On Oct. 29, the Construction Industry Safety Coalition released an updated COVID-19 Prevention, Preparedness and Response Plan for Construction. The plan outlines the steps that construction employers and employees can take to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

The new revision to the plan relates to the section on “Employee Has Close Contact With a Tested Positive COVID-19 Individual” and new guidance from the CDC on “close contact.”

The CDC recently updated its definition of “close contact” for the coronavirus disease. The previous CDC guidance defined close contact as when a person was within six feet of an infectious individual for 15 consecutive minutes. The CDC is now recognizing that even brief contact could lead to transmission. Specifically, the new guidance suggests that individuals spending a total of 15 minutes of contact with an infectious person over the course of a 24-hour period should be considered in close contact.

More of the updated language in the plan is shown in red on the CISC website.

Other information in CISC’s plan includes:

• Symptoms of COVID-19
• Screening questions for jobsite visitors
• Guidance on the use of face coverings
• Guidance on jobsite exposure situations
• Information on when to record a COVID-19 case on the OSHA 300 log
• COVID-19 checklist for employers and employees

The CISC plan is structured so that any construction company can download and tailor the resources to their own work and jobsites.

ABC, a member of the CISC Steering Committee, encourages its members to review updated guidance as well as the plan, which includes the latest protective measures and guidance on keeping workers safe on jobsites, such as protective measures to take on the jobsite, personal protective equipment and work practice controls to be used, cleaning and disinfecting procedures and what to do if a worker becomes sick.

For additional COVID-19 information, see ABC’s Emergency Preparedness and Safety Resources.