21 January 2022 / COVID-19

Phase 4 of Queensland's Industry COVID Safe Plan

The Industry Working Group has moved to Phase 4 – 'Living with COVID' – and has updated the Queensland Construction & Related Industries COVID Safe Plan to reflect this. This latest version also incorporates current Queensland Health requirements and some minor refinements to clarify existing procedures.

Hutchies' teams working in Queensland must read the below, implement the changes and circulate the latest copies of the COVID Safe Plan for Phase 4 and Managing Positive Cases & Close / Casual Contacts Update to all Workers / Subcontractors / Suppliers as a priority. This enables everyone to be on the same page with how positive cases and close contacts are managed on construction sites in Queensland.

The Queensland Construction Industry Working Group will continue to meet and will also consult with Queensland Health as the COVID-19 environment evolves. The Industry Plan will be reviewed and amended as Government Directions are updated, and guidance materials are released.

It is important to remember that anyone you interact with at the moment could have coronavirus and everyone should be extra vigilant with COVID safe measures to keep each other safe. You should monitor for symptoms – if any develop, stay home and get tested.

If you are unsure about anything, need to report a positive case / close contact, or have questions about COVID-19, please contact Hutchies' Coronavirus Team.

What's in this update

> Version 2 of the Industry COVID Safe Plan for Phase 4
> Version 3 of the Managing Positive Cases & Contacts Update
> Reporting & managing cases
> Timelines for Positive Case & Close Contact Requirements
> Clarification on Close Contact Isolation Period

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QldConstructionCOVIDSafePlan-Version2-Phase4-220121-Cover.jpg

Industry Plan

Key updates include:

Phase 4 of the Plan has been developed to align with the industry's managing positive cases processes as we 'live with COVID'
Requirements when working in High Risk Settings are now clearly defined
Minor edits of the document have been made to tidy up consistency

Version 2 / 21 January 2022 (superseding Version 1 / 13 December 2021)

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qldconstructioncovidsafeplan-positivecase-version3-220121-cover-cmp.jpg

Industry Update

Key updates include:

Minor amendments in the wording to simplify the explanation of requirements for confirmed cases and close contacts

Version 3 / 21 January 2022 (superseding Version 2 / 10 January 2022)

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Reporting & managing cases

Report all cases to Hutchies' Coronavirus Team

Please notify us ASAP of all confirmed cases or close contacts that work for Hutchies or have been on one of our sites or in our offices / yards (including Subcontractors / Suppliers / Visitors).

Email coronavirus@hutchies.com.au
Provide their full name (or name of employer only if not Hutchies)
Date Hutchies was notified
Date of test / when symptoms started (if relevant)
If they worked whilst infectious (and if so the dates / times)
If they have tested positive with RAT or PCR or have symptoms

Under the current Health Directions, everyone has an obligation, including businesses, to undertake contact tracing when managing a positive case. This includes directly notifying anyone they may have been in contact with either at work or home whilst potentially infectious.

The names of individuals reported to Hutchies' Coronavirus Team and who have tested positive for COVID are kept confidential. However, the information provided is used to assist with discreet contact tracing, to provide advice to individuals who may have been in contact with a positive case, to measure the impacts of COVID-19, and to update Hutchies' Payroll and Directors if required.

It is also the personal obligation of positive cases to notify their Team Leader and any other people they interacted more closely with at home or at work in the 2-3 days prior to developing symptoms or receiving a positive test result.

Managing a positive case

When teams are advised of a confirmed positive case, Hutchies' sites and offices must report the case.

If the positive case has been on site or in a Hutchies' office / yard potentially whilst infectious (that is 2-3 days before symptoms or a positive test), the team must follow the 'Managing a Positive Case Process' outlined in the latest Industry Update.

Summary for Hutchies' sites
> Managed by Project / Site Management Team or Team Leader
> Report all cases to coronavirus@hutchies.com.au
> If infectious on site, follow Managing a Positive Case Process
> Step 4 must use the Site Notification to notify Workers / Visitors
> Don't alter the notification 'actions' as they align with Health Directions
> Do not identify positive cases in notifications to protect their privacy

Summary for Hutchies' offices / yards
> Managed by Team Leader / Office Champion
> Report all cases to coronavirus@hutchies.com.au
> If infectious in office / yard, follow Managing a Positive Case Process
> Step 4 must use the Office Notification to notify Workers / Visitors
> Don't alter the notification 'actions' as they align with Health Directions
> Do not identify positive cases in notifications to protect their privacy

Case notifications for the Toowong office will be managed by Hutchies' Coronavirus Team centrally.

Report Case

Timelines for positive case and contact requirements

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Close contact isolation period

For clarity, a close contact's isolation period is defined as:

Starting when they are informed or become aware they are a close contact of a diagnosed person
Ending after 7 days from the date the diagnosed person took the initial test that returned a positive result (provided the close contact has no symptoms and a test on Day 6 of their quarantine returns a negative result)

Coronavirus Information

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Other Recent Activities

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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 1July 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

10 October / Update

Installation Details for Elephant's Foot & Wastech Bin Chutes

Make sure bin chute systems are installed correctly, following the tested systems and the manufacturers’ instructions.

Check the detailed drawings from Elephant’s Foot and Wastech for different wall types (plasterboard, shaft-liner, speed panel, concrete, Hebel, and masonry).

Any changes to the tested systems must be approved by your project certifier, signed off by the fire engineer in the fire engineering report (FER), and accepted by the relevant state / territory fire service.