Covid and NSW Construction industry update as at 28 July 2021.
The NSW premier has offered a lifeline to the construction industry – allowing the construction industry to take up tools on “non-occupied sites” in certain parts of Sydney.
Gladys Berejiklian announced the move despite the state recording 177 new cases of COVID overnight on Tuesday.
Berejiklian announced to weary Sydneysiders that lockdown would continue for a further four weeks – until August 28 – across Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong, and Shellharbour. In addition, given localised case numbers, the Parramatta, Campbelltown, and Georges River LGAs will join the five existing council areas of concern – Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, and Cumberland – where only authorised workers may leave their LGA for work.
However, in a positive move for the beleaguered construction industry, the premier announced from Saturday 31 July 2021 that construction in non-occupied settings outside of those LGAs of concern would reopen.
Non-occupied settings are those with no residents onsite.
“These low-risk construction sites must have COVID safe plans in place, compliance will be strictly enforced,” the premier said. “Construction cannot resume in the eight LGAs of concern, nor will construction workers be allowed to leave these areas.”
Tradespeople who are able to work with zero contact with residents will also be allowed to resume – provided there are no more than two people inside and five outside.
If contactless arrangements are not possible, work cannot go ahead. This work will not be allowed in the eight LGAs of concern, nor will workers be allowed to leave these areas.
Prep work on sites can take place as soon as tomorrow Thursday 29 July 2021, this means taking receipt of deliveries, construction machinery, and safety gear and erecting covid safe plans on-site. Nothing else.
Please do not be looking for loopholes and most of all make sure you have your covid safe plans ready and that all workers are kept informed.
It will only take one person who doesn’t do the right thing to push the entire industry back into another shutdown.
ACRA suggests you continue to monitor the situation every few days via the NSW Government website as things change often.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/latest-news-and-updates
