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Cladding remediation work can continue during lockdown, says government
Cladding remediation work remains “critical to public safety” and can continue during the coronavirus outbreak, government guidance has said.
The new guidance on building safety, published over the weekend, also confirmed that those operating waking watches would be considered “essential workers” and continue to be allowed to travel to and from work during the nationwide lockdown.
On remediation work, the guidance said construction sites have not been asked to close and that work could continue if done safely. The guidance said it was therefore “possible” for remediation work to continue.
However, it left the final decision with the industry, saying: “Those responsible for commissioning building safety work, such as the remediation of high-rise buildings with unsafe ACM [aluminium composite material] cladding, and the construction companies undertaking the work, should consider how best to proceed and/or mitigate the risks arising from such work being paused.”
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It follows work to several cladding sites being paused, including the giant New Capital Quay site in Greenwich and the Samuel Garside building in Barking which was hit by a huge cladding fire last summer.
“Making buildings safe, including progressing the remediation of high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding, particularly those with unsafe ACM cladding, and maintaining measures to ensure buildings are safe ahead of remediation, remains a priority for the government. The government’s view is that this work is critical to public safety,” the new update said.
However, on Twitter, Dr Jonathan Evans, chief executive of cladding company Ash & Lacy, said the industry had already slowed due to the outbreak, with only one of six sites still open.
“Most cladding suppliers are already closed until further notice. One has just closed permanently,” he said. “We only have one out of six sites still open supplying critical aerospace and computer parts as well as cladding for a hospital project. Ninety per cent of workforce furloughed.”
The guidance added that the government has put in place “additional project management support with construction expertise to help oversee remediation”.
It said this team would “work with those responsible for remediation and the department to understand the impact of COVID-19 on remediation projects and identify ways to reduce the impact on pace”.
On waking watches, it noted new guidance published by the National Fire Chiefs Council last week.
It added: “Staff undertaking waking watch or other critical fire safety roles are providing vital public safety functions to keep homes safe. They may, therefore, be classified as critical workers for the purposes of childcare provision.”
