COVID-19 Construction Briefing

As the construction industry begins to re-open sites for essential construction projects, the following briefing has been announced today in order to support construction sites upon their reopening in order to ensure they are kept safe and individual employees are being supported. Keep reading for an overview of the briefing which was prepared in collaboration with the industry’s leading trade and representative bodies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doF_vyqjAf0&t=11s (LinkedIn Cover)

1) Guidance for workers - This short video has been produced by the Construction Industry Council which is a good demonstration of safe and responsible guidelines for workers and employers to follow when they re-enter the construction sites during the ongoing pandemic. These guidelines are put in place to minimise spread of the virus and ensure all employees are kept healthy and safe. This video is the perfect tool to show to employees to advise on how to follow the government recommendations on social distancing.

2) Bounce Back Loans - Yesterday it was announced by the chancellor that the new bounce back loans scheme will allow businesses to borrow between ￡2,000 and ￡50,000 and these amounts will be accessible within days. These loans will be interest-free for a 12-month period and businesses are able to apply for these loans from the 4th May. With no repayments for the first 12-months, and low repayment terms to be agreed for the rest of the loan, this will be a fantastic support opportunity, especially for small businesses who might be struggling during this time. The government is taking additional steps on the CBILS (CoronaVirus Business Interruption Scheme) to ensure lenders are able to process applications as quickly as possible, this will include changing the viability tests so all banks will need to know is whether a business was viable or not pre COVID-19.

3) Apprenticeship Programme - Apprenticeship programmes are extremely important especially in the construction industry and are something which are a valued initiative to support young people entering the workforce. In order to support the apprenticeship programme in these difficult times, the UK government has updated their guidance online. Providing information on furloughed apprenticeship wages, information on collecting signatures, additional content on flexibilities of end-point assessment and flexibilities for English and Maths functional skills for level 2 apprentices.

Find out more

here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-apprentices-employers-training-providers-end-point-assessment-organisations-and-external-quality-assurance-pro

4) Furloughed Workers It is important to remember that all employees are in very different personal situations. It has been announced that furloughed workers who have planned paid parental or adoption leave will be entitled to full pay based on their usual earnings rather than reduced furloughed pay rate. This is a positive move showing support for difficult family situations during this time.

With these steps put in place by the government to manage the transition back to site over the next few months, the return to the construction sites will be made a lot easier. With the new legislation put in place to support workers and their families, we can expect to see a smoother transition back to work and we can imagine that this will put some people's minds at ease over the coming months.