Most builder’s merchants remain open, however, there may be changes to how they operate. Where possible check the merchant’s website or contact them prior to arrival as it may be necessary to order and pay for goods, including EcoTherm boards, in advance.
Delivery of product on-site
If you are having product delivered to a worksite then the drop off location should be carefully pre-planned and communicated to the driver before their arrival. Facilities should be made available to allow any driver to wash their hands once they get out of the vehicle.
As usual, boards should be stored in a flat, dry area off the ground. If this is within a building, then it should be well ventilated with care taken to regularly wipe handles and other touchpoints. If it is outdoors, then they should be covered with opaque polyethylene or tarpaulin.
Handling and Installation
At all times, including during handling and installation, workers should maintain 2 metre social distancing (or 1 metre with risk mitigration where this is possible). Ideally, pallets should be mechanically moved to a location near to the installation site to reduce site traffic. Operators should wash their hands before and after use and regularly wipe down equipment.
A single worker should cut away the protective wrapping. As the boards are rigid and lightweight, it should be possible for 1.2 x 0.45 m and 1.2 x 0.6 m boards to be handled by a single worker. Larger 2.4 x 1.2 m boards may require two workers to lift. In this case, they should remain at either long end of the board, maintaining 2 metre distancing and ideally facing in the same direction rather than face to face.
Before carrying out an installation, the application should be carefully pre-assessed to minimise the number of workers and ensure correct distancing can be maintained. For example, this may include using additional protective boards when laying flooring or flat roof insulation to provide further access routes. Internal workspaces should be well ventilated.
Any tools used to cut or install the boards should be retained by individual workers and regularly cleaned.
Clean-up
Think carefully about how any offcut waste will be dealt with to limit site traffic. On larger sites this may include the use of waste chutes. As with all touchpoints, any skips or chutes should be regularly cleaned throughout the day and workers should maintain distancing when approaching them.
Any reusable PPE equipment (such as hard hats and gloves) should be retained by the individual worker and cleaned after every shift.
Securing site in the event of closure
If you need to close a site or stop work on a house, then insulation materials should be stored as outlined above. For exposed applications you should also ensure edges are properly protected and, where possible, cover the insulation with well secured weatherproofing.