ACEC-SK has advocated with other representatives of the Construction Industry to keep construction sites open.  To do so, however, is fraught with a myriad of new considerations and risks:

• The pace of work on site will be extremely reduced, which in turn will greatly reduce productivity
• The time necessary to develop and put in place new procedures to comply with Health Official directives such as social distancing and limiting the number of people gathering in one place equals project delays
• There will be an unstable labour force due to self-isolation, refusal to work in perceived unsafe conditions, with a need for back-up plans to accommodate these concerns
• Impact on crews and, in fact, the entire site should someone on site test positive for COVID-19
• What are minimum sanitary requirements on site?
• Transportation restrictions to and from the site
• How deliveries from suppliers will be handled
• Potential union directives for workers to abandon work sites

There is an expectation that contractors be responsible for safety plans, but what is the role of the engineer on site, particularly when acting as the Owner’s Engineer?

What are the engineer’s obligations?  What liability does the engineer take on by being on these work sites?  But what liability do engineers take on if they are not?  Some sites are allowing virtual inspections.  What precedent is there for this, and what opinions do risk professionals have about this process?

On a different subject, what additional costs will be incurred by leaving these sites open?  The social distancing obligations alone will generate a significant number of additional costs, particularly if travel to and from site is required. These need to be recognized and incorporated into contractual arrangements.

While ACEC-SK felt it was important to advocate for sites remaining open, ALL consulting engineering firms should seriously examine their own independent risk profiles and make decisions accordingly while trying to stay ahead of the changes that are arising every moment.

March 31, 2020