COVID-19 STATEMENT

Administrative Controls

We will use administrative controls, to reduce or eliminate the risk of exposure. Implement, and update policies to reflect:

• Standard operating procedures that follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), OSHA, state/territorial, and local guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection.
• Training for employees on the spread of the disease in the geographic areas in which they work.
• Screening calls when scheduling indoor construction work to assess potential exposures and circumstances in the work environment, before worker entry.

We will train construction workers on:

• The signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and an explanation of how the disease is potentially spread, including the fact that infected people can spread the virus even if they do not have symptoms.
• All policies and procedures that are applicable to the employee's duties as they relate to potential exposures to SARS-CoV-2. It is helpful to provide employees with a written copy of those standard operating procedures.
• Information on appropriate social distancing and hygiene practices, including:
• Avoiding physical contact with others and maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from customers and other individuals, whenever possible, including inside work trailers.
• Appropriate cleaning practices (i.e., washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or, if soap and water are not immediately available, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol and rubbing hands until they are dry; sanitizing all surfaces workers will touch).
• The proper way to cover coughs and sneezes following CDC recommendations (i.e., sneezing or coughing into a tissue or into the upper sleeve).
• Alternatives to shaking hands upon entry, and the importance of workers not touching their own faces (mouth, nose, eyes).
• The benefits of driving to work sites or parking areas individually, when possible, without passengers or carpools.
• The types, proper use, limitations, location, handling, decontamination, removal, and disposal of any PPE being used.
• The importance of staying home if they are sick.
• Wearing masks over their noses and mouths to prevent them from spreading the virus.
• The need to continue using other normal control measures, including PPE, necessary to protect workers from other job hazards associated with construction activities.
• Using Environmental Protection Agency-approved cleaning chemicals from List N or that have label claims against the coronavirus for cleaning frequently touched surfaces like tools, handles, and machines.
• The need to report any safety and health concerns.

Implement standard operating procedures and employee training to ensure that, before entry into home environments or areas where construction is ongoing in occupied buildings, workers:

• Request that any individuals under quarantine or isolation who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are experiencing signs and/or symptoms of COVID-19 remain physically separated from the worker (e.g., in a different room, on a different level of the home or building, or outside if weather and applicable emergency orders permit) and communicate remotely with the worker (e.g., by cell phone, using internet-based payment systems and electronic signatures to confirm that work was completed).
• Ask individuals in the workplace to wear a cloth or other face covering, if available, and to cover coughs and sneezes.
• Request that shared spaces in the construction area have good air flow, such as by turning on an air conditioner or opening windows, weather permitting, consistent with CDC recommended precautions for people in households.

Cloth Face Coverings in Construction

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings as a protective measure in addition to social distancing (i.e., staying at least 6 feet away from others). Cloth face coverings may be especially important when social distancing is not possible or feasible based on working conditions. A cloth face covering may reduce the amount of large respiratory droplets that a person spreads when talking, sneezing, or coughing. Cloth face coverings may prevent people who do not know they have the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading it to others. Cloth face coverings are intended to protect other people—not the wearer.

Cloth face coverings are not PPE. They are not appropriate substitutes for PPE such as respirators (like N95 respirators) or medical facemasks (like surgical masks) in workplaces where respirators or facemasks are recommended or required to protect the wearer.

While wearing cloth face coverings is a public health measure intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in communities, it may not be practical for workers to wear a single cloth face covering for the full duration of a work shift (e.g., eight or more hours) on a construction site if they become wet, soiled, or otherwise visibly contaminated during the work shift. If cloth face coverings are worn on construction sites, employers should provide readily available clean cloth face coverings (or disposable facemask options) for workers to use when the coverings become wet, soiled, or otherwise visibly contaminated.

We will determine that cloth face coverings should be worn at a construction site, including to comply with state or local requirements for their use, should ensure the cloth face coverings:

• Fit over the nose and mouth and fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face;
• Are secured with ties or ear loops;
• Include multiple layers of fabric;
• Allow for breathing without restriction;
• Can be laundered using the warmest appropriate water setting and machine dried daily after the shift, without damage or change to shape (a clean cloth face covering should be used each day);
• Are not used if they become wet or contaminated;
• Are replaced with clean replacements, provided by employer, as needed;
• Are handled as little as possible to prevent transferring infectious materials to the cloth; and
• Are not worn with or instead of respiratory protection when respirators are needed.

Safe Work Practices

To the extent possible, screen all visitors on all construction sites in advance of their arrival on the job site for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

Adopt staggered work schedules, e.g., provide alternating workdays or extra shifts, to reduce the total number of employees on a job site at any given time and to ensure physical distancing.

Identify choke points where workers are forced to stand together, such as hallways, hoists and elevators, ingress and egress points, break areas, and buses, and implement policies to maintain social distancing.

In elevators and personnel hoists, ensure 6 feet distance between passengers in all directions and equip operators with appropriate respiratory protection and other necessary PPE.

Coordinate site deliveries in line with the employer's minimal contact and cleaning protocols. Delivery personnel should remain in their vehicles if at all possible.

Institute a rigorous housekeeping program to reduce dust levels on the job site.

Keep in-person meetings (including toolbox talks and safety meetings) as short as possible, limit the number of workers in attendance, and use social distancing practices.

Ensure clean toilet and handwashing facilities. Clean and disinfect portable job site toilets regularly. Fill hand sanitizer dispensers regularly. Disinfect frequently touched items (i.e., door pulls and toilet seats) regularly.

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