MITA has joined a large group of construction industry organizations in submitting a thoughtful request to Governor Whitmer asking her to immediately restart all construction projects across the state. With the Stay Home, Stay Safe Executive Order extended to May 15th, several industries are looking at ways to safely get back up and running to move Michigan’s economy forward again.
Now that COVID-19 related safety protocols are being widely implemented across the construction industry, many companies who continue to be sidelined (due to the fact that they were not considered “essential”) are hoping to get up and running again, in a manner that puts the safety and health of their employees first.
The fact that most construction happens in an open air environment, where social distancing can occur naturally in most cases, and given that the industry historically already uses personal protective equipment on a regular basis, suggests that construction should be one of the first industries put back to work.
With that in mind, and with a heavy focus on all health and safety protocols being firmly in place, MITA is advocating for the entire construction industry to start being opened up cautiously and as soon as possible.
This does not mean that every owner will start up their projects immediately. There are numerous agencies who have their employees, like inspectors, on furlough at this time, so patience and communication will be necessary and important.
If you have any questions, please contact Mike Nystrom, Executive Vice President, at mikenystrom@thinkmita.org.
