By: Charles Hightower
New York City is… finally…. beginning to reopen after three months.
All construction work deemed to be nonessential has been held in abeyance, but can now go forward. But now, all construction, retail, manufacturing, wholesale trading and agriculture industries can go forward once again.
“More than 33,000 non-essential construction sites are eligible to reopen,” reported therealdeal.com. “The Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, the Building Trades Employers’ Association and the Real Estate Board of New York have agreed to a set of safety standards for union sites (or those with collective bargaining agreements). Workers must wear face coverings at all times, a departure from the state guidance that required masks only if social distancing is not possible.”
The state has naturally put out guidelines that construction businesses must follow, most focusing on social distancing and protective equipment. In the area of social distancing, companies must:
– Create additional space for employees by limiting in-person presence to only personnel necessary for the current task(s), adjusting workplace hours, staggering arrival/departure times, creating A/B teams, and/or scheduling only one team in an area at a time
– Modify alignment of workstations to maintain 6 ft. distance and avoid multiple crews and/or teams working in one area. If not feasible, provide and require face coverings or enact physical barriers (e.g. plastic shielding walls), in accordance with OSHA guidelines, in areas where they would not impair air flow, heating, cooling, or ventilation
– Reduce bi-directional foot traffic by posting signs with arrows in narrow aisles, hallways, or spaces
When it comes to protective equipment, the state is insisting that employers must provide employees with an acceptable face covering at no-cost to the employee and have an adequate supply of coverings in case of replacement. Acceptable face coverings include but are not limited to cloth (e.g. homemade sewn, quick cut, bandana) and surgical masks, unless the nature of the work requires stricter PPE (e.g. N95 respirator, face shield).
Face coverings must be cleaned or replaced after use or when damaged or soiled, may not be shared, and should be properly stored or discarded, according to the state regs. “Limit the sharing of objects (e.g. tools, machinery, materials, vehicles) and discourage touching of shared surfaces; or, when in contact with shared objects or frequently touched areas, wear gloves (trade-appropriate or medical); or, sanitize or wash hands before and after contact.”
Construction companies must also adhere to hygiene and sanitation requirements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health (DOH) and maintain cleaning logs on site that document date, time, and scope of cleaning.
