EDA calls for ‘Safety First’ approach

The European Demolition Association (EDA) has issued a statement to public bodies, customers, stakeholders and its own industry on how Coronavirus is affecting demolition, decontamination and recycling.

The association said it advocates a “Safety First” approach to protect the health of industry workers and prevent the spread of the disease – and it called on the construction industry, the European Commission and member states to support demolition through the crisis.

“Representing the activities of demolition, decontamination and recycling, EDA and its national associations encourage our industry to follow all the recommendations and implement the protective measures proposed by the health organisations, most specially those coming from the national or regional authorities,” the statement said.

“The EDA recommends Safety First, to protect the health of our workers and their families, following the advice of public authorities, to prevent the spread of the disease.

“Suspending operations immediately for an unknown period will have a great impact, in many ways: social, economic, delays, contracts.

“But what is the impact of continuing operations and exposing everyone to the health risk? It is because of safety that we encourage everyone involved to be open to dialogue, to make special efforts and to prepare for the impact of delaying operations.

“We kindly ask the construction industry, developers and other stakeholders who hire our companies, to be open and negotiate new delivery dates, without penalties for this transitional period.

“We also encourage the European Commission and member states to provide direct support to the employers, so they can suspend operations temporarily, protect their workers and stay alive for the future.

“The impact of this pandemic is still unknown, but thousands of companies delaying operations can have a devastating impact on the society. There must be a clear support from public authorities, however possible, to allow for a future of our sector and the construction industry.“

The full statement is available on the EDA website at www.europeandemolition.org