From MBA Pierce:
On behalf of our membership, the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), in partnership with several other business and construction entities, has been participating in Governor Inslee’s Construction Working Group to provide recommendations related to construction restart during COVID-19.
On April 14, the Construction Working Group finalized a proposal to go to the Governor as a path towards restarting existing construction projects with specific COVID-19 safety requirements in place for sites where social distancing requirements can be met. While we are hopeful that this proposal will be accepted and Governor Inslee will allow for home building soon, this proposal HAS NOT BEEN ENACTED and the current STAY HOME, STAY SAFE ORDER IS STILL IN EFFECT.
With that said, we wanted to let you know that we are hard at work on your behalf. Here are a few highlights of the proposed plan so that you can be ready to get back to work as soon as possible if it is enacted. This is with the caveat that this plan could also be altered by the Governor’s office.
If adopted as is, the plan would require, at minimum:
· A COVID-19 Exposure, Control, Mitigation and Recovery plan posted on EACH job site that is available for inspection by state and local authorities.
· A COVID-19 site-specific lead must be designated by the contractor at every job site to monitor the health of employees and enforce the COVID-19 job site safety plan.
· A Safety Stand-Down/toolbox talk/tailgate training must be conducted on all job sites on the first day of returning to work, and weekly thereafter, to explain the protective measures in place for all workers and attendees must be documented.
· Social distancing of at least 6 feet of separation must be maintained by every person on the worksite at all times, including during breaks and lunch.
· Generally, only allow one trade/subcontractor at a time on a jobsite and maintain 6-foot separation social distancing for each member of that trade.
· Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) that must be used at all times. This includes masks (in accordance with the Washington Department of Health, which includes cloth face masks), eye protection, gloves (if gloves are not typically used for the work, any other type of glove may be acceptable, including latex)
· Soap and running water shall be provided on all job sites. If running water is not available, portable hand washing stations, with soap are required, per WAC 296-155-140 2 (a)-(f).
· Frequently clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces on job sites and in offices, such as shared tools, machines, vehicles and other equipment, handrails, doorknobs, and portable toilets.
· When the worksite is an occupied home, workers should sanitize work areas upon arrival, throughout the workday and immediately before they leave, and occupants should keep a personal distance of at least 10 feet.
· A daily attendance log of all workers and visitors must be kept and retained for at least four weeks.
Please start thinking about these elements now -- Especially in the case of PPE, wash stations, and sanitizing materials. You may need to begin planning to acquire enough supplies now to be able to operate in the future. It is likely that no matter how construction restarts, these actions will be required to one degree or another. If this proposal moves forward, MBA Pierce and BIAW will help in developing and providing you with samples of the written materials you will need to keep on-site.
Again, this is update on a current proposal to Governor Inslee and NOT a change to the current Stay Home, Stay Safe order. We will keep you updated as the situation evolves and let you know as soon as we are notified of any changes.
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