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Covid-19
Keep updated on Melbourne’s restrictions Below is information on Melbourne’s Stage 4 restrictions relevant to pool and spa businesses. However, it is highly advisable to check www.splashmagazine.com.au and www. business.vic.gov.au for up-to-date information on Melbourne and also on the Stage 3 regional Victorian restrictions, as the situation is very fluid and can change within a very short period. Additionally, SPASA is requesting clarification on some points and when that becomes available we will publish it online. Construction sites All sites will: • Have a High Risk CovidSafe Plan in place that is regularly updated. Where practicable CovidSafe Plans should be designed with input from employees and their representatives; • Allow no more than one worker per four square metres of enclosed workspace. All employees, supervisors and on-site specialists will be: • Prohibited from car-pooling to and from work; • Required to inform their employer if they share accommodation with anyone working at another high-risk workplace; • Required to limit movement between multiple sites and observe enhanced PPE and hygiene measures if working between sites. Each small-scale construction site will: • Reduce the number of people on-site to five people plus a supervisor at any one time; • Limit movement of workers between different sites where possible, and only with appropriate guidance; • Supervisors can move between sites and specialist contractors can move between up to three sites per week, subject to enhanced CovidSafe practices. Worker Count: All workers count towards the applicable daily worker limit with the exception of workers specifically dedicated to oversight of CovidSafe functions in the workplace. Renovations: Trades people and builders can only visit a home for renovations if the homeowners have fully vacated the property and are not staying there during the period of Stage 4 restrictions. If homeowners have vacated the property, then renovations can proceed in line with restrictions on residential construction. If homeowners are still living at the property, then trades people and builders can only make emergency repairs. Pool shops and technicians: Pool shops and pool & spa service technicians are only permitted to operate 10 SPLASH! August/September 2020
contactless ‘click and collect’ and delivery services with strict safety protocols in place. Pool & spa service along with maintenance activities can only take place for urgent, emergency residential repair and maintenance or where work relates to the health and safety of homeowners. Manufacturing sector guidance: Ancillary and support businesses are able to open on-site to ensure the necessary production, supply, manufacture, repair, maintenance, cleaning, security, wholesale, distribution, transportation or sale of equipment, goods or services required for the operations of a Permitted Work Premises, or for Closed Work Premises where there are safety or environmental obligations. The business cannot operate onsite for any other purpose. Employer obligations: Under the Stage 4 restrictions, workplaces that remain open must: • Have a CovidSafe Plan in place that is regularly updated (unless you are a small business with fewer than 5 employees); • Ensure that any workers that can work from home are able to do so; • Collect records of all workers, subcontractors, customers and clients attending the work premises for 15 minutes or longer (certain exemptions will apply); • One worker per four square metres of enclosed workspace or in shared areas; • Unless an exemption applies, ensure that workers do not work across multiple sites, or for multiple employers; • Ensure that workers are in good health – workers cannot work if they are unwell and employers must not require workers with symptoms to work; • If your worker is unwell, send them home and direct them to be tested. They must stay home until they have their result; • Report any positive cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) to DHHS, Worksafe, Health and Safety Representatives, and notify your workforce; • Regularly clean your facilities, shared spaces and provide additional cleaning supplies; • Undertake risk assessments for cleaning and the potential closure of your workplace in certain situations. For more information including advice on restrictions, commercial rent reduction, waivers and grants; creating CovidSafe Plans; and the permitted worker scheme, go to: www.business.vic.gov.au
Data
WA Completion Guarantee numbers tell a positive story Western Australia’s Completion Guarantee numbers show a remarkable contrast to the reported DA numbers (see panel on the opposite page ) that are currently available through Cordell. While there can be a delay on the DA numbers and they are not comprehensive, they do show a trend. Currently, that trend seems to be lagging a long way behind the builders’ order books, in a pattern that is replicated in other states. Anecdotal evidence is indicating a surge in interest in pool builds and installations pretty much across the country. And this trend is not just exhibited in Australia but is also in evidence in other countries including Europe and the US, as reported in the Edition 129. SPASA WA CEO Bryce Steele has confidence in his numbers, as the data is collected through the Completion Guarantees which are submitted within 10 days of the contract being signed. According to these figures, Steele says total pool sales in WA are up for the year-to-date by 40 per cent; and are up by 70 per cent when comparing the three months of May-July with the same period last year. This contrasts with the DA numbers which show the WA threemonthly figures down by 60 per cent. Hopefully the reported DA numbers will soon catch up. Steele says they have been proactive with significant social media and radio spots promoting the advantages of holidaying at home with your own backyard pool, and believes this may have helped grow interest among consumers, on top of the highly successful consumer expo just prior to the virus impacting the Australian scene.
West Australians are turning their backyards into staycation-friendly spaces. Image: North Shore Pools & Landscaping, winner of concrete pools up to $50k category in the SPASA WA awards. There is more on these awards on page 58.