Like many companies, we have had to make a few operational changes over the past few weeks so that we can continue to offer outstanding levels of service, while protecting our team and our customers from COVID-19.
With the last few members of staff returned to the business from Furlough in early June, we’re back to a full team again and able to offer a complete service; both on site and in back-office functions. Some of the team are still working from home, if their roles allow, which means there is plenty of space in the office for social distancing, and additional cleaning regimes have been implemented to support a safer working environment. We’re proud of the way everyone has stepped up to play their part in making all of this possible.
Many of the Millcroft team remained in work throughout the lockdown to provide business critical services to our customers. That included keeping teams on site for a number of construction projects across London, as well as maintaining the planned programme for industrial and infrastructure clients with mission critical projects. With the lockdown now easing, we are back on site across an increasing number of projects, and have also started several new jobs, including new leisure and fit out projects and a programme of 5G mast upgrades.
While we usually advocate the use of public transport for our teams as part of Millcroft’s environmental commitment, our policy at the moment is to discourage our team from using the Tube, particularly at rush hour. To enable them to get to work and site, we have issued pool cars and asked all members of staff who can drive to travel to work alone in their own vehicle or in their allocated pool car.
Because we anticipated that the pandemic would reach the UK as soon as it started to spread across Asia and Europe, we have plenty of PPE and hand sanitising gel available in the offices, the yard and on site. We have kept up-to-date with Site Operating Procedures (SOP), which have been updated as the situation has unfolded, and we will continue to do so, ensuring we implement the latest guidance on site.
The safety of our teams, our clients and our sites continues to be a high priority. It’s also an evolving requirement, which is why we’re tailoring risk assessments to each operation and constantly reviewing them.
It’s been a culture change for us, as it has been for everyone. From how we open the post and manage cleaning regimes in the office, to how we operate on site, we’ve responded quickly to keep our standards high and our service levels consistent. We’re looking forward to easing some of the measures we’ve implemented over the coming months but, for now, those measures are in place with good reason and they’re allowing us to focus on what we do best: providing industry-leading scaffolding and access solutions.
