I have heard complaints about construction continuing under unsafe circumstances. Although Boston Mayor Marty Walsh shut down construction in Boston weeks ago, Mayor Fuller has let construction continue in Newton. Her reply to questions and complaints has been: “There are state guidelines for construction” – she says she has consulted public health experts and she wants to keep things going.
Hopefully that will soon change.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Contact:
On behalf of the Massachusetts Building Trades Council
Massachusetts Building Trades Council votes unanimously to call for a statewide suspension of all regular activity at construction sites in Massachusetts
MALDEN, MA – Today, the Executive Board of the 75,000 member Massachusetts Building Trades Council voted unanimously to call on Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker to declare a statewide suspension of all regular activity at construction sites in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts beginning Friday April 3rd and continuing through April 30th.
The vote was unanimous among the statewide council, including among Local unions representing workers from the Berkshires to Cape Cod. The council is advocating that the only work the government should permit to move forward should be emergency and certain essential work:
That emergency and essential work includes:
• Emergency utility, road or building work, such as gas leaks, water leaks and sinkholes
• New utility connections to occupied buildings
• Mandated building or utility work
• Work at public health facilities, healthcare facilities, shelters, including temporary shelters and other facilities that support vulnerable populations
• Work which ensures the reliability of the transportation network, and Other work necessary to render occupied residential buildings fully habitable.
Additional emergency/essential construction projects may be added on a case-by-case basis after joint review and approval by state and local officials.
The headline is misleading should have said
“The council is advocating that the only work the government should permit to move forward should be emergency and certain essential work: …”
I don’t see why individual contractors, working out of doors in accordance with good safety practice, shouldn’t be permitted to earn their livelihoods.
Why would anybody want to stop one of the few sectors that can safely work out of home (and who can’t “work from home”) from doing so?
That would be even dumber than preventing families from playing tennis.
Phil, sorry fixed it.
The complaints were mostly from workers who had been working under “unsafe” conditions not from those observing them. Some sites had no running water or hand sanitizer. Others required construction workers to be close together to get the job done.
Others who complained were doctors who can only see emergency patients but see construction workers gathered together on a job.
I’m just the messenger. I‘m at home and haven’t been anywhere except walking around my neighborhood and haven’t seen any of these things except kids on play equipment in Cabot Park which made me cringe. (I hope the city puts something like police tape around the playscapes to reduce temptation.) I don’t know any restrictions called for concerning “individual contractors” or subcontractors working alone outdoors but I wouldn’t think they would be included – like some landscapers.
This morning I heard the loudest leaf blower ever as I was taking my morning walkabout. I headed in that direction just for curiosity because it sounded like it wasn’t close by. I never found it because it ended up being too far away before I had to make my way home. I wasn’t planning to do anything anyway. I was just curious how one could be so loud from so far away.
As usual the few can ruin it for the many. Safe today is not what safe was a few months ago.
Playing singles tennis is certainly staying 6’ apart and playing with only your family is fine. But if folks from different families congregate there then it has become unsafe. If some construction companies cannot provide safe working conditions then they need to shut down.
Understanding those concerns, a ban is too blunt an instrument. Better companies have a plan they follow and would certainly welcome inspections. Single-proprietor outfits, too, should be in a different category.
The Massachusetts Building Trades Council has called for a shutdown, Boston, Cambridge & Somerville have all halted non essential construction projects. Do we know something they don’t know? We should be shutting these down as well.
Newton residents with the safe luxury of staying home while continuing to get paid may not exactly understand the dire straights that many families find themselves in. The Mass Building and Trades Council did a good job doing what they are supposed to do and that is to represent the workers. Now with this information action can be taken to continue work on those locations where its safe to do so, and correct deficiencies.
Trades people, and all of the others that must show up at work to get paid, cannot generate income while home. A measly government hand-out of $1200 will not pay the mortgage, the rent, business loans, college for kids, etc. Many of the shutdown actions will destroy families and businesses.
Government officials (continue to get paid) need to step up and be leaders and ensure those who can safely work, such as outside construction be allowed to do so. Take the political heat if you have to, but overreacting on every turn, can be just as dangerous as doing nothing.
Yes we do, Emily. We know that there are individual contractors who follow the social distancing and hygiene rules and want to continue to make a living. If we start to base our policies on what those other cities do rather than what makes sense for ours, we are on a slippery slope. Many of their construction projects are huge jobs with dozens of workers building multistory apartments or commercial structures where it is virtually impossible to maintain those standards (although some do so); whereas ours tend to be work on single family and two-family houses, often with 1, 2 or 3 workers. An outright ban is too blunt an instrument. Rather empower inspectional services to review the company’s plans and actions w/r/t COVID-19 protection measures.
The Mayor just sent this out:
Essential construction includes only work in residences, businesses and buildings that are required to support COVID-19 response, essential public works facilities, operations and infrastructure, and housing construction that ensures additional units that combat the Commonwealth’s housing supply shortage. Also allowed to continue are energy efficiency projects, and building maintenance work by specialists (e.g. plumbing, electrical) if necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operation of residences and businesses.
After consulting with health experts, the City of Newton has adopted the Commonwealth’s new guidelines for all construction projects in the City, both public and private. Construction can only continue in Newton if it meets the criteria of essential and also complies with the strict social distancing, hand hygiene, employee health protections, and site risk prevention measures included in the state guidelines.
Projects like tear-down replacement homes, kitchen remodels and additions are no longer considered essential and therefore shall immediately stop in accordance with the state’s guidance.
The City’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD) will continue permitting projects but will not allow non-essential projects to get started or to be continued. If a project is at a particularly difficult or dangerous point to stop, and it can continue with public health measures in compliance with the state guidelines, contractors may request permission to continue from ISD, but only for the purposes of ensuring the job site is safe and secure.
We are actively requiring compliance with the public health Construction Guidelines for essential construction projects. We are providing all permitted construction with the guidelines. We are also following up on all complaints, doing unannounced visits to job sites, and routine inspections. In all of these situations, we are doing compliance inspections.
Awful move by Fuller. Keeping tiny streams of the economy going for non-office workers was vital, and this is beyond stupid.
I hope the “shut it down” gang, safe in their paid off homes, is happy.