On Tuesday, April 7, 2020, Mayor Durkan announced that starting Thursday, April 9, 2020, the City of Seattle will require contractors and employees working on public works projects in Seattle to suspend work until Saturday, April 11, 2020. While the projects affected are permitted to continue under Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, the two-day temporary suspension will allow contractors and staff to implement rigorous social distancing requirements and update health and safety plans.
City Light has been working proactively to keep our employees safe during the COVID-19 health crisis. This concern extends to our contractors and their employees. The City of Seattle is requiring Health and Safety Plan (HSP) updates from contractors that reflect the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Washington State Department of Health. As the COVID-19 response evolves, so do the official recommendations and requirements. The Mayor’s announcement will allow City Light to confirm that contractor HSPs are consistent with the most current guidance and staff are adequately trained on all current procedures and guidelines. We will continue to update HSPs as necessary and inform and train all staff as the situation evolves.
This temporary suspension will impact all capital and maintenance work in the public right-of-way. City Light will continue work in support of a COVID-19 quarantine facility and, as always, we will respond to any unplanned outages.
Our service is an essential need and its reliability is a top priority. During this unprecedented time, we will continue prioritizing essential critical infrastructure work and doing work in a way that minimizes service disruptions to customers. We continue to ensure employee and customer safety while we maintain critical services.
Mayor Durkan’s announcement can be found here: https://durkan.seattle.gov/2020/04/mayor-durkan-announces-two-day-temporary-suspension-of-public-works-construction-to-conduct-health-and-safety-training-for-workers-update-protocols/.