Jet Demolition has the highest level of safety performance in the industry due to its ingrained company safety culture and comprehensive Integrated Safety Management Programme. This has allowed the demolition specialist to quickly and effectively put all of the necessary regulatory measures in place to protect its 200-strong workforce in preparation for the construction industry opening up again under Level 3 of the national lockdown.

When the construction industry effectively closed shop due to the Covid-19 crisis at the end of March, Jet Demolition saw an immediate impact on its order book. “Most of our work was affected, some projects more so than others. Some projects were halted temporarily while Covid-19 measures were put in place,” reports Contracts Manager Kate Bester (NDip Civil Engineering).

“We were midway through some other projects that were subsequently suspended. It all relates to supply and demand, as our clients were not generating revenue and hence had to drastically cut their capex and social distance as far as possible,” notes Bester.

Now with construction allowed to start-up again, there will be an inevitable lag in getting projects back on track. In addition, the focus will shift to new work as opposed to demolition as contractors and other service providers seek to generate much-needed revenue.

“We are fortunate in that some of the mines are still carrying out some work, and we have been able to assist during the lockdown as we are certified as an essential services provider,” adds Bester. Despite the squeeze on cash flow, Jet Demolition has not considered branching out into other sub-sectors of the construction industry.

“We specialise in complex industrial demolition and difficult urban projects, and our clients rely on us to be ready whenever they need us. Having our teams out doing work which isn’t our core speciality would compromise our availability and flexibility. We decided early on to stick with what we know best and to ride it out,” comments Bester.

This has resulted in an even closer working relationship with many of its key clients. “It has been really interesting to get on-board with our clients’ management teams to deliver these systems and procedures, which did not exist prior to the crisis,” notes Bester.

“There is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to Covid-19. We have to take into account an array of diverse factors, from work proximity to workers getting in and out of machines and congregating for rest breaks. A lot of these types of very granular decisions saw us working closely with the management teams of our clients in order to come up with practical solutions,” elaborates Bester.

While workshopping various scenarios for safely returning to work, lateral thinking was essential in finding practical solutions whilst ensuring the safety of the teams. In one specific instance, the site was treated as an exclusion zone with only Jet Demolition personnel permitted into the works area.  The client was kept apprised of progress via frequent video conference calls and ad-hoc virtual site walks.

These are some of the new ways of working that have evolved out of necessity from dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the construction and related industries. “Our clients are relying on us to do the correct thing. They are expecting us to follow all the necessary protocols without having direct oversight. It has been interesting and very rewarding to know that there was a level of trust required and delivered.

“There has been a definite shift towards a more collaborative approach, as well as empowering our own employees to be responsible and aware of their own health and safety while on-site. There has not been a single issue so far. We continue to work responsibly, as and when our clients need us,” concludes Bester.