COVID-19 response
neither could they have foreseen that the implications for the economy and the safety of our urban population could be so far reaching. To take just one example: construction
sites in built up areas will find that they are surrounded by a greater density of people living and working in adjacent buildings, as they self isolate or work from home. The ability of fire to spread quickly from an unattended construction site potentially puts these people at greater risk unless adequate mitigation steps are taken. Protecting clients’ assets is vital too. After this crisis, they and their insurers will expect that adequate measures were taken. As a result, fire risk on all construction sites
including furloughed projects must remain a priority during the lockdown and several industry leaders have already identified this. Graham Watts, chief executive of the Construction Industry Council, published a list of construction work that he believes is essential for public safety, including: •
fire safety inspections
• maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment to meet fire safety legislation, even if buildings are unoccupied
• an ongoing need for fire risk assessments, to meet both legislation and new circumstances in buildings
•
remedial work to remove unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding etc
• emergency leaking/flooding
Mr Watts goes on to identify the conundrum facing us all, saying it would be ‘incredibly dangerous for all construction sites to close; but it is also incredibly dangerous for all construction sites to remain open’. Even though sites may have furloughed workers, electrical faults can still develop and cause fires to rage undetected, potentially spreading to adjoining occupied buildings. All of this is taking place at a time when
fire and rescue service (FRS) crews are being deployed to help the coronavirus effort, such as supporting ambulance teams. Criminal activity on furloughed sites can also result in fires, either from a discarded cigarette, arson or tampering with electrical circuits, which is not helped by the presence of flammable materials found on all sites.
Set against this background is the need for some construction work to continue. A good example is the replacement of unsafe ACM cladding panels on high rise buildings, which remain ‘critical to public safety’. There is also wriggle room in other areas, on what the government calls ‘critical projects’ such as datacentres and pharmaceutical factories under construction ‘and the like’, which can see work continue.
FOCUS
www.frmjournal.com MAY 2020
21
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