Scottish construction bodies issue guidance to clarify working practices

The new Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum has told professionals to close non-essential building sites following the advice of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The group, made up of construction industry bodies, said construction professional should only carry out required repair and maintenance, as well as emergency work.

They should suspend other work such as building extensions, installing kitchens and bathroom suites or rewiring properties.

Vaughan Hart, managing director of the Scottish Building Federation, said: “It is of the utmost importance in these uncertain times to have the parameters clearly defined.

“The CICV Forum guidance makes it clear that, with the exception of sites classified by the First Minister as being essential, only repair and maintenance of an emergency nature should be undertaken in the construction industry.”

The CICV drafted an explanatory letter which can be issued to customers.

The CICV currently has 16 members, including the electrical contractors’ trade association SELECT, the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbers’ Federation (SNIPEF), the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA – Scotland), the Lift and Escalator Industry Association, the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) Scotland, the Scottish Building Federation (SBF), the Federation of Master Builders, the Scaffolding Association, the Stone Federation, the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, the Electrical Distributors’ Association, the Builders Merchants Federation, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Scottish Contractors Group and the British Constructional Steelwork Association.

The Forum has also set up two working groups to deal with employment issues, led by Vaughan Hart, managing director of SBF, and a commercial group led by SNIPEF chief executive Fiona Hodgson.