Social (Physical) Distancing Marshals

In April 2020 we re-opened one of our sites, with an initial workforce of 250. The challenge was to ensure that we followed the government and local authority social distancing guidelines of two metres apart.

To achieve this and help maintain the health not only of the workforce, but also members of the public, the project employed additional local labour as Social Distancing Marshals. The Marshals operate during both day shift and back shift, stationed along the pavement and at the road crossings that operatives use to walk from one section of the site to the other. These routes are public rights of way, so project workers can be sharing the paths and crossings with members of the public. The Marshals wear specific high visibility personal protective equipment branded with ‘Social Distance Marshal’ that make them easy to identify.

The Marshals also help support the response to a request from a neighbouring hospital trust and business campus – that all workers avoid using public green spaces and seating areas located between our site and the hospitals and avoid visiting the hospital catering or retail outlets.

This initiative demonstrates to neighbours and visitors how seriously Mace is taking the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions, together with a willingness to go above and beyond the protection of our workforce and members of the public. It demonstrates our commitment to being a good neighbour.