Reference No.: BatStateU-FO-COL-03 Effectivity Date: January 3, 2017 Revision No.

: 00

Title: TOPIC ABSTRACT FORM

College COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE, AND FINE ARTS
Proponent Escueta, Lorraine A.
Esteves, Daniel D.
Profitana Joyce Anne I.
Program CIVIL ENGINEERING
Proposed Title Strategies to Reduce the Impact of Pandemic Crisis in Construction Industry: Novel
Coronavirus 2019

Background of the Proposed Topic:

The construction industry is one of the most significant contributors to a country's economy. Millions of
Construction Workers are employed every year in private and government projects worldwide. But the
Construction Industry took a hard hit from the sudden pandemic outbreak, Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-
19), which threaten the lives of people around the world, and some countries took the initiative for early travel
banned and national lockdown. With the quick transmission of the COVID-19 from one person to another,
many construction projects are put on hold and postponed, bringing challenges in the construction industry
regarding health & safety, resources, deliverables, delays, and contractual obligations. The appearance of the
virus shut down a lot of construction projects and businesses. Indeed, COVID-19 brought a massive impact
on construction projects, but it varies from country to country and contracts to contract. On the other side,
the construction business has not been the subject of ordered shut down for the reason that some
construction projects are planning to resume the work even at a slower pace. That said, the circumstances
are evolving, and several countries have issued a shutdown to all non-essential businesses, including
construction businesses and orders that require construction sites to close. Regarding the present crisis,
however, declining income and expanding project conveyance problems have resulted in region
compression in a number of industry industries, with a corresponding negative impact on the workforce.

COVID-19 has spread around the globe in a short period and has brought the construction industry
positive and negative effects. The negative effect of having this virus in the construction industry is the
delays in the completion of projects. With this, time and cost related to the project have been affected. The
increase in the time of completion is also the increase in the cost in terms of materials and worker's wages.
Moreover, the schedule of the project is also affected causing it to extend the number of days or even
weeks in line with the completion of the project. It is also identified that the industry has been experiencing
a shortage of materials which is also affected by the delays in deliveries.

The lockdown brought by the pandemic disrupts the time frame of a construction project which results
to a higher cost. One of the reasons of a higher cost overrun of a project is due to most construction
companies are implementing prescribed and adequate measures to prevent the spread of the virus on site
like proper PPE for workers and safety environment with less risk of transmission of the virus. Another
cause is the rise in the cost of building materials as a result of the scarcity of raw materials and increased
demand.

Problems with supply chain disruptions and labor shortages also pose major productivity problems for
the contractors. A lack of trained equipment (such as face masks and thermometers) may have been one
of the primary causes for such gaps in procedures. The applicability of social distancing, enhancing
sanitation interventions, and providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for nurses and engineers
during a pandemic is unclear, particularly given the troubling lack of sufficient PPE for frontline healthcare
workers in developing countries. Despite all these challenges brought by the pandemic, identifying the
problems that are underlying COVID-19 is be the best way to reduce the effects of the pandemic.

References
• Ogunnusi, M., Hamma-Adama, M., Salman, H. & Kouider, T. (2020). COVID-19 Pandemic: The Effects
and Prospects in the Construction Industry. International Journal Of Real Estate Studies, 14, 120-128.
Retrieved from: https://www.utm.my/intrest/files/2020/11/2_Final_MS_CRES-Covid-025.pdf

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 • Alsharef, A., Banerjee, S., Uddin, SMJ., Albert, A., & Jaselskis, E. (2021). Early Impacts of the COVID-19
Pandemic on the United States Construction Industry. International Journal of Environmental Research and
Public Health, 18, 1559. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041559
• Shibani, A., Hassan, D., & Shakir, N. (2020). The Effects of Pandemic on Construction Industry in the
UK. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 11, 48. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.36941/mjss-2020-
0063
• James, S. J. (2021). A Study On The Financial Performance Of Construction Industry In India During
Covid-19. International Journal of Research in Engineering Technology, 6. Retrieved from
http://www.internationaljournalisar.org/IJRE/Volume6/Issue2/IJORE-V6I2P2.pdf
• Simpeh, F. & Amoah, C. (2021). Assessment Of Measures Instituted To Curb The Spread Of COVID-19
On Construction Site. International Journal of Construction Management. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2021.1874678
• Ghandour, A. (2020). THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PROJECT DELIVERY: A PERSPECTIVE
FROM THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. Humanities & Social
Sciences Reviews, 8(5), 169-177. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.8516
• King, S. S., Rahman, R. A., Fauzi, M. A., & Haron, A. T. (2021). Mechanisms For Addressing The Impact
Of COVID-19 On Infrastructure Projects. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 682.
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012047
• Zheng L, Chen K and Ma L (2021). Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices
Toward COVID-19 Among Construction Industry Practitioners in China. Front. Public Health, 8:599769.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.599769
• Bsisu, Khair. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Jordanian Civil Engineers and Construction
Industry. International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology, 13. 828-830.
10.37624/IJERT/13.5.2020.828-830.
• Zamani, S. H., Rahman, R. A., Fauzi, M. A., & Yusof, L. M. (2021). Effect Of Covid-19 On Building
Construction Projects: Impact And Response Mechanisms. IOP Conference Series: Earth and
Environmental Science, 682. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012049
General Objectives:
This study aims to investigate the effects of COVID-19 in the construction industry by gathering data
from construction projects that are affected by the pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 in the construction
industry are classified into three: Time, Cost, and Productivity. The researcher believes that time, cost, and
productivity have the most significant impact on a construction project amidst the pandemic crisis. The
study aims to propose an alternative solution to reduce the effects of the pandemic crisis in the construction
industry.
Research Methodology:
The design, exploratory sampling, aims to know more about the knowledge of construction project
managers regarding the details of the project regarding the cost, time, and productivity level throughout
its completion with regards to the effects of COVID-19. Primary sources were used in the data collection
procedure. These include the research studies from different professionals that are in line with the study
that is being conducted by the researchers. Survey questionnaires and interviews will be the research
instrument to be used which will be disseminated to the project engineers. With this information, the
quality of the research paper will be of high rate due to the precision of the gathered data.
TOPIC EVALUATION COMMITTEE
The topic abstract has been thoroughly reviewed by the Topic Evaluation Committee.
Signature Remarks
College Dean/Dean of Colleges

Department/Program Chair

Faculty Expert -1

Faculty Expert -2

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