The effect of COVID-19 preventive measures on performance of building construction projects in Kampala and Wakiso Districts of Uganda

Abstract

COVID-19 caught the world unawares as it spread from one continent to another, killing millions of people, without any immediate cure. This resulted in various governments putting in place lockdowns and other restrictions to curtail the spread of the virus. These restrictions affected all sectors of the economy building construction notwithstanding. The construction industry is guided by a number of construction documents that detail the laws, principles and guidelines that are followed during execution of works. Most of these guidelines are enshrined in the contract agreements that are signed before commencement of the building projects. Clauses that allow extension of time and variations are properly laid out in the contract agreements. As COVID-19 continued to rage havoc worldwide, construction supplies were hindered and this caused time losses leading to requests for additional time and costs by contractors. However, contract documents are not clear about how pandemics like COVID-19 can be handled. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of COVID-19 preventive measures on the performance of building construction projects in Kampala and Wakiso districts and to propose policies that can be adopted by the construction industry for effective management of construction contracts amidst similar pandemics. In order to address this, quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used for the study and primary data about COVID-19 was collected using paper questionnaires and was analyzed in conjunction with related literature quantitatively. The results indicate that COVID-19 preventive measures such as use of facemasks, handwashing, use of sanitizer, temperature guns, restricting site access, social distance, training about COVID-19 good hygiene, working in shifts, remote inspections, quarantine and onsite accommodation, were used on construction sites. The degree of adherence to these measures by construction workers was high as most of them were employed above average. This however affected construction cost and project time and thus the need for attention to these preventive measures during costing and establishing project timelines in the COVID-19 pandemic era. The models developed can be used to determine additional costs and time in case of emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. This study suggests that contract documents be amended to incorporate clauses about cost and project timelines in respect to pandemics and also bills of quantities should incorporate costing of COVID-19 mitigation measures. Robust safety mechanisms and apparatus also need to be put in place in addition to those existing such that COVID-19 is included.