Hamilton County Health Department Officer Shares COVID Guidelines for Construction Sites

​Mayor Coppinger invited AGC East Tennessee to serve on his COVID Advisory Task Force to talk about challenges our workforce is facing with health department officials, leading physicians, and other community leaders.  
 
After sharing what we’ve heard from our members, Dr. Paul Hendricks, Health Officer with the Hamilton County Health Department, suggested that AGC share the following so that production can continue safely on job sites. 

First and foremost, workers should not come to work if they are showing any signs of sickness because the potential spread could cause a job site to shut down.  While list of symptoms of COVID-19 has become long (see sidebar), it is still recommended that workers stay home with any of these symptoms.

Face Masks on Outdoor Job Sites – Low Risk:  As long as your team is able to appropriately social distance (at least 6 feet) on outdoor job sites, there’s no need to wear face masks since the risk of spreading COVID outdoors is relatively low.  Masks must be worn during team meetings or any other time when your team is working closely together.  
 
Face Masks on Interior Job Sites – High Risk:  COVID typically spreads indoors and when in close contact to others.  Teams must wear masks while working inside, particularly when social distancing guidelines cannot be followed.  Limit the number of people working on interior projects as much as possible.
 
Sanitation of Equipment – Low Risk:  It’s still unclear how likely it is to catch COVID-19 from objects. However, it is best to minimize sharing of tools and to wear gloves where possible. It would also be best to wipe down the handles of shared equipment between users where possible.
 
Crew Transportation / Carpools – High Risk:  It is best to avoid carpooling if possible. If it is absolutely necessary for crews to ride together to job sites, riders should wear masks while in the vehicle and limit the number of people in the car.  Windows should be rolled down and the air conditioner should be set to circulate outside air.

COVID Symptons:

Most common symptoms include:
> Fever
> Dry cough
> Tiredness

Less common symptoms:
> Aches and pains
> Sore throat
> Diarrhea
> Conjunctivitis
> Headache
> Loss of taste or smell
> Rash on skin
> Discoloration of fingers or toes

Serious symptoms:
>Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
> Chest pain or pressure
> Loss of speech of movement

​Seek immediate medical attention if you have serious symptoms. Always call before visiting your doctor or health facility.
On average it takes 5–6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show; however, it some cases it can take up to 14 days.