A comparative analysis of construction workers’ mental health before and during COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

Abstract

PurposeBecause of the sort of working environment and the nature of construction jobs, a high rate of poor mental health has been recorded in the construction industry. The aim of this study is to compare construction workers' mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was developed and administered online to building environment professionals working on construction sites. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. An independent sample t-test was also conducted to determine whether there was a significant difference in the mean before and during the COVID-19 infection.FindingsThe results show that mental health challenges were more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the pandemic. The result of the independent sample t-test revealed that there exists a significant difference in all the mean before and during COVID-19 except sleeping too much or too little; having low or no energy and lack of emotion that shows no significant difference.Originality/valueThis study is the first to compare the mental health of construction workers before and during COVID-19 in Nigeria. The significance of this study was that it would provide an insight for construction managers and other decision-makers on the most critical mental health challenges on construction sites, which will help in an attempt to improve the mental well-being of construction workers.

Impact of COVID-19 on Social and Psychological Well-Being of Workers in Construction Projects: A Comparative Analysis of Managers and Laborers

“…Laborers' hourly wage structures meant they needed to be physically present on-site, both before and after the pandemic, and the fear of contracting the virus from colleagues created a sense of panic and concern about their health status and job stability. This fear of losing their source of income further exacerbates their stress and anxiety during these challenging times [4,47,[55][56][57]. On the other hand, managers, being able to work remotely, were able to minimize their human contact, reducing their exposure to the virus and potential health risks.…”

A comparative analysis of construction and oil and gas industry’s health and safety practises in Nigeria

“…Creating a safe workplace is another crucial strategy for health and safety (Oni et al ., 2022b). Maintaining a safe workplace is critical for lowering the risk of worker injuries.…”

“…Furthermore, the routes to this goal are fraught with dangers to workers' lives. Construction workers have been involved in a variety of accidents over the years due to the nature of the work, and these can be attributed to worker and employer negligence or ignorance (Oni et al ., 2022b).…”

Project Performance in the Global Construction Industry during the Covid-19 Era

“…A critical analysis of the 54 PPGCI articles reviewed in this paper revealed that four distinct PP themes were investigated, and these are presented in Figure 3. that Covid-19 had a significant negative impact on project performance in the construction industry, with the main impacts being reduced worker productivity (Al-Mhdawi et al, 2023;Oni et al, 2023;Wijayaningtyas et al, 2022), scarcity and cost increases of building materials due to supply chain disruptions (Alhammadi, 2022;Farooq et al, 2022;Gumusburun Ayalp & Çivici, 2022) and poor cash flows due to scarcity of construction projects during the pandemic (Oladimeji, 2022;Sami Ur Rehman et al, 2022;Tekin, 2022).…”