Photo by Jessica Lyon and the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley Inc.
John Cooney Jr., the executive director of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley Inc. (CIC) in the state of New York says, “Crews are showing up fit for duty, and public agencies are planning to continue with bid lettings for projects, even as work-arounds to accommodate social distancing are ironed out” in that region.
Adds Cooney, “Construction work is continuing and we’re taking every precaution to ensure everyone is safe, protected and productive.”
The announcement was made on March 27 following a briefing by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in which the council says he clarified that construction is an essential industry in the state during COVID-19-related shelter in place orders.
The CIC, which says it represents some 600 companies in New York, says “work on infrastructure and environmental protection projects continues in the downstate New York region” with the clarification.
The group also says, however, “Certain projects have been slowed or delayed due to staffing shortages, [but] contracting employers and organized labor leaders are hopeful key personnel and crews can continue to deliver on public projects.”
Writes the council, “Contractors continue to push ahead to protect and upgrade water resources and the utility sectors. Electrical workers are climbing into bucket trucks and onto lift equipment to ensure telecommunication service is uninterrupted. Heavy-construction highway crews are working on interstate, state and local projects to maintain and improve mobility in the region.”
Cooney described the manner in which the industry is working as “uber-attentive” to changing conditions. “We have safety protocols on projects and in jobsite trailers like I’ve never witnessed in my 40 years of working in construction.”
Philip Benza, managing partner at Pleasantville, New York-based Arben Group LLC says that company is practicing “vigilant enforcement.” Says the contractor, “If the work requires the worker to be in a respirator, then we make sure the individual is fit tested for the respirator for the task at hand."
“On construction sites everyone is mindful of best practices to mitigate risk,” says Jeff Loughlin, business manager of Operating Engineers 137 of Briarcliff Manor, New York. “We are taking extensive precautions to protect our crews and their families.”
Principal Genaro Argenio of Argenio Brothers Inc., an asphalt paving contractor based in New Windsor, New York, says, “The supply chain has been slightly interrupted, and our ability to get materials has been hampered, but we’re trying to push forward.”
Argenio said he has worked with his professional advisers, OSHA and other industry experts to ensure all regulations enacted to inform and protect workers and the general public have been followed.
States Argenio, “Construction being exempt from stoppage is the right thing to do. That’s where the money starts, and the economy starts – at the ground level. Good infrastructure is essential to maintain our quality of life.”