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