Wavin Hep2O has been catching up with plumbers across the UK who have been going the distance during lockdown and saving the day with emergency repairs. Here, Ryan Mills from G.D Mills Plumbing & Heating talks about an emergency job he was called out to during lockdown, and what it’s like now lockdown restrictions are being lifted and everyday plumbing jobs can resume as normal.
Can you tell us about an emergency job you worked on during lockdown?
Right at the start of lockdown, I was called out to an emergency bathroom repair at a paramedic’s flat in Edinburgh. A pipe had burst under the customer’s bath which caused his whole flat to flood, as well as two flats below him. To add to that, he’d also just come off his third night shift in a row. As he was a keyworker on the frontline, and I was also out and about doing emergency jobs, we had to be particularly cautious about coming into contact.
What did you do to make sure the visit was as safe as possible?
We had to be extra careful to distance ourselves from each other, so the paramedic was happy to stand outside the flat while I carried out the repair. I wore the correct PPE and made sure all tools were disinfected, as well as the area I was working on, both before and after the job, to reduce any risk of transmission. I also made sure I was regularly applying the hand sanitiser I carry around with me.
How are things now we’re starting to get back to normal?
Customers are a lot more relaxed now compared to at the start of lockdown when most people, including us plumbers, were quite apprehensive about all the extra precautions that had to be taken. As we’re returning to a bit of normality, I think the main difference to my role is giving customers the reassurance that they need to make them feel at ease.
A big well done to Ryan and all the other plumbers across the UK who carried out emergency jobs over lockdown.
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