The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamian Contractors Association's (BCA) president yesterday said he was "very surprised" by the Prime Minister's unveiling of a COVID-19 a 'three strikes and you are out' policy for the industry.

Michael Pratt told Tribune Business he was also concerned that Dr Hubert Minnis' decision to single out the construction industry for special enforcement attention could endanger what the BCA and others had "fought so hard for" in ensuring the sector had remained open through much of the pandemic.

He added that he had reached out to the Government to discover what particular infractions had been committed by the construction industry after the Prime Minister warned that projects would be shut down if three separate violations are uncovered.

Calling on the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) to closely monitor the sector, Dr Minnis said on Monday: "As it relates to construction sites, the police will be monitoring sites to ensure mask wearing protocols are being followed by all construction workers.

"Construction operations will now be fined for non-compliance with the Orders related to mask wearing and other physical distancing protocols established by the Bahamian Contractors Association as approved by the Ministry of Health. On a second infraction, the fine will be doubled. On the third infraction, the construction project may be closed down."

The Prime Minister offered no evidence to support the Government's decision to target the construction industry, although he had previously singled out Bahamian construction workers at The Pointe for COVID-19 breaches while comparing them unfavourably to their Chinese counterparts.

This prompted Mr Pratt and the BCA to describe the remarks as "surprising", adding: "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. 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."

Mr Pratt subsequently told Tribune Business he was "very surprised" by the Prime Minister's remarks, adding that the sector did not need any further challenges at present. He reiterated that supply chain woes related to the inability to source the necessary building materials, in sufficient quantities, on a timely basis - an issue he expects will be resolved as the industry adjusts to the new COVID-19 environment.

"We're concerned," he added. "Concerned first of all that the construction industry has been highlighted. We fought so hard to get it up and keep it open. It's so hard to control it from a construction point of view. You have to fence in the entire project and have a control gate 24/7. Sometimes that's not practical.

"It's a fight, and we have to continue to educate ourselves. We're getting ready to go live with our training. A number of individuals, professionals and construction companies have taken our OSHA COVID-19 course and have been able to implement this training in the workplace and their homes."

Mr Pratt added that the restrictions imposed on inter-island travel in The Bahamas, in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19, had also inhibited the movement of construction workers and supplies and resulted in several key projects - including the building of a new bank on Abaco - being shut down.

Stephen Wrinkle, a former BCA president, yesterday told this newspaper that he was unsure if an enforcement policy targeting all the construction industry was deserved in the absence of data suggesting that non-compliance by work sites had aided COVID-19's spread.

"I'm not sure a blanket threat is warranted against the construction industry in the absence of statistical data to back it up," he said. "Obviously he's [the Prime Minister] seen something we've not seen...

"We monitor all our workers. If you come on to the site without a mask, if you show up in the morning without a mask, you're going home. It's as simple as that."