PCA Weekly News - 9th January 2021
In your weekly PCA update this week:
- Supporting our Members during the national lockdown
- PCA Guidance for Working Safely
- Code of Practice for Property Flood Resilience
- Help and Advice for your Customers on Flood Protection Systems
- CLC’s Site Operating Procedures Version 7
- Our First Webinar for 2021
- Managing Moisture in Buildings
- A reminder about Face Masks
- PCA sector Groups: More in common than we thought!
Supporting our Members during the national lockdown
Earlier this week we shared with members the very latest guidance from the UK, Scottish and Welsh government. For those members who may have missed the email, you can access it via the button below. This news post announcement included the guides your Association has created to help you continue to work safely when working in people’s homes.
We remain focused on supporting our members and will continue to update you all on any further communication/amendments to these guidelines during the coming weeks and months. If you would like to chat through any of this, please give us a call on 01480 400000.
Click to Read More >>
PCA Guidance for Working Safely
A reminder to PCA members of the documents your Association created to help you continue working safely, which complements Government guidance. These documents are:
- ‘Occupied Property Survey’ – considerations for surveyors
- ‘Pre-Survey Checklist’ – how companies may wish to engage with the occupants of buildings
- ‘Considerations for Technicians’ – working in occupied buildings
- ‘COVID-19: Before Starting Works’ – how companies may wish to engage with the occupants of buildings prior to work commencing
Members can access all documents via the links and buttons below.
Occupied Property Survey >> Pre-Survey Checklist >>
Considerations for Technicians >> COVID-19: Before Starting Works >>
Help and Advice for your Customers on Flood Protection Systems
We are all too aware that many will only consider protecting their homes against the risk of flooding once they’ve actually been affected! This was all too evident over the Christmas break for many who live in the surrounding areas of Huntingdon (PCA Head Office) – as you can see from the image above!
Some of our members specialise in flood defence and flood protection systems and we will continue to lobby for support on their behalf. Valuable guidance notes and Codes of Practice, as mentioned above, are vital in pushing the message of flood resilience and the importance of protecting homes before they’re flooded in the first place.
Members can find out more from our technical document library by clicking on the button below.
View the Library >>
CLC’s Site Operating Procedures Version 7
We can share with members that the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has updated their Site Operating Procedures to reflect the latest Government guidance in England – members can access this by clicking on the button below. The changes in Version 7 are minor, including:
- updated guidance on self-isolation and shielding
- the removal of the requirement to display a QR code in site canteens
Build UK has also updated its flowchart on the actions to take if a worker has Covid-19 or needs to self-isolate to reflect the latest Public Health England (PHE) guidance – which requires employers to contact PHE if they identify five or more cases within 14 days.
Click to Read More >>
Our First Webinar for 2021
Don’t miss our FIRST webinar of the year on ‘Wall Tie Evolution & Corrosion: 3 Decades of Change’. Join us and Bryan Hindle, Brick-Tie on Thursday 28th January 2021 from 9-10am as he discusses ‘wall tie inspection & replacement, what exactly should we be doing? How do we adapt to issues surrounding cavity insulation?’
In addition, with the Green Homes Grant now fully up and running and seemingly a hunger from homeowners to improve energy efficiency within their homes, are we potentially doing it wrong?!? Members can click on the button below to find out more and register.
Click to Register Now >>
Managing Moisture in Buildings
PCA members are aware that the next couple of months are typically the coldest of the year and with more of us working from home due to the national lockdown, we know all too well that this will inevitably impact living conditions and have an effect on health and wellbeing.
Condensation and lack of ventilation will lead to mould growth and poor indoor air quality, so we must continue to increase awareness and provide you with guidance on how to manage moisture. Your Association has previously produced a guidance document on condensation for PCA members to share with occupants for this very reason.
We do have lots of valuable guidance notes, technical documents and blogs which PCA members can access and share, and we urge you to familiarise yourself with them as we remain in this period of homeworking for some time to come.
View the Library >>
A Reminder about Face Masks
An important reminder to all of our members that wearing face masks is vital in helping to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. With essential construction work being allowed to continue during lockdown, the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum has pulled together a helpful infographic and poster to remind and urge the sector’s workforce to wear face coverings properly. Members can access this via the button below.
CICV’s ‘Mask for Task: Cover for Covid’ shows how workers should wear the appropriate respirator/mask that the task demands and that a face covering of suitable material should also be worn when moving around site.
Click to View >>
PCA Sector Groups: More in common than we thought!
A quirkier post than usual, but you wouldn’t think that our Timber Preservation and Invasive Weed sector groups would have much in common.
However, we have seen a report suggesting that Shipworm (Teredo) is an invasive species and even though it’s not a weed or a fungus, we thought this might be of interest to many of our members.
As the wood preservation story unfolds on Twitter, you’ll see how the humble Shipworm led to the development of copper mining – one of the first applications for steam engines (the Industrial Revolution) and the BBC series Poldark!
Click to Read More >>
Remember to keep in the loop…
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