Adapting to the Pandemic

The global pandemic has caused monumental impact on the way we all do business, both now and in the future. The construction industry has taken a hit overall during the pandemic. Sites have remained open, however social distancing protocols, a volatile infection rate, a shortage of key supplies and ever-increasing costs have naturally impacted both productivity and profitability. We at X-Hire have tried to adopt a leadership position throughout this challenging time. We have following strict guidelines across all of our depots across the UK and encouraged X-Hire colleagues to do everything necessary to ensure the safety of themselves and our customers.

At the beginning of the first lockdown, construction sites were instructed to stay open by the UK government. On 23 March 2020, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) released Site Operating Procedures (SOP). This included stringent procedures that were required in order for any operational construction sites. This information fell in accordance with the Public Heath England (PHE) regulations. Quickly, a revised version was released, bringing about worries within the industry as the rules were extremely difficult to adhere to. Social distancing was undoubtedly central to sites remaining open, and the most responsible site managers shut their sites for a 24 hour period in order to devise the best way of implementing the rules.

The UK government have advised companies to assess whether working practices can be restructured to maintain a two metre distance, or one metre with risk mitigations in place. When our transport team deliver kit on site, they are briefed to keep the maximum distance possible whilst still ensuring that the powered access equipment and additional products are taken precisely where they need to be for our customers. 

There are several scenarios within the construction environment where social distancing must be implemented. If on-site training is needed, it should take place in an open outdoor space and group sizes must be small. For IPAF training and PASMA training courses that are booked via X-Hire.