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Los Angeles COVID-19 Exposure Control Plan By / Jordan Whitehouse On April 1, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced new guidelines requiring all construction sites in the city to create a COVID-19 exposure control plan, and now SMACNA Southern California (SMACNA-SoCal) and Local 105 are working together to help make sure those plans are in place. The new guidelines—16 in total—were published by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). They include directives for providing personal protective equipment, staggering trades as necessary to maintain physical distancing requirements, placing wash stations or hand sanitizers in multiple locations, and designating site-specific supervisors to enforce the guidelines. When Garcetti announced these new rules, he noted how important it was to continue critical infrastructure work in the city, but “never at the risk of anyone’s life.” It’s a sentiment echoed by SMACNA-SoCal Executive Director Kevin O’Dorisio. “It’s imperative that we are the best at implementing [these guidelines], managing them, and making sure that our clients appreciate the fact that we are very committed to not only doing a good job but to the safety of employees.” With such strict guidelines, O’Dorisio admits it can be tough to implement all of them, but he and Local 105 President and Business Manager Luther Medina agree that SMACNA-SoCal and Local 105 have been working closely together to make sure both contractors and union members are abiding by the new safety protocols. 10 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
The two organizations have, for example, agreed to a temporary memorandum of understanding that would allow contractors to work split shifts without differential pay to union members in order to keep crew sizes down to maximize social distancing requirements. Both SMACNA-SoCal and Local 105 are also in constant contact with their members through social media, email, and other channels to ensure everyone understands the guidelines and that their purpose is to keep everyone safe, healthy, and employed. As Garcetti said when he announced the guidelines, “We will not be shy about shutting down construction sites that do not comply. So comply.” The LADBS has said that its staff will verify compliance during regular scheduled inspections for projects under construction and will follow up on complaints submitted online or over the phone. Medina says there have been “very few” projects shut down in Local 105’s jurisdiction, and this is because everyone is taking the guidelines seriously. “Currently, in Local 105, we have about 7% unemployment; however, if our elected officials feel that our workforce is not abiding by the new safety guidelines for construction projects, they could easily decide to shut down much of the work, and we could easily see a rise in unemployment to 70% or more.” One other reason that hasn’t happened is the strong working relationship between SMACNA-SoCal and Local 105.
