Task Force Assists Construction Sites, Aug. 12

Portland – The COVID-19 Joint Construction Safety Task Force will continue to meet and arrange visits to job sites in its ongoing effort to help protect workers and increase job safety awareness on construction sites. Since April 15, the task force has visited 20 job sites in the state to collect data, offer resources, and provide education. Every job site visited had a written COVID-19 safety policy. Nineteen of the 20 had either provided COVID-19-specific safety training or followed an Oregon OSHA recommendation to appoint a safety officer to ensure social distancing on the job site. “With cases of COVID-19 increasing, it is important for this task force to continue its work, and to reinforce the need for workers to wear face coverings when they are not able to stay at least six feet apart,” said Michael Wood, Oregon OSHA administrator. Wood said the task force has accomplished important work, including developing free resources, best practices, and innovations to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 on construction sites. “The COVID-19 Joint Construction Safety Taskforce has been instrumental in providing resources our organization has used to help protect the health and safety of all our members across four states – Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana,” said Matthew Eleazer, president of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local #1.