Today BUILD UK, in collaboration with its members, released a video detailing the construction industry’s involvement in managing the Coronavirus pandemic. As you will see, there has been a united approach within our industry to not only keep our country running, but ensure everyone who has continued to work through this pandemic returns home safe. The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees has, and will always be, my key priority as Executive Chairman of Keltbray.

Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to update you on how Keltbray has contributed to the national effort and detail how we’ve implemented measures in line with government guidelines to provide a safe working environment for all of our employees.

The following are examples of, but not limited to, the contributions Keltbray have made throughout the Coronavirus pandemic:

  1. In collaboration with Wilson James, LendLease and the Royal Engineers, Keltbray constructed a 2000-space carpark for staff working at the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCEL Exhibition Centre, London, within two weeks.
  2. Donated 10,000 masks to the NHS from our procurement division.
  3. Skills and Communities Director, Holly Price, acquired numerous surgical masks and gowns from within the industry for donation to the NHS.
  4. Drivers from Keltbray Environmental Solutions, led by Dan Frost, have, and are continuing to, provide the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity support and assistance by:
    1. Collecting PPE provided by Boots UK and delivering to their hospitals in Sutton and Chelsea on numerous occasions.
    2. The collection of 52 care packages for NHS staff self-isolating made by Royal Marsden and delivered to the homes of said staff across the London and the South East.
  5. Operatives from our Distribution & Transmission business, Lee Davies and Jack Martyn, took time out of their day to help one paramedic who had lost power to their home.
  6. Branded two of our London based lorries with a Thank You message for the NHS and keyworkers who have helped keep this country running.

As you will be aware, many of our Built Environment Services sites in London and across the UK were forced to shut down during the initial weeks of the lockdown period whilst our Infrastructure Services division continued to work at almost full capacity. Since the initial lockdown period, many of our Built Environment Services sites have reopened as we seek to return to a ‘new normal’.

To help facilitate this ‘new normal’, we have made extensive efforts to ensure a safe working environment across the group. Our Senior Leadership and COVID-19 Crisis Management Teams have worked with both site and fixed locations to put measures and policies in place to adhere to the ever changing government guidelines, whilst ensuring we remain as fluid and flexible as possible to support both our clients and employees.

Implementing COVID specific signage, one way systems and temperature testing in our site and fixed locations to name a few, Keltbray is, and will continue to be, committed to keeping our employees safe as we navigate through this ever-changing coronavirus landscape.

Our industry has gone to extreme lengths to keep this country’s infrastructure and economy running and I know that same level of effort extends across many of our own teams here at Keltbray, who are working tirelessly to keep the UK’s transport, utility and healthcare facilities working. They are all a great demonstration of the ‘can do’ culture that prevails here.

 

Brendan Kerr,

Executive Chairman