Coronavirus: the UK construction industry reacts
British construction industry trade organisationsBuild UKand theCivil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)have issued a joint statement on the imp...
British construction industry trade organisationsBuild UKand theCivil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)have issued a joint statement on the imp...
British construction industry trade organisations Build UK and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)have issued a joint statement on the impact of the coronavirus.
The coronavirus or COVID-19 situation has accelerated over the weekend and, along with other sectors such as travel and hospitality, construction will be dramatically and severely affected.
Whilst the priority last week was to keep business critical construction projects open and operational wherever possible, that is likely to change in the weeks ahead. If the government decides to put the country into 'lockdown' and restrict the movement of British citizens, decisions will be taken out of the hands of individual companies and sites may have to close.
The impact on the industry's supply chain, consisting of multiple layers of businesses, many of them of SME's with a significant amount of self-employed workers, will be catastrophic and unavoidable.
We know that our members are already taking action:
We know that this is much more difficult for on-site construction roles including manufacturing facilities which will be directly affected by any restriction on movements.
Many individuals are also concerned about their financial situation; the future of their business, their employer and their job.
Communication at this time is key. To reassure workers and the supply chain where possible but also to ensure prompt action can be taken to implement Government policy, advice and guidance which is changing rapidly.
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Over the next few days Build UK and CECA will be:
Build UK has published an article on managing risks to your staff and workplace, whilst employers and businesses should continue to follow the most up-to-date Government guidance, as well as referring to its advice sheet on home isolation.
Members can contact Build UK and CECA via email with any construction-specific queries. We cannot guarantee to respond to every message, however if we are aware of sector-specific issues we may have the opportunity to address them collectively.
For more information on construction topics - please take a look at the latest edition of Construction Global.