Appraisal of awareness and usage of digital technologies for sustainable wellbeing among construction workers in a developing economy

Abstract

Several sectors across the world have begun to leverage the technologies accompanying the Fourth Industrial Revolution in their activities, operations, and processes to acquire a competitive advantage in their respective business models. Despite the benefits of these digital technologies (DT), the construction industry has been sluggish in embracing and implementing the concept. Therefore, this article examines the level of awareness and usage of DT in the construction industry. A quantitative research approach was conducted with close-ended questionnaires developed and administered to construction professionals based in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data obtained was analyzed using percentages, frequency, and mean item score (MIS). The Kruskal-Wallis H-test was used to examine the significant difference in opinions of the respondents for this study. Findings from this study revealed that although construction professionals had very good knowledge of certain DT, the implementation of these innovative tools in the construction industry remains very low which is a major cause for concern. Based on these findings, this article detailed a comprehensive roadmap for developing economies such as Nigeria, on how digital transformation can be achieved by the interrelated efforts of key players such as higher education institutions (HEIs), financial institutions, government, policymakers, lawmakers, and even professional bodies.