Following the recent government announcements across Europe regarding the heightend restrictions which will stay in place for up to 6 months, we felt it was important to remind our clients on the precautions we take when mobilising operatives on site.

COVID-19 has put a strain on everyone working in the construction industry. From late deliveries of materials, low stock of antibacterial gel to mandatory quarantines, the impact it has had on sites across Europe has been huge.

With that being said, mobilising labour now comes with a new variety of challenges and responsibility.

Pre-deployment checks

Before deploying any manpower to a project, ESS will evaluate the following information for each operative:

• Where has the operative travelled in the past 2 weeks? Are any of these countries considered to be a high risk?
• Which mode of transport does the operative intend to take to travel to the project? Is there a lower risk mode of transport?
• Which route will the operative be taking to travel to the project? Is there a lower risk route?
• Ask the operative to declare if they have any symptoms? Should the operative be deemed a risk, we will not under any circumstances mobilise them for a project for their own safety and yours.

We are always happy to perform additional checks as requested by our clients.

Ongoing Checks

Even once mobilised, we will check in with our operatives regularly to ensure they remain a low risk to themselves and others:

• Rotations: Where will the operative be travelling to? Does the operative intend to stay there for the duration of their break? Which mode of transport does the operative intend to take? Which route will the operative be taking? Would any of the answers given by the operative pose a risk?
• Regular email updates on the virus and guidelines on what to do if the operatives suspect either themselves or a colleague has the virus
• Regular checks on site by our Site Support team to check on the general health of the guys and if anyone is showing symptoms In the case where we consider an operative to become a risk, we will inform the client immediately with a detailed explanation and follow the client/site protocol.
• Digital infrared thermometers issued to key personnel so that operatives temperatures can be checked without contact on arrival

Our logistics team keep themselves up to date with any changes to restrictions in the countries where we are operational so we can adapt quickly to any new rules set. For example, we recently heard that it would become mandatory to wear face masks on a site in Switzerland and within 2 days, all of our operatives had ESS face masks delivered to site.

It’s this quick and decisive way of working that is allowing us to keep one step ahead of these tough times.

If you are in need of labour, whether it be temporary to ride this period out or for a longer term, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

What an exciting and rewarding week it’s been here at ESS! COVID-19 has affected us all and with site closures, mandatory quarantine measures, air bridge cancellations and project delays, we too have had a quiet few months. However, we can finally feel the tide changing and the construction industry is coming out strong. Here are some highlights of week 36 from the ESS HQ:

Belgium
A large data centre in Belgium also saw us mobilise a team of electrical testers for a new client this week. With just 3 days notice to source the team and arrange logistics in a VERY over populated area of Belgium, our team worked flat out to ensure we got the job done with minimum fuss.

Finland
This week we started a team of 10 electricians on a large data centre in Finland. Current COVID restrictions on entry to Finland are high with only a small number of countries on their “approved list”.  However, thanks to our large database of operatives and sheer resilience of our recruitment team, we were able to source the full team from the limited countries available to us to ensure the client requirement was met on time.

Denmark
Denmark has also been ramping up again over the last few weeks. This week we started some logistics personnel on a data centre in Frederica and almost as soon as they started, we had another requirement for a team of pipefitters to start Monday next week.

Netherlands
The Netherlands has always felt like a second home to ESS. After a quiet period at the beginning of this year, things have picked up exponentially in the past few weeks. Just last week we mobilised 4 teams for 4 different clients on data centre projects across the country. The busy times followed into this week when on Monday we started a team of 8 mechanical fitters to work on a shipyard in the South of the Netherlands. It’s really great to see the projects here back up and running again.

It’s so exciting to be given the opportunity to work on so many diverse projects across Europe. We have started in multiple new territories this year, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland to name a few. Each new territory comes with its own challenges but the team at ESS have really pulled together this year to ensure every opportunity has materialised. It’s great that clients can rely on us for any territory they are starting in and know that ESS will not only mobilise high quality operatives but also deliver an ultra compliant solution in an unfamiliar country.

For more information on which countries we are now fully compliant in, please contact shannone@eusiteservices.com

Photos: Aerovista Luchtfotografie / Shutterstock.com