Important Notice:
This CalAPA "Member Alert" is an exclusive benefit of CalAPA membership and should not be shared outside a member company without prior permission from CalAPA.
SUMMARY:
The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA) is closely monitoring events related to the Coronavirus / COVID-19 virus outbreak to assess what impact it will have on the asphalt pavement industry in California. What follows is the latest information gathered on the topic by the association since our previous Member Alert sent on March 16, 2020 at 5 p.m. Links to our previous Member Alerts are at the bottom of this report.
WHAT IS NEW:
- As of today, Caltrans intends to keep road construction and maintenance operations going as usual, with the expectation that contractors will be expected to exercise additional safety measures and caution to protect workers in accordance with guidance provided by public health officials.
- The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, AFL-CIO issued interim health and safety guidelines late on on March 17 related to the COVID-19 situation and construction workers. You can view those guidelines HERE. CalAPA will continue to seek more formal health and safety guidance from state and federal occupational safety and health officials specific to this situation and relay that information to members.
- Caltrans released additional guidance today with regard to how the pandemic will impact the Joint Training & Certification Program for materials technicians. That guidance was shared with the JTCP Advisory Committee, of which CalAPA is a member. That guidance includes more specific information with regard to class cancellations, certification extensions and the possibility of a "provisional" certification. You can read that guidance HERE.
- The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), a CalAPA partner, has sent a letter to the Federal Highway Administration today on the subject of continuity of construction work and also the seeking flexibility on certification processes and other related issues. You can view that letter HERE.
- Health officials in Orange County issued a sweeping "Health Officer's Order" late yesterday similar to one previously issued for the San Francisco Bay Area (details are in the March 16 CalAPA Member Alert HERE). A link to the Orange County announcement and order is HERE. CalAPA confirmed with Orange County Public Works Officials today that road construction is considered an essential function exempted from the order, and that road construction had not been shut down.
- CalAPA continues to contact members to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 situation on operations. In general, there have been no major disruptions reported to the association today, but there were concerns about availability of workers, supplies and raw materials.
- CalAPA has been in constant contact with other construction trade association representatives to coordinate messaging on two key fronts: work must continue under the "essential services" clause now appearing to become commonplace, and that there must be maximum flexibility on the part of public agencies with regard to enabling the industry to function under extraordinary circumstances.
- One construction trade association in California, United Contractors, has assembled some crisis response resources on their publicly-facing website. They can be accessed HERE.
- For smaller companies without extensive HR capabilities, CalAPA's attorney has offered to share free a sample remote work policy for those companies forced to have more of their employees work from home. Contact CalAPA at [email protected] to request more information.
- CalAPA continues to contact agencies and members to assess the impact of the health emergency statewide on operations and will continue to compile and summarize that information in upcoming "Member Alerts" as conditions warrant.
BACKGROUND:
New health advisories continue to be issued at the local, state and federal level with regard to the COVID-19 flu virus,
commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus, which originated in China late last year and has been spreading quickly to other countries, including the United States. California is one of the states impacted, and the governor has declared a state of emergency as state and local governments mobilize resources to understand the nature of the flu-like virus, how it is spread, and what health implications it will bring with it. Business operations have already been disrupted as "shelter-in-place" orders are issued. Road construction has so far escaped most of these most severe restrictions as it is considered work related to "essential services" to protect vital infrastructure. CalAPA continues to seek out guidance from government and elected officials on how the public health emergency will impact the construction industry. There are concerns, however, over the potential for logistics and supply issues.
RESOURCES:
CALAPA RESOURCES:
The March 16, 2020 CalAPA "Member Alert" sent on this topic is
HERE
.
The March 16, 2020 "
California Asphalt Insider
" newsletter reporting the latest developments on the coronavirus impact to the association and the industry is
HERE
.
The March 10, 2020 CalAPA Member Alert with the initial assessment of potential impacts of the coronavirus to association operations and the asphalt pavement industry as a whole is
HERE
.
A March 2, 2020 CalAPA
California Asphalt Insider
newsletter article on crisis communications tips is
HERE
.
OTHER RESOURCES:
The State of California, Department of Public Health website devoted to providing updated coronavirus information in California is
HERE
.
A California Department of Health Poster on tips for California residents to help prevent the spread of the disease is
HERE
.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage with information coronavirus is
HERE
.
For more information on this “Member Alert,” contact CalAPA Executive Director Russell W. Snyder, CAE, at (916) 791-5044.
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