A digital approach to health and safety management on-site: A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic

The unprecedented distress brought about by ‎COVID-19 has severely impacted the ‎performance of the construction ‎industry. On-site activities face labour ‎shortages and the withdrawal of clients ‎from existing or planned projects, has ‎left huge financial burdens on the ‎contractors and sub-contractors. Thus, ‎digital solutions and tools enabling ‎remote and autonomous work have ‎become more popular. This ‎chapter discusses technological ‎remedies including IoT and Cloud-‎based solutions, smart wearables, and ‎robotic construction , ‎used to assist the industry’s recovery from the aftermath of COVID-19. It also sheds light ‎on the shortfalls of technology ‎implementation for health and safety ‎management on site, through 21 semi-‎structured interviews with construction ‎professionals with relevant experience. The findings demonstrate positive ‎implications of the pandemic, in ‎pushing the industry towards digital ‎transformation; however, the need for investments and ‎training programs to deploy ‎technology on site thus becomes apparent. This ‎research informs the body of ‎knowledge of the challenges and ‎opportunities of digital transformation ‎amongst small and medium ‎construction stakeholders, to encourage the ‎development of strategic health and ‎safety management plans that enable a ‎smooth transition towards digital ‎construction on site, post pandemic.

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