Contractors face bevy of challenges as they return to local work sites
For contractors returning to construction sites around the Pittsburgh area, the challenges have been piling up — from the exorbitant price of hand sanitizer, to nervous workers, to the logistics of social distancing and keeping job sites safe.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Gov. Tom Wolf gave the go-ahead for construction to resume in Pennsylvania. But for contractors, the task of getting back to work has been anything but easy.
That became clear during a roundtable discussion Wednesday sponsored by the real estate trade organization NAIOP Pittsburgh, during which contractors and others talked about the challenges of reopening job sites and keeping them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Jay Celaschi, safety director of Franjo Construction in Homestead, the past two months have been unlike anything he has ever experienced, although he’s not giving up. “It causes you to reach in and dig in and get through it,” he said.
There’s no doubt that job sites look far different than they did two months ago. All workers are now required to wear masks or face coverings unless unable to do so for health or safety reasons.
They must stay at least 6 feet apart unless safety dictates otherwise. Hand-washing stations must be available throughout the site. And high-risk areas for possible contamination must be routinely disinfected.
Rick Bowers — director of health, safety and environmental for Mascaro Construction on the North Side — said doing the latter has proved to be harder than expected.
For one thing, the price of a bottle of hand sanitizer has gone from $5 to $25. Getting other cleansers and decontaminants to the job site also has been a “big challenge,” he said.
The company still can’t get ahold of Clorox wipes, but it has been able to secure other brands so it can decontaminate common touch surfaces, heavy equipment, and hand and power tools.
“The cost is five times, in most cases, what these products used to cost, plus you’ve got to pay for shipping and you got to pay all cash in hand in order to get the order to ship,” he said.
While Mr. Bowers was quick to praise the union workforce for its hard work and dedication, he noted that manpower has been an issue in some cases.
“If an employee can stay at home safely with their family and make as much if not more money [through unemployment and federal stimulus aid], enticing them to come back to work is sometimes a difficult proposition,” he said.
In other cases, workers have been wary about returning to the job for fear of catching the COVID-19 disease. “I can tell you the fear and trepidation was real at first. It very well was, especially with some of the older workers,” Mr. Celaschi said.
Those fears are “beginning to wane, but it’s still there. You can still see it. You can feel it on the job sites,” he added.
Franjo has been able to ease those fears through daily meetings with workers and getting input from them while taking the necessary safety precautions.
Mascaro has gone to working four 10-hour days a week to allow three days to decontaminate sites. The Master Builders’ Association of Western Pennsylvania in Green Tree has recommended that contractors stagger shifts and breaks so fewer people are coming and going at the same time, said Bob McCall, director of safety.
“We’re two weeks in, and I’m pleasantly surprised with what I’m seeing out on the job sites. Everybody wants to do the right thing and the majority of the people are excited to get back to work,” Mr. Bowers said.
Other challenges have included managing flow at the site, making sure workers are properly spaced and ensuring that subcontractors are following the same safety protocols.
The number of workers are limited in any given area, making it difficult for contractors and their subs to be on the job at the same time.
“Stacking of trades, we can’t do it,” Mr. Bowers said. “Our project teams are working with our subcontractor partners. We’re trying to identify how we can maintain the schedule, get the work installed, while maintaining the social distancing requirements that we are being held to.”
One issue has been the questionnaires that workers are required to fill out asking if they have fever, a cough or other COVID-19 symptoms, or have been in contact with someone who has the virus or tested positive.
The Masters Builders’ Association has employed technology so workers can fill out the forms on their cellphones. “We do not want to be handing out papers and pens and sharing those sorts of things,” Mr. McCall said.
COVID-19-related issues have also impacted suppliers.
Mogens Smed, CEO of Falkbuilt Ltd., a Canadian company that does interior work, said contractors want washable materials delivered to the site, eliminating some paint finishes. The company also is seeing layout changes in designs, with spaces more spread out.
Mr. Smed expects some projects to be delayed or even dumped altogether because of the crisis. But for the most part, he is optimistic.
“I think we’re going to come back like a house on fire here over the next six to eight weeks. I really believe that,” he said.
Mr. McCall said construction officials will be meeting with the state Monday to discuss the first two weeks back, what has worked, what can be done better and if any of the guidelines can be relaxed.
But even as contractors navigate the new normal, try to figure out how to keep glasses from fogging when people are wearing masks and maintain distance, Mr. Celaschi has been impressed with the way workers have taken to change.
“The workers are paying attention to it. They are considerate to their co-worker. It’s not just I’m worried about me. This pandemic ... I think it’s raised the awareness of not only protecting yourself but potentially protecting the other worker.”