Despite the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, the construction industry still faces multiple obstacles in the post-pandemic world. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many states issued orders to stay at home and shut businesses. Authorities allowed construction to continue in many forms and permitted it to pursue operations except when temporary lockdowns were necessary.
V Reddy Kancharla was the past President of a significant QA/QC construction firm in New York City. He has more than 25 years of credible experience in civil engineering, geotechnical, geological, and environmental projects.
He graduated in India and earned a master’s degree in civil engineering. Later, he joined the engineering and construction industry, and his roles included senior engineer, construction engineer, project manager, vice president, senior engineer, and President. He is famous in the USA for having an impressive record and stands out as one of the reliable civil engineers in the country. His newly launched blog offers valuable insights into the daily tasks of a geotechnical engineer and how aspirants at the college levels can get jobs.
Significant obstacles faced by the construction industry
According to him, the significant obstacles in the construction industry are employment losses, problems between the developer and sub-contractor relationships, and the collapse of particular construction sectors. Professionals had to face these problems throughout 2020. However, he believes the pandemic has introduced positive changes to the construction industry to deal with these obstacles.
Some of them are:
- Social distancing and the limitation of gatherings- The Government of the USA issued regulations and guidelines to stop and slow the spreading of the coronavirus. He believes every construction site should follow these guidelines for the safety of everyone. Six feet social distancing and the limiting of gatherings to not more than ten people need to be maintained at all costs.
- Know how to manage symptomatic personnel- He believes construction personnel not feeling well or showing signs of illness should stay home. The employee’s return back to the site depends upon diverse conditions and may range from three to approximately fourteen days.
- Be prepared for COVID -19 positive cases– Chances are high. You will deal with COVID-19 positive issues with workers. He recommends you must be prepared to deal with points when the situation arises. You can –
- Request the infected employee leaves the construction site.
- Inform the site management and supervisor.
- Stop operations temporarily, check contact tracing, disinfect the construction site and quarantine any worker or person who has encountered the infected person.
- Inform clients and sub-contractors of the present situation while maintaining the secrecy of the name of the infected person.
Self-love is needed to dispel the feelings of boredom and isolation at this age when most people feel they have nothing worthwhile to do. V Reddy Kancharla believes besides work, people over 50 years should indulge in a passion or a hobby they like to keep themselves busy with. They remain mentally and physically healthy to lead productive lives with success. The same also holds true for women as well.
