The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) has partnered with Brosamer & Wall, the contractor on the Interstate 680/Highway 4 Interchange Improvements Project, to create a COVID-19 safety compliance officer position focused specifically on protecting workers from COVID-19 while on the job.
“Our construction partners have taken advantage of the light traffic conditions to expedite the work on the Interstate 680/Highway 4 project,” said CCTA Executive Director Randell Iwasaki. “To keep the work moving, CCTA will fund the on-site COVID-19 prevention position because we view contractors as an extension of our team to build and deliver the infrastructure projects the voters approved, and we want to be sure they are safe. Safety is our top priority, and we take that responsibility seriously – which is why we believe our role in this partnership is to ensure we are proactively protecting the construction workers deemed essential who are working on public projects.”
On April 27, the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety & Health (Cal/OSH), the state entity responsible for work place health and safety guidelines, published its mandate requiring construction employers establish and implement an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) to protect employees from all worksite hazards, including infectious diseases. Construction employers must update their current IIPPs to include information on employee training and preventing the spread of COVID-19 at construction sites.
“Our company takes worksite health and safety very seriously and we are grateful CCTA is taking a leading role in this effort,” said Brosamer & Wall Co-founder Charlie Wall. “The COVID-19 Safety Compliance Officer will be specifically responsible for ensuring construction crew members comply with the applicable COVID-19 health order elements in order to keep the construction job as safe as possible for all workers on the jobsite.”
The individual hired for the Brosamer & Wall position will be responsible for maintaining healthy business operations at the construction site and will oversee measures outlined by Cal/OSH as guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Duties will include proper training in the mandatory use of personal protective equipment, proper social distancing/spacing when safe, jobsite cleanliness and how to address workers who may be sick. Brosamer & Wall is in the final stages of the hiring process.
