Civil General Engineering in a COVID-19 Era at Paul Hansen Equipment, Inc. Insight from Paul Hansen Equipment, Inc. on the Challenges Facing Civil Engineering amid COVID-19 Â By Jason Mrozek, Vice President, Business Unit Leader at Paul Hansen Equipment, Inc.
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he effects of COVID-19 have impacted nearly all industries, and construction is no exception. Chief Executive, Alasdair Reisner of The Civil Engineering Contractors Association, stated that the industry can play an important role in rebuilding the economy post-pandemic if construction companies are able to continue operations while protecting their workforce and adhering to public health guidelines and procedures. At Paul Hansen Equipment Inc., we are innovating our current strategies and protocols to help create more versatile and efficient ways of managing jobsite restrictions. While the construction industry faces economic uncertainty, we are implementing cutting-edge safety measures to keep workers safe and healthy on today’s essential jobsites. These added safety practices have slowed productivity due to the increase in down time for social distancing measures, cleaning tools, vehicles, equipment, and more. However, with much of our work requiring street access, the reduced traffic flow from vehicles and pedestrians 24
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has improved setup and make-ready times. The primary change we have implemented with our current heavy machinery procedures is matching-up a piece of equipment to one single operator whenever possible, eliminating multiple contacts with the equipment. We are also thoroughly spraying and wiping down each piece of equipment with a CDC recommended cleaning solution at the beginning and end of each day, as well as in between uses if a different operator needs to use the equipment. Most of the machinery utilized by Paul Hansen Equipment Inc. includes single operator cab setups, making it easier to adhere to city and state COVID-19 mandates. The major modification we have made is to have operators in closed cab equipment keep all doors and windows closed so they can remove their face coverings while operating the machine. These changes have also significantly impacted our project management teams as they work to stay educated, implement and inform / train our field teams on the new safety policies and
Jason Mrozek, Vice President, Business Unit Leader at Paul Hansen Equipment, Inc. (PHEI).
procedures. These protocols are new for everyone on our project teams, as no one is used to spraying disinfectant on equipment, has experience with the new levels of cleanliness required to operate heavy machinery amid COVID-19, or maintaining social distancing while still executing the work, so consistent and daily communication with our teams is vital. This need for increased communication in reaction to the pandemic has forced many construction businesses to quickly advance their opinion and adoption of technology for online and virtual C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
