Coronavirus Update 10.11.2020
COMMERCIAL FLOOR LAYING AND ITS SUPPLY CHAIN TO CONTINUE WORKING DURING LOCKDOWN
The CFA believes it should be business as usual for the contract flooring sector, as England goes into its second national lockdown.
In a letter to the construction industry, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) reminded us: “The Prime Minister has explicitly said that construction and manufacturing should continue. The latest Government guidance has reiterated this, and that workers in these industries should continue to travel to work and attend their workplace, including where this involves working in other people’s homes.”
General guidance can be found on the Government website at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november
It is also important to consider any guidelines that apply in the devolved nations now and going forward.
Flooring manufacturers and distributors are an integral part of the supply chain to the construction industry and are therefore able to keep working. Guidelines for the distribution industry can be found on the CLC website. (https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Branch-Operating-Guidelines-during-COVID-19.pdf)
Work on construction sites should be carried out in accordance with the latest version of the Site Operating Procedures (SOP V6). Safe working practices and social distancing should be adhered to at all times. https://builduk.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Site-Operating-Procedures.pdf
“The latest lockdown guidance clearly directs the contract flooring sector and our supply chain to remain open. We have spoken to a number of contractors, manufacturers and distributors across membership in the last few days, and they confirm that it is business as usual with Covid-safe work practices in operation wherever necessary” says Hamish MacGregor, Chairman of MacGregor Flooring and President of the CFA. “This is first and foremost about people being safe, but it is also about allowing the sector to remain active, protecting jobs and enabling the entire contract flooring supply chain to play its part in securing a strong and viable construction sector, which is generally recognised to be a key part of the overall economic recovery.”