Construction sites are a busy place full of people including ADOT, consultants, prime contractor, subcontractors, and vendor employees; and utilities and other agencies. Field teams should maintain constant communication with these multiple entities and be vigilant for obviously sick employees in the field. Any employees reporting to work sick should be sent home.
Positive Test
In the event an individual goes home with COVID-19 symptoms and later tests positive and is linked to a field office or construction site, the individual is strongly encouraged to self-report a positive COVID-19 result for current pandemic public health reasons. This notification should be to either the Prime Contractor’s Safety Supervisor or the ADOT Resident Engineer as applicable. Once the confirmed case is reported, the following measures should be taken:
- All companies working on the site should be informed of the situation without specifically naming the sick individual.
- A thorough disinfecting (not just cleaning) of all common and high touch spaces should be completed at the job site
- Any employees working in the immediate area with the sick employee, should continue to self-monitor for symptoms and continue practicing good hygiene and social distancing protocols.
Typical Notification Message Point may include:
“Someone in our workplace has tested positive for COVID-19, and you have been identified as working in closed contact according to the CDC definition.” The key to notifying employees is doing it quickly to minimize the risk of spreading the disease. Notification should ideally be done by phone or chat. If that is not possible, an email with the heading “Important Action Required” in the heading should be used.
Negative Test
In the event an employee goes home with COVID-19 symptoms and later tests negative, the individual is strongly encouraged to self-report the negative result and the employee will be allowed to return to work upon following the guidance from their healthcare professional or the employee has no symptoms for the prior 72-hour period. For more detailed resources regarding COVID-19, visit AZ Department of Health Services at https://www.azdhs.gov/ or the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.