In the interests of public health and hygiene, we have reviewed our earlier decision to temporarily put a stop to our environmental services and these will resume from Monday 6th April, with some important changes to how the services will be delivered.  We feel that during these challenging times, it is important that we continue to disinfect our common areas to try and help reduce the spread of coronavirus.  It is also important that our common areas and environment are kept clean and clear of refuse in order to prevent fire hazard and to control pests.

Our environmental services include close cleaning, back-court maintenance and bulk pull-out and grass-cutting/landscaping.  These services will resume according to the usual timetables, as far as possible.   Needless to say, the health and safety of our staff and residents is of paramount importance and we have assessed the risks associated with this work and taken steps to minimise the risk of cross contamination between staff members and residents during service delivery. Upkeep’s staff will carry out their duties in accordance with industry best practice for health and safety and Government guidance, with all staff provided with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment and strict social distancing rules adhered to at all times. The extra health and safety measures taken include the following:

• Staff will arrive on-site separately and will follow staggered start times to prevent any cross contamination.  Staff will work on the same street for safety reasons but will adhere to rules for social distancing.
• During close cleaning, the first operative will press all buzzers to advise residents that they are cleaning the close, reminding them to stay within their homes as far as possible while cleaning takes place.
• Signs will be placed at close entrances to advise that close cleaning is in progress and that access is prohibited during this time.
• Cleaning will focus on the cleaning and disinfection of areas such as bannisters and intercoms to help restrict the spread of the virus.
• Residents are asked not to engage with our staff in any circumstances during these operations.

We understand that some residents may have questions or concerns about our environmental services resuming, please do not hesitate to contact the Association on 763 0511 to discuss.  We will continue to monitor and review our environmental services as the current situation develops, and we would welcome your feedback on our services during these difficult times, so please do get in touch to share your views.