Workers and managers in P.E.I.’s construction industry say they’ve received little direction from public health officials about improving sanitation procedures or implementing social distancing on job sites in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
Construction has not been deemed an essential service by the Chief Public Health Office, although certain repair services are listed as essential on the province's website. However, many job sites are still active, including construction projects of large apartments.
The industry is also a critical source of jobs on P.E.I. at a time where lay-offs have skyrocketed.
As of Thursday, there have been five cases of the coronavirus detected on P.E.I. No local cases have yet been traced to community transmission, but the Public Health Agency of Canada warned on Tuesday that half of new cases in recent days have been transmitted in the community.
“It just seemed to be business as usual. Most of these sites, all you have are porta-potties. They're filthy. The cleaning I'd consider to be non-existent."
On Tuesday, the province’s chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, said construction projects will be permitted to continue.
“There are some projects that are currently underway that, for all sorts of safety issues, might need to be completed,” said Morrison, who gave repairs to wharfs or repairs to roofs of homes as examples.
"There's all sorts of reasons that construction would need to occur. Certainly not a new home build to start," Morrison said.
Brian Gregoire, a journeyman plumber and foreman, said the pandemic has exposed longstanding issues of unsanitary conditions on Island job sites.
“It just seemed to be business as usual,” Gregoire said in an interview.
“Most of these sites, all you have are porta-potties. They're filthy. The cleaning I'd consider to be non-existent."
Gregoire said water wash-stations are almost absent on many construction job sites. He said hand sanitizer pumps are often the norm.
"It's at the point where my crew that I have working for me, I've told them don't even bother using them,” he said, referring to portable washrooms.
On Tuesday, Morrison said water hand-washing stations were a recommendation but not a necessity.
"Warm water and soap is our preferred hand-washing recommendation,” Morrison said.
“But we always say that if warm water and soap is not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60 per cent alcohol —preferred 70 per cent — should be available.”
"There hasn't really been very much information passed out in my mind. We're basically almost in shut-down mode."
Sam Sanderson, general manager of the Construction Association of P.E.I., said the pandemic has caused significant obstacles for the industry. Many staff have decided not to work, while companies have faced difficulty in obtaining necessary sanitation supplies.
"We're getting hit with so much, so fast. We had very limited stocks even before this came to P.E.I.," Sanderson said.
“I know there are contractors making their own (hand sanitizer) in the evenings at home."
Sanderson said he has been distributing materials to construction companies, with all of the recommendations from public health officials. This has included coughing and sneezing protocol, recommendations around maintaining a two-metre social distance and requirements for 14-day self-isolation for staff arriving from out of province.
But Sanderson said he has not seen an increase in site inspections by public health officials.
“I think there's going to be more coming, but I'm not hearing of any increase as of yet," Sanderson said.
Darren MacKenzie, proprietor of MacKenzie Builder Services Ltd., also said he has not had any specific direction from provincial health and safety inspectors since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
"There hasn't really been very much information passed out in my mind," MacKenzie said.
"We're basically almost in shut-down mode."
MacKenzie’s company, which is not a member of the Construction Association of P.E.I., does renovations and new home construction. It is still operating with half the normal staffing levels. Some do not feel it is safe to work, while others are adamant about continuing to work.
MacKenzie said the staff who do remain are working in two-man crews for reasons of safety. He said his job sites are smaller than those for larger builds and do not currently have running-water wash stations. Finding supplies, including hand sanitizer, has been a big challenge.
MacKenzie also said new directions about 14-day self-isolation for individuals entering P.E.I. from off-Island have disrupted his ability to move materials. He said a delivery of a modular home from New Brunswick has been delayed since Saturday.
"For myself, I would prefer if the government just said everything has got to come to a halt for two weeks or three weeks or whatever," MacKenzie said.
