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IN THE MEDIA — Nelson Mail, Nelson 20 Apr 2020, by Lawrence Gullery
Reporting on the Consequences of COVID-19 General News, page 8 - 220.00 cm² Provincial - circulation 7,044 (M-W-FS-) ID 1263758610
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Rigid new rules for returning builders Pandemic Lawrence Gullery Builders are being asked to accept tough new health and safety rules that stop short of requiring every person to be Covid-19 tested before heading back to the construction site. Master Builders, New Zealand Certified Builders and Construction Health and Safety NZ have developed new protocols for builders working on residential construction sites. The new measures were released in anticipation of the Government lowering the coronavirus alert level from four to three, allowing builders to return to work. Certified Builders chief executive Grant Florence, who had been involved in writing the new protocols, said Covid-19 testing was discussed at length. ‘‘But we think if the 2m distancing rule and the protocols are followed by everyone coming to site, then there is sufficient management of risk. ‘‘We did look at how couriers were operating, they are very busy around the community delivering to homes. There didn’t seem to be a requirement for that practice [to be tested], logically, the distancing measures they were using seemed to work very well.’’ The new rules require each construction site to have a Covid19 Controls Plan, to show how it will minimise the risk of transmission.
Master Builders president Darrell Trigg said there was a clear focus on limiting contact and distance between people on site. ‘‘It may be that people have to work on site in shifts, one during the day and one at night, but not having builders, plumbers, electricians all there at once in the same area. ‘‘There will also have to be clear records showing who is on site and when they arrive and when they left.’’ He said getting used to the new way of working would take some time and productivity would slow. ‘‘Typically, if you’re doing a fit-out job, you have heaps of people in one room at the same time. That’s not going to happen now, the job will still go ahead, but you’ll only have one person in the room at the time. ‘‘So yes, reaching those targets or milestones will take a bit longer, but it’s better than no progress at all.’’ Trigg and Florence are asking builders to ‘‘step up’’ to the challenge of accepting a new way of working. They want their members to read over the new protocols available of their industry websites. Hamilton property developer Matt Stark said it would take time for the building industry to adjust to the new way of working. ‘‘I suppose the main focus is making sure everyone is safe, like we always do. But taking those extra measures to make sure the right processes are in place.’’ Nelson Mail, Nelson 20 Apr 2020
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