Covid-19 Provides
Construction Industry
with Opportunity
for Change
As the construction industry reopens
under level 3 lockdown restrictions,
the Construction Covid-19 Rapid
Response Task Team (CC19RRTT) continues
to lobby government for change that
will facilitate the recovery of the embattled
sector, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is according to Cox Yeats attorney
and CC19RRTT representative Richard
Hoal, speaking at an online roundtable
discussion hosted by Databuild.
Also on the panel were iProp marketing
director and chairperson of the South
African Property Owners Association
(SAPOA) National Developers Forum
Richard Bennet, Combined Flooring
contracts director Jason Merrington,
Kaygrant Technical Services business
manager Andrew Farrow and Corobrik
commercial director Musa Shangase.
Health and safety measures around
mitigating the spread of Covid-19 will be
the top priority as workers start returning
to site in level 3 lockdown but, said
Hoal, flare-ups of the virus, similar to
that experienced by the mining industry,
are to be expected, despite stringent
regulations issued by the Department
of Employment and Labour. Merrington
concurred. “A physical on-site presence
by workers is required to get the work
done and they will be at risk of contracting
the virus.”
Should an infection outbreak occur, the
task team has proposed to government that
sites be permitted to continue to operate.
“Of course, anyone who tests positive for
the virus must be quarantined,” said Hoal,
“but the disruption of site activity should
be avoided, where possible, provided
the required infection control procedures
are applied.”
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