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March 25, 2020

Baker preps guidelines for construction projects to continue amid coronavirus crisis

Photo | Grant Welker Construction of Worcester's $132-million Polar Park will soon continue.
By State House News Service

While much of the work done in Massachusetts has shifted to being performed remotely, if at all, during the coronavirus pandemic, many construction sites are still buzzing with activity and the Baker administration is planning to provide some guidance in the coming days to ensure that work is done safely.

On Monday, Department of Transportation Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver wrote to Construction Industries of Massachusetts to confirm that MassDOT "is continuing implementation of its capital program as an essential government function" and that the companies that have secured state contracts related to the capital program "are all exempt for work to support the capital program."

Baker said Tuesday that his administration is finalizing guidance "to establish standards around safe practices for construction work in Massachusetts" during the outbreak of COVID-19. In Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh ordered construction sites to shut down for two weeks, but the state has not followed suit.

The governor said Tuesday that it is not so simple to shut down construction projects for a few days or weeks, and that "you may be shutting it down permanently in some cases." He said the work being done "has significant value" to the public.

"No one disputes the fact that we have a housing problem in Massachusetts. We have a lot of housing construction currently going on in Massachusetts. To completely lose, potentially, all of that new housing for the commonwealth, housing stock, would be a tremendous loss," Baker said during his press conference Tuesday. "There's public construction that's going on that needs to be completed. Some of it has to do with upgrading existing infrastructure, but a lot of it has to do with expanding infrastructure that people have deemed critical and important, that needs to be continued and finished."

During the same press conference, Baker said the state had reached out to the construction industry to request donations of face masks for health care providers, but many in the construction industry have bristled at the request since workers will need masks themselves if the state wants job sites to continue the progress on public projects.

Major Central Mass. construction projects like the $132-million Polar Park public stadium for the Worcester Red Sox are expected to continue even as non-essential businesses are shut down.

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1 Comments

Anonymous
April 1, 2020
I’m writing you to give my thoughts on construction workers being considered essential during this global pandemic. I’m a Massachusetts-licensed plumber of 20 years. I work on big projects usually from start to finish. The governor’s decision to keep construction sites open as long as each site meets requirements of sanitation is not realistic. Most average construction sites range from 50-plus trades people to sometimes well over 1,000. There is hardly social distancing when most times tasks require a minimum of two people working together closely. The portable bathrooms are not cleaned enough, and usually there aren’t even enough for the amount of people on the jobsite. I believe a large majority of construction in the state is nonessential. In a recent article Governor Baker is quoted as saying that “it would be a tremendous loss if much needed housing isn’t built.” In a global pandemic? Really? Are the trades people really that expendable that these large companies are willing to endanger the lives of employees and their families. I think these projects can wait, even for six months. We have to get a handle on this virus. It’s putting thousands of workers at risk to benefit the ultra wealthy who line the pockets of our politicians. So I just get business as usual stated by my employer.  I believe all essential workers should be getting hazard pay in the state considering the risk that we are taking. My wife is prone to upper respiratory sickness and is high risk so naturally I am terrified of bringing this home. I was told I can take my vacation time but said they’re not laying anyone off. So what? Take two weeks off and return to work when the situation will most likely be worse. Gov. Baker’s lack of urgency to take action and lock down the state really shows that he doesn’t have our health or safety in mind. 
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