NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president Michael Pratt said yesterday that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ comments regarding the construction industry now presenting serious challenges to the COVID-19 fight were ‘surprising’ but being taken ‘very seriously’.
During an address on Monday, Minnis said the construction industry presents challenges to the health officials in relation to COVID-19.
“To put it in a nutshell, what we see is the construction industry now becoming the so-called breeding ground for COVID-19,” Minnis said.
The prime minister also noted that police officers will monitor construction sites to ensure that health protocols are being adhered to amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The recent comment by the Prime Minister was surprising and is being taken very seriously by the BCA,” Pratt said in a statement yesterday.
“The primary focus of our members should be to protect the lives of our workforce. We believe we will see the effect of this virus for months to come.”
Pratt said: “We are currently experiencing not only project delays but also supply chain disruptions and we cannot afford to lose our workers. This means construction companies need to proactively mitigate the impacts on their business.
“The COVID-19 protocols for the construction industry must be strictly adhered to. The BCA is encouraging home and project owners to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the protocols and report infractions. The BCA has embarked on an extensive training program to provide training on the COVID-19 virus and work place preparedness.”
Pratt noted that a number of individuals, professionals and construction companies have taken the BCA’s OSHA COVID-19 course and have been able to implement this training in the workplace and their homes.
He said: “This online course has been well received and we are positive that we have favorably impacted our industry through this education initiative. We are now releasing the recorded on-line version and signing up is possible on our website www.bahamascontractors.org as of Monday September 14 2020.
“COVID-19 has forever changed every facet of life on the planet in terms of responding to infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics. Utilizing OSHA’s developed preparedness and response planning guidelines; we provide direction on infection prevention, hygienic practices and the design, development and implementation of a corporate Infectious Disease Prevention and Response (IDPR) Plan.”
Pratt added: “Such preparedness may be used in responding to any epidemic, infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics. Our objective is to keep the industry current with regards to training and safety.”
