ACPA Concrete Pavement Progress Quarter 3 2020

Concrete Pavement Progress www.acpa.org 14 Because construction workers want to work, it was also important tomake it clear that the company doesn’t want people coming to work when ill, says Wright. “If an employee was ill, we continued paying them,” she says. Construction is all about problem-solving at the site but Friess says there was no problem communicating with the owners and their representatives. Two of the 40 projects underway in his company were large projects on I-70, but inspectors were onsite and INDOT representatives were on the weekly video meetings. “I’m not aware of any of our projects that were delayed due to communications as a result of the pandemic,” he adds. While Cedar Valley projects were not badly delayed, it was a challenge getting real-time information from decision-makers on field issues, says Hughes. “Although the impact was usuallyminimal, you do lose something when decision-makers are not on site.” “One of the most challenging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the continually changing guidance and advice due to the novel nature of the virus. There was no one plan that addressed the unique needs of each office or jobsite or individual employee, so it was important for Cedar Valley to put a process in place quickly that fit the company’s needs,” says Jackson. “We knew we could not wait for definitive information, so we committed early to our plans with the understanding that they were flexible and would be changed as new information became available,” he says. “One thing we learned from this experience is that it is best to be proactive in a crisis situation, you can’t wait forever to respond. He adds, “We are glad that we started with something, and then updated our plan accordingly as information became available.” “One of the most challenging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the continually changing guidance and advice due to the novel nature of the virus. There was no one plan that addressed the unique needs of each office or jobsite or individual employee, so it was important for Cedar Valley to put a process in place quickly that fit the company’s needs.” P A V I N G I N T H E A G E O F S O C I A L D I S T A N C I N G Responding to Community Needs in a Time of Crisis A standard piece of protective equipment for concrete paving crews is the N95 respirator that protects employees from silica dust. These are the same respirators that were in short supply at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Koss Construction was able to help a local nursing home by donating their supply. “We checked with our field employees first and asked if they had other masks or face coverings that could be used until we could replenish our supply, and they immediately said yes,” says David Howard, chief executive officer of the company. “Just like we’ve seen around the country, we had employees and employee’s spouses sew masks for our people.” He adds, “We have a great team of people at this company. They look out for each other and for members of the community.” » continued from page 13