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For I&E Construction, the coronavirus pandemic presented safety challenges to every aspect of the company鈥檚 operations.

Day-to-day habits had to be altered overnight, and the company鈥檚 safety manager spent countless hours meeting with management at every level to implement the changes and enforce them.

Hand-washing stations were added to every job site, and each site now has a designated COVID-19 safety officer. This person is responsible for monitoring employees’ and subcontractors鈥� symptoms, regularly wiping down high-touch surfaces and making sure all personnel are aware of how to prevent the spread of the virus. Safety officers are also responsible for enforcing social distancing on site.

During the pandemic, employees were encouraged to stay home if they were sick, and I&E made changes to its leave policy, allowing new employees to access their paid time off before the 90-day wait period.

Nida Molodih, human resources and safety manager for I&E, said some of the changes implemented because of the pandemic will likely be permanent.

鈥淢aintaining a clean work environment, especially in construction, has always been an afterthought,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur new disinfecting/sanitizing procedures are definitely here to stay. There will always be other communicable disease. These procedures can help us stop workplace transmission of viruses and help keep our employees safe and healthy.鈥�

These changes have quickly become routine for employees, Molodih said.

鈥淥ur quick action and deliverance of information and safety changes has helped these protocols become routine for our employees,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ach job site has a designated safety person who is making sure that information is being communicated regularly and that people continue to follow our protocols, but for the most part everyone is on the same page.

鈥淔rom the beginning, our safety changes have been communicated on a company level,鈥� Molodih added. 鈥淢id-March, we already had safety signs made up, protocols posted at each job and a toolbox talk that went out to each crew. I think our quick action and transparency made it evident that we were taking it serious from the beginning.鈥�