CONS ERVATORY COMMENT
Back to work in the ‘new normal’
Ian Sims, managing director of Double R Glass & Roofing Systems, takes a look
at the conservatory industry specifically, as installers return to work in the new
COVID- era.
It is almost beyond belief the changes the world
has undergone so far this year. For the UK
alone, in the last three months, we have been
locked down, told to keep away from friends
and family and had a limit put on the amount of
times we’re allowed to leave our homes in a day.
Although some manufacturers kept their doors
open throughout the tight lockdown phase, most
of the window, door and conservatory industry
shut down, almost overnight, at the end of March.
The majority of the industry is back to work now,
but the landscape has changed significantly and life
as we know it may not return for some time.
The Government have of course released
new guidelines as to how manufacturers and
tradespeople working in the home operate in
this new era, which I’ll come on to in a moment.
However, something not covered in those
guidelines and extremely pertinent to our industry
at this time, is our ability to work together. To
overcome the unprecedented period of hitting
pause as an industry and now returning to
work with reduced capacity in a lot of cases,
we need to cooperate with other. The window
and conservatory industry is resilient, and we
have overcome tough times before, but we have
done it by working together and we need to do
the same now – that means coordinating stock
levels, payments and lead times throughout the
entire supply chain, while we all adjust to the ‘new
normal’.
ASSESS THE RISK
A big part of this ‘new normal’ for installers is
the new guidance published by the Government
for tradespeople working in the home. It is never
completely black and white and reading through it,
some of the advice appears quite generic. However,
it does state that the advice given should be taken
by business owners and applied to their own
businesses and workplaces in a way that is relevant
to them.
One of the most important headlines is that
employers have a legal responsibility to protect
employees throughout this pandemic. As an
employer myself, I know that the health and
safety of staff is a huge weight to carry, regardless
of the fact it is a legal responsibility. To ensure
you’re doing everything possible, the advice says
employers should carry out a risk assessment and
reduce risk to the lowest reasonable level. They
suggest, for example, to think about who should be
at work and whose homes you’re visiting – you now
need to check if they are self-isolating, or if they fall
into a higher risk category.
KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE
‘Social distancing’ is a phrase that’s here to stay for
the time being at least. The Government advice is
to ‘social distance in the home wherever possible’.
It is terms like ‘wherever possible’ that are open to
interpretation. I understand the need to be vague
because every home and every trade is different,
but to protect the future of our industry and
ensure we remain open for business, the more we
can practice social distancing the better. It isn’t
easy. Our installer customers tell us that when
your mind is on the job, it’s hard to remember you
need to ‘give way’ to homeowners as you move
in and around their homes, especially with fuller
households to contend with, but recognise it’s
something they have to get used to.
COMMUNICATION AND
NEW DAILY PRACTICES
Another important aspect of working in people’s
homes is communication. Our installers are
telling us that the whole process is working
more smoothly when they talk to homeowners
before they arrive and let them know what to
expect and what they need from everyone in the
household while they’re there. For example, it’s the
responsibility of all involved to pay extra attention
to cleaning and hygiene to reduce any risk.
The conservatory industry is perhaps slightly
better off than a lot of other sectors that work in
people’s homes because so much of the work can
take place outdoors. Of course, not entirely, and
the guidance is still relevant either way, but our
installers are finding homeowners are given peace
of mind because of the proportion of work that can
be done completely outside of the home. Whether
you have already, or are planning to get back to
work soon, it’s imperative to review the most up
to date Government advice at https://www.gov.
uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronaviruscovid
‰Š/homes to protect yourself, your staff, your
customers and your business.
June www.ggpmag.com
/www.gov
/www.ggpmag.com
