Site Safety in Pandemic

As part of safety and health procedures, sites are required to have and follow strict Standard Operating Procedures during this time. It is a shame that many of the Covid-19 clusters identified are originated from site. What are the main factors for this?

1. Living in cramped 'kongsi' or workers quarters.

We've heard the advice again and again - to avoid confined spaces. With confined spaces, it is easier for the virus to spread. This can be difficult when living quarters are cramped, and the spread may not easily be controlled.

For development sites under the jurisdiction of DBKL, generally, workers quarters aren't allowed on site. However, for most cases, workers quarters are allowed, provided that the accommodation follows specific rules and guidelines set by the local authority, and MUST follow the The Workers' Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities (Amendment) Act 2019. Some providers neglect this, hiding their quarters behind hoarding fence, and while some have their quarters openly, they do not follow the basic guidelines.

For example, some contractors may provide a 10ft x 10ft container for 3 workers to live in. However, if you calculate this as per guidelines set by the government, minimum required space per worker is 4.5 m2, this is not enough.

10 ft x 10 ft = 100 ft2

100 ft2 = 9.29m2

9.29m2/3 = 3.09m2 / person.

3.09m2/ person < 4.5m2/person, NOT ENOUGH.

This is just an example of what may happen in some sites, however, I applaud contractors who provide well enough spaces for their workers.

2. Not declaring sick workers

In construction, time is of the essence. A delay of a day or two may cause hundreds of thousands in losses. Due to this, some employers tend to ignore cases of sick employees who may have contracted Covid-19 to avoid having not enough manpower. This is selfish, as this type of ignorance can lead to the virus spreading like wild fire. Declaration of health needs to be done daily to ensure that this does no t happen.

3. Not following SOPs

This does not only apply to personnel at site, but this is what has been happening all around. Just because you're safe from Covid-19 for now, doesn't mean that you are not exposed to the danger of it. Follow the SOPs. Do not be in close contact with others, wear a mask, keep your distance, sanitize!

Stay safe everyone!