Construction COVID-19 Checklists for Employers and Employees

CDC offers the following checklist to share ways employers can protect construction workers and slow the spread of COVID-19. This tool aligns with What Construction Workers Need to Know about COVID-19.

Construction Covid-19 Safety Checklist for Employers

Hazard Assessment

• Conduct a hazard assessmentexternal icon to determine potential sources of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), such as close contact between coworkers or between workers and members of the public with COVID-19.
• Use the COVID-19 exposure control planning toolexternal icon.
  • Check where your employees could be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and the control measures in place to mitigate potential exposure.
  • Check appropriate CDC procedures for screening of employees and dealing with sick or exposed workers.
  • Consider incorporating a tiered testing strategy for COVID-19.

Controlling and Prevention

• Implement the appropriate hierarchy of controlsexternal icon, including elimination, substitution, engineering and administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE) selected as a result of an employer’s hazard assessmentexternal icon.
  • Implement engineering controls wherever possible (e.g., physical barriers/shields to separate workers, enhanced ventilation).
  • Implement administrative controls wherever possible (e.g., staggering work shifts, limiting breakroom capacity, practicing social distancing, ensuring workers wear face masks).
  • Encourage appropriate PPE, identified through hazard assessments and in accordance with OSHA’s standardsexternal icon at 29 CFR 1910, Subpart I, and OSHA and CDC guidance on use of PPE. (Note: face masks are not PPEexternal icon and should not be used in place of NIOSH-approved  respirators).

Promoting Social Distancing and Face Masks

• Implement social distancing guidelines that include keeping at least six feet distance (2 arms’ length) between coworkers, and implement face masking guidelines.
  • Post signage reminding personnel to maintain at least six feet between one another.

Cleaning, Disinfection, and Hand Hygiene

• Implement  hand hygiene and cleaning/disinfection procedures:
  • Provide soap, water, and paper towels for workers and visitors to wash their hands, and encourage frequent and proper (for at least 20 seconds) handwashing.
  • Provide hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and encourage workers to use it frequently when they cannot readily wash their hands.
  • Explore alternate ways to promote hand hygiene if difficulty sourcing hand sanitizer and running water is not available.  Examples include mobile hand washing stations, large (5+ gallon) buckets with a lid and tap to provide water, and multiple handwashing stations.
  • Identify high-traffic areas and surfaces or items that are shared or frequently touched, that could become contaminated. Target them for enhanced cleaning and disinfection using EPA-registered disinfectantsexternal icon.

Managing Sick Workers

• Identify and isolate sick employeesexternal icon including practices for worker self-monitoring or screening, and isolating and excluding from the workplace any employees with symptoms of COVID-19 or had contact with a person known to have COVID-19.
  • Employees who appear to have symptoms upon arrival at work or who become sick during the day should immediately be separated from other employees, customers, and visitors, and sent home.
  • Have a procedure in place for the safe transport of an employee who becomes sick while at work. The employee may need to be transported home or to a healthcare provider.
• Be familiar with local COVID-19 testing sitesexternal icon in the event your employee(s) develops symptoms. These may include sites with free testing available.
• Inform employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality. Workers with close contact (within six feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) to a person with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days after last exposure. (Although CDC continues to recommend a 14-day quarantine, options are provided to shorten the quarantine period to after Day 7 or after Day 10.) Quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others. Follow CDC and state/local guidance on what to do when someone has a known exposure.

Return to Work after Worker Exposure to COVID-19

• Employees should be advised about the returning to work procedures.
  • Avoid sharing objects and equipment with other employees, including phones, desks, or other workbenches, work tools and equipment, when possible.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, like shared tools, machines, vehicles and other equipment, handrails, ladders, doorknobs, and portable toilets. Dirty surfaces can be cleaned with soap and water before disinfection. To disinfect, use these EPA-registered disinfectantsexternal icon.
  • Follow CDC guidance for discontinuing self-isolation and returning to work after illness or discontinuing self-quarantine and monitoring after exposure, as appropriate for the workplace.
  • Utilize CDC guidance for resuming business toolkit for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Provide Education, Training, and Communication

• Inform employees of workplace flexibilities, including those concerning remote work and sick leave.
  • Evaluate existing policies and, if needed, consider revisions that facilitate appropriate use of remote work, sick or other types of leaveexternal icon, and other options that help minimize workers’ risk of exposure.
  • Talk about workplace flexibilities, and ensure workers understand how to make use of available options (e.g., sick leave and remote work policies).
  • Communicate about how to do manage workplace fatigue during COVID-19 (e.g., fatigue management).
• Provide education and training to your workers on symptoms of COVID-19 and risks of worker exposure to SARS-CoV-2external icon; where and how employees might be exposed in the workplace; and how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at work.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Considerations

• Talk about the tips to build resilience and manage job stress, including:
  • Talk openly with employees and/or unions about how the pandemic is affecting work. Expectations should be communicated clearly by everyone.
  • Anticipate behavior changes in your employees. Watch for changes like increased irritation or anger, increased worry or sadness, unhealthy eating or sleeping habits, and difficulty
    concentrating. These may be signs that your employee is struggling with stress or anxiety.
  • Ensure that your company has a system in place to identify and provide mental health services to employees in need of support.

Construction Covid-19 Safety Checklist for Employees

Monitoring

• Watch for symptoms of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) such as cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.
• Do not go to work if you have any of the above symptoms.
• If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you have COVID-19, you should isolate (separate yourself from others in a separate room) and follow CDC-recommended steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Isolation keeps someone who is infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, away from others, even in their home.
• If you have had close contact to a person with COVID-19 (within six feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period), you should quarantine* for 14 days after last exposure. (Although CDC continues to recommend a 14-day quarantine, options are provided to shorten the quarantine period to after Day 7 or after Day 10 based on certain conditions, including test results.) Quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others:
  • Stay home for 14 days (see above) after last contact with the confirmed COVID-19 case.
  • Maintain social distance (at least six feet from other people).
  • Self-monitor for symptoms (check temperature twice a day, watch for fever (feeling feverish or a measured temperature of 4°F or higher), cough, or shortness of breath).
  • Avoid contact with people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 such as older adults and people with medical conditions.
  • Contact your human resource and/or worker health unit coordinator.

Cleaning, Disinfection, and Sanitation

• Practice hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette, and cleaning and disinfection.
• • Use soap, water, and paper towels for frequently washing your hands (at least 20 seconds).
  • Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol frequently, when handwashing is not readily available.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your upper sleeves when you cough or sneeze.
  • Avoid sharing objects and equipment with other employees, including phones, desks, or other workbenches, tools and equipment, when possible.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, like shared tools, machines, vehicles and other equipment, handrails, ladders, doorknobs, and portable toilets. Surfaces that are visibly dirty should be cleaned with soap and water before disinfection.

Social Distancing and Face Masks

• Utilize social distancing guidelines and face masks guidelines:
  • Maintain at least six feet distance (about 2 arms’ length) between workers, wherever possible.
  • Maintain social distancing during breaks and when eating.
  • Avoid enclosed areas like trailers and tight/confined spaces.
  • Wear face masks in worksites, especially when social distancing is difficult to maintain.
  • Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth for maximum protection (Don’t put the mask around your neck or up on your forehead).
  • Don’t touch the outside of the mask when wearing it, and, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to disinfect.
  • Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth when removing your mask and wash hands immediately after removing unless hands have been recently washed.
  • Face masks are not replacements for respiratory protection when respirators are required.

Mental Health

• Recognize factors that can add work- or home-related stress. Common factors that can add to stress during a pandemic:
  • Concern about the risk of being exposed to the virus at work.
  • Lack of access to the tools and equipment needed to perform your job.
  • Conflict at home
  • Failure to take time to relax
  • Feelings that you are not contributing enough to work or guilt about not being on the frontline.
  • Uncertainty about the future of your workplace and/or employment.
  • Adapting to a different workspace and/or work schedule.
  • Some ways to address stress and build resilience include:
• Keep a regular sleep scheduleexternal icon.
  • Take breaks from work to stretch, exercise, or check in with supportive colleagues, coworkers, family, and friends.
  • Spend time outdoors, either being physically active or relaxing.
  • Practice mindfulness techniquesexternal icon.
  • Know the facts about COVID-19. Be informed about how to protect yourself and others. Understanding the risk and sharing accurate information with people you care about can reduce stress and help you make a connection with others.
  • Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns, how you are feeling, or how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting you.  Also considering using employee assistance programs or other resources that may be available to you.

*Note:  Quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others.  Isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home.