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Usability of Passive Back Exoskeletons and Ergonomic Handles for Transportation Maintenance Workers: A Field-Based Study in Shoveling
Get PDFShoveling activities are associated with back and shoulder injuries due to its high frequency and physical demands. Ergonomic handles and back exoskeletons (EXOs) are two commonly used tools to reduce ergonomic risks and prevent physical injuries during shoveling. Previous research has evaluated the usability of back EXOs in various activities, but most are limited to laboratory environments and there is a lack of research on usability of back EXOs in field shoveling activities. Previous research has focused on modifying the design of ergonomic handles to improve shovel ergonomics, but there has been limited evaluation of ergonomic handles’ usability in practical shoveling. To address the gaps, this research collected perceived usabiltiy through questionnaires among 20 transportation maintenance workers in field-based shoveling experiments. Results showed 75% (n=15) accepted the ergonomic handle for shoveling. When the ergonomic handle was combined with the passive back EXO, it became significantly easier to use and required less prior knowledge, though workers reported that the handle was unnecessarily more complex. While 90% (n=18) found it not acceptable to use the passive back EXO in shoveling, combining it with ergonomic handles improved acceptance among 50% of users. This study contributes to understanding passive back EXO and ergonomic handle usability in field-based shoveling activity, and offering practitioners ergonomic solutions to improve worker safety and comfort during shoveling activities
The Role of Risk Tolerance in Peer-Influenced Risk-Taking Behaviors on Construction Sites
Get PDFThe inherently social environment of construction job sites can exacerbate high incident rates due to social influence and peer pressure. Workers’ risk perception (RP) and risk tolerance (RT) have been identified as key factors contributing to their involvement in high-risk behaviors. However, there is a paucity of research on how workers’ RT, as a personality trait, impacts and moderates the relationship between RP and risk-taking behaviors in the presence of a risky peer. To fill this gap, this study empirically examined the changes in workers’ stress levels, due to the perceived risk, and risk-taking behaviours given their RT in the presence of an unsafe peer. An augmented virtuality (AV) environment simulating a roofing task was developed to capture participants’ real-time physiological and risk-taking measures while performing the task alongside the unsafe peer. The findings showed that RT moderates the relationship between participants’ risk perception and risk-taking behaviors in a social setting. Specifically, participants with higher risk tolerance were less resistance to the imposed peer pressure and showed higher risk-taking behaviors in the presence of the unsafe peer due to their misperception of risks. Given the challenge of altering individuals’ personality traits, this study underscores the importance of providing workers with higher risk tolerance with effective interventions to improve their risk perception, counteract excessive risk-taking, and mitigate the adverse effects of peer pressure within construction job sites
Investigating the Causes of Escalation of Disagreements over Delay Assessments
Get PDFProject delays are a common occurrence in the construction sector. Such delays generate disputes over questions of law, fact and/or delay assessments. The last are costly, persistent and prevalent worldwide which has produced a role for professionals specialising in construction delay analysis. Although construction delays are inevitable, the escalation of delay disagreements from claims into disputes is often avoidable as construction contracts typically offer claims (or extension of time) procedures to resolve such disagreements before they become full-fledged disputes. Although this is an underresearched area, the published literature suggests that the main cause of the escalation of delay claims into disputes is unavailable and/or inadequate data. In this study, twenty-one private disputes were examined for their key disagreements. These cases reveal that while deficiency and inadequate quality of project data were indeed factors in these disputes, they were not the only ones, or indeed the main factors that caused the escalations of claims into disputes. The deliberate lack of transparency, selective interpretation of material data, and the subjective adoption of the delay analysis methods are at least as important in creating and escalating such disagreements. Furthermore, the resulting interplay between the reluctance of actors to provide data, and the conflicting reasons behind the analysis of it results in a zero-sum game for the parties seeking the resolution of delay disputes. Such escalations could be partially or fully avoided by exploiting advances in information technology, introducing contractual delay assessment protocols and/or radical changes to the concept of ‘ownership’ of data
Examining the Prevalence of Job Stressors Among the South African Construction Workforce
No full textThis study examined the prevalence of job stressors among the construction workforce in South Africa. The objectives were to determine the prevalence of organisational, extra-organisational, and personal stressors among the workforce. This exploratory study was conducted on a conveniently sampled population of construction personnel under three categories: construction professionals, construction artisans/tradesmen and construction labourers. A questionnaire survey was distributed to collect quantitative data via Google Forms and email, and some were distributed manually on construction sites to capture the labourers. In this cross-sectional study, and the respondents were individuals employed by civil and building construction companies. Face validity was used, and data were screened to eliminate disengaged responses, missing data, and extreme values. After data screening, descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted in IBM SPSS v29. Cronbach’s Alpha was further be used to assess the reliability of the measures. The findings of the study revealed that extra-orginasational stressors and task stressors such as working at night, multi-tasking, work overload, and tight deadlines were the most prevalent causes of occupational stress. A notable finding was the emerging theme of resilience indicated by the ability to cope under stressful situations and get along with colleagues, in contrast to earlier studies. This study is important because recognising psychological risk factors remains critical, given that stress often precedes common mental health issues. By examining construction-related stressors, this research contributes to developing effective interventions and designing healthier workplaces. However, it was limited to the construction workforce alone
Dwelling Overheating in Cool Climates: Evidence from Monitoring
Get PDFTo date, much of the research on overheating risk in dwellings has been focused on warmer climates, there is however increasing concern regarding overheating risk in dwellings including in cool climates, exacerbated by both large scales retrofit and the potential impacts of climate change. Dwelling overheating has been linked to impacts on sleep, health and wellbeing, including increased rates of mortality and morbidity. This paper explores overheating risk in dwellings in cool climates using Ireland as use case. Ten representative vernacular Irish dwellings were identified and monitored over the summer months of 2024 (June-August inclusive). To understand the role and impact of occupant behaviours, quantitative sensor data was coupled with occupant surveys. The research demonstrates that risk of overheating is found in cool climates, a risk that is likely to be exacerbated by a warming climate. High thermal specification dwellings such as deeply retrofitted and newer dwellings present the greatest risk of overheating. Indeed, thermal specification may be a key contributory factor over typology alone. The identified risk is generalisable to other jurisdictions with cool climates, particularly where, like Ireland, national retrofit strategies are underway. Large scale monitoring, surveys and dynamic simulation modelling are required to confirm the key contributors to overheating risk in dwellings in cool climates and to develop resultant protections. Feedback from occupants demonstrates a varied application of user adaptations. In addition to design-led mitigation measures, occupant education on appropriate adaptation measures is recommended
The Impact of Hygrothermal Aging on Stability and Water Pressure Resistance of Building Envelope Membranes
Get PDFBuilding membranes, specifically those designed as water-resistive barriers (WRBs), play a pivotal role in construction, serving as protective barriers against moisture infiltration from environmental stresses like wind-driven rain, thereby influencing the durability of buildings. As these materials age, changes in their structure can significantly affect their performance in resisting water ingress, with potential implications for the durability of building structures. Therefore, this research investigates the transformative effects of hygrothermal aging on the water-resistance performance, hydrophobicity, chemical integrity, and thermal resistance of the WRBs with a specific focus on non-woven polyethylene, self-adhesive polyethylene, and asphalt-saturated kraft paper, which represent a diverse array of materials commonly used in the construction industry. Two distinct combinations of hygrothermal conditions were designed to age the sample which are 90% RH at 70°C and 40% RH at 40°C, over different time spans of up to eight months. Water pressure resistance was evaluated using a hydrostatic head tester to assess the membranes\u27 ability to withstand water pressure under various aging conditions. Hydrophobicity, a critical characteristic influencing moisture management, was determined through contact angle measurements. Additionally, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to detect chemical changes in membrane composition. The thermal stability of the WRBs was also analyzed by thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA). The study shows that aging leads to a slight reduction in the average of water pressure resistance, indicating slight decreases in barrier effectiveness. For contact angle, no significant change is observed in the hydrophobicity of building paper but a very slight decrease in Spun-bonded Poly Olefin film (SPBO) and self-adhesive film. FTIR analysis reveals subtle oxidation changes in building paper, while TGA indicates only minor thermal stability degradation on this membrane and no significant alternation in the chemical integrity of SBPO and self-adhesive film
Nondestructive Assessment for Detection of Low-E Coatings on Insulating Glass Units
Get PDFInsulating glass units (IGUs) are widely used in buildings due to their enhanced insulation properties and energy efficiency capabilities compared to single-pane windows. Low-emissivity (low-E) coatings are designed as an application on IGUs to reduce the penetration of infrared and UV radiation into the buildings without compromising the daylight exposure. However, these coatings can degrade over time due to environmental exposure, reducing their insulating effectiveness, which leads to increased energy loss and diminished occupant comfort. Therefore, detecting the presence of low-E coatings in IGUs becomes important for evaluating and maintaining their efficiency. To this aim, this study conducts a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) approach, utilizing low-frequency ultrasonics. The objective is to detect the low-E coatings on IGU samples. This research evaluates three IGUs equipped with three different low-E coatings, namely double silver low-E, triple silver low-E, and hard coat low-E, and compares their performance with that of a Clear or non-coated IGU as a reference sample. The main parameter evaluated in this study is the Time of Flight (ToF) to compare it across four samples of IGUs. Findings indicate that the presence of coatings results in reduced ultrasound wave velocity or an increase in ToF. Notably, due to the difference in coatings’ thickness, the hard coating presents longer ToF compared to other coatings. This research holds the potential to support retrofit actions aimed at not only reducing energy losses through IGUs but also enhancing thermal comfort for occupants
Suicide Causal Factors and Mitigation Strategies in the Construction Industry: A Structured Review
Get PDFDue to the extreme nature of construction worksite settings, workers are exposed to mental health issues, which results in more injuries and accidents, including unreported mental illnesses, reduced productivity, the stigmas placed on workers by their peers and society itself, and suicide. Although numerous studies have delved into the suicide causal factors, there remains a notable absence of comprehensive research consolidating these findings and offering a holistic understanding of these determinants alongside potential preventive strategies. This study presents a review conducted to synthesize and categorize the factors contributing to suicide and mitigation strategies in the construction industry. To achieve the purpose of the study, a structured literature review was conducted, followed by content analysis and concept mapping to identify five primary groups of causal factors and six groups of control options, along with gaps in the literature and visual relationship between the factors and mitigation strategies. An integrated framework and future research directions are also developed and proposed. The framework demonstrates the necessity of an integrated and multifaceted approach to address the interplay of physical, organizational, social, and personal casual factors of suicide in construction. The intellectual merit of this work is that it provides a pathway for construction organizations to reduce suicide rates. The findings elucidated by this study contribute to improving general understanding and insights into the root causes and mitigation strategies of suicide among construction workers
Nexus between Carbon and Waste in a Circular Built Environment: A Bibliometric Analysis
Get PDFThe construction industry, being one of the key contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, generates approximately 39% of global carbon emissions. In line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and to accelerate the built environment sector towards a 1.50C pathway, most countries have agreed to nationally determined contributions to achieve net zero targets by 2050. On the other hand, the traditional linear economic model focuses on take-make-dispose while circular economy emphasises the better use of resources by using closed loops of resource flows by recovering and preventing waste as much as possible. Therefore, decarbonising the overall construction industry and minimising excessive construction waste generation should be the ultimate goal. However, less emphasis has been given by the existing research on the link between carbon emission reduction and waste minimisation in the construction context. Hence, this research aims at exploring the existing scholarly knowledge on carbon and waste in a circular built environment to understand the trends and gaps in current research in this area. A bibliometric analysis was carried out to investigate the existing knowledge on carbon emissions and waste generation in the construction industry, specifically focusing on a circular economy. The data was extracted using the Web of Science (WoS) database and the bibliometric analysis was carried out using the VOSviewer software. The findings revealed that carbon emissions have been given less significance in circular economy research than waste minimisation in the construction industry. Eventually, this study provides a deeper understanding of the need for research on carbon-waste nexus for the successful transition to a circular built environment
Towards a Healthier Workforce in the Construction Industry
No full textAbstract: A sustainable built environment aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) by enhancing workforce health and welfare in the construction industry. This study employs a systematic literature review methodology to identify best practices, technologies, and policies contributing to achieving SDG 3. The findings reveal that integrating technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), wearable sensors, and prefabrication techniques improves worker safety and mental health while reducing physical hazards. Furthermore, comprehensive well-being programs, ethical planning, and stakeholder collaboration can significantly enhance worker welfare and productivity. The study highlights the challenges in implementing health and welfare practices in construction, including cost constraints and fragmented regulations, and provides actionable recommendations for overcoming these barriers. These insights underscore the importance of prioritizing worker health and safety to achieve SDG 3