May 13, 2020

New Jersey Architecture Offices Can Reopen on Monday, May 18th As Part of Executive Order 142

Starting May 18th, at 6AM, New Jersey architecture firms can return to the office as part of the allowance of non-essential construction resuming per Governor Murphy’s Executive Order no. 142 signed on May 13.  While the order most specifically mentions construction sites, Governor Murphy’s office has confirmed that architects may return to their offices as well. Members should apply the order as appropriate for office conditions. 

All businesses engaged in construction projects in the State, whether or not the projects were designated as essential under Executive Order No. 122 (2020), must adopt policies that include, at minimum, the following requirements:

a. Prohibit non-essential visitors;
b. Engage in appropriate social distancing measures;
c. Limit onsite meetings, inductions, and workgroups to groups of fewer than 10 individuals;
d. Require individuals to maintain six feet or more distance between them wherever possible;
e. Stagger work start and stop times where practicable to limit the number of individuals entering and leaving concurrently;
f. Identify congested and “high-risk areas,” including but not limited to lunchrooms, breakrooms, restrooms, and elevators, and limit the number of individuals at those sites concurrently where practicable;
g. Stagger lunch breaks and work times where practicable to enable operations to safely continue while utilizing the least number of individuals possible at the site;
h. Require workers and visitors to wear cloth face coverings, in accordance with CDC recommendations, while on the premises, except where doing so would inhibit the individual’s health or the individual is under two years of age, and require workers to wear gloves while on the premises. Businesses must provide, at their expense, such face coverings and gloves for their employees. If a visitor refuses to wear a cloth face covering for non-medical reasons and if such covering cannot be provided to the individual by the business at the point of entry, then the business must decline entry to the individual. Nothing in the stated policy should prevent workers or visitors from wearing a surgical-grade mask or other more protective face covering if the individual is already in possession of such equipment, or if the businesses is otherwise required to provide such worker with more protective equipment due to the nature of the work involved. Where an individual declines to wear a face-covering on the premises due to a medical condition that inhibits such usage, neither the business nor its staff shall require the individual to produce medical documentation verifying the stated condition;
i. Require infection control practices, such as regular hand washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage and disposal;
j. Limit sharing of tools, equipment, and machinery;
k. Where running water is not available, provide portable washing stations with soap and/or alcohol-based hand sanitizers that have greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol;

l. Require frequent sanitization of high-touch areas like restrooms, breakrooms, equipment, and machinery;
m. When the worksite is an occupied residence, require workers to sanitize work areas and keep a distance of at least six feet from the occupants; and
n. Place conspicuous signage at entrances and throughout the worksite detailing the above mandates.

Read the press release from NJ and the full text of the executive order HERE. 

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in Business, Uncategorized | Tagged: #AIA, #AIANJ, #Architecture, #BackToWork, #COVID19, #ExecutiveOrder, #ExecutiveOrder142, #GovernorPhilMurphy, #NewJersey, #NonEssentialConstruction, #SmallBusiness, Business, NJ | Comments (0)