Construction Industry in front of Coronavirus

In order to limit the risk of financial loss, artisans rely on the accompanying measures announced by the government. They also hope for measures intended for employees.

For several weeks, France has been facing the spread of an epidemic. The building activity collapsed by 75% in March, leading the French President to ask everyone to ensure the continuation of its activity under satisfactory health safety conditions.

It is therefore necessary to strive for continuity of their activity, to avoid a complete shutdown of the construction sites.

The Government is aware of the difficulties for the construction industry when it comes to implementing barrier measures, but also in their ability to obtain materials and equipment and to mobilize the necessary personnel. This has led to the slowdown, even shutdown, of many construction sites in the country since the start of this epidemic.

Both representatives of construction companies and the Government agreed on several principles to strengthen the continuity of activity in the sector and the continuation of construction sites.

Construction sites in front of COVID-19

Containment measures have led to site temporary shutdowns. The government and the professional federations are working on a protocol to allow their restart.

Faced with the stoppage of construction sites, the French construction and public works prevention organization (OPPBTP) has set up a guide of good practices, validated by the Government, to allow the continuity of work. It lays down urgent and specific measures to be observed during the Covid-19 epidemic, to ensure satisfactory sanitary conditions for construction workers.

If a company fails to comply with the recommendations on its construction site, then, it will be required to stop operating on the latter. Companies that cannot adapt their operations or implement the set recommendations may resort to partial unemployment.

Workers’ health and safety is the main concern. Vigilance must be maintained on standard site risks. These general instructions concern the observance of barrier gestures, hygiene, site-access control and staff information, all of which must be considered as rules. Instructions aim to encourage home-office, to restrict on site staff presence as well as staff travelling, business intervention and site developments.

Some measures to be aware of on construction sites:

• basic hygiene rules display: wash your hands regularly, do not shake hands, respect social distances
• Reinforce the premises’ cleaning and intensify its frequency: lockers, refectories, toilets and site offices, you may decontaminate premises if necessary
• In order to avoid having to many workers at the same time on site, site arrival times, meals and site slots between on site operating companies, can be shifted.
• Make sure that workers’ concentration is not too important in confined spaces, with regards to intervention planning
• Ban site meetings and communicate by email, videoconferences.

Bartec Group in front of COVID-19

In order to cope with this epidemic, our company has known how to be reactive. It has placed the safety and health of its employees first.

Philippe Huet, Bartec Group CEO, tells us more about the various measures taken for the sake of Groups’ activity and employees.

"We have just gone through an exceptional crisis … the kind of crisis like the world has not seen in a long time.”

No one could have foreseen such an unpredictable,  almost unimaginable crisis, yet BARTEC Group was ready to face this unprecedented crisis;

Indeed, BARTEC Group:

• Had strengthened its capital base in 2019 to cope with face such a situation and even more to be able to continue and maintain its development, initiated years ago,
• Is equipped with a high-performing connected computer network allowing all its employees to work on the general server no matter where in the world they may be located,

Its connected machines and the use of videoconference tools have enabled BARTEC Group to assist customers, even during this difficult period, and to act remotely on construction sites, carrying out remote analyses, and even remote start-ups.

All  these measures, added to the good will and to the involvement of company staff, without whom nothing would have been possible, have made it possible to reduce the economic impact on BARTEC Groups’ turnover.

Used to continuous improvement process BARTEC Group will develop in the coming years for all of its subsidiaries abroad the intensive use of remote communication, preventive maintenance, acquisition of statistical data to further optimize production, and to improve.

In spite of the looming major economic crisis, management and shareholders have taken employee health and safety very seriously:

• Even before the official announcement of the general confinement, the employees were invited to stay at their homes as of March 16^th.
• The physical distancing measures and the barrier gestures had already been implemented several days before the official obligations,
• Wages have been a 100% maintained for all employees, short-time workers included
• Punctual interventions which could not be done by telework, have been realized under strict sanitary conditions, priority being clearly given to safety before execution efficiency.

Chinese have an expression "Wei-ji meaning CRISIS. The first character means "Danger" and the second one "opportunity".

Boosting its Chinese subsidiary during this period, by hiring new engineers and by initiating a large-scale partnership on this market, representing 20% of the worlds’ market share

BARTEC Group has fully complied with this Chinese expression. At the date of today, this partnership in China is about to be signed and will allow BARTEC Group to confirm its global business take off “.

Let’s hope that Construction industry will not suffer a major economic impact

In fact, it appears that more than half of the construction sites have reopened by now.