thesis construction industry

• How it works

Useful Links

How much will your dissertation cost?

Have an expert academic write your dissertation paper!

Dissertation Services

Get unlimited topic ideas and a dissertation plan for just £45.00

Order topics and plan

Get 1 free topic in your area of study with aim and justification

Yes I want the free topic

Construction Engineering Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 5th, 2023 , Revised On August 18, 2023

Introduction

The development in construction engineering has significantly influenced the way our society has grown over the last few decades. Recent research in sustainable construction has been much emphasized in the civil engineering industry. The world is now moving towards systems that are considered adaptable, sustainable, viable, and environmentally friendly.

Many developed countries, including the United Kingdom, have developed pathways towards this future in Vision 2030 and even 2050. There are various exciting research opportunities for students when selecting their construction engineering dissertation topic .

To help you get started with brainstorming for construction engineering topic ideas, we have developed a list of the latest topics that can be used for writing your construction engineering dissertation.

These topics have been developed by PhD-qualified writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question ,  aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  dissertation examples  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of  dissertation topics for 2022 here.

2022 Construction Engineering Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: the impact of virtual reality on enhancing customer experience and decreasing on-site visits to construction projects.

Research Aim: The aim is to evaluate the impact of virtual reality on enhancing customer experience and decreasing on-site visits to construction projects

Objectives:

• To understand the significance of incorporating VR in the UK construction projects
• To analyse the effect of VR on enhancing customer experience
• To examine the impact of VR on reducing the number of on-site visits

Topic 2: The incorporation of AI in UK based construction projects to forecast costs accurately and mitigate safety and productivity issues

Research Aim: The aim focuses on to examine how the incorporation of AI in the UK construction projects can help in forecasting costs accurately and mitigating safety and productivity issues

• To explore the significance of incorporating AI in construction projects
• To evaluate how forecasting of costs can be done accurately with the incorporation of AI in the UK construction projects
• To understand how safety and productivity issues can be mitigated effectively with the integration of AI in the UK construction projects

Topic 3: The impact of workforce restrictions and supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic on the growth of the UK construction sector

Research Aim: The research aim concentrates on to explore the impact of workforce restrictions and supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic on the growth of the UK construction sector

• To evaluate the different impacts of coronavirus pandemic on the UK construction sector
• To determine how supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic has influenced the growth of the UK construction sector
• To examine how workforce restrictions due to this pandemic have impacted the growth of the UK construction sector

Topic 4: The importance of five elements of Business Information Modeling and how these elements of BIM are minimising operation costs and increasing the productivity in UK construction projects

Research Aim: The aim is to evaluate the importance of five elements of Business Information Modeling and how these elements of BIM are minimising operation costs and increasing the productivity in the UK construction projects

Objectives :

• To understand the Business Information Modeling and its five elements
• To determine how these elements of BIM are minimising operation costs in the UK based construction projects
• To examine how these elements of BIM are increasing the productivity  in the UK based construction projects

Topic 5: An examination of different ways through which a site waste management plan in the UK construction projects helps in using recyclable products and mitigating contamination

Research Aim: The research aim explores different ways through which a site waste management plan in the UK construction projects helps in using recyclable products and mitigating contamination

• To examine the importance of the site waste management plan in the UK construction projects
• To determine how an efficient site waste management plan can help in recycling waste products
• To evaluate how an efficient site waste management plan can aid in mitigating contamination

Covid-19 Civil Engineering Research Topics

Construction engineering after coronavirus: identify the consequences of covid-19 on construction engineering in the uk or any country of your choice..

Research Aim: This research will focus on identifying the impacts of Coronavirus on construction engineering in the selected country.

Research to study the damage caused to the construction projects due to the lack of workers on site.

Research Aim: This study will focus on identifying the damage caused to construction projects as the workers are staying away from the sites. What measures are taken to complete these projects and recover the loss?

Contractors and Builders after Covid-19: business industry, tender opportunities, and planning to continue business.

Research Aim: This research aims at identifying the conditions faced by contractors and builders. What is their plan to deal with the COVID-19 crisis? How did it affect the business industry and tender opportunities?

Cite Operating Procedures: research the various safety measures for workers, contractors, and engineers working on construction sites.

Research Aim: This research is conducted to know about various safety measures taken by the government and private organisations for workers, contractors, and engineers working on construction sites.

Investigate how civil engineers are working from home: Identify whether remote working can be a long-lasting solution to recover the loss caused by Covid-19.

Research Aim: Remote working has emerged as a ray of hope for mechanical engineers amid this pandemic. This research will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of remote working and also answer the question of whether it is a long-lasting solution or not.

Research to study the economic and labour crisis as a result of Coronavirus.

Research Aim: This research will focus on the financial loss and labour crisis caused due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Research to study the disruption of the supply chain, shortage of contractors, workers, and material, cancellation of contracts due to COVID-19

Research Aim: This research will focus on identifying the disruption of the supply chain, shortage of contractors, workers, and material, cancellation of contracts due to COVID-19.

Research to throw the light on the future of the construction Industry after the Coronavirus pandemic.

Research Aim: This research will predict how the construction industry will transform after the COVID-19 pandemic. What challenges it may face, and what could be the possible ways to meet those challenges?

• Utilization of renewable energy resources in the development of sustainable homes
• Sustainability and its impact on societies; Visualizing a constructive future.
• Achieving sustainability from properties of concrete; Analyses of the recent research and developments.
• The lean manufacturing techniques and the role of management in construction
• Construction Safety; is there a need to revise or re-model the practices/legislations, reviewing the accidental trends and role of legislations?
• Multilingual safety in construction; reviewing the current industrial practices and the need to improve, highlighting the actual issues of migrant workers in the construction industry
• Analysis of the impact of the latest technology in the construction Industry
• The role of Business Information Modelling (BIM) in the Construction Industry; assessment of practices, management, and productivity through such computer-aided tools
• Procurement techniques; analyses of the most suited procurement strategies in the construction industry
• Is there a need for an integrated model that can replace all other management tools? Review of how the construction industry can be revolutionized through the use of state of the art computer-aided techniques
• Construction Management; highlighting the best practices in the modern construction projects
• Zero carbon structures; use of technology to develop zero carbon buildings
• Waste minimization in construction projects; identifying the best practices
• Use of Waste in constructions; how demolition can be modelled to construct new structures
• Construction materials analyses; timber, steel, or concrete? Investigation of materials for optimum material’s utilization
• Design of Effective ventilation systems in high rise buildings

 Also Read:   Mechanical Engineering Dissertation Topics

Note: Some of these topics may require students to undertake primary research, which includes developing questionnaires, survey forms, and interviews, whilst others are based on desk-based research.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service , which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

Important Notes:

As a construction engineering student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment on existing construction engineering theories – i.e., to add value and interest in your research topic.

The field of construction engineering is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like  civil engineering , chemical engineering , mechanical engineering , engineering and more. That is why it is imperative to create a construction engineering dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic; it is the basis of your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in  writing your dissertation , as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the very initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best construction engineering dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalising your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Take a look at some of our sample construction engineering dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your Dissertation on Construction Engineering

A well-structured   dissertation can help students   to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review :  This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic in light of the research questions to be addressed. The purpose is to highlight and discuss the relative weaknesses and strengths of the selected research area whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down of the topic, and key terms can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology: The  data collection  and  analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes  research design, research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and  data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis: Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include  graphs , charts, and   tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and  Conclusion: The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to link the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References:  This should be completed in accordance with your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices: Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the  dissertation  but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

About ResearchProspect Ltd

ResearchProspect is a  UK based academic writing service that provides help with  Dissertation Proposal Writing ,  PhD Proposal Writing ,  Dissertation Writing ,  Dissertation Editing, and Improvement .

Our team of writers is highly qualified. They are experts in their respective fields. They have been working in the industry for a long time, thus are aware of the issues and trends of the industry they are working in.

Need more Topics.?

Review Our Best Dissertation Topics 2022 complete list.

Free Dissertation Topic

Phone Number

Academic Level Select Academic Level Undergraduate Graduate PHD

Academic Subject

Area of Research

Frequently Asked Questions

How to find dissertation topics about construction engineering.

For construction engineering dissertation topics:

• Investigate emerging technologies.
• Explore sustainability challenges.
• Analyze project management techniques.
• Consider safety innovations.
• Examine cost-effective practices.
• Consult experts and industry sources.

You May Also Like

Any crime that is conducted using a computer and a network is known as cybercrime. Cybercrimes can target individuals in their personal capacity by targeting their property,

The purpose of advertising is to promote or sell goods and services to consumers. Marketing communication that uses print, audio, visual, and online channels to persuade people to make a purchase.

Need help getting started with your dissertation? Here are some interesting MBA dissertation ideas for you to choose from.

USEFUL LINKS

LEARNING RESOURCES

COMPANY DETAILS

• How It Works

Home > SSE > CENG > CENG_ETD

Construction Engineering Department Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Automated Management of Time Extension Claims in Construction Projects , mariam elazhary

Developing and Forecasting the Egyptian Construction Cost Index , Mayada Elsaied

Thermal Insulation and Fire Protection Plaster for FRP System Incorporating Aerogel Nanoparticles and Phyllosilicates , Athnasious Ghaly

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD): A Contractual Framework for the Egyptian Construction Industry , Sarah Hussain

Towards a Sustainable Model for Finishing Materials in Mixed-Use Gated Community Buildings , Dina Mohamed Shawky Ismail

Mechanical and Electromagnetic Properties of Incorporating Graphene Oxide in Cementitious Mixtures , Cherif Khalil

Properties of Portland Cement Concrete Incorporating Basalt-Based Pozzolanic Cement , Rana Khalil

Prediction of Distresses in Pavement Networks: A Machine Learning Approach , Mahmoud Kotb

Applicability of Using Bio-Receptive Concrete For Building Facades in Egypt , Gina Roupheil

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Framework for Applicability of FIDIC Red Book (1999) for Contracts Governed by Law No. 182 of the Year 2018 for Regulating Contracts Concluded by Public Entities , Fredy Ayad

VR-Based Safety Training Program for High-Rise Building Construction , Sahar Badr

Smart 360-Degree Photography for Enhancing Construction Progress Reporting , Ahmed Bahakim

Building envelope retrofits for achieving thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings in future climates: A case study of social housing in Egypt , Donna Nader Kamel Ebeid

An Artificial Intelligence Framework to Contractor Financial Prequalification , Salah Elgamal

Optimizing Repayment Strategies for Egyptian Construction Companies with Multiple Loans , Moataz Elkady

Unlocking the potential of Earned Value management in construction: A Comparative Study , Mohamed Elsaid

An Artificial Intelligence Tool for the Selection of Delay Analysis Technique in Construction , Mostafa Farouk

Resources Based Planning Framework for Infrastructure Maintenance and Rehabilitation Projects , Heba Gad

Price Prediction Models of Metals Considering International Crises , Haidy Ghali

Optimization of Contractor’s Cash Flow Based on Subcontractor’s Payment Management Plans , Helen Ghali

Influence of Organizational Culture and Leadership Style on Disputes in Construction Projects – A Contractor’s Perspective , Omneya Nader Mekhaimer

Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis for Construction Sites , Raghda Moharram

The Feasibility of using High Strength Stainless Steel In Pre-stressing Applications , Rana Khaled Morsy

Development and Prediction of a Construction Price Index in Egypt , Mohamed Ramadan

Implications of Good Faith in Construction Contracts , Nadine Rashed

Effect of Waste-based Geopolymer on Asphalt Binder Properties , Amani Ashraf Ahmed Saleh

Enhancing construction safety training of bridges using augmented reality and virtual reality , Mohamed Sherif Elrifaee

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

A Framework for Real-time Spatial Labor Data Analytics from Construction Sites , Hoda Abouorban

Legal Characterization of the Challenges Faced by the Construction Industry During Covid-19 And Devaluation of the Egyptian Pound , Riham Abuzaid

Mathematical Modeling and Optimization of Water Efficiency in Residential Buildings , Mahmoud Amin

Rework Prediction on a Construction Site through BIM & ANN Integration , Raghda Attia

Final Bid Price Estimation for Negotiated Contracts: Bargaining Game Theory Approach , Amr El Mahallaoui

A Model for the Sustainable Achievement of the Optimum Return for Crops in Greenhouses , Eman ElNahas

A Quality Management System Implementation Framework for Contracting Companies in Egypt , Noha Elsokhn

Strengthening of Long RC Columns Using Near Surface Mounted GFRP Bars , Ahmed Romaih

Project Leanness Score: A Machine Learning Approach , Julia Said

Flexural Strengthening of RC Slabs using Near Surface Mounted GFRP bars , Sama Taha

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Prestressed Concrete Slabs with Bonded and Unbonded Tendons , Jasmin Abdelhalim

Framework for Enhanced Applicability of the Egyptian Public Procurement Law to International Administrative Construction Contracts , Amr Abu Helw

A Proposal for the Use of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis as Risk Management Tool in Construction , Wahbi Albasyouni

Optimization of Cash Flow and Financing Costs in Construction Projects , Sara Ayman Abdelrahman Mostafa Hussein

Using System Dynamics to Study the Effect of Change Orders on Labor Productivity , Shrouk Gharib

Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emission and Its Impact on High-Rise Mixed-Use Buildings in Egypt , Ahmed Salah Hamza

Impact of Construction Technology on Insurance Premiums , Salma Mohamed Ibrahim

A Web-Based Change Control Management Toolkit for Lump-Sum Turnkey Contractors: Transformation to Third Generation , Ahmed Omran

Assessment of Contract Terms and Conditions for Lump-sum Contracts , Omar Othman

Interactive Expert System for Budgeting World Bank Consultancy Projects , Yosra Rafat

Multi-skilled Labor Optimization with Partial Allocation of Resources , Amira Saleh

Assessment of Key Imperatives for Enhancing Precast Adoptability in Egypt , Mostafa Sameh

Model for the Automated Generation of Optimized Work Packages in Results-Based-Finance Mega Sanitation Projects , Amira Mohamed Hasan Shalaby

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Improving the strength performance and economic viability of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis through finger jointing , Hany Amal

Analysis of concurrent delays in the construction industry , Yasmin El Hakim

Improving the Economic Viability and Flexural Strength Performance of Dowel Laminated Casaurina Glauca Patchwood , Hesham Elseginy

Improving the economic viability and flexural strength performance of dowel laminated Casuarina glauca patchwood , Hesham Elseginy

A novel truss formwork made from Casuarina wood , Moustafa Hussein

Impact of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) on modern constructions: A case study in the new Egyptian administrative capital , Esraa Ahmed Khalil

BIM-based structural optimization for reinforced concrete floors using evolutionary algorithms , Mohamed Ayman Sherif

A decision support system for managing results-based financed mega infrastructure programs , Kareem Zahran

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Users' obstacles to ICT adoption in Egyptian construction companies. , Ahmed Azzam

An Ontology Framework for Addressing Cost Overrun through Risk Modeling: A Risk Path Approach , Tamima Sherif Elbashbishy

A proposed assessment scheme for smart sustainable urban development , Ilham Abdelfattah Elfiky

A framework for sustainable slum development based on zero waste concept: "Learn to Earn Model" , Sally Maher Elgizawy

Modified force/displacement-based procedure for performance-based seismic design of regular RC frames , Soha Hassan Nashaat ElKassas

BIM-Based model for the automatic generation and optimization of planning and 4-D scheduling for concrete skeleton: A graph theory approach , Yasmeen Essawy

Performance of Steel-Jacketed RC columns using various cementitious materials , Saadeldin Mostafa Saadeldin Mohamed Mostafa

Prediction of construction material prices using macroeconomic indicators: A neural networks model , Ahmed Shiha

Time-cost Trade-off Analysis for Highway Construction projects , Tesfu Oqubagabir Tedla

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Optimization of multiple resources for multi-projects , Sarah Aboul Fotouh

Proposed force majeure clause for construction contracts under prevailing laws , Amr Mohammad Abu Helw

Flooring systems from locally grown Casuarina wood: Performance evaluation based on simulated in-service testing , Tariq Mohamed Almahallawi

Energy retrofit decision support model for existing educational buildings in Egypt , Rania Eltahan

Seismic performance of steel-reinforced concrete composite columns of older and modern construction , Mayer Gerges Farag

Infrastructure projects in Egypt: A decision-support framework for the selection from World Bank lending instruments , Mohamed Bahgat Moussa

Identifying strategies and techniques for the Egyptian medium and large size contractors to respond to economic hardship , Michael Salib

Feasibility analysis model for construction of soccer stadiums , Mohamed Zakaria Serageldin

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

The effect of mixing water temperature on concrete properties in hot weather conditions , Mennatallah Amr Assal

Assessment of bridges' expansion joints in Egypt , Abdelhay Mohamed Badawy

User friendly progress reporting system for construction projects , Mohamed ElGindi

Causes of variation orders in the Egyptian construction industry: Time and cost impacts , Jwanda Mohamed El Sarag

Design and constructability of funicular arched steel truss (FAST) false-work , Ahmed El Sayed

Simulation and optimization model for the construction of electrical substations , Rania Fayed

Engineering characteristics of rocks in Qatar; Applications on excavation and tunneling , Ahmed Fawzy Kassem

An integrated framework approach for PPP projects in Egypt , Nada Sherin Mohy El Din

Owner time and cost contingency estimation for building construction projects in Egypt , Seif El-Din Nawar

Influence of coatings on energy conservation in construction industry: A case study in the new Egyptian administrative capital , Nancy Abdel Moneim Sakr

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Response of carbon fiber reinforced polymers strengthened beams to elevated temperature , Reem Gamal Abou Ali

Internal curing of high performance concrete using lightweight and recycled aggregates , Mohamed Afifi

Optimizing Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Hospitals , Mohamed Ahmed

Cash flow optimization for construction engineering portfolios , Gasser Galal Ali

Common conditions of construction contracts in Egypt , Amr Ibrahim El-Hoteiby

Horizontal formwork design optimization & selection system using genetic algorithms , Ramy Mohamed Ghowiba

Factors affecting the fire resistance properties of fly ash concrete , Hisham Tarek Hafez

Numerical investigation of eccentrically loaded reinforced concrete sandwich walls , May Haggag

A decision support system for methods of measurement in construction projects , Abdelrahman Magdy

Impact of elevated temperature, chemical and workmanship on performance of beams with near surface mounted FRP bars , Mahmoud Mohamed

Using design thinking to enhance construction site problem solving , Ehab Mokhtar

Impact of variation orders on performance of repetitive residential projects in Egypt , Wael Sherif

Scheduling of pipeline construction projects using simulation , Hany Mohsen Zahran

Parametric modeling of blockwall assemblies for automated generation of shopdrawings and detailed estimates using BIM , Tarek Zaki

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Managing multi-cultural engineering teams in Egypt , Rania Joseph Busada

• Collections
• Disciplines

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

• Bibliography
• More Referencing guides Blog Automated transliteration Relevant bibliographies by topics
• Automated transliteration
• Relevant bibliographies by topics
• Referencing guides

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Construction industry Planning'

Create a spot-on reference in apa, mla, chicago, harvard, and other styles.

Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Construction industry Planning.'

Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.

You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.

Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.

Allen, Christopher James. "Improving construction planning through 4D planning." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/467.

Kovel, Jacob Paul. "Planning construction for disaster response." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/20690.

Aouad, Ghassan Fouad. "Integrated planning systems for the construction industry." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1991. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/7199.

Mendoza, Charles E. "Resource planning and resource allocation in the construction industry." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/26222.

Yeung, Wing-Yan Janice 1977. "Strategic planning for the construction industry in Hong Kong." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81542.

McLeod, John Stanford. "Planning for startup : an evaluation of factors affecting the startup of process industry facilities /." Full text (PDF) from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International, 2000. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/fullcit?p3004338.

Ha, Pui-hing Susanna, and 夏佩卿. "Project planning and control in the construction industry of HongKong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1987. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31263768.

Law, Gordon Ki-Wai. "Decision support system for construction cycle design." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26715.

Yau, Pak-hang Andy. "An analysis of the effectiveness of the project management process and organisation structure employed by government in new town development /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1989. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25947175.

Nathan, Padma. "Project planning and control systems : an investigation into their application and implications of usage in the UK construction industry." Thesis, Henley Business School, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.292387.

Almeida, Joao Carlos. "Strategic issues in lean construction and the higher education construction market sector." Link to electronic thesis, 2003. http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/ETD/Available/etd-0220103-154015.

Appels, Gaynor. "Strategic management guidelines for construction SMEs in the Eastern Cape." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1414.

Salman, S. H. "Planning and control in the small business : case studies from construction industry." Thesis, Swansea University, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.638756.

Lin, Ming-Hung. "Processes and effectvie analytical tools for strategic planning in the construction industry." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/11550.

Bergeling, Gustav, and Zulkiflee Binadam. "Material Supply Chain in the Construction Industry." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Företagsekonomi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-43972.

Zhang, Yanshuai, and 張彥帥. "Optimization of construction time and cost using the ant colony systemtechniques." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2007. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B38984362.

Van, Rooyen Roelof Petrus. "Strategic management of construction companies." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020407.

Stephenson, Paul. "Estimating, planning and control systems based on production data in the construction industry." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 1988. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20400/.

Pizzagalli, Jon (Jon Francis) 1970. "Using bar codes to improve labor and equipment tracking in the construction industry." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32218.

Parry, Andrew. "The improvement of delay analysis in the UK construction industry." Thesis, Northumbria University, 2015. http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/27294/.

Moore, Nigel Jonathan. "A contextual AR model based system on-site construction planning." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/301614.

Kumas, Nihan. "A National It Strategy For Turkish Construction Industry." Master's thesis, METU, 2004. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12605015/index.pdf.

Sridharan, Govindan. "Determinants of joint venture performance in the construction industry : cases from the mass rapid transit project of Singapore." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1995. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1318040/.

Pang, Ka-fai Brian. "A preliminary model for fostering innovations in construction organizations in Hong Kong /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2000. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25949950.

Prince, Michael William. "Strategic planning in construction firms : perceptions and personal characteristics of the manager, strategic planning behaviour, and subjective performance in a large scale survey of the Canadian construction industry." Thesis, University of Bradford, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.385648.

Mogge, John W. Jr. "Breaking Through the First Cost Barriers to Sustainable Planning, Design and Construction." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/4831.

Verheij, Johan Michiel. "Process-mediated Planning of AEC Projects through Structured Dialogues." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/7980.

Al-Bizri, Salam. "Design management plan generator(DMPG), knowledge based system for planning the design processes in the construction industry." Thesis, University of Reading, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.302008.

Ningappa, Geetanjali Ningappa. "Use of lean and building information modeling (bim) in the construction process; does bim make it leaner?" Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/39594.

Alfouzan, Abdulaziz Saleh. "Analyzing the Factors that Lead to Housing and Construction Cost Escalation: A Case Study Focused on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia." TopSCHOLAR®, 2013. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1231.

Pauly, Justin T. (Justin Talbott). "Innovation and the big builders : barriers to integrating sustainable design and construction practices into the production homebuilding industry : the case of Pulte Homes." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33276.

Cross, Alexander F. (Alexander Francis) Carleton University Dissertation Canadian Studies. "Built for profit: sources of form in the Canadian residential built environment, 1900-1960." Ottawa, 1994.

Nordas, Mikael, and Tobias Nilsson. "Produktiv planering via visuell styrning." Thesis, Tekniska Högskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, JTH, Byggnadsteknik, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-30939.

Johansson, Julius, and Nicolas Skoglund. "Projektering i byggbranschen : En undersökning mellan projekterade och verkliga resultat." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-55491.

Fuhrman, Sefla. "Women in Nontraditional Occupations: a mixed methods qualitative case study on women in the U.S. concrete-construction industry." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2017. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2323.

Lee, Cheuk Woon, and 李焯垣. "Design & build in Hong Kong: an alternative procurement method." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1994. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31251298.

Pang, Ka-fai Brian, and 彭嘉輝. "A preliminary model for fostering innovations in construction organizations in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2000. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B30253226.

Casey, Christopher Carl. "The development of curriculum for a high school course in construction occupations." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1998. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1568.

Nivyintizo, Scarie. "Déterminants de performance dans le secteur du bâtiment et travaux publics : le cas des entreprises de construction du Burundi /." Thèse, Chicoutimi : Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1995. http://theses.uqac.ca.

Broberg, Matilda, and Caroline Pagnin. "Implementering av ICT-verktyg i bygg- & anläggningsbranschen – dess planering och förberedande arbete : En studie av planeringsprocessen inför implementering av ett ICT-verktyg." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för ekonomi, teknik och naturvetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-40252.

Rashidi, Ehsan. "Förstudier av kommersiella fastigheter : En analys av arbetssätt ur ett projektledarperspektiv." Thesis, Mälardalen University, School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-7654.

This thesis is written at WSP management and investigates the practice of pre-project planning and feasibility studies at Swedish construction companies, through the study of the ongoing feasibility study of the mall Sturegallerian in Stockholm, and through interviews with experienced project managers in the construction industry. There is currently a big span in the way Swedish construction companies plan the pre-project phase and the aim of this thesis is to present a more generic and standardized way that helps minimize project risks and maximize efficiency and profit.

The result is a generic model which can be used in pre-project planning. The model describes the phases in the preproject planning process and the activities that span these phases. Is also describes the categories of professions that need to participate in the preproject planning group and which activities that each profession executes.

The other result is a list of factors that need to be considered for a well performed pre-project phase, as found during the interviews. Among others the thesis stresses the importance of involving the client as a key participant in the process. The importance of testing the profitability of the idea is also being discussed. The interviews also indicated that the pre-project phase is not linear but rather transactional and that the original alternatives presented to the client lead to new client desires and requirements.

Pakgohar, Alireza. "Hierarchical multi-project planning and supply chain management : an integrated framework." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/15720.

Joubert, Jérémie. "Logiques d’action collective et agencement des dynamiques territoriales dans les démarches d’écologie industrielle et territoriale." Thesis, Troyes, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018TROY0029.

Lau, Chak-Kei Jacky, and 劉澤基. "A critical analysis of integrated project organisations in meeting client's objectives." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1994. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31251286.

邱伯衡 and Pak-hang Andy Yau. "An analysis of the effectiveness of the project management process andorganisation structure employed by government in new town development." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1989. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31251213.

Tallec, Josselin. "La construction socio-spatiale de l’innovation en ville moyenne face aux objectifs de compétitivité et d’attractivité des politiques d’aménagement : les cas des agglomérations d’Albi (Midi-Pyrénées), Alès (Languedoc-Roussillon), Fougères et Quimper (Bretagne)." Thesis, Toulouse 2, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014TOU20063/document.

Gyoh, Louis Ember. "Design-management and planning for photovoltaic cladding systems within the UK construction industry : an optimal and systematic approach to procurement and installation of building integrated photovoltaics : an agenda for the 21st century." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1999. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/6035/.

Decker, Sandra Kay. "Comparing the managerial and administrative benefits of the construction project management information system (CPMIS) to the E-Government environment of today." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2003. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2298.

Bezerra, Larissa Marinho Coelho de Medeiros. "Planejamento e controle da produção com a utilização de células de trabalho: estudo de caso em construções com vedações verticais em concreto armado moldadas in loco." Universidade de São Paulo, 2010. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/18/18141/tde-05012011-154700/.

Havránková, Jana. "Sledování efektivity prostředků na marketing podniku." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta stavební, 2020. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-409967.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Elsevier - PMC COVID-19 Collection

Impact of Covid-19 on field and office workforce in construction industry

The COVID-19 outbreak is the greatest global health crisis in many years. It has had a dramatic effect on workforces and workplaces all around the world, as it has spawned a massive change in the working atmosphere and raised the level of employees’ concerns about their mental health and physical wellbeing. The construction industry has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been challenged to improve the safety and wellbeing of its workforce. The objectives of this study are to identify the health and safety issues that construction workers have encountered during the pandemic and to recommend management strategies to combat them. A thorough literature search on recently published literature, industry experiences, reports, and other related documents was performed to collect and categorize the required data. Seventeen COVID-19 challenges were identified and classified into five categories, and the results revealed that the lack of a safe environment in the workplace, heavy workloads, home situations, and concerns about job stability often contribute to anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Eleven strategies were identified to overcome these challenges, and the results demonstrated that redefining worksite safety by placing signs, ensuring a safe distance between workers, providing sanitizers and washing stations in the fields, and utilizing effective technologies would enhance project productivity while keeping workers safe. The findings of this study will help the project managers and authorities in the construction industry understand the challenges of the pandemic and adopt effective strategies that will improve the health and safety of their workforce.

1. Introduction

The coronavirus, commonly known as COVID-19, is caused by the coronavirus 2 (i.e., SARS-COV-2), a serious acute respiratory disorder ( O. (O) and Coronavirus, 2020 ). It has been reported that the virus can be transmitted from person-to-person and causes symptoms that include fever, dry cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. As of January 2021, the virus had spread to more than 200 countries, affected 91.5 million people, and caused 1.96 million deaths. The most critical part of the outbreak has been its rapid spread and long incubation period ( Hendrickson and Rilett, 2020 ).

In addition to the serious health emergency, the outbreak has resulted in a global economic decline. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) declared that the United States entered a period of recession in February; they called it the “Recession of COVID-19” ( Chodorow-Reich and Coglianese, 2020 ). The U.S. had record-high unemployment rates of 14.7 percent in April 2020 due to the economic downturn, which is appalling when compared with the unemployment rate of about 3.8 percent in February 2020.

The construction sector, like many other sectors, has been affected in a number of ways. Since the pandemic began, there have been fewer employment opportunities, partially due to the work disruptions that were caused by following constraints that were put in place to stop the progression of the virus, and a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) that was caused by the more pressing need for it by healthcare employees. Due to an interrupted supply chain and employee shortages due to quarantines, many projects have been halted or postponed ( urvey: 28% of Member, 2020 ; Rouhanizadeh et al., 2019 ). A survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) found that 28 percent of their members claimed that because of COVID-19 they had halted or delayed projects in the United States ( urvey: 28% of Member, 2020 ).

A shortage of workers is always a concern for the construction industry, but the pandemic has intensified it as a large percentage of construction staff has reportedly screened positive for the coronavirus ( Karimi et al., 2018 ). As the propagation of COVID-19 is largely related to individual contact, encounters between construction employees have played a major role in the delays in reopening projects. Physical distancing policies intended to decrease the virus spread have affected the number of workers permitted to work in an area, how the staff handles their jobs, and how project managers foresee the working environment ( Araya, 2021 ).

Although recent studies have focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on the construction industry, few insights have been provided for the construction workforce in particular. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) identify and categorize the challenges faced by construction workers during COVID-19 and (2) identify and categorize management strategies to effectively address these challenges. The findings of this study will assist organizations in establishing safe working environments in which complete their projects during the pandemic.

2. Methodology

A multi-step research methodology was adopted to fulfill the goals of this study. In the first step, a detailed literature review was conducted to collect relevant articles by using different search engines such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Occupational safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Fig. 1 presents the structured research methodology adopted in this study.

Research framework.

As presented in Fig. 1 , keywords such as COVID-19, physical and mental health, construction workforce, office workers, field workers, productivity, and project performance were used to find related articles in the existing literature. More than 200 journal articles, conference papers, and research reports were collected and reviewed. The title of each article was carefully reviewed and the articles relating to the construction workforce were selected for further analysis, the abstract of each article was examined for the purpose of selecting those that discussed the challenges that construction workers have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the full text of each of the selected articles was screened. After this rigorous selection process, 82 peer-reviewed publications were retained. A descriptive analysis of the literature was performed, and the database was analyzed, based on the name of the journal, where frequency of articles in different journals was presented to identify the majors which have conducted most research in this area, and the continents of origin of most of the research, to evaluate its relationship to the spread of the coronavirus. Next, an in-depth analysis was performed to identify the potential challenges of the construction workforce during COVID-19 and to categorize them into organizational factors, economic factors, psychological factors, individual factors, and moderating factors. The management strategies were categorized into three main categories: workforce protection, project performance protection, and project continuity protection.

2.1. Journal name

A list of 82 publications from various journals, along with their frequencies and percentages, is presented in Table 1 . These publications were extensively reviewed to identify the challenges and strategies associated with the health and safety of the workforce during COVID-19. As presented in Table 1 , Safety Science, an international medium published by Elsevier that publishes multidisciplinary papers, ranked first with a frequency of 19, accounting for 23 percent of all of the papers. The Journal of Construction Engineering and Management published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) received the second highest frequency of 15, accounting for 18 percent of all of the selected publications. As construction was impacted more than most other industries by COVID-19, most journals in Safety Science and Journal of Construction Engineering and Management focused on these challenges.

Frequency and percentage of reviewed publications.

Note: * Journals that have a frequency of one, such as Emerald Open Research.

2.2. Continent of origin

The distribution of publications associated with the health and safety of the construction workforce during COVID-19 is presented in Fig. 2 . Countries worldwide identified the challenges faced by the construction industry during the pandemic and it was observed that developed countries are more concerned than developing countries about the health of their workforce.

Distribution of publications based on continent of origin.

As shown on the map, North America received the highest percentage (55 percent) and ranked as number one among the number of publications related to COVID-19. Due to the significant effect of the pandemic on the economy and health of North America, several research efforts were initiated in this region. Europe, East Asia, and South Asia also have produced notable research, with percentages of 17, 9 and 7, respectively. A low percentage of publications in certain regions does not indicate that the area has been less affected by the pandemic; rather, it may be an indication that there is a dearth of publications from areas where more research needs to be conducted.

3. Challenges and factors that impact the health and safety of construction workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic

The construction industry was one of the first industries to be impacted by COVID-19, and the workers have been subjected to an increased risk of contamination ( Koh, 2020a ). Projects have been suspended, delayed, or altered and new works have been postponed as management has tried to come to grips with new ways of operating. Workers have had to adjust to social distancing requirements, adhere to the latest policies for sanitation and PPE, and adapt to technology for performing tasks remotely if possible. The significance of hygiene, health, and protection has never been clearer, and it is a major challenge to provide a safe working environment and practices, especially when multiple entities of various sizes are working together ( Peñaloza et al., 2020 ), ( Woolley et al., 2020 ), ( van der Molen et al., 2018 ), ( Stiles et al., 2018 ). The temporary nature of such arrangements can make safety leadership challenging, which is key to involving the employees in their own safety ( Stiles et al., 2012 ).

The virus is affecting not only people's physical health, but also their mental health and wellbeing. Contractors are observing their workers' mental health problems, as the workers mention anxiety as one of their main concerns during COVID-19. In a survey conducted by AGC, 70 percent of the participants identified “employee anxiety” as their main issue, citing concerns about supply shortages and local government shutdowns ( urvey: 28% of Member, 2020 ). Psychological health issues in the workplace have been a significant issue for a long time, but the coronavirus outbreak has exacerbated the. Many workers feel stressed about their job stability, the need to work remotely, and/or the need to conduct field work amid rising challenges to their health. Many individuals who lost their jobs during COVID-19 also face mental challenges, as they are anxious about whether they will have a job to go back to and how they will fulfill their financial obligations ( Woolley et al., 2020 ).

Psychological issues and mental health problems are common to those who have experienced traumatic events. Workers often have increased feelings of uncertainty, disappointment, anxiety, anger, exasperation, burn-out, and depression ( Ekpanyaskul and Padungtod, 2021 ). They can also experience a sense of failure, insomnia, difficulty in focusing, and/or exhaustion. If such stress is not handled appropriately, it may result in abuse of alcohol, nicotine, or other narcotics ( Karthick et al., 2021 ).

COVID-19 has also had an impact on employment factors such as wages, work schedules, workload, stress levels, relationships with co-employees and employers, and access to paid leave, all of which can have a direct effect on the physical and mental health of workers, their families, and their communities ( Jahan Nipa et al., 2020 ). Table 2 depicts several additional challenges that are categorized as organizational, economic, psychological, and individual.

Factors affecting the health and safety of the workforce during COVID-19.

3.1. Organizational factors

3.1.1. lack of safe working environment.

Top management teams' lack of awareness has made it difficult for workers to have a safe workplace. Site personnel are likely to experience fear and apprehension as their level of exposure to the coronavirus increases at work ( Ho et al., 2020 ) ( Yu-Tao XiangWen et al., 2020 ), especially if they feel that the vendors or other staff are not practicing safety measures such as social distancing. The number of people working in a workspace may also raise the employees' stress level ( Alsharef et al., 2021 ). In most situations, employees share common areas, including restrooms, and sub-contractors are often involved in several projects simultaneously at different site locations, which increases their potential to spread the virus from one place to other and increases the employees’ risk of exposure to the virus ( Rowlin, 2020 ).

3.1.2. Challenges due to working from home (WFH)

Although COVID-19 unexpectedly supplanted typical work habits, it also sped up developments that were already occurring, such as transferring work to teleworking environments ( Kniffin et al., 2021 ). Prior to the pandemic, whether or not to work remotely was usually the employee's choice. COVID-19 changed that, however, and has pushed many construction office personnel into mandatory remote working environments. Many employees face challenges due to lack of workspace at home and the need to set boundaries when transitioning from the work-to-home environment ( Ramarajan and Reid, 2013 ). Isolation has exacerbated this problem, as the daily interactions with friends and co-workers, an important part of good mental health, is missing and the employees feel socially isolated ( Rouhanizadeh and Kermanshachi, 2021 ).

3.1.3. Managing a different workload

Amid COVID-19, some companies have not adopted new timelines for their projects and are still pressuring their workers, to an extent that compromises their safety, to meet project deadlines as if things were normal ( Omran and Zaid, 2014 ). As a result of social distancing initiatives, design and planning practices have slowed down. Employees may feel stressed or nervous when faced with increased workloads due to staff shortages caused by workers being affected by the virus and self-isolation. Workforce shortages have disrupted inspections and maintenance operations, resulting in many employees working overtime to finish their duties, more personal risks, and higher levels of anxiety ( Nawi et al., 2017 ).

3.1.4. Management team's lack of leadership knowledge and skills

Effective leadership is more than just solving problems at workplaces; it also entails having the necessary skills, competencies, and insight to navigate and mitigate the challenges presented in the midst and aftermath of crisis situations, such as COVID-19 ( Stiles et al., 2012 ). It's still unclear what really constitutes effective onsite management, compliance reporting, and regulation ( Dirani et al., 2020 ) in these types of environments, and construction employees are not yet clear about the level of support they need ( Stiles et al., 2018 ). Top management's lack of leadership, knowledge, and skills pose threats to workers due to misinformation that may be disseminated regarding worksite policies and practices ( Stiles et al., 2020 ).

3.2. Economic factors

3.2.1. reduced accessibility to tools and equipment.

A large number of non-site employees have begun working from home, but they have faced significant challenges due to companies not having the requisite digital infrastructure ( Zaid Alkilani et al., 2013 ). There also have been major difficulties in obtaining access to the requisite software packages and other tools, which has resulted in inefficiency and employees struggling to meet project deadlines ( Alsharef et al., 2021 ).

3.2.2. Uncertainty related to the future of the workplace

Unemployed individuals have zero threats to their health and safety from the coronavirus in the workplace; however, they may experience a loss of motivation that causes them to worry about their work status and financial situation and contributes to poor mental health. A significant number of furloughs and layoffs are being mandated due to reduced workloads. An online survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) showed that more than 40 % of U.S. construction firms have recently furloughed their workers due to the cancelation of contracts and the lack of machinery or equipment caused by the outbreak ( urvey: 28% of Member, 2020 ). Additionally, many organizations are facing challenges of delayed cash flows, resulting in employers having to lay off their workers ( Alsharef et al., 2021 ). All of these factors act as additional stressors for workers ( Rowlin, 2020 ).

3.2.3. Supply chain disruptions

COVID-19 has interrupted and will likely continue to disrupt subcontractor scheduling as well as the supply of goods and materials ( del Rio-Chanona et al., 2020 ). Material delays that stalled overall project progress and triggered major schedule disruptions were experienced due to the social distancing and quarantining requirements that resulted in a smaller workforce within supply chain organizations. The delays were particularly evident when the supply chain included materials or raw materials from other countries ( Fernandes, 2020 ).

3.2.4. Cash flow delays

Cash flow delays are likely to occur due to delays in construction activities, and productivity is negatively affected as contractors struggle to pay their employees, subcontractors, and suppliers on time ( Pamidimukkala et al., 2021 ). Due to material costs and difficulties that owners had making timely payments to contractors during the pandemic, cash flow delays became a major issue and negatively affected the delivery of materials, slowed productivity, delayed projects’ progress, and sometimes even led to projects being suspended ( Choudhari, 2020 ).

3.3. Psychological factors

3.3.1. social isolation due to teleworking.

Social isolation resulting from teleworking has some negative impacts on workers' mental health and eventually leads to anxiety, depression, and even suicide ( Henke et al., 2016 ). A new work environment, different working habits, and a lack of materials and equipment essential to carry out their work ( Rowlin, 2020 ) all affect the workers' mental health. Employees who are already experiencing mental health issues are more likely to encounter new psychological symptoms and illnesses during a pandemic, and the workers who are required to quarantine are at a higher risk of psychiatric illness as they have no interactions with people ( Brooks et al., 2018 ). Workplace isolation has been shown to have major detrimental impacts on workers’ effective engagement, affiliative attitudes, and efficiency ( Ozcelik and Barsade, 2018 ).

3.3.2. Stress and burnout

The uncertainty and complexities caused by the pandemic have forced companies to intervene to promote the safety and welfare of their workers. In view of these stresses, COVID-19 has led to more workers suffering from job burnout – a recurrent state of stress such as persistent feelings of fatigue and less motivation to excel in their profession ( Demerouti et al., 2010 ). In addition, the constant exposure to up-to-the-minute news of COVID-19 creates fear and makes it easy to dwell on traumatizing signs and the potential effects of contracting the virus. Findings have revealed that workers who were subjected to Hurricane Katrina still had the aforementioned signs of anxiety and depression a year after the event ( Obradovich et al., 2018 ), thus adding credence to the fact that mental health is affected long after a crisis is over.

3.4. Individual factors

3.4.1. responsibility for personal and family needs.

Site personnel who work with inadequate resources in an environment with elevated risks and are pressured to meet project timelines worry about the safety and wellbeing of their families and their ability to meet the challenges of providing care for elderly or young dependents ( Stiles et al., 2020 ; Hamouche, 2020 ). They might also be worried or feel guilty about the potential for transferring the virus to their families. Many workers, including those who work in the field and require frequent interactions with people, are at a higher risk of exposure to unhealthy and asymptomatic people suffering from COVID-19 ( Choudhari, 2020 ). Other problems encountered are that the employees are often unable to report to work because of the lack of available child-care facilities, school closures, and the need to take care of sick family members. All of these factors induce pressure and adversely affect their mental health ( Van Bavel et al., 2020 ).

3.4.2. Learning various communication tools

Lack of familiarity and expertise with digital solutions and communication tools translates to high stress levels for employees ( CDCgov, 2020 ). For instance, some persons lack knowledge about how to use a virtual private network (VPN) to remotely link to the organization's network; how to participate in Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams, Slack, etc.; and/or how to link their office desktop to their personal networks. They are overwhelmed and unequipped to meet challenges like low internet quality and speed, and internet outages that impact their productivity and mental health ( Alsharef et al., 2021 ).

3.4.3. Feelings of not contributing enough to work

Many of the construction office workers who are working in virtual environments during COVID-19 have limited, if any, access to office equipment like printers, which makes their jobs more difficult and affects their overall performance ( Van Bavel et al., 2020 ). Employees are burdened by the stress of obtaining their own resources, having to learn to use new technology, a sense of unease about what's going to happen, being unaccustomed to paperless administration and protocols, fear of virus contamination, maintaining office space at home, and achieving a work-life balance, all of which cause them to feel that they are not contributing enough to work ( CDCgov, 2020 ).

3.4.4. Adjusting to new work schedules

Adjusting to new work schedules during COVID-19 such as rotating shifts, night shifts, flextime, and more have varying effects on absenteeism, turnover, and the efficiency of construction employees ( Alsharef et al., 2021 ). Working the night shift is linked to higher absenteeism and lower productivity, while flextime schedules are linked to lower turnover and absenteeism. Different work schedules not only effect employee's productivity but also impact their attitudes and well-being, and ultimately undermine their overall job satisfaction ( del Rio-Chanona et al., 2020 ).

3.5. Moderating factors

3.5.1. effects of covid-19 on vulnerable age groups.

Although COVID-19 has impacted the entire construction industry, there is growing evidence that it has had a heightened impact on certain groups of employees. Older employees, whose immune systems are compromised by aging, are more vulnerable to the virus, which creates disparities in the workforce ( Brown et al., 2020 ). The challenges of telework are also exacerbated for older employees who struggle with technology, self-organization, segregating work and family responsibilities, and an absence of regular communication with project managers and co-workers. Adults with a pre-existing mental health disorders have experienced substantially more negative emotions and anxiety during the pandemic ( Newby et al., 2020 ).

3.5.2. Gender-based impacts of COVID-19

Men and women have been affected differently by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has had a much more serious impact on female workers than on male workers, which has intensified the gender disparities throughout the workforce ( Wenham et al., 2020 ). Since the pandemic has caused widespread shutdowns in childcare facilities and schools, women have been encumbered with increased family responsibilities, and many have had to juggle their unpaid daily chores while dealing with the loss of income ( Azcona et al., 2020 ). The stress of balancing family and job obligations has caused women to experience more health problems than men, including insomnia, nervousness, depression, migraines, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

3.5.3. Impacts on migrant workers

The vulnerability of migrant workmen has become even more apparent during the pandemic of COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, migrant workers had more psychological health problems than non-migrants ( Firdaus, 2017 ; Virupaksha et al., 2014 ), but multiple issues during the pandemic have made them even more vulnerable to these problems. They are unable to isolate or social distance because of resource and/or space constraints, and separation from their families, loss of friends and/or family members to the pandemic, and a sense of helplessness in attending to the needs of their family while working increase the likelihood that they will develop anxiety, psychotic, and post-traumatic disorders ( Mucci et al., 2020 ). These socio-environmental adversities impact their economic status and encourage discrimination ( Zhou et al., 2020 ).

4. Strategies to overcome the health and safety challenges of the construction workforce during COVID-19

The safety challenges of COVID-19 are different for each type of project. For example, those working in outdoor environments and physically apart from one another are in a better position to adhere to the new safety codes than those who are working in contained spaces. It is vital, however, to conduct health and safety risk assessments, require employees to comply with scientific and policy requirements regardless of their work environment, and ensure that the workplace is safe ( Kermanshachi and Rouhanizadeh, 2019 ). All the efforts expended by employers to promote the health and safety of employees during COVID-19 should comply with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act ( Bailey JMadalena, 2020 ). A survey showed that 80 percent of construction sites had made significant improvements to their safety and health policies ( Achilles, 2020 ). The list of management practices is presented in Table 3 .

List of effective management strategies.

4.1. Workforce protection

4.1.1. redefining worksite safety.

Project managers are expected to provide a healthy workplace environment for employees during disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 by redefining their safety regulations. The safety measures include ensuring a minimum distance of 1.5 m between workers; using face masks to mitigate the transmission of the virus ( Stiles et al., 2020 ); conducting regular health screenings, i.e., temperature checks to monitor for presence of any COVID-19 signs among the workers; sanitizing equipment, machines and surfaces ( Stiles et al., 2020 ); installing signs in workspaces that encourage workers to physically distance themselves ( Katherine Vines and Beech, 2020 ); marking one-way traffic in areas inhabited by more than a few workers ( Alsharef et al., 2021 ); and promoting realistic PPE rules.

4.1.2. Supporting employees who work remotely

Working remotely is the most effective way for companies to keep functioning while ensuring their workers’ health and safety ( Greer and Payne, 2014 ). Many office employees, including construction estimators and schedulers, work remotely in order to encourage social distancing ( Hamouche, 2020 ). To minimize the negative impacts on employee mental health and wellbeing that may arise from remote working, however, companies must formulate measures that assist workers during these organizational changes. Greer and Payne (2014) identified several approaches that remote workers can use to cope with the difficulties that arise with teleworking. These approaches include maintaining continuous communication with co-workers and supervisors, participating in virtual interactive sessions that provide suggestions on how to handle the changes inherent in working from home, utilizing online tools to enhance productivity, taking breaks for self-care during the workday, checking in with management when additional support is needed. Workers must also establish and maintain their connections with their employers and establish boundaries between work and home responsibilities ( Hamouche, 2020 ), and teleworkers must be trained how to the technologies that are vital to the quality of their work and communication.

4.1.3. Initiate flexible work schedules to promote social distancing

Various approaches can be adopted to promote social distancing among field personnel ( Alsharef et al., 2021 ), and employers and employees are required to follow them while working on construction sites. These include staggered times for work teams so that they report to work at different times, which minimizes the number of staff at the workplace at a particular time; staggered break times for workers; restricting the number of people in the workplace; regulating the number of individuals using the elevators at the same time; and modifying work sites to facilitate proper physical distances, i.e., 1.5 m between workers during shifts ( Katherine Vines and Beech, 2020 ).

4.1.4. Teaching employees to be aware of and manage the signs of stress

The pandemic has changed the way workers operate, whether in the field, in the office, or remotely. Anxiety and fear about the outbreak can be debilitating for staff and can impair their well-being. It is, therefore, necessary for employees to be able to recognize and identify symptoms of stress that may include feeling irritable, angry, unhappy, depressed, confused, nervous and/or anxious; lack of motivation; insomnia; and inability to concentrate ( Katherine Vines and Beech, 2020 ). Workers must identify the areas in which they feel they have lost control and try to improve their sense of control by developing a consistent daily routine that utilizes the available resources ( CDCgov, 2020 ).

4.2. Project performance protection

4.2.1. enhanced use of technology.

The use of technology has increased during the pandemic, as workers have performed activities remotely rather than in the office. While construction does not seem to be a field that lends itself to Zoom meetings and technology tools, a range of technological advances are being used, such as web-based tools that facilitate virtual, rather than in-person, interaction with customers to address on-going projects ( Firm, 2021 ). Information modeling and digital twins provide a single source of reality across teams, assisting with virtual signoffs and handoffs, and comprehensive visualization of the design process provides greater transparency for decision-makers ( Vithana et al., 2020 ). Some of the emerging technologies like Building Information Modeling (BIM) enable knowledge sharing and effective communication between project teams and the stakeholders and enhance safety inspections, planning, and communication ( Karakhan et al., 2019 ; Yu et al., 2018 ). Advanced technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) boost safety inspections and instruction and can be used for safety training ( Li et al., 2018 ; Wang et al., 2018 ).

4.2.2. Training and educating employees on organizations’ COVID-19 policies

Training is a useful tool for preventing mental, physical, and emotional problems, and employers must clearly convey their rules in a language that everyone can understand to promote the health and safety of their workforce ( James et al., 2020 ). Training provides the workers knowledge about the significance of requisite behaviors and how they effectively combat the spread of outbreaks ( Brooks et al., 2018 ). The amount of training that the workers should receive for a specific work site or assignment depends on the level of risk involved. OSHA suggests that staff be educated to identify the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, be cognizant of acceptable social distance and hygiene procedures, know how to use PPE appropriately, be aware of the need to observe company rules and regulations, and understand how the virus spreads. In light of the current remote working environments, workers must also be instructed about managing virtual teams in order to support their team members. Co-development initiatives must be introduced to promote the workers abilities to comply with the effects of COVID-19 in the workplace ( Hamouche, 2020 ).

4.2.3. Establishing a system to maintain effective communication

Good communication between employers and their employees is essential to successfully containing the coronavirus. Employers must develop a communication plan that clearly presents any changes in rules and regulations to all of their employees in a language that they can understand ( Greer and Payne, 2014 ) and must assist them in adjusting to the new practices ( Hamouche, 2020 ). It is also important to provide workers with information about what changes might occur after the pandemic, the key steps that will be taken to restore all of the operations to their pre-pandemic functioning, and the possible effects of these measures on the employees. Project managers should consider investing in a workflow platform that everyone can use, which might also serve as a repository for notes and data ( Brooks et al., 2018 ). Workers have a responsibility to report possible symptoms, hazards, and exposure to the pandemic at the jobsite to their employers. Thus, communication and transparency on everyone's part can help to reduce the workers' stress levels and promote optimistic attitudes.

4.3. Protecting project continuity

4.3.1. longer timelines for project delivery.

Despite a decrease in productivity caused by a loss of workers, many companies are operating under the same project deadlines and delivery dates that were projected for their clients prior to the pandemic ( Stiles et al., 2020 ). New social distancing rules, significant safety improvements, smaller workforces, the need for adequate PPE, and the time needed for sanitation increase the amount of time that is required to complete projects. Extending project deadlines benefits workers by enabling them to concentrate on their health and safety while conducting their assigned tasks ( Firm, 2021 ).

4.3.2. Perform a contractor assessment to increase project productivity

As a consequence of COVID-19, contractors may not be financially able to complete contracts, resulting in management encountering change orders and allegations ( Lingard et al., 2021 ). The potential risks for this are multiplied for high-value or experienced contractors. Productivity and workforce consistency can be enhanced by performing continuous, extensive analyses during the development stage of the project ( Bsisu, 2020 ). To establish a baseline, these analyses must provide a pre-pandemic outline of development, disruptions, and anticipated contractor claims, accompanied by an evaluation of the contractor's cash flow and significance of the project. It is more important than ever for managers to carefully examine the contracts to be prepared for change orders and allegations ( Zhang et al., 2019 ).

4.3.3. Conducting risk analysis

Performing a risk exercise is an effective way to update the risk registers. This consists of considering a variety of ways that the project could unfold, including risks such as disturbances with supply chains; lack of cash flow of investors, subcontractors, and contractors; and permitting challenges ( Stephany et al., 2020 ). The benefits and costs of project closures and delays should be considered, and priorities for responses and prevention initiatives should be assigned, based on the likelihood and severity of the potential threats. The risk registers should be reviewed on a regular basis and potential threats and risk assessments should be considered ( Sharma and Deng, 2019 ).

4.3.4. Create an end-to-end supply chain map

Suppliers that transport materials across several regions have been affected by COVID-19 in varying ways and with varying consequences that have the potential to compromise the overall project. The inability to deliver materials or the limited availability of even one major element can bring a project to a halt ( Zhu et al., 2021 ). Construction companies must plan extensively and be strategic in searching for additional vendors from which to procure needed materials and in updating estimates for procuring and facilitating essential materials ( Wang et al., 2018 ).

5. Discussion

The authors analyzed the relationships between the seventeen challenges and eleven strategies, and the results are depicted in Fig. 3 . The lack of a safe working climate and the occurrence of health and safety challenges create a stressful working environment for field workers; therefore, the challenges related to the organizational category are recognized as being of utmost importance in the existing literature. Fig. 3 presents that adopting strategies such as redefining job-site safety rules, encouraging more remote work, extending project timelines, and initiating flexible work schedules helps field workers overcome the challenges of an unsafe working environment. Fig. 3 also illustrates that a slow cash flow is a major challenge for both office and field workers, as it results in a lack of PPE, delays in the delivery of materials, and decreased productivity. Performing contractor assessments and risk analyses, and mapping supply chains can effectively manage cash flows and facilitate a project's continuity. Office workers can overcome their challenges of reduced accessibility to tools and equipment, stress, social isolation, and concerns about job security by using enhanced technologies, recognizing their stress symptoms, and communicating with employers, respectively. Employers can help the workers who are more vulnerable to the pandemic due to their age by allowing them to work remotely and teaching them how to use technological tools.

Systematic representation of relationships between COVID-19 challenges and strategies.

In summary, the most important strategy for both office and field workers is effective communication. Most of the challenges presented in Fig. 3 can be mitigated through effective communication between employers and employees. Workers should feel comfortable reaching out to their employers about any safety concerns at work sites and difficulties they encounter while working remotely.

The novelty of this work is based on the identification of Covid-19 challenges faced by both field and office workforces and the development of strategies that can prevent or at least minimize the unintended consequences of these challenges. The potential challenges and strategies addressed in this work can serve as guidelines for practitioners and decision-makers as they take appropriate actions and/or develop effective policies during similar situations.

6. Conclusion

This study documents the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on construction workforces and proposes strategies to effectively mitigate the challenges. Seventeen challenges were identified through the existing literature and were classified into five categories: organizational, economic, psychological, individual, and moderating. Eleven strategies that effectively address the challenges were identified and classified into three main categories: workforce protection, project performance protection, and protecting project continuity. The challenges of unsafe working environments, reduced accessibility to tools and equipment, social isolation due to teleworking, personal and family-related responsibilities during the work day, and age were the main concerns in the organizational, economic, psychological, individual, and moderating categories, respectively. The lack of a safe working environment exposes workers to the virus, the lack of access to required tools and equipment makes it difficult for workers to finish their assigned tasks, and social isolation due to teleworking can cause mental health issues. Eleven strategies were identified to control these challenges. Redefining job site safety by ensuring physical distancing between workers, frequent temperature checks, and flexible and staggered work schedules can improve the working environment and minimize workers' exposure to the virus. Providing the required tools and promoting the use of technology by hosting virtual meetings and frequently interacting with the remote workers helps to reduce their anxiety and stress. Extending project deadlines, conducting contractor analyses to identify delays, performing risk analyses, and mapping supply chains were also found to prevent disruptions and promote project continuity. The results of this study will greatly benefit project managers by helping them understand the workers’ COVID-19 challenges and prioritize their plans so that they can provide safe working conditions that protect their employees and support them both mentally and physically. The outcomes can be useful to government entities also as they address the adverse impacts of the pandemic. For further research, this study recommends conducting a survey of construction field and office workforces, based on the identified factors and assessed the implementation and effectiveness level of each strategy.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

• Achilles . 2020. Impact Of Covid-19 In The Workplace: New Health And Safety Measures. https://www.achilles.com/industry-insights/impact-of-covid-19-in-the-workplace-new-health-and-safety-measures/ [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Alsharef A., Banerjee S., Uddin S.M.J., Albert A., Jaselskis E. Early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the United States construction industry. Int. J. Environ. Res. Publ. Health. 2021; 18 (4):1559. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041559. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Araya F. Modeling the spread of COVID-19 on construction workers: an agent-based approach. Saf. Sci. 2021; 133 :105022. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2020.105022. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Azcona G., Bhatt A., Davies S.E., Harman S., Smith J., Wenham C. 2020. Spotlight on Gender, COVID-19 and the SDGs: Will the Pandemic Derail Hard-Won Progress on Gender Equality? [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bailey J B.N., Madalena I. 2020. COVID-19: the Current Impact on Construction and Engineering Projects. [ Google Scholar ]
• Bakker A.B., Demerouti E. Job demands–resources theory: taking stock and looking forward. J. Occup. Health Psychol. 2017; 22 (3):273. doi: 10.1037/ocp0000056. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bouziri H., Smith D.R., Descatha A., Dab W., Jean K. Working from home in the time of covid-19: how to best preserve occupational health? Occup. Environ. Med. 2020; 77 (7):509–510. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2020-106599. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Brooks S.K., Dunn R., Amlôt R., Rubin G.J., Greenberg N. A systematic, thematic review of social and occupational factors associated with psychological outcomes in healthcare employees during an infectious disease outbreak. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2018; 60 (3):248–257. doi: 10.1097/jom.0000000000001235. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Brown S., Brooks R.D., Dong X.S. 2020. Coronavirus and Health Disparities in Construction. [ Google Scholar ]
• Bsisu K.A.-D. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Jordanian civil engineers and construction industry. Int. J. Eng. Res. Technol. 2020; 13 (5):828–830. doi: 10.37624/ijert/13.5.2020.828-830. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• CDCgov Employees. 2020. How to Cope with Job Stress and Build Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/mental-health-non-healthcare.html accessed. [ Google Scholar ]
• Chodorow-Reich G., Coglianese J. National Bureau of Economic Research; 2020. Projecting Unemployment Durations: A Factor-Flows Simulation Approach with Application to the COVID-19 Recession. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Choudhari R. COVID 19 pandemic: mental health challenges of internal migrant workers of India. Asian J. Psychiatr. 2020; 54 :102254. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102254. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• del Rio-Chanona R.M., Mealy P., Pichler A., Lafond F., Farmer J.D. Supply and demand shocks in the COVID-19 pandemic: an industry and occupation perspective. Oxf. Rev. Econ. Pol. 2020; 36 (Supplement_1):S94–S137. doi: 10.1093/oxrep/graa033. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Demerouti E., Mostert K., Bakker A.B. Burnout and work engagement: a thorough investigation of the independency of both constructs. J. Occup. Health Psychol. 2010; 15 (3):209. doi: 10.1037/a0019408. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Dirani K.M., Abadi M., Alizadeh A., Barhate B., Garza R.C., Gunasekara N., Ibrahim G., Majzun Z. Leadership competencies and the essential role of human resource development in times of crisis: a response to Covid-19 pandemic. Hum. Resour. Dev. Int. 2020; 23 (4):380–394. doi: 10.1080/13678868.2020.1780078. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ekpanyaskul C., Padungtod C. 2021. Occupational Health Problems and Lifestyle Changes Among Novice Working-From-Home Workers amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Safety and Health at Work. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Fernandes N. 2020. Economic Effects Of Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19) On The World Economy. Available at SSRN 3557504. [ Google Scholar ]
• Firdaus G. Mental well-being of migrants in urban center of India: analyzing the role of social environment. Indian J. Psychiatr. 2017; 59 (2):164. doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_272_15. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Firm T.P. 2021. Here's How Covid-19 Is Changing The Construction Industry. https://www.perecman.com/blog/2020/may/heres-how-covid-19-is-changing-the-construction-/ accessed. [ Google Scholar ]
• Greer T.W., Payne S. Overcoming telework challenges: outcomes of successful telework strategies. Psychol. Manag. J. 2014; 17 :87–111. doi: 10.1037/mgr0000014. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hamouche S. COVID-19 and employees' mental health: stressors, moderators and agenda for organizational actions. Emerald Open Res. 2020; 2 doi: 10.35241/emeraldopenres.13550.1. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hendrickson C., Rilett L.R. American Society of Civil Engineers; 2020. The COVID-19 Pandemic and Transportation Engineering. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Henke R.M., Benevent R., Schulte P., Rinehart C., Crighton K.A., Corcoran M. The effects of telecommuting intensity on employee health. Am. J. Health Promot. 2016; 30 (8):604–612. doi: 10.4278/ajhp.141027-quan-544. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ho C.S., Chee C.Y., Ho R.C. Mental health strategies to combat the psychological impact of COVID-19 beyond paranoia and panic. Ann. Acad. Med. Singapore. 2020; 49 (1):1–3. doi: 10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.202043. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Jahan Nipa T., Kermanshachi S., Patel R.K. Budapest University of Technology and Economics; 2020. Impact of Family Income on Public's Disaster Preparedness and Adoption of DRR Courses, Creative Construction E-Conference 2020; pp. 94–102. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• James G.A.F., Chivilo P., Koger Gregory H. 2020. A Look At Covid-19 Impacts On The Construction Industry. https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2020/05/a-look-at-covid19-impacts-on-the-construction-industry [ Google Scholar ]
• Kamalirad S., Kermanshachi S., Shane J., Anderson S. Proceedings for the 6th CSCE International Construction Specialty Conference. 2017. Assessment of construction projects' impact on internal communication of primary stakeholders in complex projects. [ Google Scholar ]
• Karakhan A., Xu Y., Nnaji C., Alsaffar O. Springer; 2019. Technology Alternatives For Workplace Safety Risk Mitigation In Construction: Exploratory Study, Advances In Informatics And Computing In Civil And Construction Engineering; pp. 823–829. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Karimi H., Taylor T.R., Dadi G.B., Goodrum P.M., Srinivasan C. Impact of skilled labor availability on construction project cost performance. J. Construct. Eng. Manag. 2018; 144 (7) doi: 10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001512. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Karthick S., Kermanshachi S., Rouhanizadeh B. 2021. Short-and-Long Term Health Challenges of Transportation Workforce Due to Extreme Weather Conditions, Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET) Conference. [ Google Scholar ]
• Katherine Vines P.W., Beech Nicholas. KWM; 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on the safety of workers in the WA construction industry: navigating risk. https://www.kwm.com/en/au/knowledge/insights/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-safety-of-workers-in-the-wa-construction-industry-navigating-risk-20200428 [ Google Scholar ]
• Kermanshachi S., Rouhanizadeh B. ICSC); 2019. Sensitivity Analysis of Construction Schedule Performance Due to Increased Change Orders and Decreased Labor Productivity, 7th CSCE International Construction Specialty Conference; pp. 12–15. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kniffin K.M., Narayanan J., Anseel F., Antonakis J., Ashford S.P., Bakker A.B., Bamberger P., Bapuji H., Bhave D.P., Choi V.K. COVID-19 and the workplace: implications, issues, and insights for future research and action. Am. Psychol. 2021; 76 (1):63. doi: 10.1037/amp0000716. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Koh D. Migrant workers and COVID-19. Occup. Environ. Med. 2020; 77 (9):634–636. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2020-106626. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Koh D. Occupational risks for COVID-19 infection. Occup. Med. (Oxf.) 2020; 70 (1):3. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Li X., Yi W., Chi H.-L., Wang X., Chan A.P. A critical review of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) applications in construction safety. Autom. ConStruct. 2018; 86 :150–162. doi: 10.1016/j.autcon.2017.11.003. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Lingard H., Peihua Zhang R., Räisänen C., Miang Goh Y., Bowen P., Bhandari S. What have we learnt from the COVID-19 global pandemic: improving the construction industry's abilities to foresee, respond to and recover from future endemic catastrophes. Construct. Manag. Econ. 2021; 39 (2):192–197. doi: 10.1080/01446193.2020.1869480. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Mucci N., Traversini V., Giorgi G., Tommasi E., De Sio S., Arcangeli G. Migrant workers and psychological health: a systematic review. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (1):120. doi: 10.3390/su12010120. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Nawi M.N.M., Ibrahim S.H., Affandi R., Rosli N.A., Basri F.M. Factor affecting safety performance construction industry. Int. Rev. Manag. Market. 2017; 6 (8S):280–285. [ Google Scholar ]
• Newby J.M., O'Moore K., Tang S., Christensen H., Faasse K. Acute mental health responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. PloS One. 2020; 15 (7) doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236562. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Nipa T.J., Kermanshachi S., Kamalirad S. American Society of Civil Engineers Reston; 2019. pp. 580–588. (Development of Effective Communication Framework Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis Technique, Computing in Civil Engineering 2019: Data, Sensing, and Analytics). [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• W.H.O. (WHO), coronavirus disease (COVID-19) 2020. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus [ Google Scholar ]
• Obradovich N., Migliorini R., Paulus M.P., Rahwan I. Empirical evidence of mental health risks posed by climate change. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. Unit. States Am. 2018; 115 (43):10953–10958. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1801528115. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Omran A., Zaid H. Determining factors affecting safety performance practices OF construction contractors IN Gaza strip, Palestine. J. Acad. Res. Econ. 2014; 6 (3) [ Google Scholar ]
• Ozcelik H., Barsade S.G. No employee an island: workplace loneliness and job performance. Acad. Manag. J. 2018; 61 (6):2343–2366. doi: 10.5465/amj.2015.1066. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Pamidimukkala A., Kermanshachi S., Jahan Nipa T. International Conference on Transportation and Development; 2021. Impacts of COVID-19 on Health and Safety of Workforce in Construction Industry; pp. 418–430. [ Google Scholar ]
• Peñaloza G.A., Saurin T.A., Formoso C.T. Monitoring complexity and resilience in construction projects: the contribution of safety performance measurement systems. Appl. Ergon. 2020; 82 doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102978. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ramarajan L., Reid E. Shattering the myth of separate worlds: Negotiating nonwork identities at work. Acad. Manag. Rev. 2013; 38 (4):621–644. doi: 10.5465/amr.2011.0314. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rouhanizadeh B., Kermanshachi S. 2021. Causes of the Mental Health Challenges in Construction Workers and Their Impact on Labor Productivity, Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET) Conference. [ Google Scholar ]
• Rouhanizadeh B., Kermanshachi S., Nipa T.J. American Society of Civil Engineers Reston; 2019. pp. 41–49. (Identification, Categorization, and Weighting of Barriers to Timely Post-disaster Recovery Process, Computing in Civil Engineering 2019: Smart Cities, Sustainability, and Resilience). [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rowlin L. 2020. Mental Health and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. https://www.willistowerswatson.com/en-GB/Insights/2020/05/mental-health-and-wellbeing-during-the-covid-19-pandemic accessed. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Safapour E., Kermanshachi S., Kamalirad S., Tran D. Identifying effective project-based communication indicators within primary and secondary stakeholders in construction projects. J. Leg. Aff. Dispute Resolut. Eng. Constr. 2019; 11 (4) doi: 10.1061/(asce)la.1943-4170.0000332. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Safapour E., Kermanshachi S., Kamalirad S. Built Environment Project and Asset Management; 2020. Analysis of Effective Project-Based Communication Components within Primary Stakeholders in Construction Industry. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Sharma K., Deng L. Reconnaissance report on geotechnical engineering aspect of the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake. J. Earthq. Eng. 2019; 23 (3):512–537. doi: 10.1080/13632469.2017.1342299. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Sharma K., Deng L., Noguez C.C. Field investigation on the performance of building structures during the April 25, 2015, Gorkha earthquake in Nepal. Eng. Struct. 2016; 121 :61–74. doi: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2016.04.043. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Stephany F., Stoehr N., Darius P., Neuhäuser L., Teutloff O., Braesemann F. 2020. The CoRisk-Index: a data-mining approach to identify industry-specific risk assessments related to COVID-19 in real-time, arXiv preprint arXiv:2003.12432. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Stiles S., Golightly D., Wilson J.R. 16–19. CRC Press; Blackpool, UK: 2012. p. 303. (Behavioural Safety Amongst Construction Industry Supply Chain Contractors, Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors 2012: Proceedings of the International Conference on Ergonomics and Human Factors 2012). April2012. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Stiles S., Ryan B., Golightly D. Evaluating attitudes to safety leadership within rail construction projects. Saf. Sci. 2018; 110 :134–144. [ Google Scholar ]
• Stiles S., Golightly D., Ryan B. 2020. Impact of COVID‐19 on Health and Safety in the Construction Sector, Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Subramanya K., Kermanshachi S. International Conference on Transportation and Development. 2021. Impact of COVID-19 on transportation industry: comparative analysis of road, air, and rail transportation modes; pp. 230–242. [ Google Scholar ]
• Tavares A.I. Telework and health effects review. Int. J. Health. 2017; 3 (2):30. [ Google Scholar ]
• AGC survey: 28% of members report halted or delayed projects due to COVID-19. 2020. https://www.enr.com/articles/48976-agc-survey-28-percent-of-members-report-halted-or-delayed-projects-due-to-covid-19 accessed. [ Google Scholar ]
• Van Bavel J.J., Baicker K., Boggio P.S., Capraro V., Cichocka A., Cikara M., Crockett M.J., Crum A.J., Douglas K.M., Druckman J.N. Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response. Nat. Human Behav. 2020; 4 (5):460–471. doi: 10.31234/osf.io/y38m9. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• van der Molen H.F., Basnet P., Hoonakker P.L., Lehtola M.M., Lappalainen J., Frings‐Dresen M.H., Haslam R., Verbeek J.H. Interventions to prevent injuries in construction workers. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2018;(2) doi: 10.1002/14651858.cd006251.pub4. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Virupaksha H., Kumar A., Nirmala B.P. Migration and mental health: an interface. J. Nat. Sci. Biol. Med. 2014; 5 (2):233. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vithana N., Bandara K., Jayasooriya S. 2020. Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic to Construction Industry in Sri Lanka. [ Google Scholar ]
• Wang P., Wu P., Wang J., Chi H.-L., Wang X. A critical review of the use of virtual reality in construction engineering education and training. Int. J. Environ. Res. Publ. Health. 2018; 15 (6):1204. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061204. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Wenham C., Smith J., Morgan R. COVID-19: the gendered impacts of the outbreak. Lancet. 2020; 395 (10227):846–848. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30526-2. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Woolley M., Goode N., Salmon P., Read G. Who is responsible for construction safety in Australia? A STAMP analysis. Saf. Sci. 2020; 132 doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2020.104984. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Yu Z., Peng H., Zeng X., Sofi M., Xing H., Zhou Z. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Civil Engineering, Thomas Telford Ltd; 2018. Smarter Construction Site Management Using the Latest Information Technology; pp. 89–95. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Yu-Tao Xiang Y.Y., Wen Li, Zhang Ling, Zhang Qinge, Cheung Teris, H Ng Chee. Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed. Lancet Pyschiatr. 2020; 7 (3):228–229. doi: 10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30046-8. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Zaid Alkilani S., Jupp J., Sawhney A. Issues of construction health and safety in developing countries: a case of Jordan. Australasian J. Constr. Econ. Build., 2013; 13 (3):141. doi: 10.5130/ajceb.v13i3.3301. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Zhang J., Yang J., Gao Q., Liu K., Jin C., Huang H., Wang J., Tang J., Xu S. IOP Publishing; 2019. Research on the Progress Supervision Technology of Electricity Grid Construction Projects Based on Multi-Service Collaboration, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Zhou X., Snoswell C.L., Harding L.E., Bambling M., Edirippulige S., Bai X., Smith A.C. The role of telehealth in reducing the mental health burden from COVID-19. Telemed. e-Health. 2020; 26 (4):377–379. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2020.0068. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Zhu S., Xie K., Gui P. Dynamic adjustment mechanism and differential game model construction of mask emergency supply chain cooperation based on COVID-19 outbreak. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (3):1115. doi: 10.3390/su13031115. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]