The New Norm: How Martin Horn Sites Have Transformed to Fight the Spread of COVID-19
As we face the realities of COVID-19, Martin Horn continues to make the health and safety of our employees a top priority. Being an essential business during this time can be a difficult road to navigate, however, we are happy to keep doing what we love: building stuff.
Martin Horn is taking the responsibility as an essential business to help keep the economy running within Charlottesville and its surrounding communities
While our crews are still actively working, we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our workers and helping prevent the spread of the virus. We are closely monitoring updates from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and other government (federal and local) entities in real-time to ensure we are taking the most up-to-date precautions possible.
Martin Horn recently participated in Associated General Contractors of America’s Stand Down Day to help bring awareness to the risks and train workers on the proven ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition to the AGC’s program, we rolled out new policies and safety measures to on-site workers, giving them both the tools and training needed to keep job sites safe. This event allowed us to communicate the changes to our workers and ensure everyone knew the proper protocol to follow going forward. We continue to update our employees and clients on changes, as needed during this unpredictable time.
What exactly is Martin Horn doing?
All Martin Horn office staff have been directed to stay home if they can. Employees have been provided resources about the virus, how to monitor their symptoms, and the proper actions to take if they experience them. We encourage all employees to reference the Martin Horn COVID-19 Policy found on the homepage of our website.
Martin Horn is ensuring all on-site workers are equipped with fabric masks, whether their own or one of the hundreds we have purchased locally. While prior to the outbreak, we did have a supply of N-95 masks, we have proudly donated most of them to the medical community, which is in dire need for PPE at this time and is not able to modify their work environment and distance themselves, as we are.
We have set up hand washing and sanitization stations, all equipped with guidelines to encourage a healthy work environment. On-site workers have also been trained on proper social distancing behaviors and are practicing this standard on all job sites.
Supervisors are encouraged to debrief on-site employees with a series of questions related to their health before entering the site. Sharing of any personal protection equipment (PPE) is prohibited, as well as, any communal food or drink. We have also increased routine cleanings of on-site equipment, portable bathrooms, project trailers, and other high-touch surfaces.
Furthermore, our employees have been instructed on the proper precautions to take among arriving at home from work. We are encouraging staff to change out of their work clothes prior to arriving home and wash them in hot water and laundry sanitizer. We have also provided them with resources on safety protocols to take during their personal time to help stop the spread and keep our sites safe.
As we learn more over time, Martin Horn will continue to take responsible and proactive measures for our employees and our community. We are committed to do everything we can to help contain this virus and flatten the curve.