Contractors should consider staggered work hours

Contractors should consider staggered working hours for their employees to prevent workers crowding on public transportation.

This recommendation is among others contained in the COVID-19 Framework for the Recommencement of the Construction Industry in Barbados, for the safe management and operation of construction sites in the context of the pandemic.

Workers are encouraged to go straight home at the end of each workday, and should desist from using any form of intoxicating substances while on the job site.

If certification for the use of cranes and pressure vessels is required, the contractor should apply to the relevant Ministry for a pass to have that certification expedited.

Additionally, the employer must ensure that all surfaces, especially high contact and food contact surfaces, doorknobs, handrails, and telephones must be cleaned and sanitized each day.

Posters displaying handwashing guidelines must be strategically placed in key areas, such as the bathroom and lunchroom, while the chemical toilet should be located downwind of the work site and spaced a minimum of six feet apart.

Persons standing in line to use the toilet must observe social distancing, and it must be emptied every day and sanitized three times a day using a 0.5 per cent chlorine solution administered in a bottle or spray can.

Where practical, single use towels should be provided, along with a closed bin, and a separate tap provided for drinking water only.

While bottled water is preferred, drinking water containers, if provided, must be cleaned and sanitized before filling. Workers are encouraged to wash their hands before touching the water container.