After COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill for weeks and the virus developed from a health crisis to an economic crisis, there was now, with the slow relaxation of containment measures, a first sigh of relief.
Although the virus naturally did not leave the construction industry unscathed, construction site operations were able to restart comparatively early, with work on construction sites resuming as early as the end of March and the beginning of April.
In order to ensure that operations on Austrian construction sites could continue, the construction social partners, in coordination with the Austrian Federation of Trade Unions (ÖGB) and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ), agreed on more stringent protective measures, which were recorded in an 8-point catalogue. For example, additional requirements for occupational hygiene were prescribed, such as the provision of disinfectants and regular cleaning of social and sanitary facilities. Furthermore, it requires organizational measures, such as a staggered change of clothes, as well as the use of protective masks when working at a distance of less than one metre.
If more than one company is used on a construction site, if a construction site is planned for more than 30 days, or if more than 500 man-days are involved, the new regulations require the appointment of a site coordinator who is responsible for adapting the specified measures with regard to COVID-19.
We as civil engineers are aware of our responsibility in our function as construction site coordinators and take it very seriously. Since the re-commissioning of the construction sites, we do our best to ensure a safe and healthy cooperation and always act for the benefit of the health of all parties involved.
Apart from the construction sites, the Oberressl & Kantz team has been working from home since March 16th, distributed across 3 countries and more than 30 home offices, from where our motivated and energetic employees ensured the continuous supervision of our projects. Since the beginning of May, office operations were also resumed, naturally in full compliance with the requirements and rules for the protection of our employees’ and business partners’ health and safety.
We would also like to thank our teams and partners once again for the great cooperation during this challenging time, which has brought us closer together despite the prescribed distance!
We as civil engineers are aware of our responsibility in our function as construction site coordinators and take it very seriously.