Coronavirus

[Johnny75]

No, they have misunderstood the ambiguous advice from the government, had it been clearer then site visits etc would still be going on, rest assured.

Better safe than sorry, no?

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Better safe than sorry, no?

Oh I agree. But that is not their reasoning I'm sure.

 

[Sniffer]

I guess your employer has taken the view that human life is more important than money and is limiting the spread of disease.

The pictures of the hospital staff on social media with placards saying stay at home are pretty telling.

I get what you are saying and I do sympathise with the hospital staff and what they are saying however do the hospital staff know the full extent of the supply chain to ensure that they have everything at their disposal? For all we know Bear's company is providing packaging that hospital equipment is being delivered in, Paddy's company is providing materials for a desperately needed hospital extension, the one I work for parts that go onto new Ambulances. Its all very well folk (and I'm not accusing you here) criticising Companies for being open but they don't necessarily know the full facts and the extent of the supply chain.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

We have done hospitals in the past. Not at the moment though. Mostly universities at the moment and this is the perfect moment to get the builds up as they are closed. Doing a hotel as well which seems somewhat less than essential I must admit.

 

[Johnny75]

Oh I agree. But that is not their reasoning I'm sure.

But the outcome is the same regardless. So looks like s good thing.

 

[Johnny75]

We have done hospitals in the past. Not at the moment though. Mostly universities at the moment and this is the perfect moment to get the builds up as they are closed. Doing a hotel as well which seems somewhat less than essential I must admit.

And I guess you could class that as non-essenential and putting lives at risk.

 

[Johnny75]

I get what you are saying and I do sympathise with the hospital staff and what they are saying however do the hospital staff know the full extent of the supply chain to ensure that they have everything at their disposal? For all we know Bear's company is providing packaging that hospital equipment is being delivered in, Paddy's company is providing materials for a desperately needed hospital extension, the one I work for parts that go onto new Ambulances. Its all very well folk (and I'm not accusing you here) criticising Companies for being open but they don't necessarily know the full facts and the extent of the supply chain.

I understand all of that which is why the government should have said 'essential work' only.

Clearly this would have an impact on the workforce and you would think a reduction in people out and about.

 

[playtheace]

Well, although in the hardware sector (like shitfix etc) we have closed, just had to pop into turn off heating on timers and other electrical stuff.
Apparently, scrapyards, metal forgings/tubings/flangings/profilers,electro treatment places, galvanisers and a few others (oh yeah a car wash)
are all essential services...infact the scrapyard has 5 lorries waiting along the road to be weighed in...
who would have thought all that was essential...learn something new everyday.

Also some blokes have arrived next door to put up scaffolding....essential and all that.

I fully expect to see swathes of fuckwits at the seaside on the news tonight.

 

[Dire Wolf]

This has just been on the local radio as well. Seems the government are sending a message out to everybody's phone with this message.

Yeah, I've just received a text saying stay at home. I guessed everyone was getting it.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

We have done hospitals in the past. Not at the moment though. Mostly universities at the moment and this is the perfect moment to get the builds up as they are closed. Doing a hotel as well which seems somewhat less than essential I must admit.

But saying the above, the simple economic fact on construction is if the sites are open then there are set delivery windows. Unless we were forcibly closed then late delivery results in the site being open longer, with scaffolding and cranes in place and even potentially road closures remaining. This has significant cost and so the fines for late delivery are astronomical. It’s one of the reasons we barely touch sports stadia as being late there and fucking up the start of a season potentially means the fines are even more punitive. Laings lost their shirts through late delivery on the Millenium Stadium, and I would imagine it was even worse on the Tottenham stadium as that was really late.

 

[playtheace]

Also, Argos stand alone stores closed....great so all the packages that have been sent Argos are going to either be lost in the system or sent back and have to be paid to send out again.
BUT....argos stores in Sainsburys still open?? er ok...
Ebay should have been working with Argos to remove the argos collect option days ago.

Juno the big vinyl retailer, still open and sending out stuff, why? not essential and thats a warehouse open and couriers going in for a non essential.

Same could be said for many many items...seems the ruling is of benefit to big companies and not others.

I would be frowned upon if i was popping off to the post office to post shit everyday but its ok for Argos to send out some
fucking flatpack bedroom furniture.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

So basically unless or until either we or the sites or both are forcibly closed we have to stay open or there wont be a business to come back to as the fines would wipe us out.

 

[Johnny75]

So basically unless or until either we or the sites or both are forcibly closed we have to stay open or there wont be a business to come back to as the fines would wipe us out.

Fines aren't enforceable are they?

 

[playtheace]

But saying the above, the simple economic fact on construction is if the sites are open then there are set delivery windows. Unless we were forcibly closed then late delivery results in the site being open longer, with scaffolding and cranes in place and even potentially road closures remaining. This has significant cost and so the fines for late delivery are astronomical. It’s one of the reasons we barely touch sports stadia as being late there and fucking up the start of a season potentially means the fines are even more punitive. Laings lost their shirts through late delivery on the Millenium Stadium, and I would imagine it was even worse on the Tottenham stadium as that was really late.

Watching breafkast tv this morning and they were saying only building works that were essential should be continuing, new hospitals etc..
They highlighted a live construction site and by the end of the show the workers had been taken off site.
Then the government come on (might have been odious creep #1 - Gove) saying building works can continue as long as the builders
are 2 metres apart...(images of the film The Plank come to mind)

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Fines aren't enforceable are they?

Absolutely they are. It’s how the industry works.

 

[Jinky]

Why not? Interviews etc can be via skype or other.

Course you can. Our place is doing it for staff coming from all over Europe who start at the end of April.

2 rounds of interview over video call.

Why couldn't you do that?

Not with the amount of paperwork involved in recruiting staff for a hospital. It's impossible without doing it in person.

I am in the office today. There was a lot of confusion as to whether we were supposed to come in or not, but we are trying to get a letter from the hospital to say they need us to assist with their recruitment so we need to stay open. I'm actually at the hospital tomorrow doing another 20 x or so interviews. Can't say I am overly comfortable with the idea, but it's my job, so I don't have much choice.

 

[Derby Wolf]

Also, Argos stand alone stores closed....great so all the packages that have been sent Argos are going to either be lost in the system or sent back and have to be paid to send out again.
BUT....argos stores in Sainsburys still open?? er ok...
Ebay should have been working with Argos to remove the argos collect option days ago.

Juno the big vinyl retailer, still open and sending out stuff, why? not essential and thats a warehouse open and couriers going in for a non essential.

Same could be said for many many items...seems the ruling is of benefit to big companies and not others.

I would be frowned upon if i was popping off to the post office to post shit everyday but its ok for Argos to send out some
fucking flatpack bedroom furniture.

I think supermarkets should be regulated although left open.

I.e bin off the clothing, electrical and seasonal aisles.

You could drop pallets of key lines of stock in the additional space.

Bin off seasonal/Easter aisles. At this point we/they're there to provide necessities, not encourage people to spend on shit they don't need.

Security on the doors to control number of customers granted access, customers given disposable gloves on entry, capacities adjusted for social distancing and floor space.

Self scan and tills to be sanitised by staff every 30 minutes. No cash payments, I still have customers sticking notes in their mouths and then handing them to me.

Would never happen but I'd close stores for an hour at the mid point of the day and mop floors, drop new pallets, clean contact surfaces etc before reopening.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

This isn't right from Sunak is it?

He says the Treasury had prioritised helping the 90% of workers who are employed.

There are 5m self-employed people in the country, there aren't ~50m directly employed. The sector is far bigger than he thinks it is.

As for "not giving money to those who don't need it", fuck that for now. Make sure everyone can at least live.

 

[Tony Towner]

I think supermarkets should be regulated although left open.

I.e bin off the clothing, electrical and seasonal aisles.

The supermarket you work for have cancelled all new promotions and Intake on electrical items as of Friday last week

 

[Derby Wolf]

The supermarket you work for have cancelled all new promotions and Intake on electrical items as of Friday last week

Excellent.

I'm on self isolation so I'm on the inside and outside looking in all at once for now. These measures may already be in hand.