce the covid rules, allowing operatives to work or pass in close proximity and not forcing workers to wear face coverings. Since returning to work last May, only one of the many sites I have visited have requested on site testing. And some have even let hand wash run out in toilets, which you would think is something that should be kept on top of regardless!

So when you're not happy with something at work, what do you do?

There have been a few reports in the past year of negligence. One such case was a site I was on toward the end of last year. An operative testing positive for covid-19, and was sent home. It was a small site, which meant a high chance of close contact with many on that site. Unfortunately, the company running the site failed to inform all on site that there was a positive result on site. And even though there was a daily register of everyone that is on site, nobody was informed of the result. Complaints were made, emails were sent, and the situation faded off and forgotten. This is not a one off.

Obviously for legal reasons, I am not able to 'name and shame' any companies or individuals, and to be honest I don't think I have time to name them all. However, in my experience of the last year, it is clear and obvious to see that construction managers and bosses are not doing all they can to protect their workers. For an industry that is so strict when it comes to health and safety (put your goggles on!), it seems that the health part of this term is forgotten about , in more ways than one.

As well as covid-19, general hygiene on construction sites has never been perfect, and constant pressure means men in construction are more likely than most to suffer from mental health issues. With such strict safety policies, some of the strictest in the country, it seems that construction bosses need to look long and hard at looking after their workers health (physical and mental). It's one of the largest industries in the world with millions on the ground, so it really is important that this is addressed sooner rather than later before too many more suffer as a consequence.