Work to Resume on New Residence Hall

Lydig Construction, the general contractor on the New Residence Hall project, has notified the University that they are prepared to resume work on the site. Associate Medical Director of Western’s Student Health Center, David Hansen, has reviewed Lydig’s plan to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 and agrees that it covers all current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations.

Earlier this month, Western learned that a contracted construction worker employed on the site of the construction site had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This was the first confirmed case on Western’s Bellingham campus. The construction worker lives in Snohomish County and had been commuting to Bellingham to work at the construction site at Western. The worker is complying with instructions from healthcare workers to stay home in self-isolation. Work at the site for the new residence hall was then temporarily placed on hold.

All site facilities have been sanitized by a competent cleaning company, and all workers engaged on the site for the last two weeks have completed a risk assessment as outlined by the CDC. Any workers assessed as being at risk will be quarantined at home until the risk has passed.

For Lydig personnel returning to the New Residence Hall site, along with all visitors, sub-contractors, suppliers, vendors, and deliveries, the following precautions will be in place.

  • All employees and visitors to the site are required to follow the guidelines for individuals issued by the CDC to help control the spread of the disease.
  • Every project will post the attached CDC posters in each jobsite trailer and on message boards to increase awareness of what individuals should be doing in order to help minimize the spread.
  • Disinfecting wipes will be made available on site in each jobsite trailer with instructions to wipe down workstations, breakrooms and tools on a regular basis.
  • Hand washing stations and hand sanitizer will be available onsite.
  • All people entering the project site each day must sign in and out.
  • The CDC currently recommends conducting regular health screening for employees upon arrival each day. Anyone with symptoms (fever, problems breathing, and coughing) will be sent home immediately. Visitors will be asked these questions when they sign into the project.
  • Project teams are to follow best practices for social distancing as outlined by the CDC.
  • All construction personnel will be limited to the fenced work site.

 

The Incident Command System team at Western has established three goals for all preparation and response to COVID-19: to protect life safety and minimize the spread of the coronavirus illness, to maintain – as much as possible – the continuity of Western’s operations, and to communicate with our communities as fully as possible. With new precautions in place and close monitoring, the University is ready to allow work on the New Residence Hall to continue, with a goal of having the hall ready for students in the fall of 2021.