{"id":73973,"date":"2020-03-27T09:44:22","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T09:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=73973"},"modified":"2020-03-27T09:44:22","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T09:44:22","slug":"essential-construction-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/essential-construction-work\/73973\/","title":{"rendered":"Construction Industry Council outlines \u2018essential\u2019 construction work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chief executive of the Construction Industry Council<\/a>, Graham Watts, has created a list of construction work that he believes is essential<\/h2>\n

In a blog post, Watts said it would be \u201cincredibly dangerous for\u00a0all\u00a0construction sites<\/a> to close; but it is also incredibly dangerous for\u00a0all\u00a0construction sites to remain open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below is the list of critical construction work that Watts says ought to continue for issues of public safety:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Make good unsafe buildings\/dangerous structures \u2013District Surveyors need powers to instruct emergency work to be done to make them safe if any occur \u2013 and a hastily abandoned site might just lead to a dangerous structure occurring.<\/li>\n
  2. Structural inspections for subsidence\/movement to determine risk<\/li>\n
  3. Structural and roofing problems, loose tiles\/chimney stacks, weathering<\/li>\n
  4. All general building control work (both LABC and AIs) for nationally important buildings\/facilities, e.g. NHS estate, GPs, etc.<\/li>\n
  5. Drainage works\/maintenance etc \u2013 important to avoid any increased public health problems in this respect<\/li>\n
  6. Fire safety inspections<\/li>\n
  7. Requirement for maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment to meet Fire Safety legislation \u2013 even if buildings are not occupied.<\/li>\n
  8. Ongoing need for Fire risk assessments, both to meet legislation and new circumstances in buildings.<\/li>\n
  9. Remedial work required to remove unsafe ACM cladding etc.<\/li>\n
  10. Glazing replacement<\/li>\n
  11. Locksmithing\/lock replacement<\/li>\n
  12. Gas safety work\/ Suspected gas leaks<\/li>\n
  13. Electrical safety work\/ Electrical failures<\/li>\n
  14. Flood remediation (especially to homes hit by recent floods)<\/li>\n
  15. Plumbing and heating failures including loss of heating\/condensation problems\/hot water services<\/li>\n
  16. Emergency Leaking\/ flooding<\/li>\n
  17. Health risks associated with blocked drainage\/sewerage systems<\/li>\n
  18. Water companies \u2013 remedial\/emergency work to buildings and assets that are crucial to the supply of clean water,<\/li>\n
  19. New or business\/safety-critical maintenance work on establishments which are involved in supply chain of vital NHS equipment (for example where manufacturers are building units to make ventilators),<\/li>\n
  20. Factories that are making anything required to combat the virus (e.g. a new hand sanitiser factory is under construction);<\/li>\n
  21. Food supply chain \u2013 essential new builds or maintenance on existing buildings<\/li>\n
  22. Extra warehouse space for food distribution by online platforms (to cope with massively increased demand)<\/li>\n
  23. New or business\/safety-critical maintenance work on establishments which are involved in supply of medicines,<\/li>\n
  24. Essential maintenance on morgues, funeral parlours, and crematoriums<\/li>\n
  25. Essential maintenance and remediation across the health sector<\/li>\n
  26. Installation\/maintenance technicians providing services to key sectors \u2013 health, power etc?<\/li>\n
  27. Emergency callouts, safety checks and essential work in care homes?<\/li>\n
  28. Ongoing supervision and security measures.<\/li>\n
  29. Sites where anti-terrorism considerations need to take precedence over other concerns \u2013 eg Palace of Westminster.<\/li>\n
  30. Urgent works on emergency service properties other than health – police, fire, for example?<\/li>\n
  31. Unsafe infrastructure \u2013 if a lorry strikes a bridge during the shutdown, for example, then work may be needed to make safe the affected structure.<\/li>\n
  32. Bridge inspection and maintenance<\/li>\n
  33. Dam inspection and maintenance<\/li>\n
  34. Maintaining key national infrastructure: power stations and grid, motorways, railways, utilities etc.<\/li>\n
  35. Repair and maintenance of telecommunications, energy waste and water \u00a0\u2013 these are vital to work from home<\/li>\n
  36. R&D facilities, where related to vaccine development or virus treatment<\/li>\n
  37. Work on factories that make materials that are vital to all elements on this list<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Watts argues that construction sites should only remain open if the work is critical and work can only continue if:<\/h3>\n