It pretty much goes without saying that we are, at the time of writing, going through an unusual period of confusion, concern and consternation. Numerous projects – be they large, small or somewhere in between – are currently either stalled or operating at reduced capacity, and there is still no definite answer to the question ‘when will everything go back to normal?’.
However, they do say that necessity is the mother of invention, and due to the fact that we are in the midst of a novel situation, various organisations, bodies and individuals have come up with an array of ingenious ideas, concepts and innovations to assist people, and to showcase the tangible value of the construction sector.
Let’s take a look at a few of the construction stories you may have missed in recent weeks:
1. Developing ventilators from scratch
In the first few weeks of the coronavirus crisis, one thing became clear very quickly: the UK was unlikely to have enough ventilators to deal with an ever-worsening situation. In order to tackle this most fundamental of issues, numerous organisations – including construction stalwart JCB announced that they would turn their attentions to developing parts for these much-needed pieces of apparatus. JCB estimates that it will be able to produce a minimum of 10,000 steel housing units per week once production is fully streamlined, which will play a key role in keeping people alive.
2. National Rail sets out to educate
National Rail has, as with nearly all of the UK’s infrastructure, stopped operating at peak capacity in recent weeks. However, far from sitting back and putting their feet up, National Rail employees have focused on other avenues, such as creating a series of educational materials to teach children about the value of railways, how they operate, and how people can remain safe during this time.
3. The Great Exhibition (at Home)
In a bid to encourage children to think outside of the box, and to embrace engineering, The Great Exhibition (at Home) has been launched. Organised by Big Ideas, the competition is asking children from across the UK to come up with an engineering-based solution that will be able to effectively tackle the current climate crisis. Prizes worth up to £500 are on offer! More details can be found here: https://www.big-ideas.org/join1851/
4. Helping the NHS
Construction companies are constantly focused on safety, and as such most of them have comprehensive supplies of PPE, something which is currently lacking at numerous NHS establishments. In order to tackle this issue, The Contractors’ Appeal has been set up, allowing construction companies – from Tideway to Ferrovial, Laing O’Rourke to Costain – to donate masks, eye protection equipment, gloves and overalls to help in the fight against Covid-19. For more information around this worthy campaign, click here – https://www.contractorsappeal.com
Stay safe.
Lydon Contracting Ltd
Your Total Construction Solution
Tel: 01327 811533
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