Maintaining Jobsite Safety During COVID-19

At Warfel, safety is always our top priority. We are committed to ensuring that our employees, trade partners, suppliers, and Clients leave work each day in the same condition that they arrived. We focus on prevention, going above and beyond OSHA requirements to maintain high standards of safety in each aspect of our business. Each Warfel employee, from laborer to jobsite superintendent, is empowered to hold their teammates accountable.

Our commitment to safety remains our most important focus as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. We are continuing to monitor the development of COVID-19 closely, utilizing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Below, we’ve listed some of the steps we have taken to ensure business continuity, as well as the safety and health of our team members.

Daily Safety Screening

Upon arrival at a jobsite, all Warfel employees, trade partners, and site visitors are required to undergo screening to identify individuals who may be at risk for spreading COVID-19.

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A designated Screening Administrator on each jobsite ensures that all workers are evaluated for COVID-19 exposure.

Workers are asked if they have:

  • A fever
  • Experienced any respiratory challenges in the last 48 hours
  • Been exposed to anyone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, or who has been tested for COVID-19
  • Traveled outside of Pennsylvania in the last 14 days

Any worker identified with a temperature of 100 degrees or greater is turned away from our jobsites immediately. They must self-monitor and report for a minimum of 72 hours of under 100-degree temperature, or have a negative COVID-19 test result before they will be permitted back onto a Warfel jobsite.

Any individuals suspected of COVID-19 symptoms or in contact with someone with COVID-19 are immediately removed from their jobsite. They are required to self-isolate from Warfel projects for a minimum of 14 days.

Maximum Room Occupancy

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A Warfel employee works in a taped off room to ensure that no other workers enter.

Each work room (as defined on the architectural drawings) is assigned a maximum occupancy, ensuring that employees can work safely with a minimum 6′ distance between workers. Rooms are taped off once occupancy has been reached to ensure that no additional workers enter the room.

Social Distancing

Jobsite meetings are currently being held via teleconference or with a minimum of 6′ between all attendees. In-person attendees are minimized to maximize social distancing. Workers are also required to disperse throughout the site for break time and lunch, with a minimum of 6′ between individuals.

Universal Masking

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A Warfel employee wears a homemade cloth mask. Masks are encouraged by the CDC to limit community spread.

Following the most recent guidance from the CDC, Warfel has implemented universal masking on our jobsites. Cloth masks are being provided to every Warfel employee. We have asked all trade partners to provide a face covering for their employees.

Additional Hygiene Measures

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A Warfel employee washes his hands at a portable wash table on a jobsite.

Handwashing stations have been added to all jobsites for worker use. Workers are recommended to wash their hands with soap and water frequently throughout the day and are required to do so a minimum of four times per day. Employees are recommended to minimize the touching of their eyes, nose, and mouth.

Warfel Construction is committed to maintaining open channels of communication during this evolving situation. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Warfel Construction Receives National Excellence in Construction Award From Associated Builders and Contractors

Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Warfel’s work on the Rydal Park Stream Restoration project in Jenkintown, PA has earned a national Excellence in Construction® Pyramid Award, which will be presented during ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 18. The EIC awards program is the industry’s leading competition that honors both general and specialty contractors for innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects.

Located on an active Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) campus, the Rydal Park Stream Restoration project commenced primarily to stop significant erosion. The existing stream bank had eroded out, potentially risking the stability of high-usage walking trails that are frequently enjoyed by neighborhood residents. Through extensive preconstruction planning, careful site management, and detailed considerations of environmental impacts, our team reconstructed the existing stream, returning it to its natural state.

“The craftmanship of Warfel Construction and their hardworking employees continues to raise the bar when it comes to how we define excellence in construction,” said 2020 ABC National Chair Tim Keating, owner and president of R.C. Stevens Construction Co., Winter Garden, Florida. “It’s an honor to recognize these award winners for their respective commitments to building safely, on time and on budget, as well as contribute to the communities in which they work.”

The EIC award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect, and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety, and cost.

This year’s panel included representatives from Building Owners and Managers Association International, Smithsonian Facilities Construction Division, Construction Management Association of America, Engineering News-Record, Design-Build Institute of America and various construction-related firms nationwide.

PeopleReady Skilled Trades is the presenting sponsor of the Excellence in Construction® Awards.

A full list of EIC winners is available on ABC’s website.