With the government confirming that the construction industry may continue to stay open during the second lockdown, site managers will undoubtedly be looking to make their premises more secure. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the sector, in terms of lengthy delays to projects as well as safeguarding against the severity of the illness. Where sites have been abandoned for long periods during the pandemic, there has also been a reported surge in construction theft, followed by an increased demand for security system services in London. Here, we take a look at some of the top ways to keep your construction site COVID-19 secure.
Risk Assessments
No two construction sites or companies are identical, which means that each organisation needs to take a look at their individual circumstances to identify where the risks may lie, who is responsible for managing them, and how they can be mitigated against.
All employers have a duty to protect their workforce and visiting personnel, by making their health and safety a top priority. In the context of COVID-19, this means following government guidelines and making reasonable efforts to ensure that your construction workers are kept safe. As regulations have been changing frequently throughout the pandemic, managers must take full responsibility for keeping up with the guidelines and implementing safety improvements as required.
Managing Construction Worker Access and Hours
To limit the volume of construction workers arriving onsite at once, which could create quite a bottleneck at your access points, it is recommended that individuals arrive in a staggered pattern to limit contact. Their departure times can also be staggered so working hours complement social distancing.
You might also consider opening up additional access points to limit the number of people crowding around the same entrance or exit. Hand sanitiser stations can be placed at these points, as well as throughout your construction site to ensure that workers are encouraged to regularly maintain positive hygiene standards.
Promoting Social Distancing Between Workers
The precise social distancing measures that you’ll be able to implement at your site will be dependent on how your operations run on a typical day. For example, you might need to reduce or eliminate the sharing of equipment, or include cleaning time between usage. It may be better to reduce job rotation altogether and provide your workers with fixed tasks throughout the day. To limit the amount of movement on a site, telephone calls should be encouraged between teams and one-way walking systems must be outlined.
If you are a construction site manager and need assistance in securing your site during the pandemic, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Sicuro. We can offer a FREE site security review, including details of our thermo screen technology. Call us today on 0800 086 8203.
