COVID-19 - Protocols & Policies

TMG Builders is committed to the health and safety of its employees, as well as trade contractors, suppliers, consultants, owner representatives and others when they are at our head office or on our construction sites.


In light of ongoing events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, TMG Builders has established a COVID-19 emergency task force, who have established specific protocols and policies and response plans if required that must be followed.

Please be advised that given the unique nature of our business, we have established protocols and response plans for both our sites and our head office should any situation arise that we must respond to. This task force has implemented and continues to update protocols and policies for:

  1. Preventative measures
  2. Emergency response in case of employee or site contamination

TMG Builders Management continues to monitor the situation on a daily basis, relying only on reputable official organizations for information, which organizations are the World Health Organization, Health Ontario, Toronto Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

Project "Site" Protocols

The following protocols and policies have been implemented and must be followed on each project site:
(** Note: each site has unique circumstances and set -ups and as such the implementation of each must be evaluated on a project by project basis as to how it can best be applied):

  • Any employee who has travelled outs ide of Canada, or has come into direct contact with anyone who has travelled anywhere outside of Canada as of March 11, 2020, must self-isolate and avoid contact with others for 14 days;
  • Any person visiting, or attending a site to perform work, who has travelled outside of Canada or has come into direct contact with anyone who has travelled outside of Canada within the last 14 days will not be permitted on any TMG Builders project site;
  • Non-essential visitors will not be authorized on any TMG project site until further notice;
  • If a TMG Builders employee or a person they have come in close contact with in the last 14 days is experiencing any illness symptoms, that employee must not come to work and must adopt self-isolation measures and follow the recommendations of Health Ontario in that regard. TMG Builders Management is to be notified within 24 hours if this does occur;
  • If any trade person or other person working on a TMG Builders project site is showing or indicating any symptoms of an illness, TMG Builders as the construction manager and Constructor under the Ontario Health and Safety Act has the full authority to order them to leave the site and direct them not to work on our project at this time. If such a situation does occur they are not to be permitted back to the site until they can ensure that they are cleared and no longer showing any symptoms of an illness;
  • COVID-19 Warning signage will be posted at all entrances to a site. This will notify all visitors and personnel who are attending to site that if they have travelled within last 14 days and/or have possibly been in contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, and/or they are experiencing any symptoms of illness, they are not to enter the site;
  • All new workers reporting to a site must fill-in and sign a “New Worker Questionnaire”. This questionnaire will be used as a COVID -19 screening tool and if the worker answers yes to any of the questions on the form, they are not to be permitted on site;
  • TMG Builders will not accept nor allow any workers on site who had been performing work or had visited another construction site that has been closed due to any COVID-19 related matters;
  • All visitors to the site must be identified and will be documented;
  • The Ministry of Health COVID-19 awareness and fact sheet posters are to be posted at the hoist (if applicable), all project safety boards, all entrances and by all main washrooms;
  • All washrooms are to be cleaned as frequently as possible. Where possible additional washrooms and hand-washing stations are to be installed;
  • Hand sanitizing products are to be made available in as many locations as possible and best efforts are to be made to maintain supply given current market shortages. Encourage all workers to bring their own personal sanitizer in addition to this to assist;
  • Social distancing protocols as recommended by the government are to be implemented and followed. No workers are to be working within 6 ft of each other at any time, unless a specific safety need or trade task or activity is required that overrules this distancing protocol. Where a trade task or activity cannot be performed while maintaining 6 ft of separation for either a safety reason or because of a trade’s inability to perform a required task properly, then the workers may work in closer proximity only if the following is adhered to:
    • Each worker who must perform a task with less than 6 feet of separation from another worker must wear an N95 respirator certified by NIOSH (the mask must have a NIOSH approval number stamped on the mask, represented as TC-84A-####n.)
    • These respirator masks must be worn in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Note that this includes the worker ensuring the mask is in good condition and that a proper seal can be achieved wearing the mask. This means the mask cannot be used by individuals with beards or other facial hair or other conditions that prevent a good seal between the face and the sealing surface of the respirator. If the respirator is or becomes damaged, soiled or breathing becomes difficult, it must be replaced. Workers must also have their own individual masks, and masks are not to be shared.
    • The trade who is requesting to perform a task with less than 6 feet of separation between workers must provide a safe working procedure (“SWP”) to the Superintendent indicating how the task is to be performed and how the use of the respirator/ mask will be implemented.
    • TMG Builders will not be responsible for, nor will it provide any masks to any trade workers. If a mask is required trades must provide their own N95 respirators certified by NIOSH for the required tasks.
  • The ability to wear this respirator / mask and not adhere to a minimum of 6 ft of separation is only permitted during the time(s) it takes to perform the specific task that requires less than 6 ft of social distancing protocols as outlined in the provided “SWP”. Immediately upon completion of the task, and at all other times, the worker(s) attending to the project site must adhere to and follow the social distancing protocols as recommended by the government and maintain at minimum at least 6 ft of separation. This policy applies whether the worker continues to use and wear the respirator for purposes not related to the specific task it was required for or not.
  • For clarity, the use of an approved respirator to eliminate the necessity to maintain 6 ft of separation is only permitted for approved trade tasks where a “SWP” has been provided. Upon completion of the specific task, 6 ft of separation between all workers must adhered to, regardless of whether an approved mask is being used or not.
  • All site offices are to be closed for all non TMG Builders staff access with the exception of those necessary for our first aid and safety requirements. Social distancing rules to be maintained inside of the office as outlined;
  • Only 10 workers or less are to be performing work in any given area and they must be able to maintain at a minimum a distance of 6 feet apart at all times. If this distance cannot be maintained between workers in any given space then the total number of workers in this space must be reduced to meet the 6 feet distance requirement;
  • Non-essential meetings are not to be scheduled and held. If a meeting must be held, all social distancing protocols are to be implemented and more preferably, alternative means (conference calls, virtual meetings etc.) are to be utilized where and whenever possible to avoid gatherings;
  • The number of workers entering and utilizing an elevator or hoist must be restricted to only the amount of people that can enter and maintain proper social distancing measures.
  • Beginning the week of March 23, TMG Builders will be employing fever detection screening systems on sites moving forward. The system will be used at the site entrance to identify if anyone entering a site or our office is exhibiting a fever as it is designed to send an alert if it detects someone with a higher than normal body temperature. These workers will be advised as such and prohibited from entering the site in line with the protocols related to the exhibiting of any illness symptoms for all personnel entering a site;
  • Where possible, staggered start and finish times are to be implemented for each trade to limit the number of workers entering and exiting the site together at any one time;
  • All shared common areas and surfaces are to be cleaned and disinfected on a regular and daily basis;
  • No Saturday or after-hours work is to occur until further notice; and
  • Workplace harassment, including disparaging comments about a person’s ethnic origin, whether or not arising as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, will not be tolerated and the terms of our Workplace Harassment Policy will be firmly enforced.

Head Office Protocols

The following protocols and policies have been implemented and must be followed at our head office:

  • Any employee who has travelled or has had direct exposure to any person who has travelled anywhere outside of Canada as of March 11, 2020, must self-isolate and avoid contact with others for 14 days;
  • If a TMG Builders employee or a person they have come in close contact with in the last 14 days is experiencing any illness symptoms, that employee must not come to work and must adopt self-isolation measures and follow the recommendations of Health Ontario in that regard. TMG Builders Management is to be notified within 24 hours if this does occur. Management must also be notified if an employee who is working remotely is experiencing any symptoms of an illness.
  • Non-essential visitors will not be authorized to enter the office until further notice;
  • All essential visitors to the office must be identified and will be documented;
  • COVID-19 Warning signage will be posted at all building entrance doors and at the 2nd floor office entrance door. This will notify all visitors and personnel who are attending to the office that if they have travelled within last 14 days and/or have possibly been in contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, and/or they are experiencing any symptoms of illness, they are not to enter the site;
  • The Ministry of Health COVID-19 awareness and fact sheet posters are to be posted at the office safety boards, all entrances and in visible areas throughout the office;
  • All hand sanitizing dispensers throughout office to be fully supplied and operational as best as possible and additional hand sanitizing and disinfectant wipe products are to be made available in as many locations as possible and best efforts are to be made to maintain supply given current market shortages. Encourage all workers to bring their own personal sanitizer in addition to this to assist;
  • Staff have been equipped with the ability to work remotely and shift work has been implemented for staff attending to head office. Accounting and Administration staff have been split into 3 groups with a rotation of 1 day attending to the office and 2 days working remotely. Construction/ IT / Estimating/ Development staff have been split into two groups with a rotation of 2 days attending to the office and 2 days working remotely.
  • Social distancing protocols as recommended by the government are to be implemented and followed. No employees are to be working within 6 ft of each other at any time, unless a specific safety need is required that overrules this situation;
  • Only 10 employees or less are to be performing work in any given area and they must be able to maintain at a minimum a distance of 6 feet apart at all times. If this distance cannot be maintained between workers in any given space then the total number of workers in this space must be reduced to meet the 6 feet distance requirement;
  • Non-essential meetings are not to be scheduled and held. If a meeting must be held, all social distancing protocols are to be implemented and more preferably, alternative means (conference calls, virtual meetings etc.) are to be utilized where and whenever possible to avoid gatherings;
  • Employee office access fobs will have an automatic door opener feature turned on for use at the back-exterior door to enable employees to enter the office without having to make contact (physically touch) the door handle;
  • All Internal office doors (back stairs doors, washroom hall access doors, supply closet) will be propped open and remain open throughout all normal business hours to enable employees to move freely without having to make contact and physically touch these common area surfaces;
  • Designated delivery table with instruction signage has been established in the outer lobby for all deliveries and mail that is being delivered to, or picked up from, the office. The office front door will remain closed so that all delivery people utilize this system and do not enter the office space;
  • The entire office including all washrooms are to be cleaned on a daily basis by professional cleaning crews. Employees are asked to maintain clean working areas and to clear their desk at the end of each day so that the cleaners can thoroughly wipe and clean their desk areas. Employees are also asked to support these cleaning efforts by using either personal or company supplied disinfectant wipes to frequently clean any areas that they have been working in.

Personal Hygiene Protocols

TMG Builders Staff is also to employ and practice the following personal hygiene protocols:

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands;
  • Cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue and wash your hands afterwards. If either occurs due to illness symptoms then you are to follow other protocols in place for any personnel exhibiting any symptoms of an illness;
  • Avoid commonly touched areas or ensure you clean your hands afterwards;
  • Open doors and touch elevator buttons with gloves, the back of your hand, or other body part or activate the wheelchair accessibility button with the back of your hand, elbow or knee if possible;
  • Avoid common greetings that involve any contact such as handshakes;
  • Maintain proper social distancing protocols; and
  • Wash your clothes as soon as you get home.

Communication

Communication between the TMG Builders Management, the TMG Task Force, and all TMG Builders employees as well as trade contractors, suppliers, consultants, owner representatives and others must be coordinated and consistent. The TMG Task force and all staff are expected to ensure TMG Builders Health and Safety Policies including these COVID-19 policies are updated, communicated and posted to all personnel involved on a project as mandated and/ or required. Any updates or revisions to these protocols are to be communicated via phone or email to all employees and trade representatives.

Employees / Trades-Persons Rights

No TMG Builders employee will be penalized for absenteeism related to controlling the spread of COVID-19. On a case by case basis, we will ascertain eligibility for paid and unpaid leaves of absence in line with our corporate policies and the Employment Standard Act. Please note that if you contract COVID-19 and you are ordered to self-isolate for an extended period of time, you may be eligible to receive EI and/or WSIB financial support, depending on the circumstances.

Each employee, trade or tradesperson has the right to refuse work in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, if they believe that their work conditions are unsafe. If any person exercises their right to refuse work, this must be reported to TMG Builders Management and an investigation will be carried out in accordance with the TMG Builders Health and Safety Policies. No worker will be expected to work during this investigation. A trade or trades person may refuse to perform work due to COVID-19 related matters of their own accord and such intentions must be communicated to TMG Builders Management as well as adhered to and respected by TMG Builders personnel.

Responsive Actions in the Event of Site Contamination

  • Notification of the situation to be provided via phone call and email to all employees, trade representatives and project owners as soon as possible;
  • Remove employee from workplace and determine, to the extent possible: o Durationofpotentialcontamination;
    • Identify employees in direct contact during period of contamination;
    • Employee’s whereabouts at workplace during period of contamination;
  • Request employees who had direct contact with affected employee to work remotely (to the extent possible) until asymptomatic (minimum 14 days);
  • Ensure safe & secure office/site evacuation and shutdown, if required;
  • Arrange for disinfection of impacted workplace; and
  • Communicate to authorities, as required.

If a member of TMG Builders site or head office personnel finds or believes that any of the above policies and protocols have been breached, are not being followed or applied they should immediately notify Management.

For more information, please contact us.