COVID Update: Emergency Work is Okay; Sitework is Okay 2 meters apart, Work in customers homes in general unless emergency is a NOGO.

[Sintra]

At the end of the day it comes down to money, if the job don't get done they can't rent out the office or sell the flat.
Remember we are just grotty builders & not important & have to squeeze onto the tube in this crisis because that idiot of a mayor has cut the services to one every 20 minutes.
If we don't go to work we die of starvation, if we go to work we catch Covid 19.
Get a trade they said, you will never be out of work.

Absolute nonsense. The tubes are only rammed because people aren’t listening and following the advise given. If the grotty builders stayed at home then there would be plenty of space for key workers. The sooner the police have the powers to enforce the latest government instructions the better, it might stop people going out if they get hit with a few fines. The seriousness of this outbreak has really been highlighted with the excel centre being turned into a 4000 bed hospital.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I think saying we will die of starvation is a bit silly.

I think we just have to 'take a hit' in life sometimes.

I'll lose lots of money but as long as me and my family remain safe I shall be content.

Every day I get to walk into the woods and play silly games with my boy which I never did when I was working all the time. Only once a day I may add .

 

[captaincaveman]

Apparently today they have changed it so you should work! (money is more important than lives).

Yesterday -

Today-

Even the BBC Questions & answers on the 10pm news stated even a decorator should work!

Go figure

 

[Midwest]

Here's a vid of construction site enforcing the 2m rule, if you've not already seen it;

Coronavirus: Thousands volunteer to help NHS with vulnerable

The role of volunteers will be "absolutely crucial" in fighting coronavirus, says Boris Johnson.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[telectrix]

just watched Piers Morgan sitting in the studio, arguing with everone who disagrees with him, pontificating that all non-essential workers should stay at home. so why are you at work, Piers.? you're not essential, so practice what you preach and stay at home.

 

[snowhead]

just watched Piers Morgan sitting in the studio, arguing with everone who disagrees with him,

I think he gets up every morning and thinks,, Who can I P*ss off today and argue with, Oh it's simple I'll argue with everyone.

Piers Morgan for P.M, see how fast he runs away into Self Isolation then.

 

[Pretty Mouth]

Government guidance for working in people's homes:

Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19

Guidance for living safely with respiratory infections, including coronavirus (COVID-19).

www.gov.uk

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2. Work carried out in people’s homes

Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms. Again, it will be important to ensure that Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a two metre distance from any household occupants, are followed to ensure everyone’s safety.


No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households.


No work should be carried out by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.

 

[Andy78]

Not good enough advice for me from govt. No work in households unless absolutely vital is my personal policy, and even then the risk assessment will be lengthy and thorough.

 

[SparkyChick]

I'm with you @Andy78 , this advice that working in peoples homes wasn't in the original guidance as far as I can remember and it is vague.

They use the example of repair and maintenance which could be argued should be done to keep things safe, but my concern is that this will be used as a blunt instrument when it comes to people claiming financial support for their business.
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I've been trying to get through to the business help lines this morning to try and get some clarity on whether the example should be taken literally, i.e. only repairs and maintenance, or whether we're allowed to carry on business as usual. But, unsurprisingly it's nearly impossible to speak to someone and when I did, they had technical difficulties and he couldn't hear me. 30 minutes on hold.

 

[Intoelectrics]

Problem is we are constantly getting mixed messages! especially on what is deemed as "essential work". The government is trying to balance stopping the spread of the virus and at the same time saving the economy from collapse.
If the government force all "non essential" industry to cease then there will be many companies that will not survive. Help to pay wages and loans to companies is fine but all this money will have to be paid back. People may find themselves without a job when this crisis is over which means more strain on the economy to pay benefits which has now been spent on supporting the crisis already.
A comment was made earlier that management are isolating themselves and expecting the workforce to continue as normal. Well this might be the case with some companies, but I'm risking my own health to keep my company afloat while my staff stay at home with 80% pay. I'm doing this so my staff will have a job to come back to when this is all over.
So for those of you who are lucky enough to be able to stay at home then you should do so, to keep away from those that have little choice but to try and continue best as possible. If people had actually followed the initial guidelines regarding socialising then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!

The main aim is to limit the spread of the virus, especially to the vulnerable. Things will probably get worse before they get better (looking at other countries) it might be that a more strict lock down is implemented. Lets hope and remain positive that the current measures are enough.

 

[Baddegg]

Problem is we are constantly getting mixed messages! especially on what is deemed as "essential work". The government is trying to balance stopping the spread of the virus and at the same time saving the economy from collapse.
If the government force all "non essential" industry to cease then there will be many companies that will not survive. Help to pay wages and loans to companies is fine but all this money will have to be paid back. People may find themselves without a job when this crisis is over which means more strain on the economy to pay benefits which has now been spent on supporting the crisis already.
A comment was made earlier that management are isolating themselves and expecting the workforce to continue as normal. Well this might be the case with some companies, but I'm risking my own health to keep my company afloat while my staff stay at home with 80% pay. I'm doing this so my staff will have a job to come back to when this is all over.
So for those of you who are lucky enough to be able to stay at home then you should do so, to keep away from those that have little choice but to try and continue best as possible. If people had actually followed the initial guidelines regarding socialising then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!

The main aim is to limit the spread of the virus, especially to the vulnerable. Things will probably get worse before they get better (looking at other countries) it might be that a more strict lock down is implemented. Lets hope and remain positive that the current measures are enough.

i was referring the directors and senior management of the large house building firms @Intoelectrics, I’m sure you knew that really, good luck to you continuing with work ?

 

[Intoelectrics]

i was referring the directors and senior management of the large house building firms @Intoelectrics, I’m sure you knew that really, good luck to you continuing with work ?

Yes, sorry... I'm just like many folk very frustrated and concerned, not only for people's health but also for their livelihood.

I'm sure their will be plenty of unscrupulous, greedy selfish people who will make a s**t load of money from this crisis with no concern for anyone else

 

[Baddegg]

Yes, sorry... I'm just like many folk very frustrated and concerned, not only for people's health but also for their livelihood.

I'm sure their will be plenty of unscrupulous, greedy selfish people who will make a s**t load of money from this crisis with no concern for anyone else

No need for apology mate, I can imagine the pressure you are under and good man for being conscious of your employees health, the industry needs more people like you ?

 

[happysteve]

Had an update from Stroma (so presumably the NAPIT advice will be the same):

The Government announcement on Monday 23rd March 2020 where Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated "people should only leave their homes to go to work where it is absolutely necessary" has since developed and we would like to provide clarity to our members on the recent government updates since this as detailed below. We are closely following the government guidelines and will be providing you with regular updates on how COVID-19 will affect you and your business. Please be aware of the advice shared on other platforms, particularly social media at this time and be rest assured that we will be keeping you up to date with the most current government information availa The current guidance as of today does appear to be to go out and work if you can’t work from home, and if that work is in a customer’s property take great care over social distancing. The government has released information on "work carried out in people homes", see below: Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms. Again, it will be important to ensure that Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a 2 metre distance from any household occupants, are followed to ensure everyone’s safety. See guidance on social distancing here No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households. No work should be carried out by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild. Visit the government website here for details ​

It's went from "people should only leave their homes to go to work where it is absolutely necessary" (Boris' speech, transcripts available in various places) to "people should only leave their homes to go to work where this absolutely cannot be done at home" (written guidance from .gov.uk released a few minutes later). If you view the transcript of the speech and the written guidance side by side, they are identical in pretty much all respects apart from this one.

Basically, in his address to the nation, he fluffed his lines.

Whether he did this on purpose, with the best of intentions, just to try to get as many people off the streets (and tube) as possible, I don't know.

I love(!) the way there's still some ambiguity. So if the person(s) in the house is/are in isolation, or in a category where they are shielded from exposure due to underlying health conditions, there are only very limited circumstances you can (if willing) enter their home to do work ("to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household"). But they draw a distinction between this situation, and "tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance." So if the first example is clearly an emergency, then what is the second?

Stroma, as you can imagine, are entirely quiet on this regard. They state (above):

"The current guidance as of today does appear to be to go out and work if you can’t work from home, and if that work is in a customer’s property take great care over social distancing."

So they (Stroma) make no distinction on the type of work you're doing (except, of course, for work in the houses of those self-isolating or shielded), they present the government words and leave those difficult decisions up to us.

I'm sure more and more details and more nuanced advice will come out in the days that follow.

For now, I'm pausing (as I have the luxury of enough savings to do so). I've posted the following on my website and facebook page:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) update

We're all trying to keep others safe, and to stay safe ourselves.


(1) Electricity can be dangerous, but is also essential. If you need work doing urgently during the COVID-19 period, get in touch. I will undertake essential work, and take precautions (social distancing, wipe-down etc).


(2) Electricity can be dangerous: do not try fixing things, or changing things, yourself. "Simple jobs" can escalate to emergencies, or result in putting yourself and others at risk, if you don't have the right test gear, experience, knowledge, and a box of random electrical bits and bobs.


(3) If you're thinking of getting some work done, I'll be very happy to discuss with you and advise, with a view to booking you in once this all blows over.


Stay safe, folks

 

[Midwest]

I don't get all this ambiguity stuff. The guidance is clear, might not want tradespersons want to hear, and I respect the fact its going to cause hardship, but it is what it is.