News for COVID-19 Resources

Back in the spring, lots of people thought that COVID-19 was going to have short-term effects on the world, and then everyone would move on. As it turns out, systemic changes in business practices will continue into the new year and beyond. Companies are thinking about how to use commercial spaces when they don’t necessarily want people to come in. With this information, you’ll have a sense of ...read more

With news that the Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for multiple COVID-19 vaccines, many of our friends in the construction industry have asked whether they can require or mandate that their employees receive one of the vaccines. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently updated its guidance on COVID-19-related employment issues to indicate that ...read more

Billions for roads, harbors, schools, military housing, broadband and clean energy is aimed at spurring construction AUTHOR Joe Bousquin PUBLISHED Jan. 7, 2021 Construction Dive The term “construction” appears 636 times in the $908 billion pandemic relief package and $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump at the end of December. In other ...read more

AUTHOR Joe Bousquin PUBLISHED Dec. 21, 2020 Construction DiveDive Brief:Construction workers should receive the coronavirus vaccine after other frontline essential workers and people age 75 and older, according to recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.ACIP voted that the roughly 30 million Americans that fall into ...read more

AUTHOR Joe Bousquin PUBLISHED Dec. 15, 2020 Construction DiveDive Brief:A new study tracking the results of more than 730,000 COVID-19 tests found that construction workers had the highest positivity rates for asymptomatic cases of any occupation, including healthcare staff, first responders, correctional personnel, elderly care workers, grocery store workers and food service employees.The ...read more

Please familiarize yourself with the following new regulations/guidelines:  Cal/OSHA has recently issued Cal/OSHA Emergency Regulations to Protect Workers from COVID-19, which are now in effect. There is a one-page fact sheetand FAQs which provide a summary of the regulations. Requirements include: A site-specific, written COVID-19 prevention (see model COVID-19 prevention program) to ...read more

AB 685 Creates Employer COVID-19 Notice Requirements and Expands Cal/OSHA Powers effective January 1, 2021 On November 20, 2020, the OSHA Board unanimously adopted proposed regulations that impose requirements on employers to promulgate written policies regarding COVID-19 Prevention Plans.  The new regulations will go into effect December 1, if approved by the Office of Administrative Law, and ...read more

NOVATO, Calif. (Nov. 19, 2020) - CP Lab Safety, a Woman Owned Small Business in Marin County, California, announced their new at-home saliva collection kit for COVID-19 Testing. This process uses (RT)-PCR technology (Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction) to diagnose active infections of the virus. The sample is gathered at home and shipped to a certified laboratory. Once it is received at the lab, ...read more

AUTHOR Joe Bousquin PUBLISHED Oct. 29, 2020Dive Brief:A second wave of business impacts from COVID-19 is reverberating through construction contractors’ operations, and those consequences are getting worse as the pandemic wears on, according to the latest survey results from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).More contractors reported postponed or canceled projects than new ...read more

Safety standard organization ASTM International is leading an effort to establish standards for reusable face coverings. AUTHOR Kim Slowey @kimslowey PUBLISHED Oct. 21, 2020 Most construction workers and site managers are very familiar with the personal protective equipment (PPE) that helps prevent workplace injuries to the head, eyes, respiratory system and other vulnerable areas of the ...read more

Like some industries, construction has a tendency to put people at risk for illness or injury. This is why so many tasks require personal protective equipment (PPE). There are many types of PPE you may need, depending on your field and the kind of work you do. Here’s what to expect from headgear, masks, gloves, boots and more.Masks The recent pandemic has made masks a topic of national attention. ...read more

You know it could be coming, and it might even happen within the week. When whole states are shutting down construction projects to try to slow the spread of COVID-19, it may not take long before your contracting business is affected. There are times throughout your career that you will need to suspend work on an ongoing project due to weather problems or even a contract dispute. If you have to ...read more