Managing the risk and challenges of COVID-19 on construction sites in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose The novel COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk in construction operations. New systems are, thus, required on construction sites to mitigate the risk and challenges associated with the pandemic. This paper aims to determine construction organisations risk control systems and the challenges of implementing safety measures on construction sites. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a qualitative research method. A purposive sampling method was used to select study participants, who were administered open-ended questionnaires designed to gather qualitative data. The contents of the data were analysed, presented and reported based on the objectives of the study. Findings Some of the construction organisations conducted COVID-19 related risk assessments, whilst a few organisations did not conduct a risk assessment. Inspections to ensure COVID-19 compliance was done by government officials, health organisations and client’s health and safety officers. The construction organisations demonstrated considerable competence in record keeping and some organisations further evolved a follow-up plan for sick workers. The study found that some construction practitioners had misconceptions about the disease, used COVID-19 personal protective equipment incorrectly and lack adequate information about the virus. It is required that construction stakeholders evolve policies and strategies that would promote risk control and foster compliance to COVID-19 safety measures. Originality/value COVID-19 is still new, therefore, the body of knowledge is still at the infancy stage. This paper provided insight into the COVID-19 related risk and challenges that may increase the rate of virus infection amongst construction practitioners.

Impacto da pandemia da Covid-19: FCS em planos e programas de SST em canteiros de obra de Maceió, Alagoas

“…Em 2020, quando pouco se sabia sobre a transmissão, sintomas e periculosidade do vírus, os trabalhadores da empresa objeto de estudo que apresentasse algum sintoma gripal como tosse, coriza, febre ou dor de cabeça, ou tivesse tido contato próximo com alguém que tivesse testado positivo para Covid- A etapa de campo da pesquisa, com apoio de questionário construído a partir de [13] e adaptado por meio dos FCS levantados na etapa de MSL, permitiu identificar que os seis principais FCS apontados pela literatura foram também identificados no contexto…”

“…Para a etapa de campo, procedeu-se a seleção intencional de um canteiro de obras e população-alvo, de onde foram coletados dados primários, conforme [12], por meio de questionário semiestruturado construído a partir dos FCS levantados na etapa prévia do MSL e fundamentado em [13]. Foram 14 participantes, de diferentes formações vinculados à empresa, como engenharia civil (5), engenharia de segurança do trabalho (1), técnico de segurança do trabalho (1), técnico em edificações (4) e mestre de obras (3).…”

Examination of survival strategies of quantity surveying firms amid COVID-19 pandemic disruption in Lagos State, Nigeria

“…, 2020). Araya (2021) recently found that the construction industry worldwide has been disrupted by the spread of the COVID-19, leading to significant delayed or stopped construction projects under development, a fact confirmed by Kukoyi et al. (2022) in the case of Nigeria.…”

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

“…The most commonly utilized safety measures included the provision of personal protective equipment for the workers (Alara, 2021;Amoah & Simpeh, 2021;Olanrewaju et al, 2021), educating workers about Covid-19 (Agyekum et al, 2022;Chigara & Moyo, 2022;Kukoyi et al, 2022), ensuring physical and social distancing on the construction site (Gan & Koh, 2021;Nnaji et al, 2022;Olukolajo et al, 2022), daily sanitization of construction equipment and work sites (Chigara & Moyo, 2022;Onubi et al, 2022; and staggering start times, break times and finish times to avoid congestion on sites (Nnaji et al, 2022;Onubi et al, 2022;Simpeh & Amoah, 2023) Once construction firms ensured that workers were protected as much as possible from the Covid-19 virus, the next issue was to develop strategies to continue construction activities amidst the safety restrictions put in place, and that was the focus of 14 of the 54 articles reviewed in this study. Four distinct coping strategies were identified, with the most prevalent being construction firms collaborating with one another to share expertise, building materials and personnel in order to successfully complete projects (Salami et al, 2023;Sutterby et al, 2023;Yan & Li, 2022).…”