We would like to know what you’re doing in your community to continue code enforcement efforts. What challenges do you anticipate and how do you plan to meet those challenges?

MAHO members,

We hope you and your families are doing well during this unusual and awkward time. As we continue to manage life around the COVID-19 pandemic, our respective cities and townships are discussing ways to resume our responsibilities at work once State executive orders allow for businesses to re-open.

We all want to ensure the safety of our communities by providing the same level of service as was done prior to the pandemic. We also want to ensure the safety of our departments and colleagues. To do this efficiently, it will take some thoughtfulness as to how we perform inspections; particularly in Rental Housing.

It appears that during the early days of resuming Housing inspections there may be challenges related to following the current Center for Disease Control guidelines. Challenges including: maintaining social distancing in the field, proper use of PPE, and maintaining social distancing at the office.

Because we are all experiencing this crisis for the first time together, we would like to share with you how some of our respective departments are planning to resume Building and Housing operations. We also ask that you please share what you are doing and plan to do in your community to continue providing service. We would like to know what you’re doing in your community to continue code enforcement efforts. What challenges do you anticipate and how do you plan to meet those challenges? We have added a topic in the MAHO Forum to better organize our responses. The button below will take you there.

Here are some basic guidelines that have been mentioned as tools to resume inspection activities safely once the State of Michigan executive orders are lifted:

1. PPE – Departments will provide personal protective equipment to employees including (but not limited to): face masks/respirators, disposable gloves and eye protection.
2. Sanitization Protocols – Departments will provide sanitizers to employees. Management and employees will discuss what is appropriate use of sanitizers to clean (and when to clean) equipment, etc.
3. Social Distancing – Departments will most likely continue to follow current social distancing practices for some time after executive orders are lifted. Procedures should be established in order to reduce contact between individuals in the field and in the office.
4. Inspection Limitations – Departments may limit the type and number of inspections conducted. Limiting inspection activities may be necessary to mitigate risk until a greater understanding of safety is known.

There is a great deal of experience within the MAHO membership that will be extremely helpful in getting through this crisis. We wish you all the best of luck in your efforts to restore normalcy to your daily life while also keeping yourselves and your families safe.

Thank you for your service to the community! We look forward to hearing from you.