Construction Groups See Biden Administration’s Decision to Exclude Construction From the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard a Smart One

WASHINGTON - The Construction Industry Safety Coalition today issued the following statement on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s decision to apply an Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19 only to the healthcare industry.  

“The Construction Industry Safety Coalition is pleased that the Biden administration and OSHA listened to the concerns and recommendations of the construction industry in formulating a COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard. OSHA made the right decision to issue an ETS to cover tasks associated with high-exposure risk levels and not construction operations, which are generally low risk.

“Workplace safety and health are top priorities for members of CISC. At the outset of the pandemic, the coalition developed an industry-wide COVID-19 Exposure Prevention Preparedness and Response Plan to provide a comprehensive approach to keeping construction workers, deemed to be essential, safe.

“We look forward to continuing to provide input on industry safety issues and working with the administration on other workplace safety and health priorities.”

CISC is comprised of 30 trade associations representing virtually every aspect of the construction industry. CISC was formed several years ago to provide data and information to OSHA on regulatory, interpretive and policy initiatives. CISC speaks for small, medium and large contractors, general contractors, subcontractors and union contractors alike. CISC represents all sectors of the construction industry, including commercial building, heavy industrial production, home building, road repair, specialty trade contractors, construction equipment manufacturers and material suppliers.