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 Communication and awareness 

• Clear signage is posted at entry points on the construction site and outline the commitment of the contractor to maintain health and safety measures during the COVID-19 crisis, with relevant updates from appropriate jurisdictions’ public health authorities and self-identification screening tools.

• All workers exercise the following recommended practices for reducing the risk of transmission as identified by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Health Canada, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 

    o Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; 

    o When coughing or sneezing:

        - Cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of your arm, not your hand;

        - Dispose of any tissues you have used as soon as possible in a lined waste basket and       wash your hands afterwards; 

    o Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, including all reusable PPE; 

    o Do not share personal items or supplies such as phones, pens, notebooks, PPE, etc.; 

    o Avoid common physical greetings, such as handshakes; 

    o Maintain a minimum physical distance of two metres from others; and 

    o Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after using the washroom, when preparing food, and after blowing nose, coughing, or sneezing. If hands are not visibly soiled, and soap and water are unavailable, alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used. 

 Access and movement to/from construction site 

• Detailed tracking of worker’s status on-site and off-site are kept at all time (e.g., fit to work, sick, off-work for family caring duties, etc.). A list of all quarantined workers is updated daily, with their privacy maintained. 

• Wherever possible, workers travel to site using individual modes of transportation (e.g., personal vehicle or bicycle). Additional parking arrangements are made as required. 

• All non-essential individuals are not permitted access to the site. 

Limiting and removing internal touch point areas 

• Limit access and use of shared devices like coffee machines, water fountains, microwave ovens, and similar. Means to clean and disinfect such devices between uses is provided. 

• Remove doors/door handles - Look at all reasonable opportunities to remove them. 

• Where touch points like door handles and water coolers remain, paper towels are provided to allow users to avoid skin contact. 

• Gloves are worn whenever possible while on the worksite, but are treated the same as bare hands in terms of minimizing unnecessary touching of anything on site and the user’s face. 

Site operation 

• Minimum physical distancing is maintained, and meetings are held in open spaces when possible. 

• The worksite is rearranged to reduce high-traffic areas and allow for the minimum physical distancing. 

• Alternate arrangements are made as necessary to ensure workers avoid breaking the minimum physical distance with others for prolonged periods. When this is not feasible, plans are made to minimize the duration of the task. For any work that ultimately must be done in close-proximity, workers are to wear additional PPE as appropriate for the specific task in order to minimize the risk. 

• Work schedules are adjusted to provide time for proper cleaning and disinfecting as required. 

Deliveries 

• Delivery zones are clearly identified and limited to receivers and deliverers only. 

• When possible, nothing is passed between the deliverer and the receiver (e.g. shipment documents and pens for signatures). Deliveries are unloaded solely by receivers using proper PPE, while deliverers remain in their vehicles. 

Other 

• Any other measures deemed to increase the safety or limit the propagation of the virus. 

 Screening at entry of construction site 

• Before entering the site, individuals must confirm that: 

    o They are not currently exhibiting flu-like symptoms such as fever, tiredness, coughing, or congestion; 

    o They have not returned from outside of Canada within the past 14 days; and 

    o They have not been in contact with someone with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19. 

• Workers who are not authorized to access the site are to be safely transported directly back home, or to a preferred location of self-isolation. When unable to do so themselves, a vehicle and driver will be arranged for them. Both driver and passenger are to be given masks and nitrile gloves. The passenger is to sit in the backseat, and the driver is to open and close the doors for them.  

 Possible cases of COVID-19 

• Individuals who have been potentially exposed to the virus, or who are exhibiting flu-like symptoms such as fever, tiredness, coughing, or congestion are instructed to: 

    o Not come to work; 

    o Contact their supervisor and/or human resources department; 

    o Stay at home and self-isolate; and 

    o Contact local health authorities for further direction. Such individuals are required to follow the recommendations of the local health authority and may not return to work until given approval by the proper health authorities. 

• Individuals who begin to display flu-like symptoms on site are instructed to avoid touching anything, take extra care to contain coughs and sneezes, and return home immediately to undergo a 14-day self isolation period. 

• All areas on site potentially infected by a confirmed or probable case are barricaded to keep individuals two metres away until the area is properly cleaned and disinfected. Response plans 

• All contractors are to complete an integrated continuity plan to respond to partial or complete shutdown of construction sites or in the case of a severe limitation of site operations. 

  The situation related to COVID-19 is changing rapidly. This Protocol will be updated on an as required basis to reflect the latest broadly adopted measures.