ON THE LEVEL: Head of Construction Business Group has mostly praise for industry’s COVID-19 response

Like many people in construction, Robb Kahl thinks Gov. Tony Evers was right to deem the industry “essential” and allow projects to proceed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kahl, executive director of the Construction Business Group, is of course familiar with the economic arguments behind that decision. But, he says, there are plenty of other reasons for allowing construction to continue.

“What is often overlooked in those conversations are the dangerous conditions that can develop if a site is left unattended or partially completed,” Kahl said. “It can take several weeks to properly ‘shutter’ a construction site, and if that isn’t done, lots of things can go wrong.

“Kids can enter job sites and get hurt, and water will infiltrate buildings and mold can develop. Runoff from jobsites can invade rivers, stream and lakes when temporary mitigation measures break down – a serious threat when there is no one to oversee and respond to jobsite conditions.”

The likely economic considerations, he said, also cannot be ignored.

“If a total shutdown were required, the economic impact would be devastating,” he said. “Wisconsin has nearly 100,000 people working in the construction industry. That would mean another 100,000 people applying for unemployment benefits and drawing on other safety nets like food pantries.”

As the top official at the Construction Business Group, Kahl spends a lot of his time thinking about conditions on worksites. His organization – overseen by a board composed of representatives of both unionized contractors and of Local 139 of the International Union of Operating Engineers – employs investigators who regularly look into complaints of worker misclassification and other unfair labor practices.

Now Kahl, also a former state legislator and former mayor of Monona, has added the coronavirus to his list of concerns. He recently spoke to The Daily Reporter about the industry’s response to the pandemic. (This article has been edited for clarity and brevity.)

The Daily Reporter: In general, how would you say the construction industry is doing when it comes to keeping workers safe amid the pandemic?

Kahl: I cannot speak for the whole industry, but I do believe that most contractors have implemented safety protocols and best practices to keep workers and the public safe. CBG and its partners have a website specifically dedicated to educating construction workers and contractors on recommended safety guidelines: www.constructsafewi.com. Safety is top-of-mind for many groups, and our website is structured as a resource for groups to find the best-practice field manuals and toolkits assembled by associations and the trades.

TDR: Could you foresee a scenario in which construction should be forced to shut down? What, in general, would that scenario look like?

Kahl: We know that “Safer at Home” is working. In Wisconsin, we have slowed the spread of COVID-19, the curve of new cases is continuing to flatten, and lives were saved because of these actions. Currently, the governor is taking measured action to bring more business back online, rather than continuing to close more business sectors. On our current path, it seems highly unlikely that drastic measures that would involve a total shutdown of the economy will be necessary.

TDR: Are construction workers adequately equipped with personal protective gear? If not, why not? What is preventing them from getting more?

Kahl: As we all know, PPE, such as masks and sanitizer, are in short supply. Construction employers are going to face obstacles to purchase such items. However, adjustments to worksite protocols are under way to compensate. The making of cloth masks to CDC guidelines and on-site thermal or at-home temperature checks are becoming the norm around Wisconsin job sites. Additionally, workers are structuring their days to limit movement between equipment and tools to reduce the amount of sanitizing that is needed.

We are fortunate as an industry to have most of our work take place on large tracts of land, making six feet of separation significantly easier to achieve than those in a traditional office cubicle.

With these combined efforts, we are thankful so far that we have not heard of a COVID-19 outbreak cluster originating from a construction site.

TDR: Is the Construction Business Group involved in keeping sites safe amid the outbreaks? Are you investigating if there are complaints?

Kahl: Central to CBG’s mission is our commitment to outreach and education. That is why we launched the www.constructsafewi.com website as an information hub. We also exist to investigate complaints – a duty we take more seriously than ever during this crisis.

We have flyers available in English and Spanish, encouraging workers to contact us if they feel unsafe on their jobsites.

TDR: What further steps should the industry be taking?

Kahl: We know what the right moves are to protect the health of workers; now it is ensuring we maintain vigilance.

Worksites must continue training, provide reminders and follow through on safety plans. Standing six feet apart all of the time isn’t natural for most of us, and we need to be reminded. That is why we are encouraging the use of banners at job-site entrances — to give workers a visual reminder every day that things are not business-as-usual on the job sites. Follow @TDR_WLJDan