TORONTO — The Ontario Asphalt Pavement Council (OAPC) has released a best practices guide on asphalt worker pandemic safety.
A statement released recently noted, “In regard to the production, delivery and placement of asphalt concrete, health and safety continue to be a first priority during these challenging times. Thus, the OAPC has developed the COVID-19 Asphalt Industry Best Practices Guide.”
The OAPC is a council of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association. The council explained the guide was compiled from industry submissions and resources to prevent or minimize the chance of contracting or transmitting COVID-19.
“We ask that all members of the asphalt concrete/paving industry consider these safety reminders and recommendations,” OAPC stated.
All in-house health and safety measures developed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 should be done in compliance with requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and associated regulations and public health directives issued by Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, the document noted.
Under a section titled protocols for sampling and testing of asphalt, the guide explained that usually placement to obtain the sample occurs before the laydown crew arrives on site and the sample is removed after the crew has left.
Therefore, there is not likely to be interaction with crew members. However, depending on customer requirements, a mask might be mandatory PPE.
Where required, samples should be bagged and tagged with the supervising owner representative watching from a distance. Those samples should be placed in the trunk of the representative, who is responsible for taking them to the lab.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed