Xu, Q; Hwang, B G; Choo, R Q; Zheng, X; Kong, L; Wang, Q C and Liu, X (2023) Comparison of construction project risks before and during COVID-19 in Singapore: Criticality and management strategies. Construction Management and Economics, 41(10), pp. 875-891. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has caused worldwide disruption in construction industry. Although an increasing number of construction projects have been resumed, construction industry still faces significant risks due to the pandemic. The comparison of risk factors faced by construction industry before and during the pandemic helps us understand the dynamic risk transformation brought by the pandemic; however, few efforts have been made to understand the risk changes in construction sector. This study assessed the likelihood, impact, and criticality of risks brought by the pandemic in construction industry through a comparative analysis using Singapore as an example and proposed an innovative risk management solution to manage these risks accordingly. Survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were adopted. The finding indicated effective relief measures from the government to relieve the contractors' liability in Singapore. Due to the pandemic, prioritized likelihood of risk occurrence changed from financial risk to labour shortage. Moreover, the finding highlighted that safety and health risks required significant attention, as they were ranked top in both periods. This study aids the understanding of how prioritized risks shifted during the pandemic and enlightens a promising and scalable risk management solution for industry stakeholders to establish better recovery from similar pandemics.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | comparative analysis; construction project management; construction risk management; COVID-19 pandemic; risk resilience |
| Index terms: | questionnaire, construction project, construction sector, liability, health risk, COVID-19, interview, comparative analysis, survey, face, labour shortage, risk factor, construction project management, risk management, construction industry, outbreak, Singapore, recovery, management strategy, pandemic, transformation |
| Subjects: | production management, Geography, project management theory and practice, management, health risk and incident analysis, economics, industry analysis, liability law, environmental hazards, environmental health, data collection methods, risk assessment, business, data analysis and analytics, psychology, operations management |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Legal Issues, Supply Chain Management, Risk Management, Sustainability, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Project Management, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here