This Labour Day, Monday, Sept. 7, executive director of the Andrew Mercier will be working. It may be an annual holiday that celebrates workers, but he has work to do.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not a day I香蕉视频直播檒l be taking off,香蕉视频直播� Mercier remarked.

For Mercier, a Langley resident who took over as the just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the day will give him a chance to catch up on some of the non-COVID-19 matters that have had to be put on the back burner during the current pandemic.

It has been a hectic time for the council, which has been pressing for improved protective measures for construction workers during the pandemic.

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One very bad example of the situation that Mercier likes to cite concerns a work site, early on in the pandemic, where the sanitation was something less than an afterthought.

香蕉视频直播淎 hand-washing station was a two-by-four duct-taped to a hose, and a bar of soap,香蕉视频直播� Mercier recalled.

He credits WorkSafe BC for taking the matter seriously, assigning hundreds of inspectors to enforce standards at all sites in the province to make sure construction workers were safe on the job.

香蕉视频直播淭hey (WorkSafe) reacted with lightning speed,香蕉视频直播� Mercier commented.

As a result, he believes, the B.C. construction industry as a whole managed to avoid the widespread shutdowns seen in Ontario and Quebec.

香蕉视频直播淵ou had workers staying home, you had projects shutting down [in those provinces],香蕉视频直播� Mercier told the Langley Advance Times.

香蕉视频直播淭he difference is policy,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Without the quick response, 香蕉视频直播渨e would have had an industry shutdown,香蕉视频直播� Mercier added. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a testament to the people at WorkSafe BC.香蕉视频直播�

At big sites, such as the LNG Canada and Site C Dam construction projects, where workers live together in camps, crews were screened before traveling to the camps.

When some at Site C showed symptoms after arriving, a trailer was set aside for isolation.

Some sites did close down altogether, like the Kemano tunneling project, where there was no way to run tunnel-boring machines without people being in close proximity to each other.

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Other industries in B.C. have also benefited from the attention to coronavirus safety, with WorkSafe applying lessons learned from the construction sector, Mercier added.

So has the non-union construction sector, which is responsible for most of the residential projects in Langley and other B.C. communities.

Mercier said when it comes to safety, it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 matter whether a worker is under a collective agreement.

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 care if you香蕉视频直播檙e union or non-union, call us [if you have a safety concern],香蕉视频直播� Mercier said.

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His message to workers on Labour Day is one of gratitude.

香蕉视频直播淚 just want to thank the working people at Langley, the people who do the hard work, and keep the lights on, and grocery stockers,香蕉视频直播� Mercier commented.

香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e the real heroes.香蕉视频直播�

BC Building Trades Council represents 25 local unions belonging to 13 international unions. There are approximately 35,000 unionized construction workers in B.C.

dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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