Keeping Your Construction Jobsite Safe During A Pandemic

A construction company’s biggest asset is its personnel; and keeping them safe is vital to preventing illness due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. From small custom home builders to large production and commercial builders, efforts to stop the spread of the disease and keep workers safe is paramount to continuing construction activities. Now more than ever, isolating construction areas can help keep your crew safe while at the same time controlling jobsite dust.

Listed below are rules that construction companies can follow to keep both their workers and clients safe.

1. Face masks - must be worn by all persons on site. No mask, no entry on site.
2. Gloves – should also be worn by all while on site.
3. Bleach spray bottle solution - wipe down on a regular basis with 10% bleach solution or any approved disinfectant.
4. Maintain 6 ft. social distance at ALL times.
5. Keep windows open for as much ventilation as possible.
6. Use plastic sheeting and Zipwall Poles or other methods to create work barriers to limit the interaction of the construction areas and those occupied by the homeowner. On commercial sites or medical projects, temporary wall barriers such as Edge-Guard can be purchased or rented for durable short-term separation of construction activities and possible infected people.
7. Keep Porta Potty and wash station stocked with soap, water and towels.
8. Wipe down Porta Potty and wash station with a disinfectant solution daily.
9. Keep noise to a minimum as more neighbors are home now.
10. No sharing of tools or equipment. Wipe down tools and equipment regularly with disinfectant spray solution.
11. Insist workers knock before entering the jobsite office.
12. Keep hand sanitizer in the jobsite office for worker use and routinely disinfect doorknobs, cabinet file handles, and other surfaces that workers may touch during the day.
13. Meetings with co-workers and subs should be arranged via video chat rather than in person.
14. Outside visitors – NONE on site during work hours. (Anyone not associated with the project).

Currently many construction projects are considered essential and the key to keep construction ongoing during the pandemic is to minimize the number of workers that test positive. With a plan in place to control the chance of infection, construction companies can mitigate the likelihood of a workers testing positive.