Wary of infection, handymen insist on precautions customers must take

CHENNAI: After remaining wary of engaging electricians, plumbers and others for repairs at home and insisting that they wore masks and cleaned their hands with sanitisers, residents in Chennai have had the tables turned on them, with the handymen now insisting that the residents should follow these safety measures before the work could begin.

“When a customer books a job through mobile app or website, we first ask whether anyone in the house has fever or anyone was in quarantined. We are also equipped with thermal scanner, facemasks, and sanitizers. We received clear instructions from our company to check if the person who interacts with us has fever,” said K Santosh, an AC mechanic.

The firm has also instructed them to carry extra masks and sanitiser sprays, he said. “We also insist that they wear masks and use sanitisers as they will inspect the work standing very close to us. We avoid taking up the job if we find that anyone is in quarantine at the house. If the customer has fever, we don’t enter the house and cancel the work,” Santosh added.

K Parthasarathy, an electrician, added that money transaction was being done only through mobile phone apps. “We avoid asking clothes for cleaning or any equipment for our work,” he said.

S Mahesh, an employee of a television company that is a member of an app-based service provider, said they have accorded the highest importance to the safety of their employees who attend to the work. “Therefore, we have directed them to take all precautionary measures to keep them safe from coronavirus infection,” he added.

The company has provided them thermal scanners, sanitisers and masks, he said, adding that the workers are tested periodically.

Explaining the reason for insisting that the workers should call and ensure that there were no COVID patients in the house where they are to undertake repair works, Mahesh said, “During the first wave of the pandemic, city Corporation official used to paste a sticker in front the house if any of the inmate had tested. During the second wave, however, many houses do not have stickers.”