SW Oregon Architect: COVID-19 Safety in Construction

Saturday, June 27, 2020

COVID-19 Safety in Construction

The surge of COVID-19 cases during the past couple weeks is a wake-up call for all of us. Unfortunately, it appears life with the virus will continue to be our “new normal” for the foreseeable future. Until a vaccine is widely available, all businesses need to take precautions so employees, clients, and customers don’t catch and spread the disease. The construction industry is by no means immune (pardon the pun) to these concerns. What do experts recommend as the common-sense, best practices for minimizing the risk of transmission on construction jobsites?

Last Wednesday’s June (virtual) meeting of the Construction Specifications Institute/Willamette Valley Chapter featured an informative presentation by David Kahn of Forensic Analytical Consulting Services, Inc. (FACS) on the subject of COVID-19 safety in construction. FACS is one of the country’s leading and most diverse industrial hygiene consulting firms. The company has stepped up during the current crisis by forming the COVID-19 FACS Expert Team, of which David is a member. The team has been continuously reviewing the latest data and guideline revisions to keep itself and FACS clients up to speed with the best science and right perspective on addressing the pandemic.

Construction jobsites constitute unique and challenging settings in which project teams must overlay the recommended precautions associated with minimizing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Each site presents one-of-a-kind quandaries. There may be confined spaces to work in, limited access to others, and other environmental challenges. Construction work often requires cooperative efforts in proximity with other team members and at odds with physical distancing recommendations. Equipment is by necessity often shared. New workers cycle on and off the jobsite with regularity, and each may unknowingly be carrying the virus. Different trades must endure different work arrangements to get their jobs done. The necessary precautions may slow or disrupt work progress, and their implementation comes with costs. On top of this, there is uncertainty about how the insurance industry will address the incidence of COVID-19 cases specifically arising from construction activities.

The implications for contractors, building owners, suppliers, design professionals, and others who may visit a construction site demand the development and application of a clear safety plan and a safe work practices program. David provided some guidance in this regard, touching upon the necessity of risk assessment, work modification, enhanced hygiene, social/physical distancing, and medical screening. In a nutshell, David emphasized how putting well-considered plans and work practices in place—communicating and enforcing site-specific requirements—is critical.

Why should each construction project have its own Safety Plan? Why can’t a generic set of rules and practices be applied? As mentioned above, the primary reason is construction projects and jobsites almost always present unique conditions. Additionally, regulatory requirements may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and with them the legal concerns and liability. Public perception and expectations regarding “acceptable” risk may vary from locale to locale. A significant reason for overlaying project-specific plans is the need for communicating a common strategy rather than allowing the owner or individual trades to default to their generic practices, thereby avoiding multiple sets of rules. The bottom line is a tailored Safety Plan is the responsible thing to do.

The objectives of each project’s Safety Plan are to protect people, protect resources, protect the general contractor’s reputation, and to be defensible, practical, and flexible. Each plan consists of a Site Risk Assessment and a set of Safe Work Practices.

Site Risk Assessment

A proper site risk assessment is a precursor to developing a project’s Safe Work Practices program. The assessment includes evaluation of the expected building condition, whether work can be staggered to limit occupancy, how much activity will occur indoors and within tight spaces, and whether workers will be in frequent contact with others. If the project is a renovation of an existing building, the questions to be asked might additionally include whether portions of the building not within the project scope will be occupied during construction and, if so, whether they the HVAC system will provide adequate levels of ventilation to mitigate the risks of virus transmission. Again, the key is understanding the particulars of the project to protect workers most effectively and everyone else associated with it.

Safe Work Practices Program Elements

David outlined the key elements of a Safe Work Practices program for a construction project:

COVID-19 Safety Team

The COVID-19 Safety Team is comprised of a Core Team and an Extended Team for a given project. The Core Team possesses a command of the subject matter and organizational expertise. The Core Team is responsible for developing the Safe Work Practices Program and monitoring public health agency guidelines as they evolve to keep the program current.

The Extended Team implements the Safe Work Practices program, performs necessary training, enacts program provisions, represents individual constituencies within the organization, and solicits feedback regarding the program’s implementation.

Each Safety Team should have its dedicated COVID-19 safety coordinator.

Prevention

We’re all familiar by now with the recommended prevention practices: Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Stay home if sick. Wear a mask and use other PPE. Maintain social distancing. Clean and disinfect the worksite frequently. Medically screen workers before they step on site. Stagger trades and shifts to the extent practicable. All of these measures have proven effective and easy to understand. The challenge is to consistently and diligently apply them.

Response

If one or more persons on the project team contract the virus, the Safety Team will respond in accordance with established protocols. These include documenting the case, separating and isolating the individual or individuals, contact tracing, cleaning and disinfection, monitoring and validation, and follow-up as necessary.

Recordkeeping

Recordkeeping would include documenting the training conducted and also listing site, job, and task-specific activities. Keeping a log of all jobsite visitors (including their contact information) is an imperative, both to facilitate contact tracing and for verification and audit purposes. The Safe Work Practices program should also institute a formal record retention policy.

Supply Management

The Safe Work Practices program would also formalize the specification, procurement, distribution, and inventorying of necessary supplies, including PPE and cleaning products.

Additional Components

In the case of projects involving building sites that may be closed due to COVID-19 and subsequently reopened, the shutdown of water systems and HVAC systems—before closure, during closure, and before re-occupancy—presents its own set of issues. General contractors and occupants need to follow guidance for reopening buildings after a prolonged shutdown or reduced operation. Mitigating the risks of potential microbial hazards (such as mold in ducts or Legionella in standing or stagnant water systems) requires implementation of plans to control humidity, inspect and replace filters as indicated, and flush pipes and other systems.

Safe work practices need to additionally include the public health practices for vendors that will enter the property during progressive states of pandemic concerns and mandated or recommended public access controls. These practices are to provide protection for the general contractor but also for the vendors, staff, or residents (of occupied projects).

Effective safety plans meet local state, federal guidelines and requirements. They are clear, concise, and effective statements communicating appropriate requirements and a commitment to measures that are feasible to implement.

As David explained, a well-drafted COVID plan—prepared with the assistance of consultants like the COVID-19 FACS Expert Team—coupled with training and consistent implementation of protocols is the best way to protect a company’s staff and employees and by extension their families. Additionally, having such a plan inserts a firewall to help protect project owners, GC’s, and other stakeholders by limiting liability.

The COVID-19 virus remains very dangerous and continues to pose a great threat to the health of the every one of us. Anybody involved in construction activities needs to be informed about, be aware of, and always follow safe work practices. Big thanks to David for sharing his insights and providing an essential primer on a topic of great importance today.

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Following the meeting, Emily Ricker—FACS Client Services Coordinator—sent me the following list of resource information about COVID-19 and the construction industry’s response to the pandemic:

Government Resources

Oregon Health Authority COVID Main Page

https://govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-COVID-19

Oregon OSHA Guidance for Construction

https://osha.oregon.gov/covid19/Pages/covid-19-contractors.aspx

Washington Safe Start Construction Industry Guidance

https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/03.25.20-Construction%20Guidance%20Memo%20%28002%29.pdf

Washington L&I COVID Resource Page

https://www.lni.wa.gov/safety-health/safety-topics/topics/coronavirus

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention COVID-19

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

World Health Organization COVID-19