It’s important that during multi-phase installations or fit outs that the disruption to the business, and those businesses in the surrounding area, is kept to a minimum. Here are just a few ways to minimise disruption.

Provide and maintain pedestrian walkways

If your installation is situated in a public area that sees a lot of foot traffic, you should ensure that use of existing pedestrian walkways is maintained to avoid disruption. If footpaths and walkways have to be altered to ensure people do not enter the construction site, alternative routes should be provided. Temporary walkways can also be created for the duration of the works through the use of demarcation.

Duration of road closures is curtailed

For external multi-phase installations it may be necessary to close roads, especially in large construction projects. Whilst this may be sometimes unavoidable, the duration of road closures can be curtailed to minimise disruption. Where possible, it’s advisable to close roads outside of peak hours and provide as much information to whoever might be affected.

Minimise the presence of physical obstacles

Frequently, multi-phase installations are done in such a way that the business in questions and businesses around them can continue trading and carry on with their processes whilst the work is being done. For example, in a department store or shopping centre. In these cases, physical obstacles could serve as a health and safety issue and cause danger to the public. Examples of obstacles could include
barriers, intrusive hoarding, unnecessary signage, tools and temporary works material. By minimising the presence of these physical obstacles you can minimise the disruption they cause.

Ensure local business entrances are unobstructed

It’s vital that any surrounding businesses do not have their entrances obstructed as this could be detrimental to their business and also pose a health and safety risk. Construction sites can also put the general public off entering businesses which would see a loss in sales. In some cases, this can be offset by construction workers providing business to them, especially in the case of convenience stores. However, for most cases planning the installation to minimise obstruction to local businesses should always be carried out.

Keep a positive customer experience

In department stores and shopping centres, it’s essential to minimise disruption to the customer; ensuring they have a positive, instore experience even if works are being carried out whilst the store is open. An ideal way to overcome this is by ensuring branding is still visible and consistent across all internal works. This can be achieved with relevant hoarding graphics and signage.

Implement dust containment measures

Depending on the work that’s being done, an installation can create a lot of dust that can be a health issue and leave unsightly dirt, especially in a multi-phase installation where other processes within the business are being maintained or the dust could affect neighbouring businesses. Dust containment measures can be used to limit the impact of any dust particles, such as watering down or specially designed floor to ceiling partitions with tight dust seals.

Maintain existing processes whilst work is underway

During multi-phase installations it is inefficient to close the whole business for the duration of the works. The great thing about multi-phase installations is the ability to maintain existing processes whilst work is underway. This can be done through internal site hoarding which can be adapted and moved as work progresses. You can also maintain brand imagery with on-brand hoarding design