Construction company McNab has teamed up with medical centre operator Ochre Health to open a pop-up vaccination clinic at one of McNab’s construction sites, today in a bid to get tradies fully protected against COVID-19.
McNab founder and Managing Director Michael McNab said its Maroochydore construction site provided a central and easy location for tradies to stop by and get their first dose of the COVID vaccine.
“Today was about the construction industry banding together in the country’s comeback against COVID-19,” Mr McNab said.
“In two hours, we saw nearly 50 construction workers, from both McNab and subcontractor partners, stop by and roll up their sleeve to receive their jab.”
The initiative was driven by McNab’s project team led by Site Manager Ryan Bell.
“We were looking for ways to make it as easy as possible for our workers to access the vaccine,” Mr Ryan Bell said.
“We came up with the idea to set up a vaccination hub at one of our construction sites and then we reached out the team at the Ochre Health to facilitate the process and they were very supportive of the initiative.”
Queensland Regional Manager for Ochre Health, Sean Dickson, said his team were delighted to be involved when McNab made the call.
“Offering vaccination opportunities for people in their workplace has long been seen as a key part of the vaccination rollout – it’s a credit to McNab to actually make it happen,” Mr Dickson said.
“As a direct result of the initiative, we have been getting enquiries from other employers and I’m sure many will soon follow McNab’s lead.”
In another vaccination initiative, McNab is also offering staff a paid day’s leave when getting their second dose.
“It’s our way to thank the team for doing their part in the fight against COVID-19,” Mr McNab said.
“One only has to look to the southern states to see the long-term impact that a COVID-19 outbreak can have on our community — we know that vaccination is the only way to navigate out of this pandemic, so thanking our staff for rolling up their sleeves is the least we can do.”
“This is about giving our team members something to look forward to when they get their second vaccination — a bonus day off to go to the beach, catch up with a friend or spend time with the family. The last 18 months have had their challenges and if vaccination is the ticket to restoring a level of life pre-COVID, there’s reason to celebrate!”
While the ever-changing COVID landscape continues to create uncertainty around job security in many industries, the country’s construction industry is positioned to be a major contributor to retaining staff.
“We’re thankful that the Queensland Government continues to recognise construction as essential and we are pleased to have a number of quality projects underway across South East Queensland creating around 3,000 jobs every week,” Mr McNab said.
“The wellbeing of our team is everything to us, whether they’ve been with us for 25 years or 25 minutes — they are part of the McNab family — and in the case of COVID-19, that means doing anything we can, however small, to help the team get vaccinated if they choose to do so.”
Cube Developments Director Scott Juniper said McNab was currently engaged to construct their One Prosperity project and was impressed with McNab’s approach, but not surprised that the team was showing leadership in regards to vaccination.
“We have worked with McNab on two projects and know that Michael and his leadership team have always been committed to the safety and wellbeing of their team, subcontractors and suppliers,” Mr Juniper said.
“In the case of this pandemic, McNab has been no different — they’ve taken unprecedented measures to protect everyone, and in turn have kept their projects progressing despite challenging changes to how their sites operate due to restrictions.”
