New COVID-19 Guidance Note Released

In the fight against COVID-19, it is more important than ever for companies to ensure respect for the rights and welfare of workers. Building Responsibly (BR) has released its new guidance note “Respecting Worker Welfare during Covid-19” to help construction and engineering navigate the risks presented by the pandemic. 

Informed by BR members’ actions in recent months, the Guidance Note highlights the main challenges to worker welfare for the industry during COVID-19 and offers practical recommendations to addressing some of the principle risks at play. It aims to provide general guidance to employers on how to ensure safe and healthy living and working conditions, access to healthcare, respect for wage and benefit agreements, and ethical recruitment. It is an important resource for the industry to navigate these challenging times. 

How Building Responsibly Members Are Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis

When we launched Building Responsibly in 2017, we wanted to create a coalition of leading engineering and construction (E&C) companies committed to promoting the rights and welfare of workers. In just under three years, we developed a common set of principles and practical implementation guidance notes that can be used by companies across the industry—from shipping yards in China to real estate development in the Middle East and road building in Africa. We also connected with a wide range of stakeholders. But most importantly, we created, among our members, a feeling of community, of common destiny that is binding us together. We have learned how to share our challenges and concerns and to support each other. When the COVID-19 crisis hit, our natural response was therefore to regroup and talk about how Building Responsibility members were affected and how they were responding to the crisis. Below are some of the insights that emerged from this discussion.

The E&C Sector Is Particularly Vulnerable to the Crisis

In many instances, non-essential construction work has been stopped, putting companies under pressure and construction workers in precarious situations. This is particularly true in countries where relief packages are limited and social safety nets insufficient or where there is a dependence on migrant labor. In some instances, however, construction continues, and guaranteeing the health and safety of construction workers remains the priority of Building Responsibly members.

You Cannot Get Anything Right If You Do Not Guarantee the Health and Safety of Workers

Large E&C companies have spent the best part of the last 30 years developing and strengthening robust programs to ensure the health and safety of workers. Building Responsibly members are therefore well prepared in this regard, and when they came together a few days into the crisis, they were able to share notes about all the practical steps they had already taken.  

Although there is no one-size-fits-all solution to ensure everyone’s safety, sharing notes in real time can help. We talked about how to provide hand sanitizers and masks on work sites; how to adapt work schedules to ensure that transport buses are not overcrowded with workers and are disinfected frequently; how to conduct daily temperature checks and (where necessary) COVID-19 tests; how to run canteen services while maintaining the required distance among workers; and how to set up dedicated quarantine zones within workers’ accommodation. It was reassuring to hear from our members operating in China that they had come through the crisis without any of their workers contracting COVID-19. However, it was equally important to learn how some companies had strengthened their medical insurance to ensure that all COVID-19 treatment costs were covered or how they had set up free psychological assistance. We also discussed how to ensure that companies working in E&C supply chains implement equally stringent health and safety requirements with their own workers.

Communication, Communication, Communication

Finally, our members discussed the importance of ensuring clear communication channels to disseminate reliable information and avoid the spread of false rumors during this challenging time. Possible solutions mentioned included: setting up daily Executive Committee meetings dedicated to the management of the COVID-19 crisis, including COVID-19 in every traditional “toolbox” meeting, and displaying low-literacy posters and ensuring that a dedicated welfare officer is in charge of relaying COVID-19 information in worker accommodation.

What Else?

In addition to reinforcing worker health and safety measures, Building Responsibly members have worked to help their staff sustain themselves during the crisis, making use of government packages or furlough programs where available. Some have also offered support in the form of payment deferrals to their business partners. It was also heartwarming to hear that some members have donated essential supplies, including masks, medicines, and food, to communities. Others have provided financial and material support to NGOs, while others have redirected their vehicles to support communities or opened up their facilities to help meet public needs.

Checklist for Contractors (Excerpt)

Prevention and Response Protocol Diagram (Excerpt)

October 10: Building Responsibly Stakeholder Roundtable and Guidance Notes Launch

After a successful event organized in Paris in April 2019, Building Responsibly gathered its key stakeholders in London on October 10, 2019. This stakeholder roundtable was attended by 27 stakeholders representing national and international organizations, clients, peers, civil society organizations, and service providers.

The event provided an opportunity for BR’s 10 Members (list here) to present the recently released Guidance Notes. The Building Responsibly Guidance Notes are a set of instructions for the practical application of the Worker Welfare Principles. They offer a discussion around the potential issues and challenges faced by the industry on each principle and suggest best practice options for their implementation. The event also offered an opportunity to hear more about the initiative’s progress and goals and to discuss how the Notes can be used by stakeholders.

Please find here a summary of the discussions that were held during the roundtable.