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Construction companies must dig deeper to improve productivity amid rising temperatures

Besides focusing on worker safety, they can also look at quantifying impact of heat on productivity

Yong Jun Yuan
Published Fri, Sep 27, 2024 · 07:50 PM
    • Workers are able to conduct all-weather operations more efficiently with machinery at Tiong Seng’s Advanced Precast Hub for building components that can be precast.
    • The Ministry of Manpower between March and June this year found that about a third of 250 workplaces inspected breached heat stress rules.
    • Workers are able to conduct all-weather operations more efficiently with machinery at Tiong Seng’s Advanced Precast Hub for building components that can be precast. PHOTO: TIONG SENG
    • The Ministry of Manpower between March and June this year found that about a third of 250 workplaces inspected breached heat stress rules. PHOTO: BT FILE

    AS RISING temperatures impede the progress of construction projects in Singapore, companies here can do more to raise worker productivity and must plan better across different silos to ensure that projects are completed in good time, experts say.

    TBH Consultancy Asia director Meiske Sompie noted there are no lack of reports on loss of productivity due to heat stress, especially as temperatures rise.

    For example, she said, an International Labour Organisation report in 2019 found that workers lost about half of their work capacity at temperatures of 33 to 34 degrees Celsius.

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