How Climate Change Affects Construction

Many parts of the country and all over the world are experiencing climate change. The weather changes are and will continue to have a prominent effect on the construction industry and the employment rates.

There are four concerns around climate change in terms of the greatest impact it will have on the construction industry:

• Worker safety
• Weather-related delays
• Construction materials design and manufacturing
• Insurance costs

Journey with me as we explore and investigate The Effects of Climate change on Construction.

Climate change is expected to have an impact on many aspects of building performance. The world’s climate is changing.

We leave little room for error on the construction site, especially if the error is beyond your control. Perhaps one of the most recent concerns is the effect that climate change is having on the construction industry.

According to sources, the global sea level has risen about eight inches in the last 100 years, with the rate in the past two decades nearly doubling, the number of record high temperature increasing, along with increasing numbers of intense rainfall.

With the weather becoming more aggressive and untimely, this can only mean destruction for an industry that relies on weather predictability and clear skies.

Climate change impacts worksite safety with unpredictable rain. Flooding can lead to deteriorating wood and slippery surfaces increasing injuries and high temperatures can cause heatstroke, heat exhaustion and could sadly lead to death. No matter what precautions are taken to protect workers in these harsh conditions, the biggest threat is unpredictability.

Climate change also has an effect on building materials and current structures. Changes in temperatures cause building materials like brick and wood to decay and crack faster.

Construction companies increasingly find themselves facing escalated insurance costs due to project delays, which are related to extreme weather and labour risks. This means construction companies need to increase the costs of the project to accommodate rising insurance costs or stop with certain construction projects due to an inability to afford insurance.

Buildings can be affected drastically by climate change, where in the future there may be the risk of collapse, health breakouts and loss of value as a result of heavy rainfall. Building lifetime is reduced, stronger storms are the greatest challenge and this is a continuous safety risk.

Research has shown that with implications for the future, climate change will have different impacts on different buildings depending on the type, scale, use, construction and location. It is clear that even without the current uncertainties in climate change, science and the potential impacts of climate change on buildings, establishing suitable mechanisms to deal with these issues is also problematic.

In conclusion, the upside of Climate Change, the one thing you can be sure of is that no matter what changes there may be, we at Leads 2 Business will be there to keep you updated.

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About Estelle Pillay

My start here at Leads 2 Business in April 2019 marks a journey so far vibrant and exciting. I function as a content researcher within a dynamic team in the Projects Department, on the other side I am a mother of two beautiful children who bring out the best part of me.

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