CANADIAN CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION
COVID-19
Let’s keep up a high bar
for health standards
By Mary Van Buren, President, Canadian Construction Association
• Prioritize health and safety of workers and
of their surrounding communities.
• Apply recommendations and best
practices from federal, provincial and
municipal public health authorities to
construction site procedures.
• Establish and maintain a common
COVID-19 Pandemic Response Plan
across construction sites.
• Foster open communication amongst
stakeholders and ensure a respectful
work environment.
• Visit the COVID-19 action and support
page, which also includes many other
resources from CCA, its partner
associations and members.
The Standardized Protocols
As we enter the second wave of the pandemic, it is criti-cal
to keep up the high standards established during
the first wave. Industry and associations collaborated
generously and quickly, with a common goal to keep
workers, their families and the community safe, and we proved that
we could do so. This second wave brings new challenges – more
services are open, children are back at school, for example – mean-ing
there is greater risk of exposure.
It is more important than ever to ensure the health protocols are
in place and respected. We all want construction to remain open!
If you haven’t already done so, please check out the resources the
Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has created to help
firms adapt to COVID-19 or take a few minutes to refresh your-self
on the standards – COVID-19 Standardized Protocols for All
Canadian Construction Sites – with new safety and hygiene proce-dures
and checklists, as well as guidelines on employee monitoring,
physical distancing, sanitization stations, frequent sanitization of
sites and reduced personnel on sites.
There are also increasing concerns about the toll the pandemic
is taking on mental health and wellness. A recent online survey by
Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies indicated that 25
per cent of Canadians say their mental health is worse than it was
during the first coronavirus wave. I invite you to consult CCA’s
CONnected: Navigating COVID-19 series and review the June 25
webinar featuring Dr. Ash Bender on “Mental health and construc-tion
during recovery.” You can view the slides from the webinar at
www.cca-acc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Mental-Health-and-
Construction-June.25.2020.pdf. n
As a national construction association, CCA is committed to helping
you with timely and useful resources. Please let me know how we can
help at mvanburen@cca-acc.com.
VISOOT/123R 48 | Issue 2 2020 www.carm.ca
/Mental-Health-and-
/www.carm.ca
link