Tarmac teams support the NHS and key workers
Josh Bennett, readymix technical manager
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tarmac launched an employee led campaign to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals and NHS and social care workers up and down the country.
We provided PPE including protective facemasks, gloves and goggles. This equipment was from existing stocks normally used in our day to day operations of our site but given the national emergency and lower construction product demands in the early days of the pandemic we were able to make this available to the NHS and care homes and also divert PPE we had on order to NHS and care homes. The supplies that were shared by local teams based at Tarmac’s network of sites across the UK from where the company manufactures essential materials for use in infrastructure delivery and maintenance for a wide range of projects.
Josh Bennett, readymix technical manager in London, was one of those keen to offer help and support to healthcare providers after speaking to a good friend working on the NHS frontline, as a doctor in a busy A&E department in Surrey Josh said: “When I found out that there was a shortage of PPE, particularly FFP3 masks, in my friend’s hospital. I knew that Tarmac would be able to help as we use them in quite a lot of our operations – the support from the local teams in collecting not just spare masks but safety glasses, gloves and overalls was fantastic and I was able to give my friend a bit of good news about the donation.
The campaign was embraced by employees across Tarmac with sites across country donating PPE to their local hospitals, GP’s and care homes. In total, over 5,000 pieces of equipment were donated, Our team at Mountsorrel quarry also got a special mention of thanks in the House of Commons from its local MP, Jane Hunt. Mrs Hunt was paying public tribute to Loughborough businesses that have supported their communities during the Covid-19 crisis. During a special debate she praised Tarmac and the team for donating PPE to frontline NHS and social care workers.
Along with donating our PPE, one Tarmac employee from contracting was inspired to take up 3D printing to produce much-needed plastic visors for key workers. After purchasing a 3D printer and learning how to use it, they had requests for more than 80 masks within 15 minutes of posting online! He made over 620 visors, helping key workers like his mother, who is a paramedic.
Many of our employees also got involved with supporting their local communities in other ways such as becoming a NHS volunteer, volunteering at food banks, delivering prescriptions to people shielding and supporting to isolated neighbours.
As well as donating equipment, our teams supplied material to essential infrastructure projects across the country including supplying concrete to the NHS Nightingale Hospital built at the Excel, London, and providing 53m3 of concrete to help with the construction of a critical ICU ward at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.