The infrastructure and construction firm has been playing an instrumental role with regard to a safe return to work for the industry. Elliot Robertson, chief executive, Robertson Group; and John Low, chief executive, Robertson Residential Group, have been working respectively with the Construction Leadership Forum, Homes for Scotland and Construction Scotland to assist the industry and government in the creation of safe operating procedures and a restart strategy which is enabling the sector to commence a phased re-start in Scotland. 

Robertson has launched its own safe operating procedures – which not only incorporate the government and Construction Scotland measures for a safe return to work, but which have been further enhanced with additional measures, that will be implemented across all Robertson sites.

In the form of a ten-minute video, it will ensure anyone working on a Robertson site will understand and have the correct information to comply with the firm’s unparalleled health and safety standards. 

Elliot Robertson, chief executive of Robertson Group, said: “We are one of only a few construction firms who have worked on crucial essential infrastructure projects during the pandemic in Scotland. We were honoured to have played a significant role in the delivery of the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital and that experience proved that the safe operating procedures we have carefully considered and implemented could be used successfully. These procedures have now also been used effectively on a number of other locations across Scotland where we are working on projects classified as ‘essential works’.

“Safety is, and always will be, our number one priority. The industry manages a high degree of significant health and safety risks that exist in the day to day operations of our sector.   

“We are currently preparing all our sites to put in place the additional measures to protect our employees, supply chain and other stakeholders, from COVID-19. The industry is currently waiting for the Scottish Government to release Phase 2 of the construction industry restart plan, which will enable construction to start pending health data and a decision by cabinet ministers. 

“These procedures will be absolutely compulsory for our sites and will apply to employees and sub-contractors who also have a responsibility for themselves and those around them. We at Robertson will therefore ensure all our sites are prepared and we are ready to return to work and play our part in the safe return to rebuilding Scotland’s economy and employment prospects.”   

By following these strict measures, Robertson created a digital animation of the Construction Leadership Council safe operating procedures which was presented to the Scottish Government, illustrating how the new procedures could be adopted. These same animations feature in Robertson’s own enhanced SOPs benchmark video.

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