17 - 28 July 2021 / COVID-19

Construction sites ordered to close across Greater Sydney

The NSW Government introduced additional restrictions across Greater Sydney, including the closure of all construction sites from Monday at 12.01am (19 July) through until 30 July 2021.

Given the number of infectious cases in the community, the following changes will be made to further limit the spread of the COVID-19 Delta strain.

On the basis of updated health advice, the following additional changes (including others outlined in this email below) will come into effect until 11.59pm Friday, 30 July across the below areas:

  • Greater Sydney
  • Central Coast 
  • Blue Mountains
  • Wollongong
  • Shellharbour

From 12.01am on Monday, 19 July for Greater Sydney

  • All construction to be paused; and
  • Non-urgent maintenance, including cleaning services, and repair work on residential premises to be paused.

Today's announcement is evolving and we understand industry stakeholders are working with the NSW Government to detail plans for the shutdown period over the next two weeks.

As soon as we know more, we will communicate this to you.

Hutchies must continue to comply with all NSW Government requirements.

Hutchies' approach

Our construction teams across Greater Sydney have been working to secure their sites and finalise any current work activities prior to Monday, which is when all construction sites must be closed for 2 weeks.

Hutchies' sites should be secured in accordance with our standard Site Shutdown Process.

Please work with your Team Leader if you have any specific questions and to organise alternative working arrangements over the next two weeks.

We will also contact all of our CWs over the next couple of days to work though what this latest government announcement means for them. But naturally it does mean that from Monday no construction workers are to attend any of Hutchies' construction sites.

Hutchies' IT Team will provide information in coming days to assist with working from home arrangements to ensure everyone has remote access to servers and systems.

Once we have more details around emergency / urgently required construction work definitions, we will also make this available.

Additional restrictions introduced

From 11.59pm on Saturday, 17 July (tonight)

Retail premises will be required to close (‘click and collect’, takeaway and home delivery can still operate). The following can remain open:

  • Supermarkets and grocery stores (including butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable stores, liquor stores and fishmongers)
  • Stores that predominantly sell health, medical, maternity and infant supplies
  • Pharmacies and chemists
  • Petrol stations
  • Car hire
  • Banks and financial institutions
  • Hardware, nurseries and building supplies
  • Agricultural and rural supplies
  • Pet supplies
  • Post offices and newsagents
  • Office supplies

In addition to the stay-at-home rules, residents of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool LGAs cannot leave their LGA for work except for emergency services and healthcare workers (including aged and disability workers). Where those workers do need to leave their LGA for work, they are required to be tested every three days, even if they do not have symptoms.

Anyone who leaves the home must have a mask with them at all times. They must be worn when you are working outdoors, in outdoor markets, outdoor shopping strips, and in an outdoor queues waiting for products such as coffee and food.

All carpooling to be stopped unless among members of the same household.

From 12.01am on Wednesday, 21 July

Employers must allow employees to work from home if the employee is able to do so. Failure to do so can result in an on-the-spot fine of up to $10,000.

Other information

All other restrictions currently in place across Greater Sydney including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour will remain in place.

It is vital people continue to come forward for testing to help find any COVID-19 cases in the community.

Restrictions in regional NSW remain unchanged.

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30 October / Quality Alert
Prohibition on the Use of Engineered Stone

Engineered stone ban effective 1 July 2024

ALL engineered stone regardless of the silica content percentage will be banned

Alternative products must be considered and implemented on all projects.

The industry is shifting away from engineered stone due to the risks of respirable crystalline silica, which can cause silicosis and other silica-related diseases. Although the consultations are under way and there has been no official announcement by Federal or State Governments on the issue, the health and safety risks along with the uncertainty around this issue warrants a decision to ban all engineered products entering job sites nationally. The ban will take effect on 1 July 2024 and will extend to ALL engineered stone regardless of the silica content percentage. 

An update to this alert will be provided before the end of the year when the Federal and State Governments are expected to issue a formal decision on the ban. In the meantime, to mitigate the impact of potential delays and variations, the best approach is to inform the clients of the pending ban and to propose and seek approval for an alternative product. Similarly, ensure all future estimates have the stone specification qualified and priced accordingly.

Product alternatives going forward include:

Compact Laminates

  • Under 1% silica content
  • Extremely competitive pricing
  • Only comes in 12mm thickness
  • Heat resistance is an issue
  • Product not suitable for high end applications

Porcelain Surfaces

  • Under 10% silica content
  • Price dependant of product and supplier
  • Large variety of colours and thicknesses (4, 8, 12, 20 and 30mm)
  • Great resistance to staining, scratches, UV and heat
  • Good warranty terms

Acrylic Solid Surfaces

  • 0% silica content
  • More expensive alternative
  • Limited thickness availability
  • UV stable and heat resistant but direct heat exposure not advised
  • Minimising wastage through flexibility in sheet sizing
  • Seamless joints

Natural Stone*

  • Various silica content percentages
  • Variety of products at different price points available
  • Ongoing maintenance may be an issue
  • Unlikely to satisfy specific warranty requirements

*Although this alert does not directly impact natural stone, some types have high silica content so risk of using these on projects should be considered carefully.

For an up-to-date list of available products and their usability, click here.

More information

If you need additional support, please contact the Quality Team:

Phone 1300 HUTCHIES
Email QualityTeam@hutchinsonbuilders.com.au

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