RESCON hosts webinar on protecting workforce during the second wave of COVID-19

VAUGHAN, ONT. — Construction industry employers and workers must remain vigilant as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, say those who participated in a recent webinar hosted by the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) and the League of Champions.

The event, held virtually Oct. 13, was entitled Protecting Your Workforce during the Second Wave: COVID in Construction. It provided participants with information to keep worksites and offices safe and operating and featured a variety of speakers including Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton and Chief Prevention Officer Ron Kelusky.

There were also panel discussions with industry leaders on best practices.

David Frame, director of government relations with the Ontario General Contractors Association, provided closing remarks.

The webinar featured a panel on best practices with Gilliam Group president Craig Lesurf; Infrastructure Health and Safety Association president Enzo Garritano; and Tribute Communities senior manager of health and safety Ketan Patel.

A second panel focused on what companies should do in the event of a confirmed case and featured Maple Reindeers national health and safety manager Craig Sparks; Tridel health and safety manager Daniel dos Santos; and ConDrain Group health and safety manager Darrin Husack. Dan Fleming, manager GTA at NORCAT acted as moderator.

The panellists brought up a number of points including:

Resources related to COVID-19 best practices are available at ihsa.ca.

Companies should continually update their risk assessment protocols.
Social distancing must be adhered to on worksites and staggered shifts are a good idea.
Companies should continue to share best practices with one another.
Stickers and posters on worksites are good reminders for workers.
A group email is one way to keep workers informed of any changes on a site.