What’s Considered ‘Essential’ Work? Feds Issue Guidance

NATIONAL—The United States Department of Homeland Security has issued guidance on what and who makes up the “essential critical infrastructure workforce.” While not meant to be an all-inclusive list, the advisories identify workers who conduct operations and provide services that are essential to the U.S. infrastructure, which include: workers who support crucial supply chains, those who maintain and repair critical infrastructure, construction work, etc. 

Here’s some of what’s now included pertaining to construction work:

• Water and wastewater infrastructure
• Hospitals/health care, including temporary facilities 
• Housing 
• Transportation 
• Communications
• Onshore and offshore petroleum 
• Renewable energy projects 

Local jurisdictions have the power to determine what else is on the list. In some areas, such as New York, the restrictions are a lot more limiting—outside of a short list of new projects, such as health-care construction, contractors can only work on projects that are partially finished and create safety hazards in their current state or projects that involve emergency repairs. 

Read the department’s extended guidance here.