A Collection of Illustrative Approaches Being Adopted, March 2020

1. Mitigating COVID-19 risks during
Construction
A collection of illustrative approaches being adopted
March 2020

2. 2
These slides aim to provide illustrative approaches of practical steps that are being taken
by construction projects around the world to manage the risks of the current COVID-19
epidemic to workers and to the community. They have been collated by the Arup’s
Lenders’ Environmental and Social Advisory Team.
The approaches illustrated have been collated from Arup’s staff working on construction
sites, discussions with construction Projects we monitor on behalf of lenders and a review
of guidance that is being generated by various sources (example reference documents are
included in the last slide).
The approaches presented are intended to be ideas only and should not be relied upon by
any organisation. The approaches presented are also not exhaustive and nor should they
be construed as best practice.
Every construction site will have its own circumstances and ultimately, World
Health Organisation (WHO) and host government advice should prevail.
Introduction
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

3. 3
Planning
• Establish ‘COVID-19 Committees’ to coordinate site-specific COVID-19 responses
• Prioritise response to COVID-19 – make it the priority of all teams, including social /
CSR teams
• Evaluate risks - to the workforce, their families, to suppliers and to the community –
consider the interlinkages / reliance between the Project and communities
• Re-evaluate risks frequently as circumstances change
• Review, update and/or generate work procedures, business continuity, emergency
preparedness and response plans to reflect the risks
• Develop procedures, recovery plans and have contingency measures ready if
confirmed case occurs on site (e.g. deep cleans, setting aside isolation bedrooms for
camp residents)
• Determine minimum amount of labour and supervision needed to keep critical
activities happening
• Establish clear lines of communication and strategies for planning and managing the
spread of COVID-19, with government and non-governmental health organisations,
emergency services, or other support organisations
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

4. 4
• Revise work programmes – focus on programme critical, health and safety critical and
environmentally critical activities
• Consider new shifts to reduce worker numbers on site at any one time
• Issues to consider when planning include, but are not limited to:
- Worker health and spread throughout the workforce
- Mechanisms for virus spread – airborne & physical
- Spread into the community through local labour force, community engagement activities,
site-induced activities (e.g. food stalls outside camps), workers travelling on public
transport
- Worker wellbeing (e.g. if isolated / camps closed etc)
- Effect of other workplace accidents / ill health on a potentially stretched health care system
- Livelihoods of workforce, subcontracted workers, suppliers etc
• Be prepared for enforced shut-down of sites, at short notice
• Test and refine plans
Planning continued
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

5. 5
• If an activity cannot be undertaken safely due to a lack of suitably qualified
personnel being available or social distancing being implemented, it should not take
place
• Be aware that emergency services are also under great pressure and may not be in a
position to respond as quickly as usual
• Site Operating Procedures should be consistent with national efforts but also be
cognisant of the local situation to avoid confusion and duplication of effort
• Remind the workforce at every opportunity of the Site Operating Procedures which
are aimed at protecting them, their colleagues, their families and the wider
population
Keeping Construction Sites Open
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

6. 6
• If an activity cannot be undertaken safely due to a lack of suitably qualified
personnel being available or social distancing being implemented, it should not
take place
• Home working for those that can
• Virtual meetings, or where meetings are essential, restricting numbers so social
distancing can be actively practiced
• Restrict or control employee travel
• Altering shift patterns to reduce numbers on site so that social distancing can
be achieved (can also help to reduce congestion on public transport)
• Planning site activities to facilitate social distancing
Social Distancing
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

7. 7
• Reduce camp densities and redistribute workers within worker camps to
facilitate social distancing (e.g. reducing the number of people occupying a
dormitory).
• Secure alternative housing provisions for workers housed outside
accommodation camps to facilitate distancing and to minimise interactions
with communities.
• Close, or amend hours for canteens; stagger meals times and remove every
2nd chair so that no one can sit beside or opposite another person
• Stagger access to toilets, shower rooms, drying rooms and gyms etc to
facilitate social distancing
• Practice social distancing for toolbox talks
• Reduce number of people attending training; hold training / awareness raising
outside if facilities are cramped
Social Distancing continued
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

8. 8
• Active health screening, for example, employee temperature checks at
entrances to worker camps
• Increase number of cleaners and frequency of cleaning, especially with
common shared contact surfaces (e.g. door handles, drinks dispensers, taps,
desks, turnstiles)
• Increase handwashing facilities and provision of protective equipment (e.g.
hand sanitiser, gloves and face masks)
• Increase the number of medical professionals employed at sites
• Specific training for medical professionals related to COVID-19 response
Health Screening & Cleaning
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

9. 9
• Quarantine for incoming expatriate workers
• Quarantine for all residents of an accommodation block / work group if one
case emerges
• Work teams selected to reduce transmission risk (i.e. keeping work teams
from different camps / locations apart)
• Use of questionnaires to assess risk for allowing access
• Adopt contactless ways of accessing sites (e.g. removing finger-print access to
sites; removing full body-turnstiles etc)
• Restrict access and egress from camps and construction sites
- No exit for camp residents (needs to be balanced by provision of other
means to assure wellbeing)
- No, or highly restricted access from outsiders (e.g. essential supplies only)
Quarantine & Access Restrictions
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

10. 10
• Regular transparent communications to reassure workforce
• Additional wellbeing options at worker camps e.g. providing televisions in
each bed room; additional internet access; organising virtual exercise classes,
faith group sessions or similar (survey the workforce to assess interest)
• Support emotional and mental wellbeing of all employees by facilitating
access to counselling resources, or organising relevant local groups like faith
groups to be on-virtual-hand to support those in need
• Wage and job protection
• Include contractors in these benefits
• Clear communication on how benefits can be accessed
Employee Wellbeing
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

11. 11
• Goal is to minimise risk of Project spreading virus into, within and between communities
• Assess and mitigate all activities that bring Project personnel into direct, or indirect contact with
communities
• Revisit stakeholder engagement and information disclosure channels
- How to safely keep communities informed
- How to provide a safe means of collecting and responding to grievances.
• Restrict /cancel face to face engagement, CSR activities etc
• Use alternative means, appropriate to the communities, to distribute information:
- social media
- online / virtual public information displays
- public address systems mounted on vehicles
- leaflets and posters
• Temporarily suspend land acquisition activities through negotiated agreements etc (but keep
affected people informed)
Community Interaction
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

12. 12
• Consider opportunities to support Government efforts, or efforts of other community
leaders e.g.
- Offer to organise and host events (while avoiding large gatherings)
- Contribute to or run awareness campaigns
- Make accommodation, transportation, or medical equipment available;
- Assess what skills the Project has that might be useful and offer these (e.g.
strategic planning, logistics management, mapping, emergency preparedness or
engineering knowhow etc)
• Support community initiatives, e.g. making soap and hand sanitizer available in public
places
Supporting Project-Affected Communities
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

13. 13
• For the remainder of the time before shutdown, operate the site safely and responsibly
under the agreed arrangements
• Work in a way that minimises the risks of COVID-19 to employees, Project members,
staff, suppliers and community
• Do not to start any new activity
• Complete current activities (or to an appropriate stage) that can be safely brought to a
stop whilst preserving the work completed
• Request Contractors to prepare and submit an efficient plan of acceleration that will
aim to mitigate delay in programme as far as reasonably practical
• Undertake these actions in line with ethical, probity, contract and procurement rules
Anticipate Site Shut-Down
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

14. 14
• Leave site in a safe and tidy condition - ensure publicly accessible sites are left in a
‘safe’ state; e.g. no open excavations (this may require police support)
• Leave site work in a condition that it will be preserved for a period of up to 6 months
• Leave site in a condition that minimises the cost and effort of remobilisation
• Leave site amenities secure and clean
• Remove, or move site mobile plant to a secure location or leave it in an appropriate
secure manner on site
• Retain a skeleton staff to maintain equipment, security etc
• Ensure ongoing employment / protect livelihoods, e.g. providing a basic ‘living wage’
during the suspension or enforcing paid vacation leave
• Agree similar wage protection for workers engaged through subcontractors
• Write these benefits into a Compensation Event or an appropriate legal form
• Make payments to enable contractors to be cash flow positive
• Reach agreements with workers, contractors, suppliers quickly but collaboratively
Closing sites
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

15. 15
• Construction Leadership Council, UK (2020). Site Operating Procedures – Protecting
Your Workforce [http://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Site-Operating-
Procedures-23-March-2020.pdf].
• ILO, Guidelines on Decent Work in Public Emergency Services
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_626551.pdf
• World Economic Forum (2015). Managing the Risk and Impact of Future Epidemics:
Options for Public-Private Cooperation.
[http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Managing_Risk_Epidemics_report_2015.pdf]
• World Health Organisation (WHO), 2020. Getting your workplace ready for COVID-
19 https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/getting-workplace-ready-for-covid-19.pdf
• World Health Organisation (WHO), 2020. Advice for the Public,
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
• World Health Organisation (WHO), 2020. ePROTECT respiratory occupational health
and safety, https://openwho.org/courses/eprotect-acute-respiratory-infections
• Business and Human Rights Resource Centre – COVID 19 In depth area
https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/covid-19-coronavirus-outbreak/
Useful Resources
Mitigating COVID-19 risks during construction – Illustrative approaches

16. For further details, contact:
Colette Curran
Associate Director – Lenders Environmental & Social Advisory Services
Arup
+44 121 213 3988 / +44 7464 488 674
Colette.curran@arup.com