Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen - August 2020 | Page 18
Cities, OSHA crack
down on COVID-19
jobsite violations
NUCA of Florida members should take a moment to read this article about how local cities
and OSHA are cracking down on COVID-19 violations at construction sites. Although this
article doesn’t profile any Florida communities, we know of instances in South Florida where
job sites have been closed due to COVID-19-related OSHA violations and it is only a matter of
time before there is a “problem child” profiled in Florida.
By Jenn Goodman As the COVID-19
pandemic continues to
surge across some parts
of the country, jurisdictions are cracking
down on construction firms that don’t follow
jobsite guidelines for social distancing,
handwashing and other coronavirus-related
precautions.
Many areas have given 30-day grace
periods as businesses learned about
the new rules, but now some building
departments have indicated the time
for leniency is over. In places like New
York City, Austin, Texas, and Montgomery
County, Maryland outside of Washington,
D.C., officials spoke out last week to put
noncomplying contractors on notice.
Austin said it will take employers to court
if they have several violations of the city’s
emergency rules and will issue fines of
up to $2,000. The construction industry in
Austin has been among the businesses
reporting the most COVID-19 outbreaks,
with six clusters since June 25.
In Maryland, Montgomery County Executive
Marc Elrich said officials will begin visiting
construction sites that are not obeying
mask policies. The county will first issue a
warning, then begin closing construction
sites that do not comply, he said during a
news briefing last week.
The crackdown is part of an effort to
mitigate the spread of the virus among
Montgomery County’s large Latino
population, many who work in construction.
“We’re going to shut down construction
sites where people aren’t working safely.
Because these folks, if they’re exposed to
the coronavirus, they’re bringing it back to
their community,” Elrich said. “They often
live in the more crowded housing in the
county. So anything that comes back to
those communities is more likely to have
community transmission. So we’re going to
double down on that work.”
16 DITCHMEN • AUGUST 2020