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Ayurveda ruling at building sites to guard against virus
The Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) has issued a supplementary health directive to all construction industries to include traditional ayurvedic herbal concoctions and ingredients in food supplied to workers, to aid the fight against COVID-19.
The industry, which started work at construction sites early despite the lockdown period, has already been provided with a mandatory set of guidelines by health authorities on precautionary measures to be taken against contracting the disease.
A foreign worker at a construction site. Pix by Sameera Weerasekera
CIDA’s supplementary directive, formulated in consultation with traditional and ayurvedic doctors, recommended a “no risk” action path under health and safety guidelines to build up workers’ immune systems.
The authority’s Chairman, Professor Sohan Wijesekera, said that with no vaccine to fight the disease the only remedy was to strengthen the body’s resilience to the disease.
He observed that the Ministry of Health’s directive could not protect construction workers at sites. “The nature of their work involves sharing tools, working in groups in close proximity to each other and vertical and horizontal travelling in small lifts, exposing them to risk of acquiring the virus,” he said.
“With no vaccine yet and the Western medicines focus remaining on sanitation and maintaining social distance only, it was important that CIDA looked into traditional ayurvedic medicines that could enhance the immune system.”
The ayurveda health directive recommends industries to include steam inhalation before commencing work, cups of boiled coriander and ginger water during tea breaks, and consumption of cloves, garlic and turmeric during lunchtime on a regular basis.
These procedures have been coupled with guidelines provided by the health authorities including social distancing, the wearing of masks and washing hands frequently with soap and running water or using sanitisers.
Companies are also are advised to check temperature of workers, install foot-operated taps and promote hygiene. Workers are advised to refrain from borrowing clothes, towels and mingling closely. Companies that have large number of workers, have been encouraged to use infra-red rays to check body temperatures.
Additionally, industries have been requested to provide adequate sanitary facilities and washrooms, and clean and spacious lunchrooms and canteens so employees could maintain the 1m distancing regulation. Construction sites that do not have proper facilities have been advised to build new toilets and washrooms.
Each site is to have a Construction Safety and Occupational Heath supervisor to oversee that COVID-19 protocols are carried out.
To minimise the risks, CIDA recommended that workers be provided with transport to and from work and requesting workers to reside close to sites so that they can walk to work instead of using public transport. Other recommendations are that their lodgings, dormitories and hostels be disinfected frequently and kept ventilated.
The construction industry has been given the green light to resume work provided it adheres to guidelines