Installations, service and maintenance are all an integral part of what we do. We carry out thousands of new installs, services and upgrades to our customers up and down the country every year, yet it has not been without its challenges in the face of Covid-19.
This uncertainty continues to pose new challenges al, which is why we have been working tirelessly to ensure that we can continue our great work for all our customers while also preventing the safety of all our staff from being compromised, particularly when it comes to the construction and installation of our products.
With this in mind, here is an overview of what we have been working on to help keep construction and installations secure during Covid-19.
Updating Risk Assessments
When the threat posed by Covid-19 became apparent, we naturally carried out an assessment of the risks posed to all of our staff members. While we outlined the necessary risks and steps to mitigate them for our office-based staff, it became clear there would be additional risks to consider and weigh up for the staff that make up our installation teams, as well as those who work across service & maintenance.
Sam Ruddock, Health and Safety Manager at Boon Edam UK, outlines some of the initial steps that were taken to help with this:
“In order to protect our technicians and install teams, we have sent briefings updating them on the latest advice from the government,” she explained. “In addition, we have carried out further risk assessments in order to reduce the risk of exposure to Covid-19.
“We have also taken guidance from the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), who have released and continually updated guidance in the form of Site Operating Procedures.
“With how Covid-19 has continued to throw additional challenges, we have also regularly reviewed our own risk assessment, ensuring any changes that could lead to new risks are accounted for.”
Reducing risk for our installation teams
Due to the way our installation teams operate, we are also very fortunate that it allows us, in many cases, to continue our work for our customers with minimal risk and impact on deliverables.
Our installation team, as well as our service and maintenance teams, do not operate solely out of one area of the UK. Our teams are stationed across the country to allow us to reach our customers quickly and effectively. This approach naturally has the added benefit of reducing the number of people each person has contact with, while also ensuring each staff member only works with a few others while on shift.
Keeping construction and installation safe
While this has been of benefit, that is not to say our installations are not without their challenges.
Every site is different, which can make keeping a 2M distance from each other difficult at times. We have implemented additional controls in situations like this; opting for manual sign in as opposed to biometric signing in systems, additional PPE equipment for teams as necessary, as well as encouraging teams to bring their own lunch and drinks rather than leaving the site to purchase them.
In terms of the site itself, our technicians strive to create a safe working zone for all, using barriers to prevent access to the work area by third parties to further reduce the risk of coming into close contact with others.
All of this is also followed alongside the recommended guidelines set by the government, which ensures all our staff wash their hands regularly while on-site, as well as every time they either enter or exit it. Plants and materials are also regularly wiped down using an antibacterial spray to further mitigate risk.
By following these rules, we ensure our work can continue to be carried out safely while also making certain that each and every member of our staff is kept safe while doing so.
For more information on what we are doing to keep our staff and customers safe, please contact us with any questions you have.
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