Topic
Health & Safety
Key infection control guidelines for your job site
June 11, 2020 Northbridge FinancialThere’s still a risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, so any business – including a construction site – that is open needs a plan for infection control based on government and industry best practices. That plan must be communicated to…
Pandemic – chaos – transformation: an opportunity for construction
May 26, 2020 PomerleauThere is no doubt that COVID-19 will have had a tsunami effect on our society, from health to the economy, including education and agriculture, and many more. It is also clear that this distress must not be in vain. It…
Gates swing back open at shuttered construction sites, but swift return to normal appears unlikely
May 22, 2020 David KennedyOn-site physical distancing adjustments and a “topsy-turvy” supply chain will challenge the industry for the foreseeable future
BC Hydro to ramp up construction at Site C after two months with workforce halved
May 17, 2020 On-Site StaffTwo months after scaling back the Site C hydro project to critical work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, BC Hydro plans to shift gears and begin ramping up its workforce. The crown utility said May 14 it will take…
Feds unveil new COVID-19 stream for provincial infrastructure program
May 12, 2020 Mia Rabson, The Canadian PressOTTAWA—The federal government is preparing to spend more than $3 billion in infrastructure money on projects to make facilities more pandemic-resistant and encourage outdoor activities in the age of COVID-19, Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna says. McKenna told The Canadian Press…
Not ‘like flipping a light switch’: Ontario construction sector to reopen gradually, minister says
May 4, 2020 by David KennedyWith the industry’s reopening process starting this week, the supply of PPE will play a major role in getting workers back on job sites
Quebec sets timeline for reopening entire construction industry
April 28, 2020 On-Site StaffA week after workers were allowed to return to some residential construction projects in Quebec, the province has set a date for a wholesale reopening of the industry. Jean Boulet, Quebec’s minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity, said April…
Companies rethink job site access, enhance pre-screening procedures as pandemic unfolds
April 28, 2020 David KennedySimply flashing a badge is no longer adequate. Contractors are enacting new measures such as temperature screening to keep workers safe
Pressure to restart construction builds in Quebec and Ontario as provinces begin loosening restrictions
April 22, 2020 David KennedyWorker safety and preventing the further spread of COVID-19 remain the top priorities as governments look at gradually easing job site closures
From the editor… A fresh start post-coronavirus
April 22, 2020 by David KennedyIn retrospect, the COVID-19 crisis — currently abrading everything from long-held job site protocols to our most basic personal freedoms — looks inevitable. But as late as early March, coronavirus was a supply chain hurdle, a curiosity on the other…
For projects that remain open, job site safety becomes paramount during the coronavirus pandemic
April 18, 2020 David BowcottShould we close construction sites, or should we keep them open while ensuring every location maintains the best practices designed to prevent worker exposure to COVID-19? This was the great debate going on within the construction sector when I sat…
Pausing work? Consider these precautions
April 9, 2020 Northbridge FinancialMany businesses in the construction industry have been impacted by government legislation ordering non-essential site closures, to help stop the spread of COVID-19. If you need to temporarily pause work, there are several steps you can take to protect your…
Where does your province stand? Construction slows, but different jurisdictions taking different approaches
April 7, 2020 On-Site StaffDiffering classifications for essential workers across Canada has led to little coast to coast uniformity for construction
Ontario gives workers extra year to renew working-at-heights training due to COVID-19 closures
March 31, 2020 On-Site StaffMore than 100,000 Ontario workers whose working-at-heights training would have expired in 2020 have been given another year to renew their certification. The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development said March 30 the mandatory retraining can be put off…
Coronavirus crisis brings construction industry’s long-standing issues with job site sanitation to forefront
March 30, 2020 David KennedyHygiene and social distancing rocket to top of priority lists as job sites adjust to coronavirus protocols
CCA lays out standardized set of health and safety protocols to help job sites contend with coronavirus
March 27, 2020 On-Site StaffSafety-compliant jobs sites should remain open, but violators shut down, the industry group says
Construction industry answers call from hospitals to donate in-demand protective gear
March 25, 2020 On-Site Staff, with files from The Canadian PressThe construction industry is stepping up to donate much-needed protective gear to hospitals as frontline health care staff coast to coast work to detect and treat thousands of cases of COVID-19. Though hospitals and health departments have generally downplayed concerns…
Construction labour groups raise concerns over job site safety amid outbreak
March 24, 2020 Ian Bickis, The Canadian PressTORONTO—Construction labour groups are raising concerns about working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic as companies and governments respond with a range of strategies. The Ontario Construction Consortium, a group that advocates for construction workers, called on the Ontario government March…
Job sites stay open across country, though pair of Quebec unions call for halt to construction
March 20, 2020 by David KennedyA flood of ordinary workers and industry groups have committed to carrying on, others have broken ranks and called for construction to stop
No precedents put construction in ‘uncharted waters’ on force majeure clauses, coronavirus
March 19, 2020 by David KennedyThe Canadian construction industry is entering “uncharted waters” as provincial governments declare states of emergency and Ottawa closes the country’s borders to all but vital supplies to limit the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus. Currently, job sites remain active, but…