John McKinney

The infographic was developed by the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum (CICV Forum) after key workers reported being harassed and verbally abused during vital construction projects.

Forum members reported an increasing number of tradespeople being intimidated and verbally abused by the public while carrying out legitimate projects in line with CICV Forum guidelines.

Therefore, the graphic has been developed to show a checklist of projects to help the public understand the range of work classified as ‘essential’ by key workers.

John McKinney, secretary of Forum members the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, the Stone Federation and the Scottish Contractors Group, said: “Essential construction work is not confined to building a major hospital for COVID-19, but we know that people might not be aware of this.

“Greater understanding is needed among the public to understand that the key workers carrying out such work aren’t flouting the rules – they are performing essential tasks and should be allowed to do so without fear of abuse.”

The infographic can be downloaded from here.

In addition, the Forum is developing a series of free signage for contractors to use to make it clear that any work being carried out is essential. Designed to be printed out and inserted in van windows and properties, they read: “Key Worker: Carrying Out Essential Construction Work.”

• Read all of our articles relating to COVID-19 here.