Morrison Construction (part of The Galliford Try Group) is Scotland’s leading contractor with a strong offering in construction, investments and facilities management. Their portfolio covers a range of activities, from the construction of multi-million pound building and civil engineering projects to small works and repairs and maintenance.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic and UK wide lockdown, many of their sites had to shut until government guidelines were introduced on safe working.

The guidance from the government for working safely during coronavirus sets out mitigating actions workplaces needed to take to be ‘COVID-secure’ and reduce risk of virus transmission including the ‘use of screens or barriers to separate people from each other’.

Reducing the frequency and time workers are within two metres of one another with demarcation/screens and create separated common areas and welfare facilities such as canteens and hand washing stations was another construction site requirement detailed in the guidelines.

Following this guidance on team working, Morrison Construction were looking to make improvements by installing social distancing measures in their portacabin offices and employee facilities, creating safe eating areas within the canteen cabin facilities on various sites.

Having used Westgate’s Hoardfast partitions previously, Morrison Construction contacted Westgate about their social distancing screens.

With Morrison Construction not only aware of the physical restrictions a screen can impose, but the psychological impact too, they opted to purchase 40 vision panel screens (half solid and half clear acrylic upper section), to ensure employee welfare at all times.

Hoardfast social distancing screens are designed to reduce the risk of transmission and keep employees and customers safe.

Supplied preassembled and available in three standard sizes (1m, 1,5m and 2m widths) with or without a vision panel, the screens are free-standing with no need to fix to the floor.

Made from PVC, the panels are lightweight and easy to move around site, hygienic and wipeable (approved and used by the NHS in several Nightingale hospitals) and fully recyclable at end of life.; and therefore will adhere to any company CSR strategies that adopt the waste hierarchy of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’.