Construction companies in Michigan are asking for a clear timeline for when they can expect to go back to work, according to www.wilx.com. On April 27, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) announced infrastructure may be included in the next phase of reopening the state’s economy but did not provide a timeline.
Jeff Wiggins, state director of Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan, said workers are prepared to return to work safely.
“We’re ready to go back to work,” Wiggins said. “We have the plans in place, so there is no prep work that needs to be done. Safety is in our DNA.”
Bob Filka, CEO of Home Builders Association of Michigan, said his construction team also is anxious to get back to work but notes it could be challenging to ramp projects up again.
“The whole supply chain and staff have been shut down, so there may be challenges getting material to job sites, and actually workforce, as well,” Filka said. “We have had workers leave the state and go to Indiana and Ohio and Illinois and Wisconsin, where residential construction has been allowed for since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.”
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan had about 180,000 construction workers in March; it is unclear how many lost jobs because of the pandemic.
Whitmer said if COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to drop, construction work could soon reopen.
“We’ll start with workplace types that pose the least amount of risk,” Whitmer said. “It’s really important that we get this right, so the first will be additional outdoor enterprises that we feel pose low risk. We’ll also be looking at residential and commercial construction.”
