WE AREN’T THE SAME AS WE WERE A YEAR AGO What does a safety management organization do when the whole world suddenly changes? They refocus and reconsider everything — from the ground up. BY E. JUNE ELLAWAY-LUNN, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING + DESIGN | HAZTEK INC. If we were to look back at 2020, we would see frustration, loss, and disappointment. But, at the same time, the team at HazTek Inc. would come to discover valuable lessons learned and new insights that would lead to changes in people’s perception of both worker safety and personal safety. These new perceptions will significantly reduce accidents, injuries, and illnesses in the workplace and at home, long after the pandemic is over. The mere presence of the invisible threat of COVID-19 — let alone its rapid ascent to the number one hazard on most job sites — has led to uncertainty, concern, confusion, and even fear among workers. Addressing biological hazards and preventing occupational illnesses is decidedly unfamiliar to most construction safety professionals, individuals who are highly skilled at preventing injuries but may be less experienced at preventing illnesses.
“We were as blindsided by the coronavirus as anyone, but we quickly realized that our experience with biological hazards on environmental remediation sites would be extremely helpful to our employees and clients,” reflects HazTek Inc. Managing Partner Steve Jones. “We immediately developed protocols that are common to environmental work and applied them to our clients’ clean construction environments.”
PROTECTING OUR ESSENTIAL WORKERS The team at HazTek gained an even greater appreciation of frontline personnel. “It’s not just the doctors and nurses at risk — there are also the brave men and women who are maintaining and cleaning the facilities, bringing in deliveries, and taking materials away,” notes Jones. “We were constantly amazed by the courage, leadership, and willingness of these individuals to step up when facing this unprecedented health crisis.” This was never more evident than when HazTek employees were stationed at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, providing respirator fit testing for essential healthcare workers. Among those they fit tested were hospital staff, first responders, nurses, and doctors. Ensuring their respirators fit properly before each shift allowed them to perform their lifesaving work and return home safely to their own families at the end of the day. Even though the work at Mount Sinai took place as the coronavirus was first spreading across the world — and New York City was considered the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States — there was no hesitation from HazTek’s safety professionals. “They literally packed their bags and asked ‘what
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