As the COVID-19 curve in Pennsylvania begins to flatten and government officials look toward allowing the commonwealth to reopen, recent guidance released by the governor’s office allows all construction companies within the state to resume work on May 1, 2020 while following guidance to mitigate the spread of the disease. This is good news for hardwood floor contractors and construction companies that have been affected by Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order and the ceasing of non-essential construction projects.

All companies that plan to resume work on May 1 must commit to following these guidelines. Some highlights include:

• Provisions requiring that every person present at a work site wear masks/face coverings, and provisions requiring the establishment of protocols for execution upon discovery that the business has been exposed to a person who is a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19.
• Follow other applicable Department of Health (DOH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.
• Require social distancing (6-feet minimum distance between workers) unless the safety of the public or workers require deviation (e.g. drywalling, team lifting).
• Ensure all gatherings are limited to no more than 10 people, maintaining 6-foot social distancing, when required to meet, even when conducted outside.
• Ensure workers are traveling to and from the job site separately. Wherever possible employees should not share a vehicle.
• Identify a “Pandemic Safety Officer” for each project or work site, or, if a large-scale construction project, then for each contractor at the site. The primary responsibility of the Pandemic Safety Officer will be to convey, implement, and enforce the social distancing and other requirements of this guidance for the protection of employees, suppliers, and other personnel at the site.

For residential construction specifically, “All residential construction projects including new construction, renovation, and repair are authorized to conduct in-person operations; however, such projects may not permit more than four persons on the job site at any time inclusive of employees of both prime and sub contractors, but not inclusive of delivery persons, code inspectors, or similar persons who require temporary access to the site and are not directly engaged in the construction activity.”