COVID-19 and the Ghanaian construction industry

Agyekum, Kofi; Adinyira, Emmanuel; Odame Adade-Boateng, Anita; Manu, Patrick; Maame Afriyie Kumah, Victoria

Abstract

This chapter examines the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction industry in Ghana and the measures put in place to control the spread of the virus. The views of 223 construction industry personnel, made up of Directors, Health and Safety Officers, and Construction Managers from building construction firms in Ghana, were sought on the subject under investigation. Data obtained from the survey were analysed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, mean score ranking, and Kruskal-Wallis test. The findings of the study reveal the key impacts of the pandemic include anxiety leading to the poor mental health of workers, interruption of planning and scheduling, and scarcity of materials and equipment. The key measures put in place to control the spread of the virus include awareness creation, proper hygiene and housekeeping, and regular screening of workers. With these findings, the firms will be in a position to understand the key areas where the impacts were hard felt. This will provide them with the opportunity to find a better solution not only to control the problem now but in the future should similar pandemics break out.

• Online Publication Date: Sep 12, 2023
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Mar 19, 2024
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Book Title: Construction Safety, Health and Well-being in the COVID-19 era
• Chapter Number: 14
• ISBN: 9781032229157
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003278368-16/
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11832317
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003278368-16/covid-19-ghanaian-construction-industry-kofi-agyekum-emmanuel-adinyira-anita-odame-adade-boateng-patrick-manu-victoria-maame-afriyie-kumah?context=ubx&refId=17e712c8-f72f-4846-b47b-376f3