COVID-19 Safety Policy

MEC Companies COVID-19 Safety Policy

Revised February 10th, 2021

The MEC Companies (hereinafter “The Company”) takes the health and safety of our employees very seriously. With the spread of the coronavirus or “COVID-19,” the Company must remain vigilant in mitigating the outbreak. The Company is a proud part of the construction industry, which many have deemed “essential” during this Declared National Emergency. In order to be safe and maintain operations, we have developed this COVID-19 Exposure Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Plan to be implemented, to the extent feasible and appropriate, throughout the Company and at all our jobsites.

This Plan is based on information available from the CDC and OSHA at the time of its development and is subject to change based on further information provided by the CDC, OSHA, and other local or state governments. The Company may also amend this Plan based on operational needs.

I. Responsibilities of Managers and Supervisors

All managers and supervisors must be familiar with this Plan and be ready to answer questions from employees. Managers and supervisors must always set a good example by following this Plan. This involves practicing good personal hygiene and jobsite and MEC office safety practices to prevent the spread of the virus. Managers and supervisors must encourage this same behavior from all employees.

II. Responsibilities of Employees

The Company is asking every one of our employees to help with our prevention efforts while at work. In order to minimize the spread of COVID-19 at our work place, everyone must play their part. As set forth below, the Company has instituted various housekeeping, social distancing, and other best practices at our jobsites. All employees must follow these. In addition, employees are to report this to their managers or supervisors (via phone, text or email) right away if they or a co-worker are experiencing or showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19, and must go home or stay home if not at work site – See below for ZERO TOLERANCE policy. If you have a specific question about this Plan or COVID-19, please ask
your manager or supervisor. If they cannot answer the question, please contact Amanda Jakubajtys [email protected] 

OSHA and the CDC have provided the following control and preventative guidance for all workers, regardless of exposure risk:

  • Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When soap and running water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol.
  • No hand shaking..
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with hands.
  • Follow appropriate respiratory etiquette, which includes covering for coughs and sneezes.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

In addition, employees must familiarize themselves with the symptoms of COVID-19, which include the following:

  • Coughing
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
  • Chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose.

If you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath, DO NOT GO TO WORK and call your supervisor and healthcare provider right away. Likewise, if you come into close contact with someone showing these symptoms, call your supervisor and healthcare provider right away.

III. Job Site & MEC Office Protective Measures

General Safety Policies and Rules

  • ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SICK WORKERS REPORTING TO WORK. IF YOU ARE SICK, STAY HOME! IF YOU FEEL SICK, GO HOME! IF YOU SEE SOMEONE SICK, SEND THEM HOME!
  • If you or a family member are feeling ill stay home!
  • Prior to starting a shift, each employee, whether in the field or office, will self-certify to their supervisor that they:
    • Have no signs of a fever or a measured temperature above 100.3 degrees or greater, a cough or trouble breathing within the past 24 hours.
    • Have not had “close contact” with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19. “Close contact” being within 6 feet of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes, or coming in direct contact with secretions (e.g., sharing utensils, being coughed on) from a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, is pending results of a COVID-19 test, or who has symptoms of COVID-19
    • Confirm that you or any person in your immediate household has not been tested for COVID-19 within the last 14 days.
    • Have not been asked to self-isolate or quarantine by their doctor or a local public health official.

Employees exhibiting symptoms or unable to self-certify should be directed to leave the work place and seek medical attention and applicable testing by their health care provider. They are not to return to the work place until cleared by a medical professional.

  • Safety meetings will be by telephone, if possible. Toolbox talks will be conducted on an individual bases with an email confirmation that it has been read and understood to Amanda Jakubajtys [email protected]
  • Employees must avoid physical contact with others and shall direct others (co-workers/contractors/visitors) to increase personal space to at least six (6) feet, where possible.
  • Cover coughing or sneezing with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash hands, if no tissue is available then cough into your elbow.
  • During any needed in-person safety measure meetings, avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people and participants must remain at least six (6) feet apart.
  • Employees must avoid physical contact with others and shall direct others (co-workers/contractors/visitors) to increase personal space to at least six (6) feet, where possible.
  • Employees who are carpooling to and from job sites or workplace and do not live in the same household are required to wear face masks. Carpooling is discouraged by the employer.
  • Where work trailers are used, only authorized employees should enter the trailers. They are locked down to unauthorized workers.
  • Employees will be encouraged to stagger breaks and lunches to reduce the size of any group at any one time to less than ten (10) people. Practice social distancing in these occurrences.
  • The Company understands that due to the nature of our work, access to running water for hand washing may be impracticable. In these situations, the Company will provide, if available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and/or wipes.
  • Employees should limit the use of co-worker’s tools and equipment. To the extent tools must be shared, the Company will provide alcohol-based wipes to clean tools before and after use. When cleaning tools and equipment, consult manufacturing recommendations for proper cleaning techniques and restriction.
  • If practicable, each employee should use/drive the same truck or piece of equipment every shift.
  • Multi person activities with be limited where feasible (two person lifting activities).
  • Use your own individual water bottles and do not share.
  • To avoid external contamination, we recommend everyone bring food from home.
  • At the start of each shift, confirm with all employees that they are healthy.
  • In addition to regular PPE for workers engaged in various tasks (fall protection, hard hats, hearing protection), employers will also provide:
    • Face protection: MEC offers PPE in relation to face covering in many varieties. Face protection is required to be worn while on site. This can include any acceptable form of mask (surgical, N95, cloth etc.) It is the responsibility of the employee to follow proper recommendation of hygiene for cleaning or disposing mask.
    • Gloves: All field employees are required to wear cut resistant gloves or equivalent.
      • Gloves are NOT to be shared.
  • Eye protection: Eye protection are required to be worn while on-site.
  • Arrange for any portable job site toilets to be cleaned by the leasing company at least twice per week and disinfected on the inside.
  • Any trash collected from the jobsite must be changed frequently by someone wearing gloves.
  • When leaving a construction site for breaks, lunch, or other reasons are required to wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol before leaving the site and must maintain social distancing and wear face coverings if traveling to other locations off the construction site. Frequent use of handwashing or alcohol-based hand sanitizers should be encouraged and handwashing facilities and / or alcohol-based hand sanitizers should be made readily available at work sites.
  • Please note: this document is not intended to replace any formalized procedures currently in place with the General Contractor.

Where these guidance does not meet or exceed the standards put forth by the General Contractor, everyone shall abide by the most stringent procedure available

Worker Infection Protocol

As stated above, there is a zero tolerance for sick workers reporting to work. Employees should be instructed that even those with mild symptoms of respiratory infection (cough, shortness of breath, sore throat) or fever should stay off work. Contractors shall take immediate steps to limit infections at the job site if a worker discovered to have tested positive for COVID-19 or has COVID-19 related symptoms

Although it is understood that contractors are enforcing Work Site Risk Prevention Practices including social distancing rules and use of PPE, consistent with guidelines it is also recognized that there may be occasions where someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who has COVID-19 symptoms has been present in a work area

Prompt identification and isolation of potentially infectious individuals is a critical step in protecting workers, vendors, visitors, and others at a worksite

Identification of Exposure

The Contractor shall direct workers with COVID-19 related symptoms to leave the jobsite immediately and contact their healthcare provider. The Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH) or a local board of health will make appropriate notifications to those who had direct prolonged contact with the COVID-19 positive workers

The Contractor shall work with the local board of health to identify any potential job site exposures, including:

  • Other workers, vendors, inspectors, or visitors to the work site with close contact to the individual
  • Work areas such as supply cabinets and designated workstations or rooms
  • Work tools and equipment
  • Common areas such as break rooms and tables, vending machines, and sanitary facilities

Notification and Quarantine Requirements
As provided by law, the identity of the worker must be kept confidential
Upon learning of an infection, the contractor must immediately notify the designated COVID-19 safety officer, the site safety officer, and the owner

Sanitation Requirements

After a worker with COVID-19 related symptoms has been asked to leave the job site, the contractor shall take immediate steps to sanitize common areas and direct workplaces. This includes all on-site bathroom’s facilities, any break facilities, and any other common areas on the job site that may have been in close contact with the infected worker
Sanitation will be conducted with personnel, equipment, and material approved for COVID-19 sanitization

Identified areas should remain isolated from workers until sanitation process has been completed and area is deemed safe for use Returning to Work

All impacted workers should follow CDC and DPH recommended steps concerning return to work. Workers who are considered close contacts to a COVID-19 case by public health authorities should not return for 14 days and are subject quarantine by public health.

Workers who leave during the workday due to COVID-19 symptoms and develop COVID-19 as confirmed by laboratory testing or diagnosis by a healthcare provider shall not return to the site until either released from isolation by healthcare provider or public health official

In All Cases

Keep all employee names confidential as required by law

Other employees may be sent home while a workspace is being cleaned but will return to work after cleaning unless advised otherwise by a health care provider

Other employees should be asked to contact their health provider if they have any questions

Remind other employees to continue to practice proper sanitation and monitor for flu like symptoms

Cases of COVID-19 Symptoms, Tests Positive for COVID-19 or Exposure to COVID-19

  • Employee Exhibits COVID-19 Symptoms:

If an employee exhibits any COVID-19 symptoms, the employee must stay home and contact their health-care provider for further direction. Employees are required to obtain a doctor’s note and forward it to their supervisor ASAP. The Company will require an employee to provide documentation clearing his or her return to work.

  • Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19:

An employee who tests positive for COVID-19 will be directed to self-quarantine away from work. The employee must obtain a doctor’s note or positive test result and forward it to Human Resources. Employees who test positive and have been hospitalized may return to work when directed to do so by their medical care providers. The Company will follow CDC Return to work guidelines for any employee who has tested positive.

  • Employee Has Close Contact with an Individual Who Has Tested Positive for COVID-19:

Employees who have come into close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 (co-worker or otherwise) will be directed to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of close contact with that individual. Close contact is defined as six (6) feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more, over a 24 hour period starting from two days before illness onset (or 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the individual is isolated.

If the Company learns that an employee has tested positive, the Company will conduct an investigation to determine co-workers who may have had close contact with the confirmed-positive employee in the prior 48 hours and direct those individuals who have had close contact with the confirmed-positive employee to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of close contact with that employee. If applicable, the Company will also notify any sub-contractors, vendors/suppliers or visitors who may have had close contact with the individual.

Special cases not listed above will be discussed and action will be directed by upper management to ensure the safety of the Company and its employees.

COVID-19 Checklist of the Symptoms of COVID-19

Coughing, fever, shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell, and difficulty breathing.

Early symptoms may include chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose. If you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, DO NOT GO TO WORK and call your supervisor and health-care provider immediately. Do the same thing if you come into close contact with someone showing these symptoms.

Given the fast-developing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Company may modify this Plan on a case by case basis. If you have any questions concerning this Plan, please contact Amanda Jakubajtys [email protected]