Health and safety remain the No. 1 priority as Enbridge projects progress

April 13, 2020

During a time of social distancing and self-isolation, the continued safe delivery of energy—heating homes, cooking food, powering industry, fueling the supply chain—is more important than ever.

As Enbridge’s energy infrastructure projects evolve, teams in our Projects group are applying innovation and creativity—and, above all, prioritizing health, safety and well-being—to keep things on track.

“I’m very proud of how the team has rallied to the challenge and implemented a number of protocols in response,” says David Lawson, Vice President of Major Projects at Enbridge.

“Our teams have implemented strict COVID-19 protocols to ensure our employees and contractors remain safe, healthy and in good spirits throughout the execution of these projects, and beyond.”

Along with specialized personal protective equipment (PPE) and numerous hand wash stations, teams on the Line 5 St. Clair River Directional Drill, Atlantic Bridge Weymouth and Sabal Trail Phase 2 projects have taken further steps to ensure social distancing and site cleanliness.

Dedicated COVID-19 maintenance workers continuously sanitize door handles, handrails, vehicles and surfaces with which workers and office staff routinely come into contact. Social distance coordinators provide regular checks to ensure proper social distancing is being maintained onsite.

Bus transportation to site is limited to two people per trip. All delivery drivers must report to the main office and fill out an assessment form prior to unloading supplies. And for all three projects, a new protocol has been introduced—the use of thermal camera screening for workers at site check-in.

“The idea is we test everybody using this technology, which provides a temperature threshold to allow physical access to the site. If the temperature reading is elevated, that individual will not be allowed on site,” says Lawson. “It provides just one more layer of protection.”

On the St. Clair project site, catered lunches are being provided for the approximately 50 workers onsite from a local restaurant in Sarnia, Ontario. It’s one more method of limiting off-site interactions during lunch breaks, while supporting local business.

“These are challenging times and changing rapidly,” says Lawson. “We always operate with the priority of safety first, and the response to COVID-19 is true testament to us living that value.”