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Construction and real-estate activities have resumed in Michigan. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order allowing some types of work presenting a low risk of infection and is traditionally and primarily performed outdoors to resume from May 7.
The new executive order also requires businesses to adopt measures to protect their workers against the spread of COVID-19.
However, the governor’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order remains in effect until May 15.
“The data shows that we are ready to lift some of these restrictions while also encouraging Michiganders to continue doing their part under the governor’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) chief deputy. “The steps the governor is taking today will help ensure protections for workers and their families from COVID-19 while allowing for work in lower-risk fields to resume. We will keep monitoring the data closely and work with our partners across state government to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
Under the order, construction sites must adopt a set of best practices to protect their workers from infection including:
- designating a site supervisor to enforce COVID-19 control strategies;
- conducting daily health screenings for workers;
- creating dedicated entry points, if possible, or issuing stickers or other indicators to assure all workers are screened every day;
- identifying choke points and high-risk areas (like hallways, hoists and elevators, break areas, water stations, and buses) and controlling them to enable social distancing; and
- ensuring sufficient hand-washing or hand-sanitizing stations at the worksite.
“With an eye toward Michigan’s economic recovery, leadership representing the full spectrum of the construction industry have been working diligently and cooperatively to outline processes and practices that will allow us to safely get back to work,” said Ryan Maibach, president of Barton Malow and member of the Michigan Economic Recovery Council. “The construction industry is entrenched in a culture of safety, and as we return to work, we are developing and implementing new best practices that further emphasize the well-being of our workers and Michigan’s citizens.”
