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Dealing With COVID Safety and Emotion

6 May, 2020

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin Safety Committee recently met online to discuss best practices for jobsites during Covid-19. They identified multiple best practices for those on a jobsite. Here are a few of their recommendations. 

1. Health quiz. Some contractors are asking the following questions of their employees each day before they begin work (and employees must answer no to be allowed on the jobsite):

  • Have you ever tested positive for COVID-19?
  • Have you experienced a fever, cough, or shortness of breath within the last 14 days?
  • Within the last 14 days, have you been in close contact with someone who has tested positive or experienced symptoms related to COVID-19?
  • Have you recently been to a country or area with known COVID-19 community spread (defined as a “hot spot”) or been in close contact with a person from these areas.

2. Masks. Employees who keep a social distance of 6 feet may work without a mask.

3. Respirator fit testing? An OSHA representative indicated that the testing should only be done if it is something that you have commonly done in the past. Using a cloth mask for COVID-19 would eliminate that scrutiny.

4. Social distancing and equipment sharing.  Meals are being eaten in vehicles. There is no sharing of containers or tools. Shared water jugs have been eliminated. Daily cleaning is done on all equipment. Job and safety talks are held outside with strict social distancing.

5. Planning for someone testing positive. If an employee tests positive, the jobsite will be shut down immediately and cleaned thoroughly by a professional cleaning team. Contractors may want to have a professional cleaning firm ready. No one will return to the jobsite for three days to err on the side of caution.

6. Fear on the jobsites. Some workers are hesitant or unwilling to be at work. Many contractors are not terminating employees with such concerns. Also commenting on risk concerns on the jobsite, Nolan Consulting wrote a blog this week on managing differing perceptions of risk related to COVID 19. "We have to manage culture in the face of significant differences in how people feel about the risk of spreading or getting the virus. I believe that these differences rival the political divisiveness that exists in this country. It’s about to get ugly in public. How will it show itself at work?" states Brain Nolan. He urges owners to create a culture that respects differences of opinions and "create an environment of acceptance."

To see the full article from ABC and more findings, click here

To read the Blog from Nolan Consulting, click here.

 

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If cost and liability were not an issue, what's your one must-have at the company picnic?

Paintball Feld
39%
Axe Throwing
30%
10-Foot Nacho Trough
12%
Potato Salad
19%

Dang it's hot! Does your work vehicle have an orange water cooler?

Yes
22%
No
43%
It's not orange
35%

Did you work for a painting contractor prior to owning your company?

Yes
61%
No
39%

Why haven't you hired a business coach?

Not worth the money
30%
Too difficult to find a good one
19%
I don't need one
30%
I did hire one!
22%

Has OSHA ever inspected your jobsite?

Yes
53%
No
48%

Who Buys the Paint Brushes?

We do...the company
69%
Our painters buy their own
31%

What's the most paint you've ever spilled?

Brush-full
12%
Gallon
54%
5 Gallons
23%
An Ungodly Amount
11%

Did you take a week-long (or longer) vacation this summer?

Yes
45%
No
44%
Not yet, but I'm gonna
11%

If you had to rename your company one of the following, which would it be?

Flapjack Painting
19%
Porkchop Painting
7%
Half Slab Painting
10%
Whole Hog Painting
64%

You meet someone new, and they ask what you do. What do you say?

I'm a painter
12%
I'm a contractor
5%
I'm a painting contractor
52%
I own a painting business
31%

On the job site, my painters mostly listen to...

Classic Rock
29%
Country
10%
Hip Hop
4%
Who knows. They got headphones
56%

Which social media platform is most effective for marketing your business?

Facebook
34%
Instagram
11%
LinkedIn
6%
I don't use one
49%

What do you drive for work?

Pickup Truck
51%
Van
28%
SUV
13%
Other
9%

How long ago did you redesign your company hat?

Choices

Do you have a spray booth?

Choices

If you've bought a used sprayer, was it a good decision?

Choices

Will your crews be working the week between Christmas and New Years?

Choices

Do you accept credit card payments from customers?

Choices

Will you be giving end-of-year bonuses (not gifts) this year?

Choices
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