AUGUST 2024CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONREBOUNDING FROM COVID-19 IN CONSTRUCTION AND LESSONS LEARNED IN HEALTHCARE CONSTRUCTIONBy Jay Bangert, Vice President of Healthcare Operations, The Hagerman GroupDo we ever look in the mirror and ask ourselves, "What did we do before COVID-19?" As we plan for our construction projects today, it takes more effort, planning, and collaboration with our teams to be more creative with solutions.The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted various industries, including construction and healthcare. Essential lessons must be learned from the challenges and innovations that emerged during this period as the world works toward recovery.Resilience and Adaptability: The pandemic highlighted the importance of resilience and adaptability in construction and healthcare. Construction projects were either delayed or disrupted due to supply chain issues, labor shortages, and lockdown measures. Healthcare facilities had to rapidly adapt to changing patient needs, such as converting spaces into temporary hospitals and creating isolation units. Our initial changes within the hospital continuously modified and adapted as more information about COVID-19 became available. Supply Chain Diversification: The construction industry learned the importance of diversifying supply chains to reduce dependency on a sole source. Shortages of materials like lumber and steel led to project delays and increased costs. Moving forward, construction companies should prioritize local suppliers and maintain a more robust inventory of critical materials. This is a complete mindset change from the past ten years, with construction teams focusing on "just-in-time deliveries" for projects without laydown areas or onsite storage capacities. Furthermore, from a customer standpoint, they no longer had unlimited options of material or color choices, which improved the timeline of making those selection decisions. Digital Transformation: The adoption of digital tools and technologies in construction and healthcare accelerated due to the pandemic. Virtual meetings, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and remote collaboration became essential. Optimization of advanced planning tools and virtual simulations regarding infection control and patient flow layouts as part of healthcare construction became more prevalent. This transformation forced small to medium-sized companies to jump on board with technology, specifically the BIM coordination, and the industry successfully implemented these coordination sessions virtually. Looking back on my career, I remember driving almost 90 minutes to attend an hour-long meeting and always thinking about the non-productive hours wasted traveling to and from the projects. However, there were always those meetings where the situation demanded the entire team to be in person, which virtual meetings cannot replace. Visiting the project team, walking the project in person, or working through issues at the site is invaluable. Our industry is still a personal business; we rely on relationships and cannot depend 100 percent on virtual meetings; otherwise, the connection will be lacking. Health and Safety: The pandemic underscored the significance of health and safety protocols on construction sites and within healthcare facilities. Enhanced safety measures, including social distancing, sanitation practices, and personal protective equipment, will remain in place to
< Page 7 | Page 9 >