COVID-19 HEALTHY & SAFETY GUIDELINES

The government of Ontario has designated residential construction an essential workplace. The Ministry of Labour has published these guidelines to keep all personnel safe on the jobsite.

We all want safe jobsites. Let’s keep each other safe. We are all in this together.
Anyone entering this jobsite needs to be aware of the enhanced health and safety guidelines below. Contact (employer contact person and number)
Protecting yourself and your co-workers from COVID-19

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
•  Sneeze and cough into your sleeve.
• If you use a tissue, discard immediately and wash your hands afterward.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid high-touch areas, where possible, or ensure you clean your hands after.
• Where possible, wear gloves when interacting with high-touch areas. Do not touch your face with gloved hands. Take care when removing gloves. Ensure you wash your hands after removing them.
• Wash your clothes as soon as you get home.
• If you are ill: notify your supervisor immediately, complete the self-assessment tool and follow the instructions you get. (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/#q0)
• Sanitize commonly touched surfaces or areas (hoists, site trailers, door handles, equipment, residential units).
• Avoiding the sharing of hand tools and power tools. If sharing is necessary, enable sanitization of shared equipment.
• If you are feeling unwell and want to leave the jobsite, Public Health requires that you notify your employer.
• Carpooling is not appropriate during the COVID-19 State of Emergency and should be avoided.
• Gatherings of more than 5 people is in violation of the State of Emergency and can result in a fine.
• Dispose of used gloves, masks etc., in an appropriate waste receptacle. Not on the ground.
• Do not use disposable gloves on multiple surfaces like handrails then use a cell phone.
• Gloves should be used in task related operations and not used across potential cross contamination locations.

MEMBERS – This is not a legal document, but a template you can edit and post on active jobsites – you have a responsibility to post COVID-19 information for active jobsites – please consult with your H and S experts.

The government of Ontario has designated residential construction an essential workplace. The Ministry of Labour has published these guidelines to keep all personnel safe on the jobsite.

We all want safe jobsites. Let’s keep each other safe. We are all in this together.

Anyone entering this jobsite needs to be aware of the enhanced health and safety guidelines below. Contact (employer contact person and number)

Physical distancing (two metres)

EMPLOYER NEEDS TO outline how they are promoting by listing what they are doing – possible list

• Staggering start times.
• Staggering breaks.
• Staggering lunches.
• Restricting the number of people on-site and where they are assigned to work (for example – 1 trade per home).
• Controlling site movement (by limiting the potential for workers to gather, including personnel in material hoists and site trailers).
• Limiting the number of people who use elevators and hoists at one time (example 1 per elevator at a time).
• Holding meetings in an outside or large space to enable physical distancing.
• Limiting unnecessary on-site contact between workers, and between workers and outside service providers, and encourage physical distancing in these areas (for example, by removing coffee trucks from site, handshake free zone).

On-site sanitation Employers should focus on: (employers should specify what they have done to improve sanitation)

• Location/access to soap and water (ways to properly clean hands) or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Washroom facilities.
• Sanitizing commonly touched surfaces or areas (hoists, site trailers, door handles, equipment, residential units).
• Avoiding the sharing of hand tools and power tools. If sharing is necessary, enable sanitization of shared equipment.
• Location of additional waste disposal bins to encourage proper waste disposal of potentially contaminated PPE.
• Posting signage on hygiene in English and the majority workplace language so everyone can understand how to do their part.

Tracking and Monitoring

Due to the latency period of COVID-19, it is important to track where employees have worked.  If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the local public health unit will ask employers to provide information on where the employee worked as well as the contact information of any other employee who may have been exposed. Employers will track information and Public Health Units will respond. (MOL March 29, Guidelines)

MEMBERS – This is not a legal document, but a template you can edit and post on active jobsites – you have a responsibility to post COVID-19 information for active jobsites – please consult with your H and S experts.