As our members work to keep Michigan’s essential road and bridge infrastructure projects moving forward, ensuring employee health and safety is vital. The following best practices are provided as a resource. Consult your company’s legal, safety, insurance, labor and HR teams to determine the appropriate practice for your operations.

• Practice the universal precautions issued by the CDC. Distribute (posters, job boards, electronically, etc.) information that encourages staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, hand hygiene, and how to protect yourself and your family.
• Discuss procedures with project owner as part of pre-construction meeting, including protocol if anyone who has been on the worksite tests positive for COVID-19.
• Notice must be provided to staff, sub-contractors, suppliers, and service providers who perform essential functions to your operations, ensuring critical infrastructure projects move forward.

• Managers should know the signs and COVID-19 Symptoms.
• The State of Ohio offers a step-by-step process to screen employees for COVID-19.
• As the pandemic evolves, guidance from public health authorities is likely to change. Employers should continue to follow the most current guidelines to maintain workplace safety. The United States Equal Opportunity Commission provides the current guidelines and suggestions for accessing employee illness and dealing with employees who show signs or have had exposure to the virus.
• OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.

If employees have symptoms, fail a health screening or answer yes to the following questions, they should be asked to leave the worksite immediately. Take measures to ensure illness is not spread to other workers.

• Have you, or anyone you have had close contact with, been in contact with a person that has tested positive, or is in the process of being tested for COVID-19?
• Have you, or anyone you’re in close contact with, traveled outside the U.S. within the last two weeks?
• Have you been medically directed to self-quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19?
• Have you had trouble breathing or flu-like symptoms within the past 48 hours, including: fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, body aches, chills, or fatigue?
• Supervisors should be trained on reporting processes, OSHA logs and other recordkeeping as COVID-19 infection could be a recordable illness.
• Encourage sick employees to stay home. Communicate your company’s HR practices for managing sick time related to COVID-19.

As always, ensure proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), tools, supplies and equipment.

• Employees should not share PPE.
• Properly sanitize reusable PPE per manufacturer’s recommendation prior to each use.
• Utilize disposable gloves where appropriate. Instruct workers to wash hands after removing gloves
  and/or use an appropriate hand sanitizer. Provide appropriate containers for disposal of used PPE.
• Do not share hand tools (shovels, floats, loots, hand saws, etc.)
• Disinfect reusable supplies before and after use.
• Whenever possible, operators should use the same piece of equipment all day. At the end of the day,
  or between operators, equipment panels, controls, and all surfaces touched by the operator should be
  wiped down with appropriate cleaners.
• Clean surfaces of construction equipment (pavers, end loader, rollers, cranes, etc.) and service/fleet
  vehicles, including steering wheel, gear shift, instrument panels, etc. at beginning and end of shifts.

Documentation/Weight Tickets and Worksite Documentation.

• If allowed, consider submitting required documentation (inspections, certifications, invoices,
  prevailing wage reports, etc.) electronically.
• For documents requiring paper copies or wet signatures, consider drop boxes or other non-contact means to transfer paperwork between contractor and owner.
• Use electronic methods for truck weight and project material tickets, where available.
• Provide appropriate wipes for cleaning laptops, tablets and other technology required on the worksite.

• Restrict access to confined areas (field office, control room, etc.) to essential staff needed to operate.
• Consider staggered work hours and lunch times to avoid all employees arriving, congregating for
  lunch or leaving at the same time.
• Encourage safe behaviors including alternate transportation (discourage carpooling) to the worksite;
  and avoid common water coolers and other commonly shared items.
• Avoid stacking trades/subcontractors and when possible, allow non-essential personnel to work from home to limit the number of people at a worksite.

• Post reminders of the importance of good hygiene to promote wellness and prevent any infection.
• If soap and water is not available, provide alcohol-based (60 - 95%) hand sanitizer.
• Request additional/increased sanitation (disinfecting) of portable toilets, with hand sanitizing
  stations.
• Provide routine environmental cleaning (doorknobs, keyboards, counters, and other surfaces).
• Utilize disposable hand towels and no-touch trash receptacles. Identify specific locations and
  practices for daily trash.
• Avoid cleaning techniques, such as using pressurized air or water sprays that may result in the
  generation of bioaerosols.

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• MITA Bulletin, March 23, 2020, COVID-19 Safety & Compliance Guidance
• State of Michigan Coronavirus website

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