Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | June 8, 2020 | wbjournal.com Aer a slowdown due to coronavirus, the industry has restarted with new rules and deadlines to meet A R C H I T E C T U R E & C O N S T R U C T I O N FOCUS BY MONICA BUSCH Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Construction builds on W ith the economy turned on its head, at least one industry ap- pears to be faring the uncertainty relatively well, all things considered: construction. One of the first sectors officially allowed to resume nonessential private operations under Gov. Charlie Baker's reopening plan, worksites around Cen- tral Massachusetts were officially back up and running as of May 18. But as with virtually every other venture requiring leaving the house, crews are returning to a workplace with vastly different rules about how they work, how they socialize, and how they are expected to take care of themselves. "People have been very understand- ing of all the restrictions, honestly," said David Fontaine Jr., vice president of Fon- taine Bros., Inc., which operates out of Worcester and Springfield. e company is handling, among other things, the Major Worcester construction projects South High Community School $215M Summer 2022 Polar Park $132M April 2021 YWCA Central Massachusetts $24M December 2020 Kelley Square $16M November 2020 Project Estimated cost Projected completion date Sources: Public records and organizations via request A handful of significant construction projects are underway in Worcester, as the industry ramps back up following a temporary closure. $215-million South High Community School project in Worcester. In compliance with social distancing regulations, Fontaine said the company's crew members are no longer allowed to take breaks or have their lunches togeth- er, outside vendors are not permitted on the premises, and site leadership has explored staggering work to limit employees from being in close proximity to each other on the job. Although construction is typically a fraternal industry, Fontaine said workers appeared to be more concerned about communication from management than they were about being allowed to gather amongst themselves. "e biggest thing for us in terms of concern for morale is actually making sure that we're being very communica- tive with everybody," Fontaine said. New safety standards While certain social distancing and sanitization procedures implemented in response to coronavirus pandemic have become polarizing and politicized, Massachusetts Building Trades Council President Frank Callahan said most of the union members he works with are eager to comply with the new safety standards. "ey want to go to work, but they also want to go to work safely," Callahan said, who said safety has always been MBTC's No. 1 priority. In many ways, those workers may not have any choice. Lengthy construction site workplace safety expectations de- tailed by Baker's office provide guidance and regulations for everything from who may ride in vehicles (one person at a time) to alcohol consumption (discour- aged) to self-certified health reports at the start of every shi. Site-specific COVID-19 officers must be designated for every site except for construction and remodeling in family homes where five or less workers are on- hand at any time. According to the state guidance, a contractor may designate one officer to review all small sites in a city or town. e COVID-19 safety officers are required to compile and maintain daily written reports certifying the contractor and all subcontractors are in full compliance with all coronavi- rus-related regulations. Cities and towns may require large, complex project owners to submit a site-specific risk analysis and enhanced coronavirus safety plan. e same local authorities may order work to temporar- ily pause on those sites until they review and approve the submitted plan. e MBTC has worked with its affiliated contractors to help promote COVID-19 safety standard compliance, according to Callahan, who said the council speaks with employers on a near-daily basis, something setting it apart from other trade groups. Repre- sentatives from the MBTC have gone out to physically inspect job sites, he said. at said, Callahan contended non-compliance with coronavirus safety Construction has resumed at the $132-million Polar Park baseball stadium. Construction at the $215-million South High Community School has continued. PHOTO/GRANT WELKER

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