Do COVID-19 precautions have you down? Feeling like Groundhog Day with the same zoom calls, same view out the window, same pants since last week? With limited distractions to break up our routines, it can get repetitive. However, we urge you to remain diligent as you focus on your safety and health. Here is how we are continuing to stay safe.
As I write this, we are 40 days into a shutdown that is affecting this country in unprecedented ways. Public health and safety actions have required many retailers, restaurants, gyms, hotels and other service providers to close. In some of the states where we work, construction has been deemed essential, so projects have continued without interruption. Unfortunately, in other states, projects have been halted by the local government or by the client. We have left those jobsites clean, safe, and secure—ready to re-open when the time comes.
Social distancing has changed every aspect of our lives. Events have been canceled, work schedules adjusted, and the daily rhythm of life altered. So much has become virtual. Through it all, I am amazed at how quickly our team has adapted to remote work, rotating office schedules, new jobsite requirements and so many other changes to how our jobs used to function.
| In the field, our superintendents, crews and subcontractors have been working together to make our jobsites safe. We are practicing social distancing on those jobsites where we are working in an enclosed space. Our projects have been equipped with custom wash stations at sites that do not already have sinks. The sites without running water are using water tanks that are gravity fed. We have hand sanitizer available, in those areas where we can find it. In the office, we are working remotely and reducing the number of people in the office at any one time. Site visits and pre-bid meetings on site have been conducted remotely when applicable or in person with reduced head counts and in open spaces. We have more meetings on Microsoft Teams or Zoom. We continue to be active in bidding a great deal of projects for starts later in the year and are happy to help our clients as they prepare for their return to market. |
For the community, we have donated the N95 masks we had in stock to a local health facility. Our employees are ordering produce from restaurant suppliers who have seen a sharp reduction in orders. Many of us are supporting our restaurant clients by ordering carryout at home and at work. There has even been a joke sharing email to help lift our spirits and keep us smiling.
While we are communicating with our partners, clients and employees across great distances the shared experience of confronting this virus has brought us all closer together. We applaud the work that is being done by first responders and those on the front lines who keep people fed, safe and secure. We are in this together; we will get through this and emerge stronger than ever.
If you’re looking to open a new facility or expand one already in existence, there’s a lot to know about how construction of a senior living facility works best, and how to navigate building codes, health care regulations and working with a construction firm. Here, Mitch Lapin, president of Fortney & Weygandt, Inc. a national general contractor that serves a number of different market segments, including the senior living industry, talks about what renovation or construction of a senior living facility is like from the construction firm’s perspective.
We at Fortney & Weygandt are happy to report that the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation awarded us a Certificate of 100% Achievement for preventing accidents and injuries in the work place during 2017. This award recognizes that we experienced no lost time accidents during the year. While there were a couple of minor injuries, our workforce competed 216,000 hours of work without a significant injury.
Did you know that March is Ladder Safety Month? Fortney & Weygandt's Safety Director, Dave Freeh, put together a list of things to watch for when you're working with ladders on a job site. The more you know, the safer you are.
As we have seen so often, water can be an incredibly devastating natural force. When a flood hits, as we saw recently in Missouri and Illinois, the resulting misery and destruction can leave one with an unsure path to recovery.
Continuing our efforts to keep our employees working safely is an important part of our culture.
In recognition of those efforts, Fortney & Weygandt, Inc. received an award from the Bureau of Workers Compensation for its effort in preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace during 2012.
