As we all face the Covid-19 pandemic together, the BCGWA strongly recommends that you follow all guidance from the Government of Canada and Government of British Columbia and remind you that in BC you must follow Provincial Health Officer (PHO) orders. For more information refer to:
Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html
Government of BC: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support
WorkSafeBC – detailed information for all workers in BC: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/covid-19-updates
The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) website provides extensive information that will be very useful to everyone in BC who works in the field. Their daily updates are full of relative information, resources and links. The site also has a great health and safety section, provides regular updates to Government actions that affect construction workers, contains links to relevant WorkSafeBC resources, and has an extensive Covid-19 Q&A section. https://www.bccassn.com/covid-19/default
The National Groundwater Association (NGWA) website has a fair amount of business information specific to American companies, but it also includes lots of other resources intended for everyone who works in groundwater. The health and safety section should be of particular interest to BCGWA members. https://www.ngwa.org/publications-and-news/covid-19-news-and-resources
Also on the NGWA site is a very informative article from the Water Well Journal “COVID-19 and Groundwater” that includes extensive input from drillers with checklists for home service calls (if allowed), questions to ask customers prior to starting work, and discusses how our industry eventually moves forward. https://waterwelljournal.com/covid-19-and-groundwater/
In addition, the NGWA has started a Facebook Group called “COVID-19 Discussion Group” that has all their latest news and updates about the coronavirus. The group also provides a space for contractors, drillers, owners, and other professionals to seek advice on social distancing practices or how to better serve clients during this time. Click here to join the Facebook Group. (Please note, BCGWA’s social media pages on LinkedIn and Facebook provide the same opportunity for our members.)
Groundwater Canada has been doing a great job of collecting general information as well as information specific to Canadians who work in groundwater: https://www.groundwatercanada.com/?oly_enc_id=7021D8635690F8B
As some of us find ourselves in an ever increasing number of video calls, our friends at PGL Environmental have put together a “Video Conference Call Best Practices” document: https://www.pggroup.com/videoconferencebestpractices/
Check back here often for updated links and information.