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AFP
Guildford
Cranes whir above the affluent market town of Guildford, southwest of London, as Britain’s construction sector cranks back into gear after a damaging coronavirus lockdown.
Many of the nation’s builders downed tools when the government effectively shut the country on March 23, ordering the public to stay at home as the outbreak took hold.
More than three months later, restrictions are gradually being lifted and activity is picking up speed.
At Guilden Park in Guilford, construction of a new £38 million ($48 million, 42 million euros) student accommodation complex project stopped for nearly five weeks.
When completed next year, the development will comprise 533 student rooms across four six-storey buildings.
Although the government allowed some sites to carry on as normal through lockdown, Guilden Park stopped work to ensure its 75 workers could operate safely.
“There was so much focus on the new measures with COVID-19 that you could not take your eye off the ball,” said project manager Barry Kerr, 34.
“Everybody realised it was not just about health and safety -- it was about their families,” he told AFP at the facility.
Preventative measures introduced included a one-way system, reduced staff, and increasing the number of on-site canteens, changing rooms, toilets and hand-washing facilities.
Start times and breaks were staggered, a fingerprint entry scanner removed and employees had to declare themselves healthy every day.
The contractor also created an “isolation room” in the event of infections, although no staff have yet had to use it.
Belfast-based McAleer & Rushe, which manages the site, and its subcontractors made use of the UK government’s jobs retention scheme during the lockdown.
The emergency programme sees the state pay most of the wages of furloughed staff. But just four M&R employees were made temporarily redundant at the Guildford site.
“I believe the company made the right decision to... temporarily shut the sites until such time that we could ensure that we were being compliant with the guidance set out by both the government” and the National Health Service, said Kerr.
“At that time there were some contradictory messages being sent.”
Construction sites stayed open in England and Northern Ireland, while those in Scotland were shut.
The lockdown sparked a collapse in UK construction activity in April and May but data released on Monday indicated a rebound in June.
The purchasing managers’ index for the sector soared to 55.3 last month from just 28.9 in May, according to data compiler IHS Markit.
Guildford
Cranes whir above the affluent market town of Guildford, southwest of London, as Britain’s construction sector cranks back into gear after a damaging coronavirus lockdown.
Many of the nation’s builders downed tools when the government effectively shut the country on March 23, ordering the public to stay at home as the outbreak took hold.
More than three months later, restrictions are gradually being lifted and activity is picking up speed.
At Guilden Park in Guilford, construction of a new £38 million ($48 million, 42 million euros) student accommodation complex project stopped for nearly five weeks.
When completed next year, the development will comprise 533 student rooms across four six-storey buildings.
Although the government allowed some sites to carry on as normal through lockdown, Guilden Park stopped work to ensure its 75 workers could operate safely.
“There was so much focus on the new measures with COVID-19 that you could not take your eye off the ball,” said project manager Barry Kerr, 34.
“Everybody realised it was not just about health and safety -- it was about their families,” he told AFP at the facility.
Preventative measures introduced included a one-way system, reduced staff, and increasing the number of on-site canteens, changing rooms, toilets and hand-washing facilities.
Start times and breaks were staggered, a fingerprint entry scanner removed and employees had to declare themselves healthy every day.
The contractor also created an “isolation room” in the event of infections, although no staff have yet had to use it.
Belfast-based McAleer & Rushe, which manages the site, and its subcontractors made use of the UK government’s jobs retention scheme during the lockdown.
The emergency programme sees the state pay most of the wages of furloughed staff. But just four M&R employees were made temporarily redundant at the Guildford site.
“I believe the company made the right decision to... temporarily shut the sites until such time that we could ensure that we were being compliant with the guidance set out by both the government” and the National Health Service, said Kerr.
“At that time there were some contradictory messages being sent.”
Construction sites stayed open in England and Northern Ireland, while those in Scotland were shut.
The lockdown sparked a collapse in UK construction activity in April and May but data released on Monday indicated a rebound in June.
The purchasing managers’ index for the sector soared to 55.3 last month from just 28.9 in May, according to data compiler IHS Markit.
