Keeping Crew Members Healthy Amid a Pandemic

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic might have many people — across many fields — working from home, but not everyone has that luxury. For individuals who work in concrete and construction, day-to-day operations are more or less business as usual. Teams are gearing up, making their way out to job sites and rolling up their sleeves for a hard day’s work. The main exception is, there’s a virus to consider.

With no current vaccine for the COVID-19 coronavirus, and no natural human immunity, coming in contact with this bug can lead to life-threatening repercussions. Job site safety is more important now than ever, and requirements extend far beyond the traditional need to wear a hard hat and follow protocol. Luckily, many agencies and organizations are stepping to make useful resources available.

• The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has compiled a comprehensive guide to make life a little easier for concrete companies navigating the pandemic. The online resource covers everything from basic health and safety measures everyone should be following, to ways to keep workers in the know regarding the latest news — and even best practices while loading and unloading concrete.
• Milwaukee Tools, meanwhile, has pulled together information on a topic few people consider during traditional construction work: Disinfecting work tools. The handy guide covers basic cleaning procedures to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and includes a simple recipe for cleaning solution.
• The Laborers’ Health & Safety Fund of North America also offers a range of information geared specifically toward construction workers. Not only does the guide cover basic health and safety information, but it delves into the proper way to wear a mask — and ways to assess workers for COVID-19 symptoms.

Of course, there are countless other resources available to help keep teams informed and operating safely during this unprecedented pandemic. It is wonderful to see so many trusted organizations coming together to keep companies’ most valuable assets — their people — safe.