Canada’s construction industry is putting safety and health first

COVID-19

OTTAWA, March 25, 2020 – The health, safety and well-being of our workers, their families and friends, and the communities we operate in is always the top priority of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and its more than 20,000 member firms. This has never been truer than it is right now.

From the construction and renovation of hospitals, to keeping roads safe, to bringing power and clean water to homes, the construction sector builds communities and delivers projects that are essential to Canadians’ quality of life and to the success of our country.

The CCA and our provincial and municipal counterparts have been very active in monitoring the guidance and direction of public health and government authorities, and providing our members with ongoing information, resources and support to put in place stringent measures to protect their employees and help flatten the curve. These measures are extensive and include employee monitoring, new safety and hygiene procedures and checklists, social distancing, sanitizing stations, frequent sanitization of sites and reduced personnel on sites.

The CCA’s position is that compliant sites should be open and those that cannot consistently comply with measures and guidelines of public health authorities should shut down.

Quotes

“The safety and health of employees, their families and the public is first and foremost. We have been actively providing our members with the information, resources and support they need to ensure safe work environments. Compliant sites should be open and those that cannot consistently comply with measures and guidelines of public health authorities should shut down.”
– Mary Van Buren, President, Canadian Construction Association

About CCA

Across Canada, CCA represents more than 20,000 member firms drawn from 63 local and provincial integrated partner associations. CCA gives voice to the public policy, legal and standards development goals of contractors, suppliers and allied business professionals working in, or with, Canada’s non-residential construction industry.

The construction sector is one of Canada’s largest employers and a major contributor to the country’s economic success. The industry, 70 per cent of which is made up of Small and Medium Enterprises, employs more than 1.5 million Canadians and contributes 7 per cent of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product.