Construction Industry In Oman Research Articles

An Investigation on Eco Friendly Self-Compacting Concrete Using Spent Catalyst and Development of Structural Elements

The theme of this initiative is "Waste to Wealth." Construction materials, particularly concrete, need to have better qualities, including strength, rigidity, durability, and ductility, because Oman's construction industry is expanding. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) has more benefits than regular concrete, including better workability. The major focus of this study is the C30-grade SCC for the control mix, spent catalyst (zeolite catalyst)-based SCC, and the development of the RC beam's flexural behavior employing control and spent catalyst-based SCC. The preliminary study and the main study are the two study outcomes included in this project. Preliminary research involves creating four mixtures with various dosages of 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% in order to optimize spent catalyst in C30 grade concrete. All of the cubes undergo a 28-day curing test. The cubes' compressive strength is tested in order to establish the ideal dosage, which is 9%. Develop a C30 grade control modified design mix in accordance with SCC and optimize chemical admixtures such as superplasticizer (SP) at different dosages, like 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5%, using various trials and tests (slump flow, L-box, J-ring, V-funnel, and U-box tests), as well as the optimized dosage of spent catalyst (SC). The main study includes six singly reinforced RC beams with dimensions of 750 (L)×100 (B)×150 mm (D) that were cast and tested in the laboratory. After a 28-day curing period, two specimens were placed under a two-point loading setup, with the remaining two samples receiving the optimum dosages of spent catalyst and superplasticizer. All of the beams were tested using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) with a 1000 kN capability. From the preliminary study, partial substitution of cement in control concrete of grade C30 using spent catalyst (SC), it was found that the 9% optimum dosage produces greater compressive strength compared to other doses, which are almost 10% rises at 28 days of curing period. Based on a different test, it was discovered that the optimum dose of 3% SP gave closer agreement and satisfied the need for SCC as per the BS standard. The load-carrying capability of the SCC beams is almost 21.7% higher than that of the control beams. Comparing the SCC beams to the control beams, their deflection was reduced by about 26% at the same load level, and their ductility rose by almost 33%. Comparatively to the control beam, the stiffness of 21.6% of SCC also rises. According to test results, the SCC beam performs better in every way when superplasticizer and spent catalyst are used at the recommended dosage. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-05-08 Full Text: PDF

Covid-19 Associated Risks and Mitigation Strategies relevant for the UK Construction Industry

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that changed the global economic perspective. The ongoing pandemic is indeed the major cause of project delays in the Middle East. A severe impact is being taken place in all industries. Therefore, this research covers the construction industry of Oman, the Impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry; the global impact of COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of global impact, and the prospects of Oman's economy. The study covers the impact of COVID-19 on global and regional economies. The construction industry and its economic prospects are also discussed in the global pandemic of COVID-19. The secondary research critically insight the impact of coronavirus along with the construction business dimensions of Oman's construction industry.

The Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Construction Industry: Oman’s Case

With the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, global economies have been severely disrupted. The decline of the aviation industry and the fall in global demand for goods and services have proved to be fatal for many countries already struggling with economic issues before the pandemic. In particular, for the Omani economy, falling oil prices and supply chain disruptions have dealt a severe blow to the construction industry. Not only the construction industry has seen a fall in financial support and funding, many players in the industry have also sustained the hit that further increases the financial burden of Oman's construction industry. In this article, the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Oman's construction industry are analyzed using an inductive reasoning approach. Data are gathered from primary and secondary sources. Although the pandemic consequences are cruel, it is an opportunity to improve paradigms to absorb such events in the future.

A Study of Challenges and Benefits of Lean Construction (LC) Principles in Omani Construction Industry

There are frequent failures in the project delivery in time and increasing the waste in Oman construction industry. Lean Construction (LC) principles which is lean thinking in design and construction process may be a possible solution. Hence, the paper is aimed on exploring the status of the LC practices and its impact on Omani Construction Industry (OCI). The paper presents barriers, potential benefits, and the measures of suitability and acceptability of LC principles. A quantitative research approach was adopted and research data was collected using an online questionnaire survey in Oman. The data was analysed and results are presented in tables and charts followed by critical discussions. The survey found that one-third of the construction professionals have a good awareness and half of then having a higher level awareness about LC practices. More than one third of the construction organisations are adopting LC principles with a high consensus on the suitability and acceptability, and they recognised that time commitment are necessary for the successful implementation and achieve benefits. The study concludes that the reduction in project delivery time and construction at site waste is the key advantage of implementing LC priciples in design and construction stages in the omani construction industry.

An exploratory study on challenges of circular economy in the built environment in Oman

Circular economy (CE) is a sustainable substitute for the current linear model of economy, and its adoption within the Omani built environment is increasing due to resource depletion and increased waste generation. The construction industry in Oman is one of the first among countries in the Arab states to pursue sustainable development. However, understanding the implementation challenges associated with CE is important to this region, as it attempts to diversify its economies beyond oil and gas, which is vital to the success of the country. The main challenges identified within the literature in relation to CE include a lack of knowledge of the concept, unclear financial implications, misaligned regulations and a lack of transparent technical data. The aim of this study was to explore such challenges within the context of Oman, and an exploratory study consisting of ten interviews and 80 survey responses was undertaken. Factor analysis results revealed that the critical challenges of CE ultimately begin with government barriers such as the absence of a clear vision and legislation supporting CE. This was followed by a lack of government funding for research, innovation and investment, as well as technical barriers such as a lack of qualified professionals in the field.

Drivers of adopting Circular Economy in Oman built environment

Circular Economy is a sustainable transition from the current linear thinking to a circular approach. The construction industry is criticized as the first responsible of waste generation and resources consumption, thus, it will be the sector which has potential of adopting the Circular economy approach. Oman construction industry is not an exception, it also negatively suffers from high waste and therefore adopting CE approach will be crucial to enhance the industry reputation and sustainability aspects. According to previous research, the critical challenges facing the adoption of circular economy concept in Oman built environment were introduced firstly with absence of clear vision and legislation supporting CE, as well as, lack of government funding of research, innovation, and investment as governmental barriers, followed by a technical barrier which is absence of qualified professionals in CE in construction industry.
 The aim of this study is to explore the drivers supporting the adoption CE in Oman Built Environment. An exploratory study was conducted to explore the main drivers of CE in Oman built environment through 10 interviews of the built environment professionals and 80 questionnaire survey responses of built environment stakeholders. The results revealed that the key findings of the critical drivers of adopting CE in Oman built environment are: governmental responsibility through establishment of a clear vision and regulations of CE, upgrade public awareness, being a role model of CE implementation, as well as, establishing of supportive infrastructure for recovery process through collaboration with the private sector.
 Finally, gaining momentum in CE in Oman built environment shall be initiated by governmental effort to benefit economically, socially and environmentally. 

A strategy to overcome the effect of economic recession on construction industry in Oman

Construction industry firms are affected by the financial fluctuations in the local and international markets. World countries have been exposed to many financial recessions such as the 2008 recession and the sharp decline in oil prices since 2014, which caused a major financial recession in countries that depend heavily on oil income in their economy like the Sultanate of Oman, where they constitute 70% of the national income. The research objective is to review previous literature review of some countries that have been exposed to economic recessions and how did these countries acclimatization to the recession. It will also focus on the strategies that followed by these countries to get out from the recession. Then, the research will identify the effects of the recession in the construction industry and the impact of it to the contractor in the Sultanate of Oman. Finally, a strategy will be suggested for the construction industry firm to use it through the economic recession to survive. The research methodology relies mainly on information provided by the Government of Oman through the National Center for Statistics and Information and through interviews with various construction specialists. The results show that most of the construction industry firms have been subjected to a great pressure due to the economic recession. The suggested strategy includes a procedure that assists construction firms to reduce expenses, how to bid and get new projects and create a new management style for the firm to cope with the developments and the volatility of the financial market.

Impact of Covid-19 on Oman's Construction Industry

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that changed the global economic perspective. The ongoing pandemic is indeed the major cause of project delays in the Middle East. A severe impact is being taken place in all industries. Therefore, this research covers the construction industry of Oman, the Impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry; the global impact of COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of global impact, and the prospects of Oman's economy. The study covers the impact of COVID-19 on global and regional economies. The construction industry and its economic prospects are also discussed in the global pandemic of COVID-19. The secondary research critically insight the impact of coronavirus along with the construction business dimensions of Oman’s construction industry.

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IN OMAN: THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF THE INDUSTRIALIZED BUILDING SYSTEMS

The Omani construction industry has been recently witnessing a boosted expansion associated with the notable growth in population and economy. In comparison with its neighboring countries, the construction industry in Oman is criticized for the lack of sustainability practices. Recently, the government and professional bodies have taken proactive actions to promote sustainable construction practices. The Industrialized Building Systems (IBS) could play an important role in the Omani’s construction industry in the future due to its environmental, economic, and social benefits. However, the lack of evidence on the contribution of IBS to the Omani’s construction industry suggests that this approach is not yet at top of stakeholder’s agenda. This paper focuses on the potential contribution of IBS on sustainable construction practices in Oman. Through literature review, a comprehensive list of sustainability factors affecting IBS applications in the Omani construction industry was developed. A stakeholder survey of Omani construction industry including clients, engineers, and contractors was conducted to understand their perception on the importance of these factors. The statistical analysis revealed that the environment-related and the implementation-related factors are more important than the social-related factors. The Economic-related factors were not found to be significantly more important than any other group of factors. Moreover, Construction Time was found to be the most important and the most influential factor among the 62 factors considered in this study. The paper concludes with recommendations to promote and improve applications of Industrialized building system in the Omani construction industry.

COST ESTIMATION PRACTICES PREVALENT IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN OMAN

This paper reports findings of a study that captures cost estimation practices and techniques prevalent in the construction industry in Oman. It also identifies the success and risk factors that are encountered in the cost estimation process. Eighty structured questionnaires were distributed to some professionals working in construction projects, selected randomly from large and medium size enterprises across the Sultanate. A response rate of 56% was achieved. The results showed that the unit rate method, the use of historical data and benchmarking are the most common methods used for cost estimation. Success and risk factors as reported by respondents were analyzed and ranked accordingly. The main sources of risk were reported by respondents as “Unclear reading and understanding of specifications”, “Lack of clear documents of the project scope of work”, and “Unavailability of Resources”. This study provides an insight understanding of revealed practices and techniques and globally share the findings with researchers and professionals.

Identification of Delay Factor in Oman Construction Industry

Construction industry is second most significant and largest industry in gulf countries that continuously and rapidly growing. However the decline in economies of gulf countries due to fluctuated oil has ambiguous effect on the construction industry. Like other countries around the world, construction industries in gulf region also facing many problems and amongst the most common problem is delay/time overrun. This paper aims to identify various factors in construction management which causing delay in construction projects at Muscat, Khabourah, Bidbid, Musanah and Sohar cities in OMAN. Fourty eight (48) delay factors identified from literature around the world and organized in structured questionnaire survey form. Delay factors were categorized into five major groups in construction process which are Planning, Design, Construction, Finishing, and Miscellaneous. The forms were distributed amongst the construction experts focusing clients, consultants and contractors involved in the construction projects. A total of 105 collected data were analyzed by using Average Index method for each factor. Furthermore, delay causing factors analyzed by individual response of client, consultant and contractor prospective. The analysis identified that ‘changes in scope of project’, ‘lack of communication between parties’, ‘shortage of skilled labour’, ‘mistakes during construction’, and ‘insufficient data collection and survey before designing’; are the most significant causes in each category respectively. The result of this study is useful to create or/and improve guideline considering delay, to avoid problems in looming construction.

Perceptions on safety climate: a case study in the Omani construction industry

Generally, a mature safety climate and a rich safety culture contribute to achieving a safe workplace. The purpose of this paper is to examine the understanding of using safety climate and to make explicit some of the main elements that have a greater impact in the construction industry in Oman. Relevant safety climate factors from literature have been identified using specific search criteria, which resulted in 62 factors spanning over a period of 37 years from 1980 to 2017. The results of face-to-face interviews with construction professionals from chosen construction companies in Oman that show a high level of safety performance are also presented. The result shows that management commitment; alignment and integration of safety as a value; accountability across the board; supervisory management; empowerment and involvement of workers; improvement of communication; and training and education are some of the main elements that significantly affect safety climate in Oman. The common safety climate factors reported in this research are based on the views of selected interviewees working in the construction industry in Oman. It is suggested that these factors may be validated further considering views of other members of the construction team, before being used for safety climate assessment.

The causes, impacts and mitigations of delay in megaprojects in the Sultanate of Oman

PurposeProject delay is becoming a problem in the Sultanate of Oman as evidenced by many delayed projects across the country. The purpose of this study is to examine causes and effects of delays in megaprojects in the Sultanate of Oman with recommendations to mitigate same.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of literature identifies through main stakeholders the numerous causes, impacts and methods of mitigating delay from previous studies. A questionnaire survey on Oman was carried out to sample opinions from the practitioners; 53 questionnaires were received and analysed using the relative importance index (RII) method.FindingsThe five most frequent causes of delay in the Sultanate of Oman, in rank order, are: selection of the lowest bid, instead of best bid for the client (RII: 0.698); the financial condition of the main contractor (RII: 0.664); delay in decision-making by the client (RII: 0.656); and poor construction planning by the main contractor (RII: 0.649). Also, the findings indicate that extra cost (RII: 0.754) and project time overrun (RII: 0.724) are the most significant effects of the delay in the Oman megaprojects. The use of experienced contractors and consultant (RII 0.675), efficient construction planning by the main contractor and effective site management and supervision (RII: 0.667) are essential mitigation methods of construction delay in Oman megaprojects.Originality/valueThe study recommends three-part novel solutions to mitigate delay in the Oman construction industry.

Overdesign of Villa Structures in Oman

Residential projects represent the largest section of the construction industry in Oman. It is widely claimed that designers in Oman tend to unnecessarily overdesign structures, thereby aggravating construction costs. The aim of this research was to investigate the existence and extent of structural overdesign through the investigation of 31 villas which were approved by Muscat Municipality between 2000–2010. The specified villas were structurally redesigned based on the British Code of Practice using the same geometry and material strengths recorded in the drawings. The required reinforcement resulting from the redesign work was compared with the provided reinforcement as per the drawings. The results showed clear cases of extra reinforcement in almost all villas. The difference between required and provided reinforcements in the villas ranged from 2.3– 104.8%, with an average of 48.5% and a standard deviation of 24.0. The required and provided weights of reinforcement per square meter of the built-up area ranged from 25.7–71 and 40.9–87.9 kg/m2, respectively. The largest differences between the required and provided reinforcement were in the slabs, followed by the footings. A field survey of consultants and municipality engineers indicated that the most notable reasons for overdesign are the absence of authorized agents specialized in reviewing structural design, a lack of an engineering licensing system in Oman, and the phenomenon of experienced engineers leaving design offices for better paying jobs elsewhere. Finally, the cost implication of overdesign is minor compared to the overall cost of building.

Towards Sustainable Construction in Oman: Challenges & Opportunities

Over the past few decades, Oman is experiencing a rapid economic growth associated with the flourishing and maturity of the oil production. The construction sector has seen to be the primary beneficiary with the blooming of many new infrastructure projects that serves the rapid urban development. In line with the booming awareness of the sustainable development of its neighboring countries, many proactive actions from the government and professional bodies attempts to introduce the sustainability concept to the industry. However, the lack of evidence on sustainability progress suggests that these values are not yet at the top of the construction industry agenda.This paper reviews the current application of sustainability in the construction industry in Oman. Informative challenges and opportunities have been identified through market surveys and a qualitative observational research method of current eco-house construction project conducted by Sultan Qaboos University within a competition initiated by the research council in Oman. The proposed recommendations of this study shall help promoting and improving the sustainability application in the Omani construction practices in the future.

Development of a Risk Assessment Model for Oman Construction Industry

Oman as one of the Arabian Gulf countries which have invested billions of dollars in the construction industries, infrastructural services and real estate, but it is clearly identified that risk assessment was not applied for once on these awarded contracts. Lack of knowledge and awareness of risk management or assessment procedures in the construction industry in Oman caused additional cost and time delay in most of the awarded construction projects. This paper aimed at developing a model for risk assessment in the Oman construction industry to save huge amounts of millions of money wasted due to this problem. A field survey of semi-structured questionnaire with face-to-face interviews was carried out in the Oman construction industry including public, contractors and consultants. The research approach relies on data collected from primary and secondary sources. Combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis was used in analysing the data for the Model development. The risk factors in the Oman construction industry varies from one category to another, the risk factors in government category are more than the consultant category and contractor’s category. Overall, the Oman construction industry has no very high risk factors, which means it has good opportunities for investment. It is expected that the output of this research will have a good and beneficial contribution to save time and money for both public and private sectors in Oman due to expected awareness and improvements in the risk assessment procedures.

SAFETY AND HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT AT OMAN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

In this research a field survey was conducted via 30 interviews with safety and health experts and risk management staff in the field of construction industry in Oman followed by a questionnaire divided into six categories. 151 responses were analysed. The aim was to explore the availability, awareness, type and implementation of ORA. Six key risks were identified; namely: working at heights; working on fragile roofs; using electrical equipment; working under high voltage overhead power lines; working in confined spaces; working without knowing how to use the provided emergency equipment. All respondents were male gender and 61 per cent of them were below the age of 40. 59 per cent of respondents have education equal to or below the national diploma (≤ 12 level). 75.5 per cent of the respondents work in construction industry followed by the consultants (19%). 53 per cent of respondents were labourers and technicians. 96 per cent of projects were residential, commercial or a combination of residential and commercials buildings. 81.3 per cent of workers were having equal or less than 10 years of experience in the construction projects. 53 per cent of respondents never experienced fatality during their work. 53.6 per cent of respondents indicated that they do not have Risk Assessment Matrix for Occupational Safety and Health. All respondents agreed that it is important or very important to apply Occupational Risk Assessment Matrix in accordance with the local regulations. Only 42.4 per cent strongly agree that HSE personal should carry out risk assessment before any activity. Most respondents showed willingness of applying risk management by workers.

Productivity determinants in Oman construction industry

Spectacular socio-economic development has taken place all around Oman during the last four decades. As a consequence, thriving construction industries are apparent everywhere in the country and not surprisingly, they are going through some productivity problems. Therefore, in light of improving productivity, this paper focuses on exploring the major determinants of productivity, their co-relationship, and the problem categories responsible for construction delay in the context of Oman construction industry. A semi-structured questionnaire approach is chosen as a method of survey from the parties involved in construction industry, such as, owners, consultants, contractors, and foremen/workers. Twenty five major factors of productivity, which are further grouped into ten critical variables by principal components analysis, are identified to be important in this study. Lack of professionalism, fairness in financial transactions, incompetent supervisors, lack of materials, and incomplete drawing are found as top five factors of productivity. In addition, management, people, collaboration, health and safety, logistics, commitment, operational activity, authority, quality, and financial matters are reported as critical variables of productivity. Owners and consultants are determined as top problem categories for construction delay. The comparisons of top five productivity factors found in this study to several other countries’ productivity factors are also shown. Overall, this study is expected to have substantial implication for policy makers and researchers in the area of construction productivity in Oman.

Claim Analysis of Construction Projects in Oman

Claims are one of the problems that construction project may face. Claims might cause many affects such as payment delay, extension of time and work suspension. This paper aims to highlight claims in construction industry in Oman and factors affecting these claims, as a result of construction boom, claims get bigger attention due to the high effect on the main elements of construction management. Field study has been conducted to collect data required in claim concern. Data were collected through data collecting form designed for this purpose, collected data was for 45 projects with specific criteria. According to the analyzed data, it’s been shown that the average of claims in construction projects is 2.6 claims per project, most of these claims are: extension of time effect, solved in negotiation manner, occurred in lump sum contracts. Owners are the first party 'as sources of claims' with 42% of research sample over other sources like consultants, contractor and contract documents.