How to Maintain Construction Safety in a Pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought the traction of many industries to a halt in early 2020. Construction was not one of them. Though the effects of society’s changes were felt, men and women still had to show up to the job site each morning, don their hard hats, and get to work.

At COMANCO, safety is our top priority. Since our early days of existence in the late ’80s, we’ve sought methods and means to produce quality work while protecting our clients and our employees. Nowadays, this looks like extensive training, communication, and procedures throughout our company’s structure.

In the uncertainty of Coronavirus, we have remained committed to the integrity of our work and the safety of our staff. However, the unprecedented question had to be answered: how do we safely conduct our work in the midst of a pandemic?

 

Implement Company-Wide Policies

It’s safe to say that over the last year, most of us have felt like chickens running around with their heads cut off. We are all navigating these new circumstances as individuals, employees, business owners, and families. Unifying your staff under a corporate policy helps establish the common goal of maintaining everyone’s safety. These policies will likely align with the standard CDC guidelines, such as wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and washing hands often.

In a construction environment, it’s important to clarify procedures both for office and field personnel. Job sites should follow not only those previously stated procedures but also factor in their high contact day-to-day tasks. For example, minimize the number of operators working on a piece of equipment, reduce the number of employees in a vehicle at one time, and maintain remote interaction with the office staff to lessen face-to-face interactions.

 

Roll with the Punches

It is important to remain firm on your company’s principles as you continue your work, but also be flexible in your approach. As we continue to manage the shifting conditions of the pandemic, being quick to adjust will allow work to progress safely. A few adjustments we made here at COMANCO were:

  • Conducting meetings via video conference
  • Performing remote training
  • Canceling all non-essential business travel
  • Adopting the mindset of constantly discovering the “new normal”

This adaptability is crucial to conducting any business in these unprecedented times.

 

Maintain Open Communication

With circumstances constantly changing, new information and guidelines popping up regularly, and the American economy fluctuating rapidly, maintaining an open dialogue in your company is key. Staff members should feel comfortable asking company leadership questions and addressing any problems they see. Likewise, management should be regularly creating conversations about safety measures, updated policies, and any concerns that relate to the employees.

Through practices such as these, we can support our staff, our economy, and our country during these difficult times.

 

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