The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has massively impacted many facets of our lives, and construction is no different. But how will the pandemic change things for construction sites? Construction safety has improved dramatically over the past century, it is and will always be a high-hazard occupation. Workers are exposed to heavy equipment, loud noises, hazardous odors, falling and contaminated dust among other things.

There is no question our job sites are safer than at any other time in history. COVID-19 is a different challenge. Construction sites contain a new and more insidious hazard. We must get better at prevention of infectious diseases. And we must get better still at preventing damaging lung and respiratory infections. In this post we discuss tenant constuction in the COVID-19 era.

What we do well

The focus on job site safety has been increasing for many years. To even enter a job site today you must have the safety basics: hard hat, safety glasses, safety vests and closed toed shoes. Known as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), this basic gear will save you from common injuries. This lowest of hanging fruits is the first and simplest step to increase safety.

Secondly, safety training has become an absolute. To ensure site personel are thinking safety first, training is essential. This mind set is critical to creating a safety conscious environment.

The best training is often designed around both activites and envrionments. For instance, a heavy equipment operator will have training to help her increse her awareness. Dozer vs. person and the dozer wins every time. But if she’s trained to know where people are she can be vigilant when moving around. Alternatively, every worker needs to understand the job site. The locations of toilets, water stations, entries, exits, high-traffic areas, etc. are important to know. Additionally, muster points are important in case of bad weather or for other sheltering reasons.

Finally, the standardized reporting of accidents and injuries help us to learn about causes. This in turn helps us to identifies corretive measures and to avoid future problems.

Where we can do better

First, the standard PPE set needs to include a face covering. These coverings are not comforable now but I’m sure we can develop anti-fog coverings that also help to cool the wearer. In addition, PPE standards must be enforced at all times.

Second, we must include common entries and exits. Screening workers upon site entry and denying access to those that have obvious signs of sickness will decrease virus exposure.

Third, we must take seriously the sanitization of our workspaces. Construction is dirty and to think we can keep them clean as a hospital is a pipe-dream. But we can sanitize our tools and equipment of sick employees.

Finally, we must fully embrace safety as a global real estate cuture. Owners have a tendency to look away from safety unless there is bad press or a financial impact. We’re better than that. Skilled workers are essential to successful projects. Besides the obvious moral obligation to protect their lives and well-being, we all stand to benefit by keeping them safe. A happy and healthy work force leads to more projects inside of more buildings.

Impacts to Tenant Improvements

A tenant improvement project can be especially challenging because crews are often working in confined areas. With less room to spread out, face coverings are unavoidable.

The good news is that projects tend to have clearly defined entries and exits. This makes screening points easy to establish and maintain. Workers can self-screen when they arrive, log their temperature and start their day. This can be done without significant cost or disruption.

Additionlly tenant improvement projects suffer from inconsistent use of PPE. Workers commonly go about their days without one or more of the basics. This one is easy and can go along way to preventing injuries and the spread of viruses.

Tenant constuction in the COVID-19 era has brought new challenges to our industry. Consruction, particularly tenant improvemens, will experience long lasting impacts. But embracing a safety culture is within the reach of most contractors and landlords. And just a few small changes promise to make massive an long lasting impacts.