Truex Preferred Construction protects its construction workers during pandemic

A Charlotte County construction company took us through a job site to show us how it’s protecting everyone during the coronavirus pandemic.

We spoke to workers with Truex Preferred Construction Thursday who say, even with extra precautions in place, they’re grateful to have a job.

“My daughter is in college,” said Kale Dailey, the Truex superintendent. “She is home from school. She is supposed to graduate in May. There’s no graduation.”

Dailey made adjustments everywhere, from his home to his construction jobs.

“We need the social distancing,” Dailey said. “We need to make sure everybody is safe.”

And owner Bill Truex says it’s the right move for his company and his employees, especially during a time when following guidelines is important for business.

“If we don’t do it right, we could be shut down,” Truex said.

Construction companies nationwide, including Truex in Charlotte County, hold job site safety stand downs to make sure their essential workers take the proper precautions to stay healthy. Associated Builders and Contractors trade association plans to host its nationwide stand down next Thursday. Some of its members are construction companies in Punta Gorda and Fort Myers

“We really need to follow CDC guidelines really closely and carefully and anything else that we can add to it for the safety of our employees,” Truex said.

That includes the addition of signs to remind workers about ways to stay healthy and keeping tight-knit crews physically apart.

“In a single-family, single-story house we don’t want more than 10 people inside,” Truex said. “And they have to practice six feet of separation.”

Truex construction plans to practice what it preaches during the pandemic to continue to keep workers safe.

“It’s struggling, but it will bring us together,” Dailey said. “We are going to recover and be stronger for it.”