Contractor Information Research Articles

Plaster of Paris (POP) Installers’ Awareness of Occupational Hazards and Utilisation of Safety Measures in Ho Municipality, Ghana

Construction workers are found to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) infrequently, although workplace accidents are common and strongly associated with safety education. In Ho, Ghana, this study examines POP installers’ awareness of occupational hazards and the use of PPEs. The study’s motivation and contribution are in its analysis of the perceived obstacles and driving forces behind PPE use by POP installers in the construction industry, which is yet unknown in Ghana. Between May 15 and June 30, 2022, 149 POP installers in Ho Municipality filled out a crosssectional questionnaire using a purposive sampling method, and the data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) v.20. The outcome variables were determined using logistic regression with a 0.05 p value, the relative importance index (RII), and correlation analysis. There is a lack of awareness of knowledge, PPE use, and workplace safety among the participants. Once again, respondents cited discomfort as a reason for not wearing PPE during POP installation. Furthermore, knowledge of occupational hazards among POP workers negatively predicts PPE usage (B = 0.207, p < 0.05). The study’s findings provide critical information for contractors’ associations to collaborate with relevant health and safety professionals to regularly organise safety awareness training for members to increase worker knowledge and reduce risk-taking behaviour. This study is unique because it is the first to access and provides an in-depth analysis of the purported barriers and driving motivations for PPE compliance and non-compliance from the perspective of an under-researched group of construction workers in Ghana.

METHODOLOGY FOR QUALITY CONTROL AND APPLICATION OF OILFIELD CHEMICALS

The problems and methodology of the procedure for operational field control of the application technology and oilfield chemicals are SHAPE \\* MERGEFORMAT described in the article. The methodology includes the technology of operational instrumental identification of the brand and verification of the reagent quality. The methodology is applicable at all stages of the life cycle of reagents: «laboratory research» - «field tests» - «field application» in the chemicalization of production. The methodological foundations of a new approach to operational (field) monitoring of the quality of services and oilfield reagents have been developed: control stages, a list of controlled documents, the volume and algorithm for checking permits, technology and quantitative criteria for assessing quality of oilfield reagents. Unified reporting forms have been developed, including a contractor information sheet and a feedback sheet. The unification of reporting forms is aimed at the subsequent statistical processing of an array of field reports using specified algorithms with the output of a summary on the operational quality control of reagents for any period. Current results of the project: new methodology and draft corporate standard for quality management of services and operational quality control of reagents, technology for operational instrumental identification of the brand and verification of the quality of the reagent. The prospects for the development of the technology of operational quality control have been determined, including the expansion of the field of applicability of the technology to reagents used in chemical treatment of bottomhole zones of wells, hydraulic fracturing, methods of increasing oil recovery, as well as the involvement of equipment and instrumentation measuring the composition of reagents for the incoming control procedure. Pilot field application of the project results is planned at Bashneft PJSOC. Further, the technology will be adapted for implementation in the Production Companies of Rosneft PJSC.

Factors influencing bid-winning performance in mixed crowdsourcing: The persuasive effect of credible information sources

Mixed crowdsourcing is increasingly becoming the main organizational model of domestic crowdsourcing platforms. However, research on the interpretation of winning performance fails to focus on the persuasive effect of the credibility of the contractor's information source on the contractee's decision making. Based on source credibility theory (SCT), this study constructs a model of the factors influencing the contractor's bid-winning performance based on three aspects—credibility, professionalism, and attractiveness—and examines the moderating effect of positive contractor evaluations from previous tasks on the bid decision. The results reveal that integrity guarantee and contact authentication (which belong to the credibility dimension), as well as ability level and professional identity (professionalism dimension) positively affect the contractor's bid-winning performance, and that an inverted-U-shaped relationship exists between the number of services displayed by the contractors (attractiveness dimension) and bid-winning performance.

Noncompliance of Fixed Tariffs for Architectural and Engineering Services with European Law

The German fee system for architectural and engineering construction planning services is characterized by fixed minimum and maximum tariffs. In July 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on the noncompliance of the German Official Scale of Fees for Services by Architects and Engineers (HOAI) with European law. The court found that minimum and maximum fees for construction planning services infringe the Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on Services in the Internal Market by building up barriers for providers from other European Union countries in developing their service activities within the German market. Although the Court of Justice of the European Union is not authorized to declare member states’ legal regulations to be invalid, Germany is obligated to revise its respective regulations with regard to this decision. The verdict was expected but will have a huge effect on the fees system for architectural and engineering construction planning services in Germany because the legislature must revise the fee regulations, and in the meantime the unclear legal situation is affecting contractors and service providers. To elaborate recommendations to the German legislature on whether and how to revise the HOAI, the authors analyzed the verdict and compared it with the current legal situation in Europe and especially in Germany. Furthermore, the paper contains information for contractors, engineers, and architects on how to deal with the new legal situation resulting from an analysis of former German court decisions in comparable cases. The conclusion is that Germany must react to the new development regarding the fees for construction planning services and should revise the German Official Scale of Fees for Services by Architect and Engineers (HOAI). Meanwhile, contractors and service providers may continue to agree to fees following the principles of the existing regulations laid down in the HOAI.

A Review of Safety Issues among Small Grade Contractors in Construction Industry

The construction industry is one of the largest industries in Malaysia. There were too many factors that contribute to construction project success. Construction industry comprises different participants including clients, consultants, and contractors (as construction business) that perform different roles from conception in order to complete the project. The contractors in Malaysia were categorized into seven Grades of contractors starting from contractor G1 to G7. These categories were graded based on a number of employees and the value of the project. In Malaysia, G1 to G4 contractors (small grade contractors) are the highest company were registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). Unfortunately, small grade contractors are widely exposed to the highest rate of accidents or risky compared to medium and large grade contractors (G5-G7) in this industry. In order to adequately clarify the issues on this safety matter, this paper has discussed the problems faced by small grade contractors that influence the implementation of safety practice in a construction site. The objective of study is to identify the problems in small grade contractors in order to implement safety practice on site. This study was focused on small grade contractor in Malaysia. The data for this study were supported by previous studies are reported in the journal; statistic of accidents in the construction industry by Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH); contractor information; statistic of contractors are registered under CIDB; safety book; and internet sources. This study had found that the small grade contractors have some issues related to safety practice whereas they did not have proper standard of safety (general safety act and regulation); they cannot appoint Safety Health Officer (SHO) to handle the site safety; have limited external resource; and also small grade contractors have financial constraints. Based on this review, it can be concluded that small grade contractors have more lacking in safety management and consequently, the rate of accidents still higher in the construction industry. However, safety management in small grade contractors can be improved with support by external resources such as researcher, large grade contractor, government, and pressure from authorities.

Dynamic Panel Analysis of Construction Accidents in Hong Kong

Abstract The construction industry is one of the riskiest industries with a large number of deaths and injuries every year. Large amounts of money are spent annually on workers’ compensation. Thus, it is important to investigate the factors which affect accident compensation in the eyes of judges. In this research paper, we utilized the court case reports available in HKLII from 2000 to 2015. Most of the victims have studied in secondary schools, are aged between 30 and 49 and have a monthly salary of less than HK$20,000. All the data were then analyzed and summarized by the content analysis method. After that, we used the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation and System-GMM dynamic panel econometrics method to study the dynamic relationship between these factors and the compensation for accidents. Academically, analysis of accident compensation in the past usually depended on analysis by the labour department. There is a limited number of quantitative court case reports analysis based on economic modelling. Furthermore, none of the previous research utilized the dynamic panel technique to study the relationships. It also fills the gap of the research in identifying whether non-Cantonese speakers are in disadvantage positions when they seek for compensation, longer hearings favour the contractors and whether mental disorder after accident shall lead to larger amount of compensation. Practically, the research offer important information for contractors and employers who may need to pay compensation due to workers’ accidents. The results show that non-Cantonese speakers receive less compensation as compared to locals and court cases with longer hearings are usually associated with larger amount of compensation. There is, however, no significant difference between victims with and without mental disorder in terms of compensation.

Recognition of Watermark Dot Information from a Folded, Rumpled, or Waved Paper

SUMMARYIn the late years, personal information must be protected at the agency in the field of insurance. We develop an agency contract system that protects personal information of the contractor and information to confirm intention to contract by background texture watermarks. When the contractor carries an application form, it may be folded, rumpled, or waved little. In this case, contractor's information must be recognized from background watermarks printed on the application form. But it cannot be recognized surely folded, rumpled, or waved application form by the conventional method. In this paper, we propose a new recognition of watermark dot information from folded, rumpled, or waved application form. The new recognition is composed of crooked point sequence recognition expressing character borders by searching around calculated point, and dot recognition by shading folded, rumpled, or waved paper and emphasizing dot in luminosity from this paper. As a result, we got correct recognition ratio of more than 99% from folded, rumpled, or waved paper.

The Effect of Lime and Cellulose Ether on Selected Properties of Plastering Mortar

The article presents the results of the investigation on the plastering mortars modified with lime and cellulose ether. Standard designations were performed and technological properties of plasters were determined. The performance of each plaster was rated, water retention ratio after 10, 30 and 60minutes was determined and mechanical properties were described. An analysis of the effect of cellulose ether and lime on mortars’ setting and hardening time was performed by ultrasonic method. Rheological properties of the pastes concerning yield stress and plastic viscosity were determined as well. Although water retention for all mortars is at the same level, other parameters are highly varied. The results presented in the paper clearly show the effect of the cellulose ether and lime admixture on the standard properties and technological characteristics of both the material in the plastic state and the final product. The proper selection of the particular mortar components may have a decisive influence on the properties of the final product, therefore a comprehensive examination of the material is so important. The rating of the technical parameters of mortars presented in the paper can be a valuable source of information for contractors and construction materials producers.

Optimize negotiation price in construction procurement using Bayesian Fuzzy Game Model

The challenge of construction procurement negotiation arises partly because each negotiation side has private information on their payoff function but is uninformed of the values and strategies of the opposite side. The uncertain and limited contractor information as well as complex correlations among various factors affect contractor behaviors, making learning a supplier's negotiation strategy and deciding the appropriate offer price difficult for contractors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to apply the forecasting ability of a novel Bayesian Fuzzy Game Model (BFGM) in providing negotiation support and recommendations for contractors determining an appropriate current bid price. The validation analysis revealed that the contractor can foresee the supplier's future bidding strategy to increase the success rate and profit, reduce the time spent in unnecessary negotiation, and improve negotiation efficiency in the construction material procurement process. Based upon the survey data from Taiwan and Vietnam, the preliminary validation of the model shows that both contractor and supplier can obtain the profitable agreement by applying the BFGM within a reasonable negotiation time.

Hurricane reconstruction in the United States Gulf Coast

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study construction companies performing reconstruction to better understand the positive and negative effects of hurricanes on the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachConstruction companies with hurricane reconstruction experience in gulf coast states were surveyed to obtain information about their activities from 1999 to 2008. A wide range of company sizes were represented in the collected data, from less than 15 to more than 100 employees, and from less than five to more than 100 million dollars in annual work volume. Specific points investigated include how hurricane reconstruction affects profitability, scheduling, estimating accuracy, and volume of business (both short term and subsequent). Other factors examined were labour availability, labour costs, material prices, material availability and how insurance company involvement impacted work progress.FindingsWhile the rewards of additional work are obvious, this study found that labour shortages, availability of materials, and issues with insurance companies are the main risks construction companies face. Construction companies should have a hurricane construction plan to capitalize fully on so much opportunity. The plan should include contingency pricing to combat the rise in job costs, a geographic region to work into keep from getting over extended, a strong labour force, and a plan for displaced employees. A plan will help mitigate risk and increase the probability of success.Originality/valueThis paper should provide useful information for contractors, government entities and others who are involved with reconstruction efforts after unpredictable disasters, particularly hurricanes.

Contractor and supplier management: mitigating risk by better decision making

Global industry trends show increased outsourcing of non-core business activities (i.e. construction, maintenance, engineering, etc.) to third-party contractors. Data from several industries show that contractors face 1.5–3 times higher incident rates than in-house employees. This extended abstract covers leading-edge approaches for managing contractor risk, presently implemented by organisations in the oil and gas, mining and manufacturing industries. Using a database of more than 35,000 contracting companies and 220 owner/operator companies, this extended abstract accumulates more than six years of extensive health and safety data to show trends associated with health and safety management and performance improvement. Using statistical analysis methods, actionable leading indicators and insightful trends are discussed. Best practices of contractor management and decision-making tools based on a comprehensive management-system approach to contractor-risk management are also examined. Discussed is a practical model to address the following key elements: Gathering, reviewing and verifying contractor information as part of the due-diligence process. Analysing leading and lagging performance indicators. Driving safety through feedback, benchmarking, and continual improvement.

Contractor selection criteria: a cost-benefit analysis

This paper describes an empirical study aimed at ranking prequalification criteria on the basis of perceived total cost-benefit to stakeholders. A postal questionnaire was distributed to 100 client and contractor organizations in Australia in 1997. Forty-eight responses were analyzed for scores on 38 categories of contractor information in terms of "value to client" "contractor costs," "client costs," and "value for money." The client and contractor responses for "value to client" and "client costs" of processing were found to be homogeneous. Those for "contractor costs" and "value for money" differed significantly between the clients and the contractors. A simple linear regression analysis was used to model the responses, and an index of cost-benefit was derived for each of the categories. This was found to be superior to all of the nonlinear alternatives examined. The model was also found to have greater intuitive value than the equivalent raw "value for money" responses.

CITIS Holds Promise for both DoD and Commercial Contractors

ABSTRACT MIL‐STD‐CITIS specifies that the Department of Defense (DoD) have access to an executive information system buffer database that will access a contractor's information systems. To accomplish this, contractors will construct comprehensive distributed databases integrating all of the different financial, administrative, scientific and engineering information systems associated with a program. Using these databases, the DoD will be able to rapidly access any data required to ensure that development programs produce functional weapons systems on schedule. These systems will capitalize on contractor information system investments so that the DoD can avoid the expense of duplicating contractors' information systems. Several major weapons systems are already being administered in this mode. The process has been a success. MIL‐STD‐CITIS sets forth data types, information functions and security requirements.

Urban geology of boulder, colorado: A progress report

A cooperative program in urban geology between the city of Boulder, Colorado, and the Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, has been in effect since late 1969. The principal geological problems in the rapidly growing urban environment of Boulder include: The Boulder city geologist collects data on soils exposed in open excavations within the city, maps ancient and modern landslides, provides information for contractors bidding on public works projects, and reviews the geologic aspects of all consulting work prepared for the city. Examples of formats used for the communication of information to responsible city officials include geotechnic maps of all open cuts, street pavement design maps, and input into the city-wide standard specifications for enginnering projects.