Guidance from The Federation of Master Builders(FMB) sets out advice to members and their clients about what steps they may want to think about when starting or restarting a building project during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
The Federation of Master Builders(FMB) writes:
This guidance sets out advice to members and their clients about what steps they may want to think about when starting or restarting a building project during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The guidance is based on three principles:
- Protecting health and safety – members of the FMB are committed to protecting the health and safety of their workers, workers’ families, clients, their supply chains, and the public.
- Supporting the building industry – members of the FMB must be supported in a way that recognises their important contribution to the UK economy. Coming out of the coronavirus crisis we will need a robust construction sector that can deliver on the Government’s objectives to build more homes, improve the quality and energy efficiency of our building stock, and provide the infrastructure to enable the UK to compete.
- Promoting best practice – members of the FMB and their clients need to be adhering to best practice to ensure all building work is done to the highest standards and within a safe environment.
As always, all activity should be underpinned by open communication and collaboration.
This guidance is aimed at members working in the domestic sector where most building work stopped during the early stage of the coronavirus crisis, following UK Government advice that only ‘essential’ work should be carried out in peoples’ homes.
Work on larger sites, on new build developments, and work on empty buildings should be carried out in accordance with the UK Government guidance on Working safely during COVID-19 in construction and other outdoor work and the Construction Leadership Council’s updated Site Operating Procedures. Construction guidance has also been produced for Scotland. Other restrictions and advice may apply in Wales and Northern Ireland (note, advice is site location specific, not guided by where you are based as a builder).
This guidance is not exhaustive, and government advice is being continually updated. You should check official sources of information before making any decisions about how to proceed, and you should keep the situation under review. There are links to that advice throughout this document.
The Government advised on 10 May 2020 that work should recommence in several sectors in England, including construction. The FMB supports the policy that the building industry should return to work, provided it is safe to do so. What we are setting out in this note is a framework to help businesses decide whether work can be carried out safely on their specific site, and what steps they might consider putting in place as they return.
For further information on the following see the article linked above:
- Deciding when to restart building work?
We know that FMB members’ and their clients’ experiences of the lockdown have differed by location and by the nature of the building project. As the four nations of the UK begin to come out of the lockdown at different paces, what does that mean for me and my decision to return to work?
And on:
- Restarting building work: what steps do I need to consider?
As official advice begins to shift – albeit at different speeds in different nations – we know that you will be thinking about what you should do to prepare for the return to work. What follows is a set of steps to consider to help you and your clients be in the best position to do so safely. Each business will need to decide on the specific actions it needs to take, appropriate to your business, your workforce and the particular site you are working on, in order to work safely. The FMB has taken account of official advice in preparing this guidance note.
