Construction safety, health and well-being in the COVID-19 era: An introduction

Globally, the construction sector is notorious for its enormous contribution to the occurrence of occupational accidents, injuries, and illnesses. The poor outlook of occupational safety, health, and well-being (OSHW) of the construction workforce sector is further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, although the pandemic has also triggered some opportunities for improvement. While there is growing interest in and literature about the OSHW impacts and implications arising from the pandemic within the construction domain, there is no single comprehensive compendium of text that offers adequate coverage of the subject, especially from the perspective of several countries or regions of the world. Seeking to address this gap, this book, which is the first of its kind, offers a global perspective on the OSHW implications of COVID-19 in the construction industry. The insights and lessons from the pandemic, which are captured by the book, have implications for the adjustment of OSHW practices, as well as construction project management in general both during and after the pandemic. In this introductory chapter, the poor status of OSHW in the construction sector is first highlighted. The chapter subsequently touches on the opportunities and challenges posed by the pandemic to the management of OSHW in the sector. The chapter finally closes with a summary of the chapters in the book.