Construction is not customer-facing so it outlived the social distancing restrictions on economic activity relatively unscathed. There’s a logic we can all understand that if you operate a restaurant you’re basically operating a giant petri dish incubating and spreading a virus among your customers.

“Customers” of a construction project can afford to stay well clear of the site while workers are doing their thing.

But workers can be infected as well and they can infect each other. Other essential workplaces (like supermarkets) have received guidelines on how to minimise risk for their staff. Distancing, cleaning protocols, gloves, masks and protective gear, changed transportation routines and so on. This is how you manage a risk. It does not eliminate it but you do your best to bring it down to the realm of the acceptable.

Does the construction industry think its staff are immune from contagion.

Look at these pictures of a huge gang of employees congregating in a car park early this morning. No protective gear, no gloves, no masks and above all proximity well within the recommended limits. But even if it weren’t that does not matter because the car park was a meeting place. They were all stuffed like sardines in a bus to be taken to work.

Is this helping?