RCM&D has put together a comprehensive Back to Business: Construction guide for clients in the industry to get them focused on developing a plan for reopening. If you would like to receive a copy of this report, please complete the form at the bottom of this page and an RCM&D advisor will contact you.
As stay-at-home restrictions begin to be lifted, many businesses are determining how they may safely bring employees back to work and resume normal operations. With outdoor activities and operations likely to be among the first phase of most states reopening plans, the construction industry must act quickly to develop internal procedures, infection control protocols, proactive employee communications and more to safeguard their staff while ensuring long-term, sustainable operations.
Resumption of a project or reopening of ancillary services after a stoppage due to COVID-19 requires a carefully constructed game plan. Our team of expert risk consultants and industry professionals put together a guide to getting back to business for those operating in the construction industry. From the initial communications to equipment checks, this guide highlights all the necessary steps that should be taken for a safe return to work.
Below, we offer a concise, but effective overview of those considerations to ensure the safe resumption of a job site. A more comprehensive guide is available through an RCM&D representative once you complete the form below.
Information & Communication
- Identify the key personnel and provide contact information.
- Determine who is responsible for approvals related to COVID-19. Communicate roles and responsibilities with all employees.
- Create protocols for protecting employee medical information.
Meetings, Travel & General Operating Procedure Changes
- Communicate sick leave requirements and protocols to all employees.
- Limit or eliminate face-to-face meetings whenever possible. Restrict office visitors, put in place screening protocols for visitors when visit cannot be avoided.
- Limit travel to/from areas of high concentration of community transmission.
Minimum Project Standards
Develop and communicate site-specific cleaning and social distancing plans (applicable for subcontractors as well) – consider using a risk analysis heat map to identify areas that need to be addressed.
- Maintain subcontractor agreements to cleaning and social distancing plans.
- Establish a cleaning schedule for aerial lifts, forklifts, buggies and all other equipment.
- Clean and disinfect portable jobsite toilets regularly, ensure handwashing stations are available and stocked.
- Promote enhanced personal hygiene guidelines and provide regular education and training on the protocols.
- Develop detailed work hour and material estimates for cleaning supplies, hand washing stations, personal protective equipment (PPE), restroom facilities and third-party services to assist with cleaning.
- Monitor supply chain of material and equipment. Engage additional support as required.
COVID-19 Test Positive Protocol
Even with all the proper precautions in place, exposure to COVID-19 on the jobsite is always possible. It is important to prepare for a positive result. The full guidance document provides a plan for you to follow in the event of an individual positive COVID-19 test at the project site or contractor office.
Screening Procedures
If required by the state or other jurisdiction to conduct health questionnaires or temperature screening, follow an identified procedure, an example of which is outlined in our full guide. In most cases, this would include the entire workforce as well as deliveries and visitors entering a project. All procedures must comply with known CDC and OSHA health and safety requirements.
As part of the process of screening workers who enter jobsites for symptoms of COVID-19, every effort must be made to protect the people performing temperature screening and observation.
We Are Here to Help.
RCM&D’s risk consulting team is highly experienced in developing back-to-business plans for the construction industry. Whether you are a fully operational facility bringing ancillary services back online, or a business that needs to transition your employees working remotely back to the office, we’re here to help you identify your route to reopening by:
Developing Internal Programs – We can develop or review custom internal programs targeted for your specific facilities, employees and operations.
Implementing Infection Control Protocols – Ensure that you are able to not only prevent exposure but also identify, isolate and sanitize in the event of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case.
Social Distance Heat Mapping – Identify areas within your facility that may be a concern for effective social distancing measures. Using those insights, we can help you mitigate concerns through appropriate intervention techniques.
Learn more about the services our Risk Consulting team can provide to help your organization get Back To Business.
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