Know the Code; Respect the Code

In the dog sport world, there are a couple of activities that owners and their pets can partake of that build the bond between them and help teach the dog the importance of impulse control. They are Obedience and Rally. This has come to mind as I have seen several construction sites where clearly impulse control is not being invoked.

Over the summer months, I had some work done on my residence. I was home one afternoon while a worker was painting the columns on my back patio. I suddenly smelled cigarette smoke. If you know me at all, you know that I do not smoke, have never smoked, and do not permit anyone to smoke at or on my small city property. I did not engage the worker but went to the owner and his boss. As it turned out, the owner had been told this before on other work sites. And the worker had given his notice for the following week. He had found a job that permitted smoke breaks. It was really too bad as the worker did a great job and was very detailed oriented. But, know the code; respect the code. Most homeowners do not allow workers to smoke on their property. Like it or leave it and he was leaving it.

Now, the same can be applied to commercial work. Construction sites that may have lots of raw wood, planks, or open ground pits is not the place to take out a cigarette. If you embark on any construction projects through your business, be on the lookout for this type of unacceptable behavior. My advice is not to engage the worker, but engage their boss, the foreman on the job or the Consultant who is in charge and whose insurance covers the activity on the site. Trust me when I say the insurance company covering the site may not be so quick to engage a claim where there is such a blatant violation of policy and site rules. Make sure this is addressed up front with your contractor, architect, and/or foreman, particularly if you have multiple consultants on site who are working independently of one another with a direct contract with you as the owner.

The other infraction I see around town is the lack of mask wearing at construction sites. Early on in the Pandemic Pause, I was at a gas station filling up and happened to note government construction workers across the road. None were wearing masks and they were in very close proximity. I just shook my head. I briefly thought about taking a photo and tweeting it out to the Agency and then decided I did not want to engage myself with the rage that seems to engulf some of these folks who do not believe in science or rules.

Every construction project in New York State requires a separate Covid Policy. The owner, the architect, the general contractor, etc. must be familiar with the agreed upon project Covid Policy. It is included in the Project Contract. Any variance to this policy could shut down a project and/or result in fines. At a minimum, it may be cause for reputation risk for the firm who employs the worker committing the infraction. None of these are a positive to a firm’s ability to garner new projects or even finish the existing one with glowing reviews.

The bottom line is if you take on a construction job for your company, be on the lookout for smokers and non-maskers. Know your project’s Covid Policy and know your state/city laws governing smoking. Invariably, there will be a worker or two who bucks the policies and/or the law. Do not engage them but report them to their boss or project manager. These are risks your project and your company do not need.

Remember Potato, our Cairn Terrier, in today’s featured Blog photo. She abides by the rules of her owner, your project workers should also know the code and respect the code while on your property. By engaging the correct personnel to cure the issue, the project should be able to continue without these risks, making for a pleasant and productive work site.

Be well.