During 2020, every employer’s goal has quickly become to provide a way for their customers to safely purchase or consume their product, and for their employees to work in a safe environment.
Whether that be in warehouses, distribution centers, restaurants, retail stores, grocery stores, you name it. Safety is a top priority. With Rogers doing construction work in many different sectors of business, safety on the job site was/is already a main priority, but things are looking pretty different now that COVID-19 is a factor in the equation.
Industry experts have launched a new safety training course for safe working in the construction industry. A program called CovCert is an online program designed to provide employees with an understanding of how to work safely and minimize the risk of COVID-19 to themselves and their colleagues. [i]
“CovCert is aimed at employees who are returning to work on construction sites. The courses are intended to raise Covid-19 awareness and provide employees with the knowledge required to minimize the risk of transmission and infection within the workplace, as well as providing an induction for new employees and informing on up to date guidance.” – Andrew Warring, managing director of Green Hat Consulting [i]
According to OSHA, the Construction industry is taking as many precautionary steps as possible while on the job site. While projects like these involve a lot of communication and contact with different project managers, construction workers, electricians, etc., there are many ways to minimize these in-person meetings/take as many precautionary steps as possible. Some of these include adopting staggering work schedules to reduce the total number of employees on a job site at any given time and ensure physical distancing, identify areas where employees are more likely to stand close to each other and implement policies to maintain social distancing, coordinate site deliveries in line with the employer’s minimal contact and cleaning protocols with delivery personnel remaining in their vehicles as much as possible, and a few others. [ii] In person meetings should be kept as short as possible while using social distancing practices, and site managers should ensure clean toilet and handwashing facilities with disinfectant and hand sanitation readily available to all. [ii] Managers should also use their discretion to decide if workers need additional PPE gear to what they typically wear, but focus more so on preventative measures outside of PPE. [ii]
The CDC recommends cloth face coverings in the construction industry as a protective measure in addition to social distancing as a measure to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Managers are being instructed to train construction workers on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, with as much information on how the disease spreads even if someone isn’t showing symptoms. As well as with other workers in different business sectors, construction employees are encouraged to stay home if they are feeling sick and inform their manager if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive. Employees on job sites are to be informed of proper cleaning practices, alternatives to shaking hands, and the need to report any safety and health concerns.
While many construction projects, as well as projects in multiple other sectors, have either been postponed or cancelled, it is Rogers #1 priority to keep our employees and our customers safe during these unknown times. Precautionary steps advised by both the CDC and OSHA are Rogers top priority on job sites, and we are excited to continue with the many projects we have going on currently in our construction department and in the future. Head on over to our Construction page to read more about the services we offer.