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FROM THE DESK OF: GORDON BEST, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MPANI
STAY SAFE AND WELL THIS WINTER
Gordon Best, MPANI
The rates of COVID-19 transmission continue at high levels as we move into the winter and the period when flu, colds and other viruses are more prevalent. MPANI would appeal to everyone to remain vigilant as we reinforce the importance of keeping workplaces Covid secure to reduce the risk of infection for your workforce. The level of protection from vaccinations may vary within your operation depending on the demographics of your employees and contractors. Some younger members may not yet be vaccinated, some older members may have lowered levels of protection as they wait for their third jab and some individuals may have chosen not to be vaccinated. To keep all the workforce safe, please ensure that you continue to risk assess your workplace for COVID-19 and monitor the application of the control measures you have in place. Follow this link to the MPA Covid resources and information on www.safequarry.com
RECOGNITION It was great to see a number of local MPANI Members recognised at the recent MPA British Precast Health and Safety Awards. We had 136 topic award entries, 30 Young Leader Award submissions and 43 Individual Recognition Award entries from 37 different member companies. The quality as well as the quantity of entries has been impressive. As current MPA Chairman, Simon Willis said, “As an industry we have a collective moral responsibility to make sure everyone goes home safe and well every day. No one person and no one company has all the answers - we can all learn something from the entries into these awards and right now is a golden opportunity to take action. “We’re at our best when we learn from each other - everyone is safer by sharing and safer by action. We’re all in this together and we all have the same objective. Everyone across the industry in every job role must be empowered
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to actively contribute to health and safety – we all have the same responsibility and the same right to safe working.”.
SAFETY WEBINAR MPANI recently hosted the HSENI/ HSA All Island Safety Webinar on the 17 November and was well attended with 75 attendees. The webinar was chaired by our own Chairman, Simon McDowell, and is available for viewing on line at https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/ share/vp0u8V_oNFJkUtvwHD0rPKjvzlbn7W O0lu9gmEqoRpUa2OPH04pJ-ZF9p30mfRCk. hbT-J01BYH_gCBC2 Passcode: TJ$3bxWe
ECONOMIC RECOVERY On the economic front, despite the fallout from Brexit and Covid across the UK, the economic output this year rebounded faster than most had expected. UK GDP in September was 8.6% higher than its most recent trough in Jan-21, and just 0.6% below its pre-pandemic (Feb-20) level. GDP is on track for around 7% growth this year compared with 2020.The Institute for Fiscal Studies summed it up well: “The UK economy is in the midst of a sharp – but incomplete and wildly imbalanced – recovery.” Sharp because output this year rebounded faster than most had expected. Incomplete because despite this rapid rebound, the UK economy remains short of its pre- pandemic trajectory. The Bank of England projections show that output by the end of this year will still be some 3.5% below where it was projected to be before Covid (Jan-20). This is significant; the financial crisis for instance led to a 4.2% contraction in 2009. Wildly imbalanced because, as demand exceeds supply in many areas of the economy, it is still lagging in other areas. Most forecasters have based their forecast view on the assumption that the impact of Covid on the economy continues to wane over the next few months, building on the roll out of the vaccination programme and reopening of the UK and local economy.
Most experts say it is still too early for a clear assessment of the impact of Omicron, forecasters expect this impact to be relatively small, given the economy’s adaptability to past restrictions and established vaccination programme. Omicron does however add significantly to market uncertainties, with a major question-mark on the effectiveness of current vaccines against this new variant. Until this is clarified, consumer confidence and spending are likely to take the hit. The reimposition of significant restrictions would result in a more marked impact, but there is little sign of this yet. Energy costs are affecting all mineral products companies, but especially cement manufacturers whose production costs are impacted by rising wholesale electricity prices and the significant increase in the carbon price in the UK Emission Trading Scheme. Even before the recent spike in gas prices, cement producers in the UK faced both a higher carbon price and among the highest industrial energy prices in Europe as a result of Government policy decisions. Costs will be further exacerbated by forthcoming tax increases and the removal of the red diesel rebate. MPA anticipates that demand for most mineral products will remain relatively robust through 2022-23, assuming work accelerates on major infrastructure projects as planned. This is despite the ongoing shortages, delays and cost increases expected to linger in the wider construction supply chain over the next 12-18 months. Limited HGV drivers and haulage capacity will continue to affect mineral products supply. Locally, the most recent PMI from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland signalled that surging price rises acted as a brake on the Northern Ireland private sector, restricting growth of business activity and contributing to a decrease in new orders. Both input costs and output prices rose at new record rates. On a more positive
