COVID-19 Safety Protocols to Keep your Crew Safe.

April 13, 2020

Are you confused about how to stay safe while continuing to build during the COVID-19 pandemic? The Canadian Construction Association has issued an excellent summary of recommended safety procedures to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 on job sites.

Here are some of the recommended prevention measures you need to follow to be safe:

Communication and awareness

Clear signage is posted at entry points on the construction site and outline the commitment of the contractor to maintain health and safety measures during the COVID-19 crisis, with relevant updates from appropriate jurisdictions’ public health authorities and self-identification screening tools.

All workers exercise the following recommended practices for reducing the risk of transmission as identified by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Health Canada, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands;
• When coughing or sneezing: Cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of your arm, not your hand;
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, including all reusable PPE;
• Do not share personal items or supplies such as phones, pens, notebooks, PPE, etc.;
• Avoid common physical greetings, such as handshakes;
• Maintain a minimum physical distance of two metres from others; and
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after using the washroom, when preparing food, and after blowing nose, coughing, or sneezing. If hands are not visibly soiled, and soap and water are unavailable, alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used.

Access and movement to/from construction site

• Detailed tracking of worker’s status on-site and off-site are kept at all time (e.g., fit to work, sick, off-work for family caring duties, etc.). A list of all quarantined workers is updated daily, with their privacy maintained.
• Wherever possible, workers travel to site using individual modes of transportation (e.g., personal vehicles or bicycles). Additional parking arrangements are made as required.
• All non-essential individuals are not permitted access to the site.

Construction site and site trailer cleaning protocols

• All offices and jobsites implement additional cleaning measures of common areas. All door handles, railings, ladders, switches, controls, eating surfaces, shared tools and equipment, taps, toilets, and personal workstation areas are wiped down at least twice a day with a disinfectant, such as disinfectant wipes. Individuals are responsible for cleaning and disinfecting their workstations.
• Additional sanitary measures are implemented on-site: handwashing stations with a posted hand washing protocol, hand sanitizer stations, provision of disinfectant wiping products. These types of facilities are made available at site entries, exits, washrooms, eating areas, offices, and any other areas with commonly touched surfaces.
• Frequently touched surfaces on vehicles and equipment are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected at the end of shifts and between users.
• All cleaning and disinfecting is carried out as PHAC’s recommends here: www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/cleaning-disinfecting-public-spaces.html.

Deliveries

• Delivery zones are clearly identified and limited to receivers and deliverers only.
• When possible, nothing is passed between the deliverer and the receiver (e.g. shipment documents and pens for signatures). Deliveries are unloaded solely by receivers using proper PPE, while deliverers remain in their vehicles.

Read more about the COVID-19 – Standardized Protocols for All Canadian Construction Sites here.