The issue should be addressed by introducing mandatory coronavirus testing and quarantine for foreign workers.
People arriving from countries with travel restrictions – in other words, from almost any country in the world – are currently being advised to comply with 10 days of self-supervised quarantine. Although the construction industry urges foreign workers to adhere to longer, 14-day quarantine, the recommendations alone cannot guarantee the safety of construction sites, especially in light of the typical living conditions of foreign workers, according to the union.
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โLiving spaces are cramped and poor. It is very rare for people to have their own room, let alone bathrooms. ” Matti Harjuniemi, Chairman of the Finnish Construction Trade Union, stated To Helsingin Sanomat.
“Self-supervised quarantine is completely irrelevant to our industry because telecommuting is not possible.”
The Finnish Construction Trade Union has called for more effective measures to combat the epidemic on construction sites throughout the year. This requirement has also been reiterated by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Harjuniemi estimates that there are more infections than usual on construction sites.
“Bowel feeling is that whenever a test has taken place among construction workers, positive results have been obtained more than among the population as a whole,” he stated information, he does not have a comprehensive number of infections.
Aleksi RandellThe CEO of the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries pointed out to the newspaper that construction companies have taken steps to promote occupational safety in the midst of a pandemic and avoided massive delays at construction sites.
โThere have been infections, but the industry has followed guidelines and set practices that have made it possible to work safely,โ he claimed.
He also admitted that there are risks associated with the temporary residence of foreign workers: โSome of the foreign workers do not live permanently in Finland, but they live in a common apartment. It is clear that the risk of exposure is higher there. “
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page