By Kevin McMahon, AIHA Construction Committee

AIHA publication remains a valuable blueprint for meeting the COVID challenge

Now that vaccines are widely available and COVID-19 cases are substantially lower, construction companies should re-evaluate their COVID-19 plans to be consistent with CDC and OSHA guidelines, which are frequently updated as the re-opening continues and the pandemic changes course. The challenge ahead for leaders in the construction industry will be to navigate these changes with a workforce that will vary in terms of vaccinations, coupled with the possibility that virus variants could evade vaccines and a seasonal uptick in cases which could occur this coming fall/winter. Construction companies will need to pay close attention to these changes and maintain their plans.

AIHA, the association for scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring occupational and environmental health and

safety (OEHS) in the workplace and community, released a publication, Focus on Construction Health: COVID-19, developed by AIHA construction safety and health specialists, to meet the unique needs of construction employers.  

Focus on Construction Health: COVID-19, available as a free download, covers how exposures can occur and what construction exposures are likely to be low, medium, and/or high risk. The document provides a practical seven-step strategy for reducing and controlling COVID-19 hazards on the job site. For instance, it guides contractors through the decision-making process for selecting personal protective equipment (PPE), and provides information on face coverings and respirators. It also links to CDC and OSHA guidance and other helpful resources.   

An important part of COVID-19 plans, as outlined in Step 5 of the seven-step strategy for controlling COVID-19 on construction projects, is a Job Safety Analysis (JSA); a valuable planning tool to aid in identifying preventive measures for specific work activities, which can be updated readily as the pandemic changes course. Guidance from the experts on controlling COVID-19, coupled with input from workers performing the activities, will contribute to the most effective JSAs. Periodic, even daily review and revision of a well-documented JSA can help keep pace with changes. 

The guide was developed as a companion document to Focus Four for Health, a free publication that shines a spotlight on four common

construction health hazards: manual material handling, noise, air contaminants and high temperatures. Like Focus on Construction Health: COVID-19, it outlines the problems – and then gives practical ways to address them. 

The AIHA Construction Committee is dedicated to raising the profile of health in construction. The committee provides valuable resources on health hazards, including COVID-19 to help employers with their efforts to make construction worksites healthy. For more information visit: workerhealthsafety.org/construction. 

Kevin McMahon, CIH, is a member of the AIHA Construction Committee and contributor to the Focus on Health: COVID-19 document. He is also Director of Technical Services for HazTek, Inc,. a safety management consulting firm that specializes in services to the construction industry.