Is Construction an essential industry?

With PPE in short supply on the front line and the rest of us in lockdown, constructions have been effectively told to carry on. Given the threat of exposure, it worth keeping construction sites open during the Coronavirus crisis?

Pre- or asymptomatic transmission appears to be the main driver of infection, according to several reports published in Science Alert for Business Insider.

According to Robert Redfield, the director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 percent of people infected with the new coronavirus don't present any symptoms or fall ill but can still transmit the illness to others.

Since they're shedding virus particles everywhere they go, they're spreading it around without any idea that they have it. Now imagine this on a building site like the one depicted above. It's a snapshot I took today on my phone before I started working on this. If those men are not wearing masks and even one of them has the Coronavirus, he could infect all of his colleagues, who would bring it home and infect their families.

The Government's view

Even though the Government states at the top of its guidance note (issued 09/04/2020) that you can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms, it has left a range of manufacturing and construction industries off of the list of businesses that must close. The Construction Leadership Council has provided some guidelines on social distancing and PPE but they're not really specific about what kind of PPE should be in use, particularly where masks are concerned. This is a cause for concern where workers and managers are not engaging in social distancing and this is not being properly enforced.

The Industry view

There are two views on this subject in the industry: laissez-faire and worrying. Both of these views are well-represented in this thread on the Health and Safety Executive's forum where Bill Sowerbutts and Nigel are duking it out. Bill is of the opinion that compliance is not being enforced and Nigel's is that this is a shame but we need to carry on. He's not really bothered about what is happening in practice. If this doesn't worry you, it should.

Bill says,

My issue concerning construction as a safe place of work while Covid 19 is raging, is largely around the use of communal facilities — smoking shelters, toilets and welfare.  these are the areas where several people are likely to touch the same surface with non-gloved hands.
 
I have a question that I need guidance on. CDM requires the provision of communal facilities for rest breaks. But unless you can fit in something the size of a school gym, then you can never achieve social distancing.  Two principle contractors have advised that their canteen/restroom will be out of bounds.  Now I am happy to see the men sanitize hands and sit in their own vans, other than this appears a violation of CDM 2015 which requires the adequate provision of welfare facilities to take rest breaks.
 
My view is that the van is a safer place but it's sunny now and the van isn't hygienically cleaned. So to other community members, please- how do you read the legal position on this?

Nigel's response is shocking, to say the least.

If companies are working to the statement “The risk is potential fatality so it must be that” it shows off their poor risk assessment process.  Crossing the road, driving for work, and many more all has the potential for fatality, but we can put in place manageable control measures to perform these tasks.

Regarding the provision of welfare and hygiene facilities – the HSE are clear that these must be maintained, not only for construction sites, but also for other industry sectors too: https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/drivers-transport-delivery-coronavirus.htm.

The manageable control measures aren't being adhered to on the site I can see from my window. It's not possible to practice social distancing during construction work.

What can be done?

People need to be issued with masks and gloves at the very least, and wearing them needs to be enforced, particularly when they work in close proximity. Restrooms need to be hygienically cleaned after every use, and there needs to be a system for keeping no more than one person using them at any time. Welfare facilities, including food service areas, need to be used in a staggered system where people sit in a well-ventilated area at least six feet apart, with no more than two people in there at a time.

Does wearing masks help?

Sooner or later we will all have to go back to work. Hopefully, this will be part of a managed return to normality. During the transition period, we will hopefully have sanitation stations and access to masks. For the moment I've contented myself with making my own mask from a folded cloth and some elastic. Whether or not this will become the new normal until Christmas remains to be seen. Put it this way: I've stopped laughing at South Asian people for wearing them.

While the WHO and medical professionals are not currently advocating wearing masks, I understand that they reduce transmission and can help to reduce infection. This is why I always wear one when leaving my flat for any reason. Professional medical-grade masks are not widely available so I use a folded cloth and some elastic. I wash it thoroughly with soapy water when I take it off, so I can use it again. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing.

If we're going to beat this thing and get back to normal, we're going to have to start taking hygiene and social distancing seriously. Whether or not our colleagues in related industries are going to do so remains to be seen.

Photos by Wendy Cockcroft