Construction Workplace exposures Construction

COVID-19 pandemic: CPWR shares tips to help shield construction workers from exposure

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Photo: beekeepx/iStockphoto

Silver Spring, MD — Aiming to protect construction workers from the COVID-19 pandemic, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training has released guidance for employees and employers.

CPWR collaborated with North America’s Building Trades Unions, as well as partners in research and government, to develop the guidance. The center said it plans to update its COVID-19 webpage regularly as information becomes available.

 

Tips for workers include:

  • Don’t go to work if you’re feeling sick.
  • Don’t shake hands when greeting others.
  • Stay at least 6 feet away from others on the worksite, if possible, including during meetings and training sessions.
  • Avoid contact with sick people.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or do so into your elbow.
  • Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

For employers:

  • Plan for office staff to have the ability to work from home.
  • Provide soap and running water – and hand sanitizer, if possible – on all worksites to allow for frequent handwashing.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces on worksites and in offices, including hand rails, doorknobs and portable toilets.
  • If a job involves working at a health care facility, provide workers with Infection Control Risk Assessment training.

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Kathy
March 27, 2020
Can you offer advice on cleaning tools especially those that are shared?

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Name
March 27, 2020
Great article!! Glad to see someone finally offer guidance to construction companies and construction workers. These men and women also put their lives on the line to keep this country running.

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Chris
March 31, 2020
I work at a construction site building a recreational center which I don't understand how that could be essential. There is no safety practice going on there. None of us feel safe and I don't know who to report it to? We're scared of possibly getting sick and bring it on to our families. The Builder keeps downplaying coronavirus and acting like it's no big deal he's a real idiot

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DONNIE
March 31, 2020
Any specific requirements for preventing COVID-19 exposure for construction site port-a toilets? these facilities are normally the most disgusting dirty surfaces and conditions on any given day. Construction as been identified as essential jobs, but i think this one factor has been overlooked. l How are these facilities being addressed in regards to COVID-19 prevention? Are GC 'required to assign personnel to daily maintain them? its impossible to rely on rental and maintenance companies to conduct daily cleaning

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Jack
April 9, 2020
How do you explain to the average construction worker that they are essential personnel when there are hundreds of thousands of people applying for unemployment benefits and getting an additional $600 a week added to their benefit pay and the construction workers are out there risking their and their families lifes with no additional compensation while the unemployed sits in there homes out of harms way?

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Joe Lee
April 13, 2020
I am construction design engineer, it is impossible to have physical isolation of 6ft on construction site. Simple example such how do you hang a door without someone assisting you, scaffolding walkways are not over 6ft wide,. How are witnessing, testing and certification carried out if we are to maintain 6ft isolation space. As engineers we have to design add ons to construction workers helmets such as visor type facial guards and and we have to start modelling air movement patterns and carry out risk analysis to prove these mitigate the chances of picking up the virus. I know air flow pattern modelling is carried out for people talking and coughing so modelling and designing simple face guards must be easy. Let’s get back to work knowing we are going to be safe to do so. Please check out University College Dublin and Mater Hospital coughing model study and surly this can be developed to give us a safer work environment. https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0409/1129633-social-distancing-coughing-sneezing/ Keep Safe, Joe Lee Ceng FCIBSE