OSHA is committed to protecting the health and safety of America’s workers and workplaces during these unprecedented times. The agency will be issuing a series of industry-specific alerts designed to keep workers safe. When working in the construction industry, the following tips can help reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus: Encourage workers to stay home if they are sick. Allow workers to wear masks over their nose and mouth to prevent them from spreading the virus. Continue to use other normal control measures, including personal protective equipment (PPE), necessary to protect workers from other job hazards associated with construction activities. Advise workers to avoid physical contact with others and direct employees/contractors/visitors to increase personal space to at least six feet, where possible. Where work trailers are used, all workers should maintain social distancing while inside the trailers. Train workers how to properly put on, use/wear, and take off protective clothing and equipment. Encourage respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes. Promote personal hygiene. If workers do not have immediate access to soap and water for handwashing, provide alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60 percent alcohol. Use Environmental Protection Agency-approved cleaning chemicals from List N or that have label claims against the coronavirus. To the extent tools or equipment must be shared, provide and instruct workers to use alcoholbased wipes to clean tools before and after use. When cleaning tools and equipment, workers should consult manufacturer recommendations for proper cleaning techniques and restrictions. Keep in-person meetings (including toolbox talks and safety meetings) as short as possible, limit the number of workers in attendance, and use social distancing practices. Clean and disinfect portable jobsite toilets regularly. Hand sanitizer dispensers should be filled regularly. Frequently-touched items (i.e., door pulls and toilet seats) should be disinfected. Encourage workers to report any safety and health concerns. For more information, visit www.osha.gov/coronavirus
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. Our understanding of how the virus spreads is evolving as we learn more about it, so check the CDC website for the latest information and current list of symptoms. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person:
Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
Recent studies indicate that the virus can be spread by people who are not showing symptoms. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus. Older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
As a construction worker, how can I protect myself and slow the spread?
Potential sources of exposure include having close contact with a coworker or member of the public who is ill with COVID-19 and touching your nose, mouth, or eyes after touching surfaces contaminated with the virus or handling items that others infected with COVID-19 have touched. Actions you can take include the following:
Notify your supervisor and stay home if you have symptoms.
Follow CDC-recommended precautions and notify your supervisor if you are well but have a sick family member at home with COVID-19.
Limit close contact with others by maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet, when possible.
Limit the number of workers in small workspace areas such as job site elevators, trailers and vehicles, and spaces under construction if possible.
CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas where there is significant community-based transmission of COVID-19.
Cloth face coverings may prevent people who don’t know they have the virus from transmitting it to others.
Cloth face coverings are NOT surgical masks or respirators and are not appropriate substitutes for them in workplaces where masks or respirators are recommended or required.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as shared tools, machines, vehicles and other equipment, handrails, ladders, doorknobs, and portable toilets. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces periodically throughout the shift but also:
At the beginning and end of every shift
After anyone uses your vehicle, tools, or workstation
Limit tool sharing if possible.
Practice proper hand hygiene. This is an important infection control measure. With appropriate hand hygiene, you do not need gloves to protect you from COVID-19. When possible, wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
Key times to clean hands include:
Before and after work shifts and breaks
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After using the restroom
Before eating and before and after preparing food
After touching objects which have been handled by coworkers, such as tools and equipment
Before putting on and after taking off work gloves
After putting on, touching, or removing cloth face coverings
Before donning or doffing eye or face protection (safety glasses, goggles, etc.)
Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Use tissues when you cough, sneeze, or touch your face. Throw used tissues in the trash and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer containing 60% alcohol if a sink to wash your hands is not available.
What steps should my employer take?
Employers should have a COVID-19 response plan to protect workers, following CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers, and share this plan with you and your coworkers in languages you all understand. Small construction businesses should review the CDC small business guidelines. Your employer should take steps to:
Sick employees diagnosed with COVID-19 shouldn’t return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met, in consultation with healthcare providers and state and local health departments.
Provide employees with accurate information (in a language they understand) about COVID-19, how it spreads, and risk of exposure.
Provide workers with basic facts.
Conduct toolbox talks on all job sites to explain the protective measures in place.
Be aware that some employees may be at higher risk for severe illness. Implement specific policies to minimize face-to-face contact for these employees or assign work tasks that allow them to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other workers, customers, and visitors, or to telework if possible.
Provide training to employees on proper handwashing practices and other routine preventative measures. This will help prevent the spread of many diseases, including COVID-19.
Provide employees with access to soap, clean running water, and materials for drying their hands, or if soap and water are not readily available provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol at stations around the establishment for use by both workers and customers.
Place handwashing stations and/or hand sanitizers in multiple locations (including in or adjacent to portable restrooms) to encourage hand hygiene.
Explore alternative ways to promote hand hygiene if there is difficulty sourcing hand sanitizer and running water is not available on site. Some examples may include:
Install temporary or mobile handwashing stations, making sure there is an adequate supply of water, soap, and single-use paper towels.
Provide a large (5+ gallon) bucket with a lid and tap that can be used to provide water for handwashing. If this method is used, the water tap should be regularly cleaned and disinfected, and the contaminated wastewater must be collected and treated in accordance with local laws and environmental regulations. Provide fresh clean water daily.
Depending on the size or configuration of the job site, there may need to be multiple handwashing stations available to accommodate the workforce while maintaining social distancing, and stations may need to be restocked during the course of the day to maintain adequate handwashing supplies.
Develop and implement social distancing guidance for the workplace to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between workers when possible.
Maintain a healthy work environment
Institute measures to physically separate and increase distance between employees, such as the following:
Modify work schedules to stagger work, provide alternating workdays or extra shifts to reduce the total number of workers on a job site at any given time.
Restrict access to reduce the number of workers in enclosed and confined areas at one time. Confined and enclosed areas (e.g., trailers, small rooms in buildings under construction) should be identified and access should be restricted to essential personnel only. Enclosed spaces (e.g., toilets, break areas) are potential transmission areas and should be treated accordingly. Time spent in these areas should be minimized.
Rearrange administrative area workstations so that workers can stay at least 6 feet away from other workers.
Install shields or barriers, such as plexiglass barriers, where possible.
Remove or rearrange chairs and tables or add visual cue marks in break areas to support social distancing practices between workers. Identify alternative areas to accommodate overflow volume.
Disinfect break or lunchroom areas between each group using the areas.
Maintain social distancing when visiting lunch trucks or construction site vendors.
Limit casual (social) conversations that normally occur at work.
Cancel or postpone in-person meetings/trainings whenever possible. If you must meet, spread out to a distance of 6 feet or more between attendees.
Reduce the number of individuals at meetings, including worker orientations, to increase the distance between individuals.
Conduct a hazard assessment to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, for which workers may need personal protective equipment (PPE). CDC and OSHA have recommended PPE for some types of work activities when engineering and administrative controls cannot be implemented or are not fully protective.
Employers are required to determine, select, provide, and train on correct PPE use and application for their workers’ specific job duties (see 29 CFR 1926 Subpart Eexternal icon).
Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for employees to use.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. If the surfaces are visibly dirty, clean them prior to disinfecting. To disinfect, use products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2external icon, diluted household bleach solutions that are prepared according to the manufacturer’s label for disinfection, or alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and that are appropriate for the surface. Follow manufacturer’s directions for use.
Clean workspaces and breakrooms at least once per shift or as often as workers change workstations.
Provide worker training on manufacturer’s directions for disinfectant use and provide workers with any additional PPE required for disinfection.
Provide disposable disinfectant wipes (when available) so that surfaces commonly touched can be wiped down.
Follow all applicable local, state, and federal regulations and public health agency guidelines.
Maintain healthy business operations
Designate a safety and health officer to be responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns at every jobsite. Workers should know who this person is and how to contact them.
Implement flexible sick leave and supportive policies and practices. Consider drafting non-punitive emergency sick leave policies if sick leave is not offered to some or all employees. Employers should not require a positive COVID-19 test result or a healthcare provider’s note for employees who are sick to validate their illness, qualify for sick leave, or to return to work.
Provide information on whom to contact if employees become sick. If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19 infection, employers should inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Reach out to local public health officials to establish ongoing communications to facilitate access to relevant information before and during a local outbreak.
Where can I get more information?
Stay informed. Talk to your employer, supervisor, or union representative who is responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns. See these sources for more information on worker exposures to COVID-19:
When it comes to the financing behind road construction projects governments remain the major contributor, but the number of public-private partnerships (PPP) is on the increase. For example, in the US in 2018 the public sector is estimated to have spent US$92 billion dollars on highway construction, with this amount predicted to grow to US$103 billion by 2022.
Creating a new coastal road on a remote island in the Indian Ocean
In India the office of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has written to the National Highways Authority (NHAI) requesting that it ceases road construction and gives control over completed projects to the private sector.
Modi’s office wants the NHAI to manage projects auctioned on a build, operate, transfer basis. The lack of private sector interest in purchasing these roads, however, meant the government had little choice but to allow the developer to assume the full construction cost for some schemes.
In response, the chairman of the NHAI, NN Sinha, recently said that the NHAI was in a “very sound” position with a strong pipeline of projects.
India has one of the largest road networks in the world – extending the country’s road network has been one of Modi’s main targets. In a December 2018 review, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said more than 300 government highway projects would be completed by the end of 2019.
The government budget allocated to highways has increased every year since Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, although the rate of road building in the country is expected to slow in the future. This is partly due to the cost of land acquisitions rising, as well as an increased reluctance of public sector banks to lend to infrastructure developers.
New road construction technology
The construction equipment on the project used Topcon technology to integrate the jobsite
Road construction – as is the case with all aspects of the construction industry – is being changed by the development of new technology. A good example of this occurred on the remote Indian Ocean island of La Réunion which has extreme weather, dense population and a varied landscape, making for an extremely challenging backdrop for infrastructure creation.
The original coastal road connecting the island’s two main urban centres, Saint-Denis and La Possession, was located between the sea and the cliff face, making it susceptible to natural hazards such as rockslides. This, combined with high tides, frequently rendered the road impassable. In response, La Réunion’s authorities set out to create a faster and safer coastal road with help from Topcon Positioning Group.
The new coastal road is 12.5km long and positioned 80 to 300m away from shore to avoid natural hazards. It comprises three main segments: a 5.4km-long coastal viaduct and two causeways. To protect it from the open marine environment, the pre-fabricated viaduct has been designed to last 100 years and withstand exceptional shocks. It is also set 13 to 22m above the sea, beyond the reach of the highest waves.
This graph shows the how the pace of India roadbuilding has recently increased
Topcon technology has been implemented at various stages of the project, including earthmoving, positioning embankment protection blocks and embedding the viaduct.
Thirty-five machines have been used on the project, all equipped with Topcon GPS devices with X-63 machine control used on excavators, eliminating over-excavation and material surpluses. Meanwhile, 3D-MC² technology was used on all dozers, allowing operators to reach final grade in fewer passes.
When it came to paving, Topcon’s C-63 compaction system was said to offer real-time quality control, actively displaying pass counts, compaction measurement values and mix temperatures. With multiple rollers working together, the C-63 system gave operators full oversight of all machines.
All aspects of the project have been managed digitally using Sitelink3D Enterprise, enabling equipped machines and survey rovers on the site to be controlled remotely, and real-time progress to be displayed and saved for future reporting. The project is on track for completion by 2020.
Digital planning, dynamic control, sustainable improvement – the demands on road construction projects are increasing all over the world. A pilot project in Stuttgart, Germany, illustrates the form that the job site of the future is expected to take.
The graph breaks down the world’s road network into different geographical regions
Road construction standards
The local Ministry of Transport in Germany has introduced QSBW 4.0. This stands for ‘Quality in Road Construction in Baden-Württemberg 4.0’, a process which is set to become standard by 2021.
The objective of QSBW 4.0 is an uninterrupted and digitally controlled construction process designed to ensure excellent paving quality over the entire pavement, increasing the service life of asphalt layers.
Specifically, invitations to tender based on QSBW 4.0 criteria will require the inclusion of all the system components associated with a digitally controlled and monitored job site as defined by the QSBW 4.0 initiative. This comprises dynamic logistics and machine control, quality control and management, mobile networking, display options on smart phones, tablets or computers as well as the documentation of all data with access authorisation for clients.
Vögele developed WITOS Paving Plus with the digitally controlled and monitored job site in mind
Vogele developed WITOS Paving Plus with such requirements in mind. This is a fully integrated, software-based system for process optimisation and documentation. It comprises five inter-coordinated modules for the various parties involved in the process – from the asphalt mixing plant and the lorry driver to the construction manager.
With the system, contractors can already meet virtually all the requirements affecting road pavers which will generally be specified in future invitations to tender under QSBW 4.0.
Road construction product updates
Caterpillar has announced updates to the PM620, PM622, PM820, PM822 and PM825 Half-Lane Cold Planers.
These milling machines now meet US EPA Tier 4 Final and EU Stage V emission standards powered by a Cat C18 turbocharged, 6-cylinder diesel engine. The PM820, PM822 and PM825 Cold Planers feature an increased power rating of 597kW gross power. The engine now features multi-piece, cartridge-style filters. This design is said to be environmentally friendly, reducing waste and lowering replacement costs.
Caterpillar’s PM620
Updated handrails increase operator comfort and ease-of-use in flush cutting applications, while the new pivoting handrails stow and redeploy on the right-hand side when an obstacle comes close to the machine.
Obstacle jump is said to be easier to execute from the operator platform with new visual indicators located on the top edge of the side plates indicating where the rotor is positioned and correlate with the markings on the side plate.
Staying with new products, Mecalac’s single drum pedestrian roller, the MBR-71 – first unveiled at the Executive Hire Show in the UK – has been available since April 2019.
The all-new model has been redesigned to incorporate hydrostatic drive, bringing greater flexibility and ease of use for site workers. In addition, a series of key engineering updates to improve performance and safety have been introduced.
Mecalac’s single drum pedestrian roller, the MBR-71
Specifically designed for the compaction of granular and asphalt materials, the MBR-71 is said to be suited to highway repair, footpaths and cycle lanes.
Removing the clutch and belt arrangement results in fewer maintenance requirements, while a 35% increase in water tank volume increases working range.
Moving operating controls to the handle is said by the company to ensure safer and more ergonomically-friendly operation, complementing a new ‘spring applied’ hydraulic release handbrake, which activates when pressure is lost to maximise operator safety.
At the BICES event in China, LiuGong displayed an unmanned drive roller. According to the company, as working speed is low and the working environment is normally free of interference, road compacting operations are ideal environments for automated technologies to be used.
The roller applies RTK-GNSS (Real-time Kinematic-Global Navigation Satellite System) to achieve high-precision positioning in open environments. According to the construction map and the compaction technology that will be used, the operator can setup rolling path to the roller. It can also realise automatic rolling operation, adjusting working lanes and avoiding obstacles without manual intervention.
At the BICES event in China, LiuGong displayed the 6626E, an unmanned drive roller
LiuGong says that the next step is to further develop the intelligent compaction system, and realise the cooperative operation of multiple compaction equipment.
Latin America road infrastructure
The Colombian government’s ‘4G Toll Road Concession Program’ is the largest project in Latin America for the development of road infrastructure. It involves the expansion or maintenance of approximately 7,000km of roads as well as the erection of new bridges. On the east-west route from Ibagué to Cajamarca, the company Mincivil S.A. is relying on the LB 36 drilling rig from Liebherr.
One section of the large-scale construction project is in the Andes in West Colombia. In direct proximity though are three large volcanoes. A two-lane road is being built on the 35km-long route between Ibagué and Cajamarca and will include 40 bridges made of various concrete elements.
The contractor for the project is APP GICA S.A., a group of six Colombian construction companies. One of them, Mincivil, is applying the drilling rig type LB 36 for the installation of the bridge piles in Ibagué. Using the Kelly drilling method, the machine is installing piles with diameters of 1,500mm and average depths of 30m. The number of piles varies according to the design of the bridge. Depending on the soil conditions, the LB 36 has a daily performance of 10 to 15m drilling depth.
The go-ahead for the construction project was in April 2016. According to plan, completion should be in 2024 for the project, at an estimated cost of US$578 million.
The Colombian government’s ‘4G Toll Road Concession Program’ in Latin America is using the drilling rig LB 36 from Liebherr
Elsewhere, work has finished on a project in England, with Seymour Civil Engineering contracted by John Sisk & Son to install highway and kerb drainage to the £75m (US$92 million) Highways England Silverlink triple decker ‘super roundabout’ in the north east of the country.
During the project, Seymour installed drainage utilising the latest shaft sinking and micro tunnelling techniques which were said to have enabled continuous traffic flow on the A19 road.
The four key areas of Seymour’s work involved main highway and land drainage, drench less crossing undertaken by micro tunnelling techniques, the sinking of three shafts – the deepest being 13.5m deep – and installation of combined kerb drainage.
The aim of the project was to dramatically reduce queueing time for motorists travelling along the A19 at peak times.
