Shut all non-essential construction sites at the University of Birmingham

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, the UK Government has refused to shut non-essential construction sites, despite well-documented safety concerns arising from difficulties with sticking to social distancing on building sites (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52017520) and inconsistent responses from industry (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52034586).

The campus trade unions (led by Birmingham UCU and UNISON UoB branch), have previously called on the University to use its influence as a major construction client, to shut non-essential construction sites. To date, the University has taken a 'hands off' approach and refused to intervene. As a civic university, we believe the University has a special obligation to use its influence to the full to make sure that the construction firms it works with put people's health before profits during this unprecedented emergency.

In January 2020, one worker was killed and another seriously injured on the University's National Buried Infrastructure construction site (https://birminghamucu.org/2020/01/16/worker-killed-and-second-injured-in-university-of-birmingham-building-site/). The project’s lead contractor is Balfour Beatty. University management did not inform staff, students or the wider public about the incident. Sadly, the University’s recognised Trade Union Health and Safety Representatives only learned about the incident after it was reported in the Birmingham Mail. Since learning about this serious incident, Health and Safety Representatives have been trying to work with University management to establish what happened and ensure that all campus construction sites learn from the incident and are following the highest Health and Safety standards.