Construction industry steps up for Southern Nevadans

When I was sworn in as president of the Nevada Contractors Association, I thought my biggest challenge would be leading the industry through the 2020 election cycle and preparing for the 2021 legislative session. Now, that COVID-19 has upended our personal and professional lives, politics is on the back burner and NCA is finding new ways to lead.

First and foremost, we are making sure our workers are protected. We are working with the Nevada Construction Assembly — a group assembled by Gov. Steve Sisolak to ensure construction worker safety.

As a participating member, NCA has helped develop policies and procedures to keep workers out of harm’s way. In order to do this, we are educating our workforce.

This is an ongoing process that has included daily tailgate meetings to discuss social distancing, proper use of PPE (personal protective equipment), posting safety rules and guidelines in Spanish and English and enlisting a safety professional employed by the NCA to visit job sites and provide updates on the most current safety protocols while adhering to CDC guidelines.

NCA is working to make sure our health care workers are able to do their jobs safely. NCA purchased 14,000 N95 masks, which were donated to local hospitals and organizations. We were able to do the same with hand sanitizer.

Additionally, NCA recently partnered with Assemblyman Steve Yeager to donate 100 lunches to hospital workers. These are just a few ways our members have been willing and able to support our community.

Donnie Gibson is the president of the Nevada Contractors Association.