Mental health and preserving social distancing as we return to work

As the US begins to consider what a return to work will look like operationally, the workforce’s mental and physical health will be the first priority for many organisations. There are already reservations about how social distancing can be preserved to defend against any further spread of the virus in the interim while vaccines and medical therapies continue to be researched and developed.

Re-establishing productivity is going to be a process that develops over time, requiring both physical and mental capacity and capability to return to full strength. It is likely that businesses will first need to address significant residual trauma and apprehension within their workforce as they return to the site. It is vital to demonstrate leadership in health, safety and wellbeing while building trust among workers. 

Proactively adopting strategies from countries like China, who are further along in this journey, can give employers a head start in creating holistically safe workplaces in preparation for when their workers return to work. 

Read more (PDF) on the best practices that will facilitate remobilization and how we can leverage technology to reduce worker density on construction job sites.

Further resources

Please visit our COVID-19 response page for all of our resources relating to the impact of COVID-19 on the construction sector.