As we travel along a road into the unknown, the construction industry has been pulling together to confront the challenges of the global Coronavirus pandemic. No one knows what lasting impact the current threat to our way of life will have, but one thing is for sure, the world will never be the same again.
Here at Plant & Civil Engineer, all our staff have been working from home, the result of their sterling efforts is this latest issue of the industry’s favourite magazine: for us, it has been business NOT as usual, but still we will deliver.
And that’s the attitude that is being taken by all those operating in the various sectors of our most vital industry, with contractors and companies continuing to deliver on contractually agreed commitments for public and private sector clients – while, of course, sticking closely to guidance from the Health & Safety Executive and our Chief Medical officers.
As the Construction Industry Federation points out, the industry and its many thousands of employees across the island of Ireland are critical
to both the economy and wider society as essential emergency works, housing, hospitals, roads, schools and other projects are delivered.
In these perilous days, construction companies are doing all they can to keep their workers in employment in the safest possible environment. The CIF tells us that many companies have now embedded social distancing into their daily routines including measures such as staggered work, social distancing in canteens, employees taking lunch individually. They now run induction talks on entry to work and hold regular ‘toolbox’ talks to constantly reinforce new safety guidelines. Building sites are complex workplaces and employers and employees are working together to addresses any issues of concern that arise.
As MPANI Regional Director Gordon Best puts it, these are unprecedented and uncertain times and each day is bringing more news, increased uncertainty and making it increasingly difficult to operate business as usual. MPANI has been updating members on a daily basis and now has a dedicated section on its website devoted to keeping the industry informed.
Please click the download button in the magazine viewer below
for the Mar-Apr 2020 issue of Plant & Civil Engineer Magazine.
