1,721,094 research outputs found
Construction safety, health and well-being in the COVID-19 era:An introduction
No full textGlobally, the construction sector is notorious for its enormous contribution to the occurrence of occupational accidents, injuries, and illnesses. The poor outlook of occupational safety, health, and well-being (OSHW) of the construction workforce sector is further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, although the pandemic has also triggered some opportunities for improvement. While there is growing interest in and literature about the OSHW impacts and implications arising from the pandemic within the construction domain, there is no single comprehensive compendium of text that offers adequate coverage of the subject, especially from the perspective of several countries or regions of the world. Seeking to address this gap, this book, which is the first of its kind, offers a global perspective on the OSHW implications of COVID-19 in the construction industry. The insights and lessons from the pandemic, which are captured by the book, have implications for the adjustment of OSHW practices, as well as construction project management in general both during and after the pandemic. In this introductory chapter, the poor status of OSHW in the construction sector is first highlighted. The chapter subsequently touches on the opportunities and challenges posed by the pandemic to the management of OSHW in the sector. The chapter finally closes with a summary of the chapters in the book
An introduction to construction health and safety in developing countries
No full textIn many countries, the construction industry has an unenviable reputationin terms of the occupational safety and health of the workforce. Occupational injuries and illnesses are highly prevalent in the construction industry compared to other industries. The situation in developing countries is worse than in developed countries. However, the bulk of construction occupational safety and health (OSH) literature has focused on issues in developedcountries. Seeking to address this imbalance, this edited collection, which is the first of its kind, focuses on construction OSH in developing countries. This introductory chapter highlights the disparity in OSH performance in developed and developing countries, and juxtaposes this against the limited body of research on construction OSH in developing countries. The chapter presents some benefits, challenges and opportunities regarding construction OSH in developing countries and then closes with a summary of the chapters in the book
Competencies needed by construction project managers for BIM-enabled projects
No full textConstruction project manager (CPM) competency has been common place discussions over the years with the recognition of the importance of skills and knowledge to project success. With recent advancements in the application of digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), it is imperative that CPMs develop new competencies that enable effective delivery of projects. The lack of clarity of the specific competencies needed by CPMs to deliver BIM-enabled projects, makes it important that the competencies required by CPMs for effective BIM-enabled project delivery be ascertained, such that this study addresses this gap. A sequential exploratory mixed method study is adopted to identify these competencies needed to effectively deliver BIM projects as well as validate the competencies of great value to BIM project delivery. Six key competency groups were identified as pertinent to BIM project delivery namely: Managerial and administrative; Strategic; Functional and operational; Leadership and people management; Technical and implementation; and Innate qualities. Overall, managerial and administrative competencies as well as leadership and people management competencies were regarded as being more crucial to the role of the CPM in BIM-enabled project delivery. This study provides useful guidance for development of training programmes as well as performance assessment systems for CPMs in the era of BIM based on the prioritisation of areas of competence
The effect of project success factors on project success criteria
No full textVarious studies on Project Success Factors (PSFs) and Project Success Criteria (PSC) have been conducted within the construction industry. However, studies on the influence that Project Success Factors (PSFs) may have on Project Success Criteria (PSC) in construction industry still remains elusive. A survey of UK construction professionals in management roles was undertaken in order to rank 15 PSFs in terms of their perceived influence on four key PSC: time performance; cost performance; quality; and customer satisfaction. Results indicate that nine of the 15 investigated PSFs were ranked as influential on time performance with six of the PSFs ranked as influential on quality performance. On the other hand, construction project cost performance was found to be influenced mainly by six of the PSFs while eight of the investigated PSFs have influence on customer satisfaction. Project managers and other project participants seeking to maximise the attainment of cost, time and quality performance as well as customer satisfaction would therefore need to pay attention to the specific PSFs that are relevant to the attainment of these PSC
The effect of project success factors on project success criteria
No full textVarious studies on Project Success Factors (PSFs) and Project Success Criteria (PSC) have been conducted within the construction industry. However, studies on the influence that Project Success Factors (PSFs) may have on Project Success Criteria (PSC) in construction industry still remains elusive. A survey of UK construction professionals in management roles was undertaken in order to rank 15 PSFs in terms of their perceived influence on four key PSC: time performance; cost performance; quality; and customer satisfaction. Results indicate that nine of the 15 investigated PSFs were ranked as influential on time performance with six of the PSFs ranked as influential on quality performance. On the other hand, construction project cost performance was found to be influenced mainly by six of the PSFs while eight of the investigated PSFs have influence on customer satisfaction. Project managers and other project participants seeking to maximise the attainment of cost, time and quality performance as well as customer satisfaction would therefore need to pay attention to the specific PSFs that are relevant to the attainment of these PSC
Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation
Get PDFIt has been a world priority for more than a decade to reduc greenhouse gas emissions within the frame of the Kyoto Protocol. However, since the Kyoto Protocol it has proved difficult to reach an international consensus at the Conference of the Parties on the continuation of a global agreement. This absence of an agreement calls for adaptation to climate change. Emphasis should be put on buildings, as they play a vital economic and social role in society and are vulnerable to climate change. Therefore, the building stock deserves its own policy and implementation plans as well as tools that enable adequate and cost-efficient adaptation to climate change. This paper explains the need for climate change adaptation of the building stock and suggests a pattern for a strategic approach to how to reach the climate change adaptation needed.The suggested and presented need of a strategic approach is based on three main initiatives consisting of the need to examine the potential impacts of climate change on the building stock, the need to assess and develop a roadmap of current and future adaptation measures that can withstand the effects of climate change, and the need to engage relevant stakeholders in the private and public sectors. Furthermore, the paper describes some issues that must be addressed in case a strategic approach is not developed, as the building sector is continuously investing in measures to adapt to climate change as impacts emerge
A model of how features of construction projects influence accident occurrence
No full textThis book chapter in "Valuing People in Construction" (edited by Emuze, F. and Smallwood, J.) presents a study which sought empirical verification of a model of how construction project features (CPFs) influence accident occurrence. A qualitative strategy, in particular phenomenology, involving a range of in-depth interviews with practitioners was used and the findings were subsequently validated using a credibility check involving a survey. Altogether, the findings of the interviews and credibility check confirm the model as a realistic explanation of the mechanism by which CPFs influence accident occurrence. The model has the potential of facilitating the devising and implementation of accident prevention measures by pre-construction project participants to mitigate the H&S impact of CPFs. The model also has the potential of facilitating accident investigation on projects, particularly root cause analysis, thus enabling the contribution of CPFs and hence the contribution of pre-construction project participants in accident occurrence to be ascertained. Further research in this area is also encouraged to augment the utility of the model in supporting pre-construction H&S risk mitigation
The effect of project success factors on project success criteria
No full textVarious studies on Project Success Factors (PSFs) and Project Success Criteria (PSC) have been conducted within the construction industry. However, studies on the influence that Project Success Factors (PSFs) may have on Project Success Criteria (PSC) in construction industry still remains elusive. A survey of UK construction professionals in management roles was undertaken in order to rank 15 PSFs in terms of their perceived influence on four key PSC: time performance; cost performance; quality; and customer satisfaction. Results indicate that nine of the 15 investigated PSFs were ranked as influential on time performance with six of the PSFs ranked as influential on quality performance. On the other hand, construction project cost performance was found to be influenced mainly by six of the PSFs while eight of the investigated PSFs have influence on customer satisfaction. Project managers and other project participants seeking to maximise the attainment of cost, time and quality performance as well as customer satisfaction would therefore need to pay attention to the specific PSFs that are relevant to the attainment of these PSC
Competencies needed by construction project managers for BIM-enabled projects
No full textConstruction project manager (CPM) competency has been common place discussions over the years with the recognition of the importance of skills and knowledge to project success. With recent advancements in the application of digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), it is imperative that CPMs develop new competencies that enable effective delivery of projects. The lack of clarity of the specific competencies needed by CPMs to deliver BIM-enabled projects, makes it important that the competencies required by CPMs for effective BIM-enabled project delivery be ascertained, such that this study addresses this gap. A sequential exploratory mixed method study is adopted to identify these competencies needed to effectively deliver BIM projects as well as validate the competencies of great value to BIM project delivery. Six key competency groups were identified as pertinent to BIM project delivery namely: Managerial and administrative; Strategic; Functional and operational; Leadership and people management; Technical and implementation; and Innate qualities. Overall, managerial and administrative competencies as well as leadership and people management competencies were regarded as being more crucial to the role of the CPM in BIM-enabled project delivery. This study provides useful guidance for development of training programmes as well as performance assessment systems for CPMs in the era of BIM based on the prioritisation of areas of competence
Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation
Get PDFIt has been a world priority for more than a decade to reduc greenhouse gas emissions within the frame of the Kyoto Protocol. However, since the Kyoto Protocol it has proved difficult to reach an international consensus at the Conference of the Parties on the continuation of a global agreement. This absence of an agreement calls for adaptation to climate change. Emphasis should be put on buildings, as they play a vital economic and social role in society and are vulnerable to climate change. Therefore, the building stock deserves its own policy and implementation plans as well as tools that enable adequate and cost-efficient adaptation to climate change. This paper explains the need for climate change adaptation of the building stock and suggests a pattern for a strategic approach to how to reach the climate change adaptation needed. The suggested and presented need of a strategic approach is based on three main initiatives consisting of the need to examine the potential impacts of climate change on the building stock, the need to assess and develop a roadmap of current and future adaptation measures that can withstand the effects of climate change, and the need to engage relevant stakeholders in the private and public sectors. Furthermore, the paper describes some issues that must be addressed in case a strategic approach is not developed, as the building sector is continuously investing in measures to adapt to climate change as impacts emerge
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