Identifying Actions to Control and Mitigate the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Construction Organizations: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

Construction organizations face many challenges in coping with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and the construction work environment. Although each organization is implementing its own strategies to mitigate this pandemic’s impact on operations and workers, the construction industry as a whole urgently needs to identify the most effective strategies for mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on its operations in the short term while preparing response plans and long-term recovery plans. This article presents preliminary findings of a survey conducted with construction organizations primarily in North America to identify and assess mitigation actions taken. Recommendations based on these findings are provided to help construction organizations during this pandemic. The results of this study will help in developing evidence-based operational strategies to identify new modes of operating for construction organizations during both the current pandemic and any future pandemics.