COVID-19 Precautions for Construction Sites

• Since lots of labourers and engineering staff work together at a typical construction site, efforts should be taken to screen them for any COVID-19 symptoms before being allowed to work.
• Screen all employee’s medical records. Medical expert should provide fitness eligibility to every employee prior to joining the crew.
• Have everyone wear face masks & heavy-duty work gloves at all times on-site. When they go home, advise them to bleach wash them for the next day.
• At the start of each day, ensure every crew member has their temperature taken before going to work. Take and log of crew member’s temperatures three times a day — morning, afternoon, and at end of the day. Infrared digital thermometers can be used to measure temperature by holding the thermometer over the central forehead approximately 3 cm from the body surface.
• Every construction site should have weekly doctor’s visits.
• Hand sanitizers of good quality should be placed at all prominent areas, and regular usage of the same must be promoted.
• Provide handwashing stations at the entry and exit points of the main construction site. Educate labourers about the need for frequent handwashing with disinfectant soap.
• Secure six-foot markers at work place. Delegate crew members to measure out and tape off their work areas six feet apart. Consider setting up cones as well. Person-to-person spread is most likely among close contacts — hence the six-foot social distancing rules.
• The entire staff should also maintain adequate distance between each other during lunch breaks or team meetings.
• All tobacco products such as gutka, paan, and tobacco should be banned from work site.
• You can also get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that potentially has the virus on it and then touching your own mouth, nose, or eyes — remind yourself to stop touching your face!
• Clean all areas on-site. Use a mechanical sprayer or thermal fogger that mists disinfectant into the air before wiping all surfaces down. Health experts say it’s enough to clean frequently with soap, alcohol, or bleach-based products. Those responsible for sanitation and cleaning of the area would be given cover-alls.
• Workers should also try and keep tool-sharing to an absolute minimum. When tools need to be shared, then use alcohol wipes to clean the tools before someone else touches them.
• All construction material entering the site would be left undisturbed for three days.
• Every construction site would have a Covid-19 Marshal to ensure that health and hygiene measures are followed and adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs) would be made available.

In addition to all the steps mentioned above, company should also ensure frequent communication of the need for personal hygiene to the labourers, so that they can take necessary precautions at an individual level. Such notifications can be disseminated at construction sites with the help of simple posters which educate about hand hygiene or the need for wearing masks. Project supervisors should also verbally guide and inform the labourers to ensure that all hygiene measures are being followed.

Stay Alert! Stay Safe!