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An industry task force is examining how Covid-19 infections in the construction industry can be prevented when work gradually resumes after the circuit breaker ends, The Straits Times has learned.
With eight or ten members from the Singapore Contractors Association Limited (Scal), it is working with authorities to design new practices, said Scal’s first vice president, Lee Kay Chai.
Details are still in the works, but the guidelines to be discussed will cover safe workplaces, accommodation and transportation, Lee said.
Last Friday a circular was sent to Scal members highlighting the need for further measures. This will expand on the existing guidelines introduced before the circuit breaker. Most construction work stopped when the circuit breaker started.
By the end of this month, 20,000 Covid-19-infected migrant workers are expected to have recovered. All 323,000 dorm workers will be screened to make sure they are virus-free before returning to work.
Migrant workers make up the majority of Covid-19 cases here, with transmission in dorms and workplaces and in social settings believed to be the key reason for the rapid spread among the community in recent months.
Scal, which represents about 3,000 companies, is exploring how employees on the same project can be housed in the same bedroom or on-site to reduce the mix with other workers, Lee said.
A typical workplace could include workers from up to 10 different bedrooms or different housing sites, depending on their type, industry players said. Several subcontractors from different companies would also be present along with the main contractor.
But while it would be ideal if all the workers in the same place could stay together, there are practical difficulties, Lee acknowledged. For example, many projects may not have enough space for temporary dorms to accommodate all workers.
The working group, which was created three weeks ago, is also reviewing the work processes. “We have specialized contractors working on multiple projects at once. If you want to isolate (your workers) at a project site, there will be a labor shortage for them, and also a lot of redundancy, as I may not have enough work to do. do a few days, “Lee said.
Employers and experts in workplace safety and health agreed on the need for stricter measures.
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What industry players suggest
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• Reduce the number of truck and bus workers when driven from dormitories to work sites. This can be done by increasing vehicle capacity or staggering work hours so that multiple trips can be made in a truck or bus.
• Wear face masks in the workplace at all times.
• Host all workers, who may have stayed in different places, in the same project site where possible. Some construction sites, which may have completed works in multi-storey car parks, for example, may temporarily become housing for workers.
• Minimize the movement or cross-deployment of workers and subcontractors at different project sites when possible. Work processes can be reorganized to support this. If there is a need for such a cross-deployment, workers should be divided into teams and their details should be taken to facilitate contact tracing if a Covid-19 case arises.
• Divide workers into smaller groups at job sites and make sure they mix only within these groups. The use of physical barriers or the use of color-coded bands can help to ensure such segregation.
• Stagger work hours to reduce the number of workers at a site. This could involve allowing work to continue at night.
• Appoint an independent external inspector to enforce safe distancing and management practices.
• Disinfect tools, machines, and vehicles daily.
Yuen Sin
Johnny Lim, executive director of Teambuild Engineering and Construction, said contractors will have to plan ahead to reduce the need for subcontractor workers to handle specific tasks, such as tile to move from site to site.
Workplace safety and health trainer Han Wenqi said that workers performing the same function should group and mix only within the same group, including at meals or breaks.
But Dr. Goh Yang Miang, former chairman of the technical committee on health and safety engineering at The Institution of Engineers, Singapore, noted that the effectiveness of measures such as safe distancing and the use of protective equipment such as masks are highly dependent of whether the workers comply.
While these measures are vital, the use of technology in the workplace will play a bigger role in the near future in curbing the spread of Covid-19, he said.
“The industry has traditionally relied heavily on manual labor, and more expensive options such as the use of more machinery were deemed impractical due to cost … many contractors will need to reevaluate their position on it.”
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