Grit Nation

Carpentry + Covid 19

November 26, 2020 Season 1 Episode 7
Grit Nation
Carpentry + Covid 19
Show Notes Transcript

 Welcome to another episode of GRIT Northwest. I’m Joe Cadwell, President of the Northwest Carpenters Union, writer, producer and your host of this podcast. 
The goal of Grit Northwest is to introduce you to the various trades, personalities and issues relevant to the construction industry in our region through informative and inciteful interviews.
Our guest today is Ben Reynolds. Ben is a 27-year member of the UBC, the President of Local 30, and is a safety professional at Anderson Construction. On today’s show we’ll be talking about Covid-19 the global pandemic that has killed nearly1.5 million people worldwide to date, and its effect on the construction industry. We’ll open today’s conversation by looking into what Covid-19 is, and why carpenters should take steps to protect themselves, their co-workers and their families both on and off the job. Next, we’ll delve into what responsibilities employers have regarding PPE and what modifications are being made on the jobsite to protect their workers. Later we’ll delve into some practical tips you can take to maintain your productivity as a construction industry professional without sacrificing your safety. We’ll then unpack what steps you should take if you believe that you have contracted the Corona virus or been exposed to someone who has. And we’ll wrap up today’s conversation by providing you a list of resources where you can get more information on how to deal with this public health hazard. 

The Show Notes

Covid -19 Resource's

https://www.nwcarpenters.org/news/covid-19/

https://www.nwcarpenters.org/news/covid19-espanol/

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

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Joe Cadwell:

Welcome to another episode of Grit Northwest. I'm Joe Cadwell, President of the Northwest carpenters union, writer, producer and your host of this podcast. The goal of Grit Northwest is to introduce you to the various trades personalities and issues relevant to the construction industry in our region through informative and insightful interviews. Our guest today is Ben Reynolds, Ben is a 27 year member of the UBC, the president of local 30 and as a safety professional at Anderson construction. On today's show, we'll be talking about COVID-19, the global pandemic that has killed nearly 1.5 million people worldwide to date, and its effect on the construction industry will open today's conversation by looking into what COVID-19 is and why carpenters should take steps to protect themselves, their co workers and their families both on and off the job. Next, we'll delve into what responsibilities employers have regarding PPE and what modifications are being made on the job site to protect their workers. Later, we'll delve into some practical tips you can take to maintain your productivity as a construction industry professional without sacrificing your safety. Well then unpack what steps you should take if you believe that you have contacted the Coronavirus or been exposed to someone who else. And we'll wrap up today's conversation by providing you a list of resources where you can get more information on how to deal with this public health hazard. And now on to the show. Ben Reynolds. Welcome to the show.

Ben Reynolds:

Man, Joe, thank you for having me. I'm really excited to be here. I've listened to a lot of your podcasts. And they're interesting, I hope we can make an interesting one for the listeners today.

Joe Cadwell:

I'm sure we will, Ben, this is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. So this episode will probably come out sometime after Thanksgiving. Just put it in context. So Ben, why don't you tell the listeners a little bit about yourself?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, my name is you guys already heard Ben Reynolds. I'm the president of the local 30 currently, and I'm full time safety professional for Anderson construction, then a union Carpenter for about 27 years now. And about 20 of that I've been a safety professional. So it all started when I wasn't doing things safe on the job site. And I had the ultimatum, either get into the safety program, or we're gonna have to lay off and the rest is history. Here I am 20 some years later and taking care of my brothers and sisters in the industry.

Joe Cadwell:

But I've asked you on the show today to talk about COVID-19 and the the current state of the pandemic in regards to the construction industry. So bad, what is COVID-19? And why should the average carpenter even care?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, someone I understand not being a doctor in the you know, medical field whatsoever. COVID-19 is a virus that's easily transmitted from human to human. And so it's really important for us to take this seriously. Um, COVID-19 has killed way more people than the common flu. And we just need to make sure we do the right thing on the job site not to bring it home to our families, or if we do have COVID-19 not affecting other people on the job sites.

Joe Cadwell:

And how do we go about not doing that then, in regards to transmissibility? The average flu kills in the US between 24,000 and and 62,000 people a year in the US we're looking at about 268,000 deaths since the beginning of this year. So as you said, it's it's very transmittable, it's very dangerous. But so how do we protect ourselves?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, the first thing is we have to be aware of the situations we're in. First off the bat, there's no one fix all there's a lot of things, wearing a mask is just one link in the chain, we need to wear a mask, we need to social distance, we need to wash our hands, we need to not go to areas we don't need to go to to keep our travels around the job site, or even in our personal lives as little as possible right now, until we do get a vaccine.

Joe Cadwell:

So in regards to the PPE, is it the individual the workers responsibility? Or is that fall upon the employer to provide the PPE for us in regards to mask and those type of things?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, that's a really great question. I get that question a lot. Um, it's kind of like your boots, right? You've got to have a pair of boots to go to work. But if you need something specialized, some kind of specially he boots, like you're going to be in the muck of a concrete pour, then they've got to provide you with those boots, you show up to work with a mask on that you'd be wearing in public. Most employers are going to have the mask that they like you to use, and they're going to have a supply of them because PP is actually up to the employer to buy but you've still got to come to the job site with a mask on so um, once you get on the site, the employer will provide you with mass for your tasks that you need to do. And it may be anything from a hospital type mask up to a can 95 if you're working in close proximity to other trades it less than six feet.

Joe Cadwell:

So aside from the mask, you talked about links in a chain, what other things can members do to to minimize their risk of cross contamination or getting the virus?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, contractors are also are required to provide hot water wash stations on the job site. So you see those coming up with these great instant hots and all these pumps, there's a lot of wash stations now that are available. There's also hand sanitizer. Social distancing is huge, you know, don't walk right up on those people. If you're talking to somebody, give them distance, stay away from them. If you've got to go into a personnel lift per se, a lot of companies are coming up with great ways. I recently visited a job site where in the personnel if they had screens that you'd pull down in between you when you got in the personnel there. So it wasn't one or two people in the personnel lift. But we've got to do all these things. Social distance, wear masks, wash our hands, in order to keep us all safe.

Joe Cadwell:

So for a lot of our members and a lot of our crafts that that may be a little bit easier said than done. I coming from the pile driving / diving world, where we're outdoors quite a bit and open air. But for a lot of our members who are EIS sare working inside what what other procedures or protocols protocols can be put in place to help protect these members?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, that's that's another really good question, Joe, the protocol that the AGC helped write for Washington State has things on it like it has an extra per se pre tax plan that you need to do. And so if you're going to get within six feet of another worker, you've got to come up with protocols to protect you it may be, instead of using one boom, lift, you may have to use two boom lifts. And if we've got situations like where we're trying to hang a 10 foot piece of drywall in a stairway, we may have to provide those workers with the next level of protection, whether it be going from a hospital mask into a can 95, we try to stay away from the end 95 because those are what hospital people need. So we can get the the Japanese version of the kn 95, which hospitals don't use as much and um, we can get them that way. They're, they're safer, closer together. But this stuff needs to be thought out and pre plan just like we're doing a pre task plan, we had our company call it a COVID pre-task plan.

Joe Cadwell:

And a lot of the common touch points that we use, for my understanding, now we're not as concerned about those touch points as we are about the aerosol droplets or the vaporize droplets and taking these the virus into our respiratory tract. But we also have to be aware that those touch points need to be addressed. And so the hand sanitizers, the hand wash stations, definitely come into play.

Ben Reynolds:

Absolutely. And the thing is to, we don't know for sure, when we started out with you know, we had to wash every surface, but we still on the job sites are required to provide the hands annotations, and also document what we're cleaning. So there's a document that everybody needs to the surfaces that are heavily touched, the door handles, the bathroom door handles and that kind of stuff, whether it be hourly, or every other day, every day need to be cleaned and documented that we're doing it.

Joe Cadwell:

And then in regards to breaks and break rooms, that's another area where we can have a lot of exposure to other people and in these break rooms where we're taking off her mask, obviously to eat and drink, that could be another kind of a an area to really expose yourself. So do you have any recommendations for our members that maybe don't feel comfortable with the break room scene?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, what we're seeing is a lot of contractors understand that, you know, this is a problem because, boy, all of us can testify to being on those rainy days and being shoved into a 20 foot conex box with, you know, 15 other members in there, you know, and it's not even comfortable then and now it's COVID so we're seeing a lot of contractors maybe get tense, they're still having they're saying, you know, here's your, your microwave and a refrigerator to keep your stuff in and, you know, warm yourself up and, and maybe sit outside here by this heater and, you know, eat your lunch and, and sometimes we're even saying hey, it's okay, guys, if you want to go to the parking garage and sit in your own vehicle and have lunch, you know, we understand that these times are tough, and if you want to get comfortable and be able to relax during your lunchtime, you know, let's talk about it. And the main thing with this COVID is to really ask questions of the general contractor or the contractor that you're working for. They may have some great solutions that you're Worried about communication is so important right now.

Joe Cadwell:

So I know a lot of members are probably thinking, Well, those, those darn mask every time I put the mask on, and then I'm required to wear my safety glasses, the safety glasses fogged up. And it seems like you're bouncing back and forth between adjusting your mask adjusting your safety glasses. Again, we're being told not to touch her face any recommendations or thoughts on how our members can kind of get over that hurdle? But, you know,

Ben Reynolds:

I wish I had $1. For every time I've been asked that question over the last couple months, I'd be pulling an earlier retirement here because that's on the top of everybody's mind. And we have to think outside the box during these times. And, you know, we're going to remember the OSHA or our Labor and Industries or Oregon OSHA, um, that they're not our enemies. And so if we can come up with ways to still be safe on the job site, wearing our proper gear on, they're going to cut us some slack. So some of the ways what we're seeing now, that's working out really good is, first we were trying anti fog wipes and anti fog spray, which do work for some individuals on heavier safety glasses that are made of glass, rather than plastic safety glasses don't seem to fog up on some individuals on we have gone over to the type two helmets now that have the face shield that pull down like a motorcycle type element that takes the place of the safety glasses. And then as a last resort, even though they don't have an anti rating on them, okay? And Elon is given us a little leeway to use the air screen glasses instead. So they're like a mesh type glass, like you'd use when you cut on your chainsaw.

Joe Cadwell:

We've talked a lot about preventative measures. Now what what do we do when a member actually feels like they're getting sick there? They woke up that morning, they're either getting their lunch pack, they're on their way to work. And man, they just don't feel good. What are your recommendations for that?

Ben Reynolds:

Well, the main thing is don't go to work, don't go to don't go out in public, don't do anything I know that it's tough on. Now, I'm not positive because I work mostly in Washington State, even though we do have an office in Oregon. But Washington State does have a paid sick leave program, you know, and take advantage of that if you've been working and been a steady and you accumulate on ours through that and your contractor would definitely rather have you called in, you need to stay at home for at least 72 hours until you don't have after the last signs of COVID that you need to be COVID free or symptom free for 72 hours before you return to the workplace or go to the workplace.

Joe Cadwell:

Okay, and again, that's assuming a member thinks they have COVID. And even though that is sort of the focus, right now, it is possible that you'll you'll still just wake up with a cold, the regular seasonal flu, those type of things. So how do you assess whether you have COVID? Or not? What is the best thing a member could do?

Ben Reynolds:

Um, as far as I assume you have it? Right? You got to have it. Um, what I've been told, and what we've told our people is that if you have the feeling that you've been exposed to somebody, maybe they don't know how to contact your doctor, call your doctor, don't just go into a clinic, contact your doctor and ask him, do your doctor, hopefully you've got a health care professional that you've dealt with, he should be able to listen to your concerns and come up with a plan from there. But the main thing is to reach out to people through the phone, internet, don't go and see him.

Joe Cadwell:

So Ben, what responsibility does the employer have to let you know that someone on your crew may have tested positive for Covid 19?

Ben Reynolds:

Well that's a really interesting question, you would think that they would want to let you know who that person was and everything. But because of the Federal HIPAA Act, which protects the privacy of individuals, they can't really let you know who that person is, they can let you know what area you may be exposed to when you may be exposed, but they can't let you know who that person is. So the exposure depends on how long you around that person. That's why contract tracing is so important. If you notice when you've gone to a job site, or if you haven't gone to a job site because of COVID. Usually now it's down to one insurance that you go to sometimes they hire a health care professional there to ask you the COVID questions and take your temperature and also they ask for your name and your phone number. And so they the contractor needs you to keep track of where you're working and what area you're working. And if you've been exposed to the person that has tested positive for covid for more than 15 minutes in an eight hour window. period, then you need to put be put on protocols can be tested, or at least stay home until 72 hours has passed and you have no signs of covid.

Joe Cadwell:

I know what p NCI where I work the Pacific Northwest carpenters Institute, we've had these policies and procedures in place ever since we opened back up, I think it was the beginning of June. So Monday morning, when our apprentices show up for class, we we have them socially distance outside the main door, they, they come in one at a time, they read the procedures, whether they've been exposed or they're feeling sick, we take their temperature, we have them sign in. And we also give them a colored wristband for that particular day that they're obliged to wear just so we can identify the people are in the building are at a low risk of having the disease. Yeah, that's

Ben Reynolds:

that's a really great point to also, um, what seems to happen to on a lot of the job sites now is that is that when when you show up, it may be a staggered work time, because, like we're just finishing up a 40 storey tower in downtown Seattle, where there's 200 to 300 people coming there in a day. They're not all working together. They're different floors, electricians, plumbers, finish carpenters, you know, concrete carpenters. So we have staggered start times, because we try to run everybody through one entrance and out through another exit. That way, there isn't a lot of cross contamination going on. So check with your superintendent and your field managers to find out what time you do start, because it could be a different time than you're used to.

Joe Cadwell:

Exactly. And and another thing that that sort of the sociological aspect of the disease, there's a lot of people that are obviously resistant to the, to even the thought that they are vulnerable to something like COVID-19. And it shows in a lot of our attitudes to some of our members who are are pretty adamant that wearing masks are aren't the solution or that the disease isn't really as deadly as the media is making it out to be what do you say to those individuals? Well, you know, whether what you believe in are nigh on it's mandated by rules that we do this right now. And I think Joe, you were pulling up some pretty good statistics at the beginning, you might want to repeat these again. But But this is not just like the core, common cold. There is a lot of people that are passing away from this. And we need to do our due diligence for what we can. And it's mandated. We're union carpenters, we take our laws and working hard and being good union brothers and sisters seriously. And whether you believe it or not, when you're believe in COVID-19 or not, when you're on the job site, you have to follow the protocols that are set down. That's true. And that is one of the benefits of being in a union. Aside from the livable wages, the medical benefits for yourself and your family, the the pension, the representation we also value the safer working conditions and the access to training and all those things are super important, keep our workers safe, keep our workers having the ability to provide for themselves and their families, regardless of what the environment is. And it is something that we all have to accept and understand and, and do our best to to accommodate until like you say a vaccine comes around. So bad. This has been a great conversation working our members go if they want to find out more about Procedures and Standards in regards to COVID and their work sites.

Ben Reynolds:

Well, the best place for our union members to go is the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of carpenters website. As soon as you get there, it's going to flash COVID. Anya, you'll be able to click on that link and find out any of the resources or any of the information that they've put together the website. We need to support the process, whether you agree with what's happening or not. These procedures are there to keep our job sites open and safe for everyone and keeping our living wage coming into us. So it's really important that we support what the job sites have put down the lni Labor and Industries in Washington and Oregon OSHA has the authority to come on these job sites and shut them down. If they don't feel that we're doing the best we can do. If you have projects that aren't following the protocol, call your business agents. We have some of the best business agents in the United States here in the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of carpenters. They're all willing to help let them know what's going on. And they will do their best to come out and help you and maybe make some changes so that everyone on the site is safe. So what Again, Joe, I can't thank you enough for doing these. If any of you guys are listening for guys or gals are listening for your first time, please go back and listen to any of these other podcasts that Joe's put together. Communication is so important, and they're so informative. And thank you again, Joe, for all your hard work in putting these together. We all appreciate it .

Joe Cadwell:

Thank you, Ben, and thank you for taking your time to be on the show today. I hope you and your family have a an excellent Thanksgiving. Take care Same to you Joe. Our guest today has been Ben Reynolds. For more information on COVID-19 and how you can protect yourself, your family and your co workers. Be sure to check out the show notes in today's episode. And if you're enjoying Grit Northwest, please consider joining grid nation you'll be kept up to date on special offers and promotions only available to members and you'll be entered to win an official I've got great t shirt when you do Well that wraps up this edition of Grit Northwest till next time. This is Joe Cadwell reminding you to work safe, work smart and stay union strong