In light of the daily increase in coronavirus cases, we need to act fast and take the appropriate measures. In the interest of everyone's health and our economy, it is necessary to adapt our preventive measures to the current situation and to comply strictly with them. When all of us assume our collective responsibility, we will succeed in not giving the virus a chance on our sites and in turning the tide.
As always, the safety of our employees is our main focus. That is why we have decided to align the measures with the recent decisions taken at the various political levels, federal and local:
Wearing a mask will be compulsory from Monday 10 August 2020 on all our sites in Belgium.
On all BESIX Group sites in Belgium (including all entities), everyone - including subcontractors and JV partner employees – must wear a face mask at all times from Monday 10 August onwards. Only when working completely alone (1) or when someone is sitting at his or her own desk or in the meeting room in the site offices, provided the safety distance of 1.5m can be respected, a face mask is not mandatory. Of course, it is also not mandatory during breaks for food or drinks where the safety distance of 1.5m must also be respected.
This general obligation ensures uniformity and is, therefore, easier to enforce by our site foremen and QHSE colleagues. The intention is obviously to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, especially in this period when people are returning from abroad or from holidays and therefore more people are present on the sites again. The safety of our employees is an absolute priority. In this way, we ultimately protect the health of all of us and our economic activity.
Of course, all other measures, such as strict hand hygiene and keeping your distance from others, still apply. The face mask should therefore never be seen as a substitute for social distancing: it is an additional measure. The correct use of face masks can be found at https://my.besixgroup.com/en-us/QHSE/Pages/Work-instructions-.aspx.
We also call on everyone to speak up and -kindly- ask colleagues, who are unintentionally not abiding by the rules, to be more careful. We must help each other, now more than ever.
We realize that wearing a face mask all day long is not always very comfortable and that this rule again requires an effort from all of us. Our collective will to comply with these safety measures will help us to normalize our professional, social and cultural life as soon as possible.
We would like to thank you all for your contribution to this collective effort.
Ordering masks for BESIX sites can be done at our depot in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw:
- François Campus, Senior Plant Manager
- T +32 2 206 74 58 | M +32 474 94 20 74 | fcampus@besix.com
Where can I find more information?
- General COVID-19 measures taken by BESIX
- COVID-19 Toolkit
- Toolbox COVID-19 measures and face mask obligation
- Poster about face mask obligation
(1) For example, a crane operator or when one is alone in another implement. In case of the slightest doubt, the face mask must be worn correctly.