May 22, 2020

Two months into the pandemic and RJS Constructions is still committed to the highest level of safety for our contractors on site.

With BC starting phase two of its careful restart plan, BC’s updated Public Health Act has given RJS new safety protocols to follow.

These construction protocols for phase two include:

• No more than 50 people on the same site in any circumstance.
• Where possible employees should maintain a distance of 2 metres apart from each other.
• Post signage that limits the number of occupants in any elevator to four people at a time.
• Reduce in-person meetings and other gatherings and hold site meetings in open spaces or outside.
• Increase the number of handwashing stations and post signage that identifies their location.
• Maintain a list of employees that are currently working on sites and update this list daily.
• All common areas and surfaces should be cleaned at the end of each day. Examples include washrooms, shared offices, common tables, desks, light switches, and door handles.
• Anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms such as sore throat, fever, sneezing, or coughing must self-isolate at home for 14 days.

At RJS Constructions, we work hard and tirelessly to get the job done while still adhering to the protocols and advice given to us by medical and safety professionals. As we move forward into helping restart and rebuild our economy, we look forward to doing our part in keeping contractors, and the people who get to enjoy the projects we create, safe during these unprecedented times.

March 19, 2020

Our concern for the health of our clients, employees, families and community is paramount at RJS Construction Ltd. As we continue to monitor the evolving risk of COVID-19, we are taking measures recommended by the World Health Organization, Public Health Agency of Canada and all other government agencies to help reduce the risk of transmission.

Preventative Measures

It is our expectation that any employee and trade staff that have been outside Canada or exposed to anyone who has travelled outside of Canada since the restriction on travel was imposed, stay home for fourteen (14) days from the date of the return or the date of contact of the person returning. Employees of RJS Construction or any trade employees who have been exposed to or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 will not be permitted to work on any RJS job site until the individual has been confirmed to be symptom-free which is normally demonstrated as a period of fourteen (14 ) days.

Any employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4 F [37.8 C] or greater), signs of fever and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom altering symptoms (i.e. cough, suppressants). It is recommended that employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day should be separated from other employees and sent home
immediately.
All employees should cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or into an elbow if no tissue is available). Employees should practice good hand hygiene by washing their hands fully and often, with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Or use a hand sanitizer that
contains at least 60-95% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

We will continue to update our policies and procedures in accordance to any recommendations by the health authorities and government agencies as the situation develops.

106-18635 52nd Ave, Surrey BC, V3S 8E5
info@rjs-construction.ca 604-576-6166

RJS Construction Site Spread Prevention

• Speak to all your Sub trades to space them out so people are not working in the same space at the
  same time.
• Avoid physical contact. Stay a minimum of 6’ away from other individuals
• Use cell phones for communication even onsite so that min. distances can be maintained.
• Don’t share tools
• Don’t exchange anything by hand
• Avoid touching your face
• Use approved cleaning methods on items that have been passed between individuals

Government Resources Links
BC Center for Disease control

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19utm_campaign=20200311_GCPE_AM_COVID_2_NOTIFICATION_BCGOV_BCGOV_EN_BC__NOTIFICATION
Federal Government- Information on preventing the spread

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/public-health-measures-mitigate-covid-19.html

Federal Government – Support for Canadians

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2020/03/canadas-covid-19-economic-response-plan-support-for-canadians-and-businesses.html#Support_for_Canadians

Best Regards,

Management
RJS Construction Ltd.

A month into 2020 and RJS has new projects to share, a new plan, along with the same teamwork and values you can rely on. 

In our last blog we talked about the projects we did in 2019 and the massive growth we were expecting this year with new projects and expansions. We want to share a couple of projects that we’ve been working on this past month. We also want to share our experience at this year’s Winter Summit at the Breakthrough Academy and what it taught us about teamwork. 

Without the committed team we have at RJS, going fearlessly toward the future couldn’t be possible. 

New Portfolios for 2020

We’re excited to announce that we have eleven new portfolios coming up this year! One of the major projects we began this month is the 45 unit townhouse owned by Cougar Creek, Red Door Housing Society  and BC Housing in Surrey. We’re doing a complete envelope remediation as well as re-piping, re-modelling and upgrades. Visit our social media regularly to see project updates. 

One of the portfolios we’ll be working on is the pet crematory at Gateway Pet Memorial. We understand how emotional it can be to say goodbye to our little furry friends, and it’s why we feel this is a much-needed service that gives families the best in pet aftercare. 

Another portfolio we’re happy to announce is the expansion of the office and warehouse of Thirst First Coffee in Surrey, BC. We know how much people love their coffee in BC, so we’re excited that Thirst First will be starting their own roasting site, right here in Surrey. 

Both Gateway and Thirst First will begin their permit process in May. You’ll notice that a lot of our projects this year are happening in Surrey. We’re very proud of the fact that more and more people look to Surrey for growth and opportunity, and we’re honoured to be supporting that growth with the best quality construction possible.

Winter Summit and Moving Forward in 2020

As we explained in our last blog, this year we will be increasing our company’s growth by 60%. But the question of how we move forward with that growth is one we’ve been navigating through.

We began to get our answers when we recently took part in the Winter Summit organized by Breakthrough Academy January 9th-11th. The summit brought together many of our peers and trades professionals to discuss strategy and growth using the BTA Management System. During the summit, our founder, Ryan Steward, was invited to speak on a panel where they discussed:  

• How to strategize a plan and move fast. 
• How to quickly implement that plan.
• The value of good teamwork.

At the summit, Ryan also heard from Brian Scudamore, founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Breakthrough Academy’s keynote speaker, who spoke about vision and teamwork. Brian said that at one point in 1997 he understood that in order for his company to grow, he needed a team that shared his same vision. So, he hired new staff committed to wanting to grow with the company and see it succeed. He even changed his tagline to one that would reflect his culture of his team: It’s All About People. Now, since 1998, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has made over $105 million in revenue and is found in 150 countries. Brian said he attributes this success to a focused and valued team. 

The winter summit was a great opportunity for RJS Construction to network with other peers and strategize our plans for the future. After the summit, Ryan recognized now was the time to meet with the rest of his team and understand what they saw for themselves and for RJS in the next five years. He held a company-wide meeting to ask them what they thought.

How RJS values teamwork to move forward as a whole

A main theme at the meeting was how to keep good communication going among our team. In the last few months we’ve hired new employees and accepted new opportunities, and of course this new growth brings on it’s own set of challenges. We discussed how to revamp our Goal Setting Review meetings with each employee by making them more efficient and consistent. We also discussed having regular company wide meetings in order to become more transparent as a company. 

Another theme was continuing our company culture. RJS takes pride in every team member and we treat each other like family. Our staff explained this is a big reason why they stay with us and hope to continue these team outings as we grow larger. We agreed to budget for quarterly fun events organized by a different team member each time. We agreed this a great way to build morale and share in a little friendly competition on who can organize the best event. 

No matter how much we grow, RJS is a company that values everyone’s role on the team. We frequently host company wide fishing trips and camping trips to bond our staff together, and we’ll continue those traditions throughout the next five years. We do this because, as Brian Scudamore said, we can’t move forward into the future without our team looking in the same direction. 

At RJS It’s About the People

We feel confident about the future thanks in part to the winter summit, our new portfolios and our team vision. We are excited by the prospect of success in 2020 and we feel we have the right tools to see RJS thrive in the next 5 years.

When everyone looks forward in the same direction, then the sky’s the limit.