Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have a significant impact on businesses across the construction industry. The Government has been clear from the start that construction work should continue and sites should remain open across the UK. As an employer, we have a legal responsibility to protect our workers and others from risk to their health and safety, including from the risks of COVID-19. For a builders clean contractor like Royal Clean, this has been very challenging!
Over the past 12 months since the first wave of COVID-19 hit our shores, we like other subcontractors have met with the additional challenges that COVID-19 brings on top of the usual pressure of delivering builders clean and sparkle clean services to tight deadlines:
- Our cleaning supervisors and operatives need to undergo an extended site induction process with temperature and health checks before even entering site.
- Majority of our operatives travel on public transport to sites across London, whilst trying to maintain social distancing.
- Reading and understanding updated RAMS and implementing new ways of working to avoid physical contact and maintaining social distancing at all times.
- Weekly COVID testing twice a week and confirming no symptoms before travelling to work.
Since the end of April, Construction companies can now order free COVID test kits for workers to use at home. Royal Clean have been eligible to order home test kits online to distribute to our employees. Our workers use the lateral flow tests at home to rapidly detect the virus in 30 minutes. This allows staff to continue working in the knowledge their colleagues are not at risk. Thankfully we have had no positive tests returned but if anyone tests positive, he/she can then take a more accurate PCR test.
As we head into a more optimistic outlook in the coming months, COVID tests are here to stay for the foreseeable future at least before we even step into a project site and start cleaning!