Safety has always been a top priority for FSN’s finishing contractors. As we continue to work on projects around the U.S. and Canada, we wanted to share a summary of the worksite safety plan we implemented earlier this year to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect workers. This plan is based on OSHA standards, CDC guidelines, federal and state laws, policy and guidance in COVID-19 transmission risk reduction, along with best practices used around the world.
FSN’s finishing contractors often confer with owners and managers on site management plans, since our finishing contractors may be working on properties or structures that remain open to the public. Our main focus is on worksite areas within our control, such as active work areas and staging areas, but we know COVID-19 transmission can occur anywhere. To oversee the plan at each worksite, we designate a worksite COVID-19 Officer (CO).
Worksite control measures
Our finishing contactors take the necessary precautions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. They are committed to protecting their own health and that of their coworkers, family, and other people they come into contact with.
Some of the measures we take include:
- If finishing contractors think they have been exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms, they are encouraged to stay home and contact their healthcare providers.
- Workers may be required to go through a symptom check upon arrival at the site (e.g., no contact thermometers), and sent home and told to contact their healthcare provider if they are symptomatic. CDC guidelines are followed for when a person with COVID-19 can resume work after recovering.
- If a finishing contractor starts feeling sick on the worksite, the area where they worked is disinfected after they leave. The CO at the site notifies state or local health department concerning worksite COVID-19 cases.
- Workers wear appropriate PPE for their specific job and location (e.g., masks, respirators, gloves and eye protection). For jobs requiring close contact (e.g., working in confined spaces), workers wear at least N95 respirators and eye protection.
- Workers frequently disinfect surfaces, wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and use hand sanitizer (60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol) where soap and water aren’t available.
- Supervisors look for opportunities to stagger work shifts and alternate workdays in an effort to reduce the number of workers onsite at any given time. Supervisors also look for ways to keep workers socially distant where possible.
More information on COVID-19 guidance
You can find more information on COVID-19 on the following websites, which are regularly updated.
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlprevention.html
https://www.nih.gov/coronavirus
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
We hope this overview of the comprehensive plan we created gives you peace of mind when hiring FSN’s finishing contractors. Please contact us at (410) 564-5876 or sales@FinishingSolutionsNetwork.com to be matched with qualified industrial coating, paint, wallcovering, glazing, drywall, and flooring contractors in the U.S. and Canada. We are all in this together.
