The Nevada Contractors Association is dedicated to the industry and will continue to monitor the situations as it develops. The safety and health of our members and employees is our utmost importance during this pandemic, making best practices essential to ensure that we continue essential construction work while limiting risk to all involved. Please continue to take proactive measures to limit the risk to your employees.
Message from our Association: When many of Nevada’s businesses were forced to shut down due to COVID-19 pandemic, it became the construction industry’s goal to remain essential and to keep our workers employed. More importantly, it was our desire to remain as an industry safe and healthy by following the national and state protocols. In order to accomplish these goals, the Nevada Contractors Association (“NCA”) along with other industry leaders were appointed to Governor Sisolak’s Nevada Construction and Development Assembly to help regulate construction activities and safety measures during these uncertain times. This group worked hard to ensure that protocols were developed and implemented which were safe, reasonable, and achievable. Most of the group’s time was focused on identifying and creating acceptable alternatives to the stringent six feet distancing standards, which in areas of construction were unachievable. Using the expertise of all involved and working closely with Nevada OSHA and the Governor’s Office, alternative safety measures were developed that allowed workers to operate safely while completing these difficult tasks.
In an effort to educate the workforce, the NCA joined various industry partners in hosting a COVID-19 Safety Stand Down designed to educate the workforce on necessary jobsite safety measures. Thank you to the hundreds of contractors and thousands of workers who participated, and we encourage you to continue these important meetings to help flatten the curve and keep our teams safe! For pictures from Nevada COVID-19 Safety Stand Down, please visit our Flickr Page.
To help maintain safe jobsites, the NCA provided courtesy COVID-19 inspections to ensure all construction companies are complying with the federal OSHA guidelines for COVID compliance. Thank you to those who reached out in an additional effort to keep your jobsites safe. NCA has also distributed thousands of masks and other needed protective equipment to entities who were in need. These contributions have aided front line medical workers and helped government agencies to keep their employees safe while continuing to complete their critical work. Over the next few weeks, NCA will distribute free masks and personal sanitizers to thousands of construction workers in an ongoing effort to help everyone stay healthy and safe.
The NCA with AGC of America has been active in creating and distributing materials and resources for the industry to utilize, such as construction directives, industry mandates, webinars, hand sanitizers, sanitation practices, and various handouts/posters for jobsites. These resources can be found below. NCA continues to provide free COVID-19 inspections to help jobsites understand the directives implemented and enforced by OSHA.
None of this would be possible without the support of the hundreds of NCA members who have stepped up to contribute and serve. A HUGE THANK YOU for all that you do! As always, please feel free to reach out to us as we continue to help maintain a safe and healthy industry.
Resources
Supreme Court Freezes OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination-or-Testing ETS- Jan 13, 2022 On January 13, the Supreme Court reinstated the nationwide stay on implementation and enforcement of the OSHA COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing emergency temporary standard (ETS). As a result of this decision, OSHA will have to suspend its ETS compliance efforts, many of which took effect on January 10. The case will now go back to the lower courts for ligation on the merits of the ETS. There, AGC of America will remain engaged in its lawsuit challenging the ETS.
In an effort to assist members with increasing the vaccination rates among their workforce and with understanding the ETS requirements, the association created a COVID-19 vaccine tool kit webpage that contains a construction-oriented summary of the ETS detailing employers’ compliance options and obligations as well as additional resources.
OSHA Releases COVID-19 Vaccine/Testing Mandate for Large Employers- Nov 4, 2021 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its long anticipated COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS). As anticipated, the ETS requires all employers with 100 or more employees to either mandate vaccinations, or encourage vaccination or weekly testing of all employees.
Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate Guidance Released- Sept 24, 2021 The Safer Federal Workplace Task Force issuedguidance on the president’s executive order calling for a broad vaccination mandate for direct federal contractors. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council has an October 8 deadline for completing an interim contract clause.
President Biden Announces Vaccination for Federal Contractors & Employers with 100+ Employees- Sept 9, 2021 President Biden announced a new plan to require all federal employees and federal contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Additionally, the plan will also require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforces are vaccinated or require weekly testing. The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force was set up to implement these requirements, providing updated FAQs and other guidance. NCA will update our membership as soon as such guidance is released.
Nevada Mask Mandate- July 21, 2021 On July 21, 2021, the Clark County Board of Commissioners issued an Amendment to the June 1, 2021 County Local Mitigation and Enforcement Plan. The Amendment includes new rules regarding face coverings and COVID-19 mitigation in the workplace. All local businesses open to the public are required to post new signage encouraging patrons to follow the SNHD’s guidelines on wearing face coverings indoors. Clark County has received frequently asked questions regarding the Amendment and the following responses are intended to provide additional guidance to the public. Please CLICK HERE for more information.
OSHA Update- Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace Update on January 29, 2021- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has prepared this guidance for planning purposes. Employers and workers should use this guidance to help identify risks of being exposed to and of contracting COVID-19 in workplace settings and to determine any appropriate control measures to implement. This guidance is intended to inform employers and workers in most workplace settings outside of healthcare to help them identify risks of being exposed to and/or contracting COVID-19 at work and to help them determine appropriate control measures to implement.
OSHA will update this guidance over time to reflect developments in science, best practices, and standards.
Nevada's COVID-19 Vaccination Program Playbook On January 11, 2021, Governor Sisolak and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services released the third version of Nevada’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Playbook. Final decisions are pending about the priority of administration of COVID-19 vaccines, but populations of focus for initial vaccination may include:
Healthcare personnel (paid and unpaid people serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home)
Non-healthcare essential workers
Adults with underlying medical conditions that are risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness
People 70 years of age or older
Allocation of COVID-19 vaccine to jurisdictions will be based on multiple factors, including:
Critical populations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (with input from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)
Current local spread/prevalence of COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccine production and availability
Additionally, on January 11, 2021 Governor Sisolak extended the State’s current mitigation measures for 30 days.
Occupancy Posting Required Beginning October 5th, all businesses, venues, and gathering spaces subject to capacity limitations must post signage at public entrances identifying their COVID-adjusted capacity as outlined in Section 8 of the Declaration of Emergency Directive 033. The Governor has provided sample capacity limit signage for businesses to use for this purpose.
We Kept America Building - AGC of America Special Report AGC of America has created a special report called We Kept America Building. This new report details AGC of America’s response to the Coronavirus and highlights examples of how AGC has supported the industry during the pandemic.
Residential & Commercial Development Activity Forecast Residential & Commercial Development Activity Forecast was prepared and produced by Applied Analysis and developed for Nevada Contractors Association and its member. Distributed August 2020.
Update on Nevada OSHA's Enforcement Process Under Governor Sisolak’s State of Emergency during the COVID-19 Pandemic and associated directives, the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been given enforcement authority underReopening Response Plan. OSHA has released guidance documents for businesses as the Governor’s directives have evolved. The latest guidance is dated June 26, 2020 and is posted at http://dir.nv.gov/OSHA/Home/.
Southern Nevada Business Reopening Guide The Southern Nevada Health District is providing these guidance documents to assist industry as facilities and businesses begin to resume operations or prepare to open under the Governor’s Roadmap to Recovery Plan. The following documents include public health practices that are recommended not only for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 but also for other potential hazards that result from facilities being closed. These documents are subject to change as more information becomes available and feedback is received. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Preparing Your Small Business and Employees for the Effects of COVID-19 CDC guidance on preparing your business to protect your employees' health and safety in the workplace.
COVID-19 Safety Stand Down Construction companies throughout Nevada joined in this unified, statewide effort to help educate our work crews about the critical role safety and health plays during this global crisis. As an industry, we have an obligation on our jobsites to ensure every individual understands the policies and procedures to keep us safe during the COVID-19 crisis. We encourage you to continue these important meetings to help flatten the curve and keep our teams safe!
We encourage you to use this template COVID-19 Action Plan and Health Assessment Form to distribute to field operations and management within your offices. Additionally, you are encouraged to use this Toolbox Talk to aid in your discussions.
More Guidance from US DOL's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on Families First Coronavirus Response Act The new guidance includes two new posters, one for federal workers and one for all other employees, that will fulfill notice requirements for employers obligated to inform employees about their rights under this new law. It also includes questions and answers about posting requirements, and a Field Assistance Bulletin describing WHD’s 30-day non-enforcement policy. The new guidance addresses critical issues such as whether employers may post required notice electronically, whether employers must provide notice of this law to recently laid-off individuals, when FFCRA applies to federal workers and when enforcement of the new rules will begin.
OSHA COVID-19 Letter- Construction Industry In recent days the administration of the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NVOSHA) has conducted intermittent surveys of active construction sites in Nevada. Due to the results of the survey, NVOSHA has provided guidelines for construction operations.
US DOL Publishes New Federal Paid Leave Guidance Families First Corona Virus Response Act Today, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced its first round of published guidance to provide information to employers about meeting their requirements to offer emergency paid sick leave and paid family medical leave offered by the Families First Corona Virus Response Act (FFCRA) when it takes effect on April 1, 2020. The guidance – provided in a Fact Sheet for Employees, a Fact Sheet for Employers and a Questions and Answers document – addresses critical questions, such as how an employer must count the number of their employees to determine coverage; how small businesses can obtain an exemption; how to count hours for part-time employees; and how to calculate the wages employees are entitled to under this law.
NV Governor Executive Order on Business Closure On March 20, 2020, Governor Sisolak made his suggested closing of non-essential businesses mandatory. An Executive Order was also issued shortly after the press conference. Section 6 specifically mentions Construction as an industry that can continue to operate while also outlining steps our industry must take in order to be compliant. It is encouraged for you to review these guidelines.
Essential Businesses List- Office of Labor Commissioner Construction is considered an essential industry and, pending any further developments, we plan to continue with business as usual. We continue to work with permitting and inspection agencies to ensure that projects can proceed in a timely manner. We also understand that in order to be successful we must continue to receive materials and supplies from our subcontractors and vendors and we appreciate their efforts to fulfill demand.
OSHA Guidelines for Construction This memorandum provides guidelines for the management of staff and labor in the mining, construction, and manufacturing industry sectors. We encourage you to make the necessary adjustments in order to comply with state requirements.
NCA Toolbox Talk COVID-19 (PDF) NCA Toolbox Talk COVID-19(editable) Please continue to take proactive measures to limit the risk to employees. Best practices are essential to ensure that we continue essential construction work while limiting risk to all involved. Thank you for all you do to improve our industry and keep our workforce safe.
Summary of Paid Leave Mandates President Trump signed into law new paid leave mandates that will take effect on April 2, 2020, and sunset on December 31, 2020. Nearly 7,000 AGC members from around the nation sent about 14,000 emails to their U.S. Senators in opposition to these mandates—the highest grassroots engagement on any issue we have seen in at least a decade. Thank you all for your efforts in pushing those action alerts. We will continue to press for avenues to make such improvements via legislative and regulatory means.
COVID-19 Response
Construction companies throughout Nevada joined in a statewide effort to help educate our work crews about the critical role safety and health plays during this global crisis. As an industry, we have an obligation on our jobsites to ensure every individual understands the policies and procedures to keep us safe during the COVID-19 crisis. We encourage you to continue these important meetings to help flatten the curve and keep our teams safe! For resources, please visit our COVID-19 Update Page
LET'S GET SOCIAL, THE SAFE WAY! Send us pics of your crews keeping safe and tag us on social media with #StayingSafe4NV #NCAFaceCovers
For more information, please contact (702) 796-9986.