It’s been a crazy couple of months, everyone were adjusting to work from home, the stock market has gone down and then up again, businesses modified their operation and government offices have limited their public accessibility.
If you have an ADU design and build project in progress or were planning for one, you probably asking yourself how this is affecting you?
With all that is happening your project can stay on track, probably with some adjustment and time frames being changed, but still in full force.
Your design and planning team should have adopted by now a work from home policy and procedure which allows all design and planning to continue remotely, design meetings can be done virtually via video call where a screen is being shared, in person meeting if are necessary can take place while practicing social distance and wearing of protective gear.
ADU plan check and permit process with city offices is still taking place, differently, but in full capacity.
Once design and planning are completed your team can submit all documents for plan check; a digital copy can be submitted via online portal and hard copies can be dropped off at the planning department office. Your team will be contacted via email or phone call by the assigned plan checker when plans are ready to be picked up for corrections and clearances with the various departments.
When going through clearances same procedure will take place; plans and documents will be submitted digitally via online and hard copies will be dropped off at the various departments offices. When all corrections and clearances are completed a final online review meeting will be scheduled with the plan checker and plans will be stamped approved for you to pull a permit.
All fees will be paid via online with email communications that will be sent by the different departments when a fee is due.
Construction Work Guidelines
Construction work is allowed with specific guidelines that each city/county has issued and enforcing, those guidelines include, but not be limited to:
- Practice social distancing by maintaining a minimum 6-foot distance from others.
- Preclude gatherings of any size, and anytime two or more people must meet, ensure minimum 6-foot separation.
- All workers and visitors on site shall wear face coverings over their noses and mouths while performing their work.
- Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) as appropriate for the activity being performed.
- The owner/contractor shall designate a site specific COVID-19 Supervisor to enforce this guidance. The COVID19 Supervisor can be an on-site worker who is designated to carry this role.
- Identify “choke points” and “high-risk areas” where workers are forced to stand together, such as hallways, hoists and elevators, break areas, and buses, and control them so social distancing is maintained.
- Minimize interactions when picking up or delivering equipment or materials, ensure minimum 6-foot separation.
- Stagger the trades as necessary to reduce density and maintain minimum 6-foot separation social distancing.
- Discourage workers from using other workers’ phones, desks, offices, work tools and equipment.
- Post, in areas visible to all workers, required hygienic practices including not touching face with unwashed hands or with gloves; washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; use of hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, cleaning AND disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, machines, shared tools, elevator control buttons, and doorknobs; covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing as well as other hygienic recommendations by the CDC.
- Place wash stations or hand sanitizers in multiple locations to encourage hand hygiene.
- Require anyone on the project to stay home if they are sick, except to get medical care.
- Have employees inform their supervisor if they have a sick family member at home with COVID-19.
- Maintain a daily attendance log of all workers and visitors.
- Employers must permit their employees to wash their hands at least every 30 minutes
- Employers must make sure employees have access to a clean and sanitary restroom, stocked with all necessary cleansing products like soap and sanitizer.
