Nick Ferrari grills Communities Secretary on why building sites are still open

25 March 2020, 09:15 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 08:56

Nick Ferrari asked the Communities Secretary why construction sites are still open despite the UK-wide lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

LBC has been inundated with calls from construction workers, concerned about how safe their workplace is as they struggle to keep two metres away from their colleagues during the coronavirus outbreak.

Nick put those queries to Robert Jenrick, who insisted that any site which cannot guarantee social distancing for their employees should close.

READ MORE: Can I go to work during the coronavirus lockdown?

When Nick asked him if the government are doing enough on construction sites, Mr Jenrick said: "We've said that if people should work from home, they should do. If they can't work from home, then you can go to work, but you must follow the Public Health England guidelines for the workplace and your employer should do that as well."

Nick insisted that it simply wasn't possible to guarantee staying two metres apart on a building site, but the Cabinet Minister responded: "There are some situations where you can do so and Public Health England has published guidance on ways in which it can operate in certain circumstances.

"There are many examples where it is impractical and that's why many employers on building sites have chosen to close them in recent days. It's up to employers to think through the logistics on how their sites operate and see if they can comply with the guidance.

"And if they can't comply, then the sensible thing is the close down."

Watch the full interview at the top of the page.