COVID-19, coronavirus, is a disease causing viral respiratory illnesses, transmitted by close contact with an infected person or by touching a surface contaminated by the virus and by touching one’s mouth, nose or eyes. Elderly people and people with weakened immune systems, such as heart conditions, asthma, HIV and COPD, to name a few, are more susceptible to the coronavirus than the general population. Special care should be taken when interacting or working around these groups of people.
COVID-19 can spread quickly from sick workers to others who are nearby in the workplace. It is transferred by touching an infected surface or person or by getting coughed on. It will be important for everyone to follow strict guidelines in order to maintain everyone’s health on job sites and in the office.
Davie Construction Co. is implementing the following additional guidelines that everyone is expected to adhere to keep all our team members, clients, partners, community members and families safe. These guidelines will be in force until further notice:
- First and foremost, stay at home if you are sick or you live with a family member who shows signs of coronavirus – fever, continuous cough or difficulty in breathing. Be sure to call your supervisor to let them know your condition.
- If you show symptoms of COVID-19 at work, immediately notify your supervisors and go home. Isolation for at least 2 weeks will be expected, unless cleared by a doctor.
- Try to maintain a distance of 6’ at all times and limit face-to-face contact. This may include options to telework, creating reduced or staggered work schedules, spacing workers farther apart and postponing non-essential meetings and travel.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or inside of your elbow.
- Wash your hands frequently throughout the day.
- Do not share tools and sanitize the tools before handing off to someone else.
- If you touch a surface touched by others, you must sanitize your hands.
- Do not travel in DCC vehicles with groups of more than 2. Take extra vehicles when necessary.
- Traveling to lunch together by more than 2 people in a DCC vehicle is prohibited.
- Workers should maintain safe separation at all times.
- Carry individual wipes and sanitizers with you to use when the touching of surfaces cannot be avoided.
- All superintendent paperwork should be mailed/emailed. Visits to the office should be minimized.
- No vendors should come by the office to collect checks under any circumstance. Checks will be mailed.
- Do not encourage visitors to the office except as might be required from time to time. Meetings with subs should be conducted by phone.
- Until May 1, do not schedule person-to-person meetings. Utilize teleconference and internet-based meetings.
- All in-person job interviews are canceled until May 1.
- After entering our building or office, touch any door handle-sanitize your hands.
- All breakfast/lunch gatherings should be curtailed until after May 1.
- If you touch anything in the breakroom, clean what you touch and sanitize your hands.
Hotel/Motel Guidelines:
- Take extra caution to distance yourself from others.
- Do not use any common areas unless absolutely necessary.
- Do not eat at breakfast buffets, including coffee. Most rooms have coffee makers.
- Cancel daily maid service.
- Sanitize your room regularly.
- Sanitize your hands immediately after entering or leaving the premises, touching common door knobs and key pads.
If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 by someone who has been working on your job site or someone exhibiting symptoms, then DCC will shut down the job for two (2) weeks. This will allow enough time to see if anyone else on that site may have become infected.
Do not mix work crews with the public. No warranty or punch list work is to be performed in occupied spaces. Temporary partitions shall be used to separate the public from the construction personnel.
Verbal screenings shall be conducted before any worker is allowed to enter the work site. All workers shall check in thru a single control point. Screenings can be completed by the crew foreman (it is not a safe practice for the superintendent to screen all workers). Any response to the screening questions that creates concern will stop admission to the work site for that individual and any who have been in contact with the individual.
Screening questions shall include:
- Have you traveled out of the country in the last 14 days—if so where and when?
- Have you experienced any upper respiratory symptoms in the last 2 weeks?
- Has a family member that you have contacted been sick in the last 14 days?
- Have you been running a temperature or have you felt you have a temperature?
- Are you feeling ill in any way?
- If they are feeling ill, ask if they recently contacted a fellow worker on the site and get their names.
Any ‘Yes” answers would be grounds to not allow entrance of that individual and anyone they have contacted should be notified.
This will take a lot of time and energy getting used to, but is necessary and probably not as bad as others have it right now. If you think of anything that may be bothering you or you would like to add, please let us know. Our priority, as always, is to make sure everyone goes home safe and healthy each day!