Non-working Days Research Articles

Trends, variations and prediction of staff sickness absence rates among NHS ambulance services in England: a time series study

ObjectivesOur aim was to measure ambulance sickness absence rates over time, comparing ambulance services and investigate the predictability of rates for future forecasting.SettingAll English ambulance services, UK.DesignWe used a time...

Rethinking the workweek: Results from a longitudinal time-use study of a 30-hour workweek experiment

In 2019, Femma vzw, a Belgian women’s organisation, as an experiment, implemented a 30-hour workweek within the organisation. For a period of 12 months, all full-time employees switched from a 36-hour workweek to a 30-hour workweek. During this experiment, a longitudinal time-use study into the impact of the working time reduction on the working life and private life of these employees was carried out. The study included five waves of data collection before, during and after the experiment over a period of two and a half years. Each wave consisted of an online 7-day time use diary, a pre-diary questionnaire and a post-diary questionnaire. This research report discusses the first general findings of the study, using the first four waves. Some key findings are: the employees had clear wishes and expectations about what they wanted to do with their extra time at the start of the 30-hour workweek. Above all, the wish for more personal time was high. Most employees took this extra time as one additional non-working day per week, namely Wednesday or Friday. The extra free hours mostly were spent on household work, care and personal care, although this was not exactly what they wished for. However, employees did experience less household stress, less leisure time pressure and a better work-life balance.

COVID-19 prevention, air pollution and transportation patterns in the absence of a lockdown

Recent studies demonstrate that air quality improved during the coronavirus pandemic due to the imposition of social lockdowns. We investigate the impact of COVID-19 on air pollution in the two largest cities in Taiwan, which were not subject to economic or mobility restrictions. Using a difference-in-differences approach and real-time data on air quality and transportation, we estimate that anthropogenic air pollution from local sources increased during working days and decreased during non-working days during the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to a 3–7 percent increase in CO, O3, SO2, PM10 and PM2.5. We demonstrate that the increase in air pollution resulted from a shift in preferred mode of travel away from public transportation and towards personal motor vehicles during working days. In particular, metro and shared bicycle usage decreased between 8 and 18 percent, on average, while automobile and scooter use increased between 11 and 21 percent during working days. Similar COVID-19 prevention behaviors in regions or countries emerging from lockdowns could likewise result in an increase in air pollution. Taking action to reduce the transmissibility of COVID-19 on metro cars, trains and buses could help policymakers limit the substitution of personal motor vehicles for public transit, and mitigate increases in air pollution when lifting mobility restrictions.

Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на трудовую миграцию сельского населения Калмыкии

Introduction. The issue examined in the article is topical enough since it arises from the need to analyze actual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on internal labor migration processes among the population. The COVID-19 crisis has affected most sectors of the economy. The introduction of quarantine measures and non-working days led to a number of problems for labor migrants: loss of work, reduction in wages, change of employment, loss of a certain status, and other consequences. Goals. The article aims to assess the impact of the current situation in the labor market to have resulted from the introduction of national quarantine and self-isolation regime on interregional and intraregional migration trends. The article discusses two aspects of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor migration in the republic, such as return migrations from Moscow and other regions to Kalmykia, and the migration of medical doctors and healthcare workers both within the republic and beyond. Materials and Methods. The paper introduces results of in-depth interviews with labor migrants who returned to Kalmykia during the period of restrictive measures, as well as with MDs and nursing staff who left for work in the ‘red zone’ outside their rural settlements and outside the republic. Results. The analysis of the impact entailed by the COVID-19 pandemic shows that migration is a dynamic process sensitive to any social change. Migration flows are characterized by a high level of renewability which is confirmed by both statistical data and the results of interviews: after some weakening of the restrictive measures the respondents returned to their jobs in other regions. However, such renewability of migration flows shows, in our opinion, the complexity of social and economic processes taking place in rural areas. The migration of MDs and medical personnel also attests to that — if it is possible to receive more material remuneration — qualified personnel are ready to leave not only their native villages but also the republic.

Investigation of Particulate Matter (PM10) Pollution in Ipoh City, Malaysia

Air pollution is one of the phenomena that adversely affect the environment and negatively impact human health. Air pollution occurs when there are excessive air pollutants in the atmosphere. This study aims to identify and discuss the sources of PM10 emissions according to land use around Ipoh using descriptive and boxplot analysis. There are five areas selected as a sampling location for this study: Ipoh, Lahat, Chemor, Tanjung Rambutan, and Simpang Pulai that located in Hulu Kinta and Sungai Raya district. This sampling location's primary focus is located around Ipoh city, concentrated in the industrial area. Ten land use-based sampling stations are selected to measure. PM10 data were recorded for one week during working and non-working days in July 2020 on 10 sampling stations around Ipoh. The result shows PM10 concentrations consist of industrial, infrastructure and utility, commercial, residential, and recreational areas, as shown PM10 values were recorded for one week during working days and non-working days on 10 observation stations using Portable Laser Aerosol Spectrometer and Dust Monitor Model 1.108. Based on the observations, two stations show the daily average mean of PM10 exceeding 100 μg/m3 outlined in the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Standard (MAAQS) at S6 (175.78 μg/m3) and S10 (103.79 μg/m3). This situation is driven by the presence of limestone-based industrial areas as well as quarrying activities. The findings also show that PM10 concentration is higher during working days rather than non-working days. Overall, PM10 concentrations that exceed the limit will have a detrimental effect on the environment and human health.

Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на профессиональную деятельность и здоровье офтальмологов в Российской Федерации. Результаты онлайн-опроса

Purpose. To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the professional activities and health of ophthalmologists in the Russian Federation. Material and methods. The All-Russian online survey of ophthalmologists «Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the professional activity, lifestyle and health of ophthalmologists in the Russian Federation» was conducted. The results are presented in % of those respondents who are engaged in the relevant activity. Results. The survey involved 582 ophthalmologists from various regions of Russia. In April 2020 (in the first month of non-working days throughout the Russian Federation), the work load as a whole became less than usual for 54.8% of respondents. In addition, 18.4% of respondents stated that they did not work during the entire April 2020. The number of face-to-face consultations decreased in 74.3% of the surveyed ophthalmologists. The number of telemedicine consultations decreased in 27.0% of respondents, and increased in 34.1%. The number of emergency and urgent surgery decreased in 25.0% of respondents, and increased in 23.2%. The number of planned surgery decreased in 80.4% of respondents. 23.9% of respondents began to provide medical care in an additional and new profile of ophthalmological care (which they do not usually do). Salaries in April 2020 decreased for 66.7% of respondents, in August 2020 – in 41.4% of respondents. Ophthalmologists have become more engaged in the study of professional literature on ophthalmology and coronavirus, as well as writing scientific products (articles, patents, etc.), preparing reports and presenting them. In 57.8% of cases of infection of ophthalmologists with COVID-19 was associated with their professional activities and 37.3% of infection with an ophthalmic patient. In 83.3% of cases, ophthalmologists were treated for COVID-19 on an outpatient, in 16.7% of cases – in an inpatient. In 66.7% of cases the health status of ophthalmologists after the coronavirus infection COVID-19 was poor. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic had negative impact on the professional activity and health of ophthalmologists in the Russian Federation. Key words: pandemic, COVID-19, new coronavirus infection, ophthalmologists.

Evaluation of a cross-border electricity interconnection: The case of Spain-France

This paper focuses on the economics of a cross-border transmission interconnector. The domestic spot electricity price is modelled as a stochastic process with mean reversion and jumps; it also includes a deterministic part that accounts for hourly and daily sasonalities along with non-working days. The two domestic spot prices are assumed to be correlated. As an illustration of the approach, we consider the particular case of the interconnector between Spain (an ‘electric island’) and France. Domestic prices are first calibrated and then used for simulating the stochastic behavior of the price gap between the two countries. In addition, the actual import/export behavior as a function of the price gap is captured by a Tobit model fitted from observed data. This model is then combined with the simulated price gaps to compute a multiple series of hourly prices and exports/imports of electricity through the interconnector. Drawing on these simulations we derive the probability distributions of revenues and expenses from exports and imports, and also some risk measures. According to our results, the economics of this interconector depends on different domestic seasonalities (hourly and daily), the growing trend of the price gap and some stochastic idiosyncrasies. They call for an expanded link.

High Temporal Resolution Land Use Regression Models with POI Characteristics of the PM2.5 Distribution in Beijing, China.

PM2.5 is one of the primary components of air pollutants, and it has wide impacts on human health. Land use regression models have the typical disadvantage of low temporal resolution. In this study, various point of interests (POIs) variables are added to the usual predictive variables of the general land use regression (LUR) model to improve the temporal resolution. Hourly PM2.5 concentration data from 35 monitoring stations in Beijing, China, were used. Twelve LUR models were developed for working days and non-working days of the heating season and non-heating season, respectively. The results showed that these models achieved good fitness in winter and summer, and the highest R2 of the winter and summer models were 0.951 and 0.628, respectively. Meteorological factors, POIs, and roads factors were the most critical predictive variables in the models. This study also showed that POIs had time characteristics, and different types of POIs showed different explanations ranging from 5.5% to 41.2% of the models on working days or non-working days, respectively. Therefore, this study confirmed that POIs can greatly improve the temporal resolution of LUR models, which is significant for high precision exposure studies.

West Midlands region less than full time training survey

AimsTo more fully understand the training experience of less than full time (LTFT) trainees working in psychiatry in the West Midlands Region with the aim of identifying areas that would improve the training experience.BackgroundLTFT training has grown in popularity since its formal introduction in 2007. The greater participation of women in medicine and generational changes in lifestyle expectations are some of the factors behind this trend. Approximately 13% of psychiatry trainees in the UK are training LTFT, bringing the benefit of allowing trainees to balance caring responsibilities or health conditions with continuing their postgraduate training. However it is not without its challenges for trainees which we aimed to explore in this survey.MethodAn electronic survey was sent out to all trainees via email, LTFT trainees of all training grades were invited to respond. Trainees were contacted in the five mental health trusts making up the region. The survey contained 32 questions that covered a range of topics including educational opportunities, perceived attitudes to LTFT trainees and training experience. Data were collected over a six month period in 2019. There were 22 responses to the survey region-wide.Result86% of respondents were working reduced sessions in full-time posts with implications for their clinical workload and 14% responded that their clinical contact time was not adjusted to reflect their working hours. 36% of respondents experienced difficulties attending their formal teaching programme while 82% had attended educational commitments on non-working days. 14% of respondents felt training LTFT did not allow them to meet training requirements while 23% would not recommend LTFT training in the West Midlands to others. Trainees cited difficulties managing a full time workload and not having support from supervisors as reasons for these views. 40% of respondents reported experiencing negative attitudes from seniors and 50% felt isolated from other trainees due to LTFT training status.ConclusionThe survey has developed our understanding of the challenges faced by LTFT trainees and it has been communicated regionally and to employing trusts to promote action. For example, at a trust level, the use of personalised work schedules can address some common difficulties. More effectively communicating sources of support to trainees, sharing best practice and providing networking opportunities are suggested as next steps regionally. New administrative processes to maintain an accurate list of LTFT trainees is vital in implementing this. Improving the information given to trainers is another development area.

Are Electric Vehicles Reshaping the City? An Investigation of the Clustering of Electric Vehicle Owners’ Dwellings and Their Interaction with Urban Spaces

With the rapid development of electric vehicles (EVs) around the world, debates have arisen with regard to their impacts on people’s lifestyles and urban space. Mining spatio-temporal patterns from increasingly smart city sensors and personal mobile devices have become an important approach in understanding the interaction between human activity and urban space. In this study, we used location-based service data to identify EV owners and capture the distribution of home and charging stations. The research goal was to investigate that how the urban form in regions under rapid urbanization is driven by EV use, from a geographical perspective. Using a case study of the expanding metropolis of Beijing, GIS-based spatial statistical analysis was conducted to characterize the spatial-pattern of the homes of EV owners as well as their charging preferences. Our results indicate that the spatial clustering of the homes of EV owners in non-urban central areas—suburban areas—is significantly higher than that in urban central areas. According to the records of visits to charging stations, the spatial interaction distance between the dwellings of EV owners and their visits to charging stations exhibits significant distance attenuation characteristics. 88% of EV owners in this research travels within 40 km (Euclidean distance) between housing and charging stations. At the same time, there were significant differences in the spatial patterns between working days and non-working days which are affected by commuting activities. The three types of urban spatial interaction patterns were identified and categorized by visualization. This transformation to EV use in the city influences several aspects of people’s decisions and behaviors in life. Understanding the impacts will provide valuable information for the development of EVs and their implications in the electrification of transportation, smart planning, and sustainable urbanization.

High-Risk Periods for Adult Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Introduction: There is minimal existing available information on nationwide seasonal peaks in traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). This lack of information is an impediment to the effective development of prevention programs, societal policies, and hinders the resourcing of medical emergency services. Our current aim is to study nationwide population-based high-risk periods TBI over a 15-year study period in Finland. Methods: Nationwide databases were searched for all admissions with a TBI diagnosis and later for deaths of persons ≥16 years of age during 2004–2018. The search included all hospitals that provide acute TBI care in Finland. Results: The study period included 69,231 TBI-related hospital admissions (men = 62%). We found that for men, the highest rate of TBIs occurred on Saturdays, whereas women experience the highest rate of TBIs on Mondays. The highest rate of TBIs in men occurred in July, while women experienced the highest rate of TBIs in January. TBI-related hospital admissions (incidence risk ratio [IRR] 1.090, 95% CI 1.07–1.11, p < 0.0001) and mortality within 30 days after TBI (hazard ratio [HR] 1.057, 95% CI 1.001–1.116, p = 0.0455) were more common on public holidays and weekends than on weekdays. There was an increasing trend in the proportion of TBI-related hospital admissions occurring on public holidays and weekends from 2004 (31.5%) to 2018 (33.4%) (p = 0.0007). In summer months, TBI-related hospital admissions (IRR 1.10, 95% CI 1.08–1.12, p < 0.0001) and 30-day mortality (HR 1.069, 95% CI 1.010–1.131, p = 0.0211) were more common than in other months. TBIs occurred more often in younger and healthier individuals on these index days and times. In terms of specific public holidays, the TBI risk was overall higher on New Year’s Eves and Days (IRR 1.40, 95% CI 1.25–1.58, p < 0.0001) and Midsummer’s Eves and Days (IRR 1.36, 95% CI 1.20–1.54, p < 0.0001), compared to nonworking days. This finding was significant in both genders. Conclusions: TBI-related hospital admissions and mortality were more common on public holidays, weekends, and in summer months in Finland. People who sustained TBIs on these days were on average younger and healthier. The occurrence of TBIs on public holidays and weekends is increasing at an alarming rate.

Cortisol, chronotype, and coping styles as determinants of tolerance of nursing staff to rotating shift work

ABSTRACT Hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis activity and cortisol patterns are likely to play a role in shift work tolerance, i.e., ability to adapt to shift work without suffering stress-related consequences. Yet, the evidence is scanty. Here, salivary cortisol output during night shifts and leisure days was assessed in fast-forward rotating shift work nursing staff (N = 30), and possible links with a series of variables – gender (30% male), age (M = 39.6, SEM = 1.57 y), years of service (M = 12.43, SEM = 1.48 y), BMI (M = 23.29, SEM = 0.66 Kg/m2), self-rated chronotype, sleep quality, and psycho-behavioral factors – were investigated. Main results show that cortisol output during night shifts: i) is larger in morning-oriented chronotypes, thus affected by the circadian misalignment between biological and working rhythms; ii) associates with dysfunctional coping styles at work; iii) positively correlates with diurnal cortisol secretion on leisure days, i.e., individuals with larger cortisol output during shifts display higher cortisol secretion on non-working days. Chronotype and psycho-behavioral factors explain most of the correlational weight linking cortisol output during the night shift and off-days. In conclusion, we confirm salivary cortisol testing as a suitable objective marker of occupational stress and propose it as a valuable index for monitoring shift work tolerance, in combination with chronotype. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of evaluating psycho-behavioral factors in professional settings, because these modifiable variables can be addressed with tailored psychological interventions to ameliorate poor job satisfaction, reduce work-related distress, and avoid chronic cortisol excess experienced by shift workers.

Topical issues of cost accounting during a pandemic

The article is devoted to the problem of accounting for expenses during the period of high alert to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in dental clinics that provide paid services. This article discusses the concept of expenses, their classification, regulations governing the accounting of expenses, as well as the procedure for reflecting them in accounting. It noted that during the pandemic, problems arose with the collection of primary documents, which, in turn, complicated the work on the formation of financial statements. Particular attention is paid to the issues of attribution of expenses for salaries of employees on non-working days announced by the President of the Russian Federation.

Quantitative Analysis of Waiting Length and Waiting Time for Frame Construction Work Activities Using a Queue Model; Focusing on Korean Apartment Construction

The frame construction of an apartment complex that consists of multiple buildings encounters various uncertainties, owing to the complex relationships between units of work. Currently, the period of such a construction is calculated based on the number of floors of the highest building in the complex. This study quantitatively analyzes an apartment frame construction period using a queue model and evaluates the validity of the estimated period. In this regard, a methodology is proposed for analyzing the construction period by applying the concept of a customer and a server. A case study on the duration of an apartment frame construction period is conducted with the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, which has supplied the largest number of apartments in South Korea. It was found that the stable state of a queue system was observed when the rate of server utilization was applied to the basement and above-ground floors. However, a stable state was not reached on the ground floor. This study includes non-working days in its calculation and quantitatively analyzes uncertainty factors during construction. Therefore, the findings can be practically utilized to quantitatively plan the durations of work units in an apartment frame construction.

Pollen and Fungal Spores Evaluation in Relation to Occupants and Microclimate in Indoor Workplaces

Indoor air quality depends on many internal or external factors mutually interacting in a dynamic and complex system, which also includes indoor workplaces, where subjects are exposed to many pollutants, including biocontaminants such as pollen and fungal spores. In this context, the occupants interact actively with their environment through actions, modifying indoor environmental conditions to achieve their own thermal comfort. Actions such as opening/closing doors and windows and turning on/off air conditioning could have effects on workers’ health. The present study explored the contribution of human occupants to pollen and fungal spore levels in indoor workplaces, combining aerobiological, microclimate, and worker monitoring during summer and winter campaigns. We evaluated the overall time spent by the workers in the office, the workers’ actions regarding non-working days and working days, and non-working hours and working hours, during two campaigns of pollen and fungal spore monitoring. Our results showed that the biocontaminant values depend on many mutually interacting factors; hence, the role of all of the factors involved should be investigated. In this regard, aerobiological monitoring should be a valid tool for the management of occupational allergies, providing additional information to improve occupational health protection strategies.

Factors affecting mental illness and social stress in hospital workers treating COVID-19: Paradoxical distress during pandemic era

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected all countries in the world. Hospital workers are at high risk of mental illness, such as anxiety and depression. Furthermore, they also face many social stresses, such as deterioration of human relations and income reduction. Apart from mental illness, these social stresses can reduce motivation and lead to voluntary absenteeism, which contribute to a collapse of medical systems. Thus, for maintaining medical systems, it is crucial to clarify risk factors for both mental illness and increased social stress among hospital workers. However, little attention has been paid to factors affecting social stress, and thus, we aimed to address this gap. MethodsIn this cross-sectional survey of 588 hospital workers, the levels of anxiety, depression, and social stress were assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Tokyo Metropolitan Distress Scale for Pandemic (TMDP). Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify the demographic variables affecting these problems. ResultsOlder age and female sex were common risk factors for anxiety, depression, and social stress. Moreover, occupational exposure to COVID-19 and hospital staff other than doctors/fewer non-work days were risk factors for increased anxiety and depression, respectively. Furthermore, living with families/others was a risk factor for increased social stress during this pandemic. ConclusionOur findings could be useful for developing policies and practices to minimize the risk of mental illness and increased social stress among hospital workers, highlighting that attention should be paid to social factors, such as an individual's household situation.

Using Deep Learning to Understand Travel Demands in Different Urban Districts

Travel demand forecast plays an important role in transportation planning. Classic models often predict people’s travel behavior based on the physical built environment in a linear fashion. Many scholars have tried to understand built environments’ predictive power on people’s travel behavior using big-data methods. However, few empirical studies have discussed how the impact might vary across time and space. To fill this research gap, this study used 2019 anonymous smartphone GPS data and built a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) to predict the daily travel demand to six destinations in Austin, Texas: downtown, the university, the airport, an inner-ring point-of-interest (POI) cluster, a suburban POI cluster, and an urban-fringe POI cluster. By comparing the prediction results, we found that: the model underestimated the traffic surge for the university in the fall semester and overestimated the demand for downtown on non-working days; the prediction accuracy for POI clusters was negatively related to their adjacency to downtown; and different POI clusters had cases of under- or overestimation on different occasions. This study reveals that the impact of destination attributes on people’s travel demand can vary across time and space because of their heterogeneous nature. Future research on travel behavior and built environment modeling should incorporate the temporal inconsistency to achieve better prediction accuracy.

The environmental cost and the accident externality of driving: Evidence from the Swiss franc's appreciation

AbstractThis study investigates the effects of driving on air quality and road safety by exploiting exogenous variation in traffic flows associated with the Swiss franc's appreciation. It shows that the higher mobility along the border increased the nitrogen oxides concentration during peak hours on working days and the risk of car accidents during the late morning on nonworking days. The elasticity of both variables of interest with respect to the number of cars turns out to be larger than one. This suggests the need for programs that treat traffic congestion, air quality, and road safety jointly and has implications for optimal road use pricing.

How Healthy Are Health-Related Behaviors in University Students: The HOLISTic Study.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the health-related behaviors among university students, with emphasis on health sciences students from Croatia, Italy, Lebanon, Poland, Romania, Spain and Turkey. We included 6222 students in Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Nutrition and Dietetics, Sports Sciences, Veterinary, and Economics enrolled between April 2018 and March 2020. We assessed dietary patterns, sleeping habits, physical activity and perceived stress among students by means of validated questionnaires. The median age ranged between 19 and 24 years, smoking prevalence between 12.0% and 35.4%, and body mass index (BMI) ranged between 21.1 and 23.2 kg/m2. Breakfast was less often and more often consumed daily in Turkey (36.7%), and Italy (75.7%), respectively. The highest Mediterranean diet score was recorded in Spain and Italy, and the lowest in Turkey, followed by students from Croatia, Lebanon, Poland and Romania. Sleep duration, physical activity and stress perception also differed between countries. Multivariable regression analysis revealed a small, but positive association between BMI and several characteristics, including age, female gender, smoking, physical activity, mobile phone use, and perceived stress. A negative association was found between BMI and sleep duration on non-working days. Self-rated health perception was positively associated with female gender, breakfast, physical activity, and time spent studying, and negatively with BMI, smoking and stress. Our results demonstrated diverse habits in students from different countries, some of which were less healthy than anticipated, given their educational background. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on improving the lifestyle of these adolescents and young adults, who will be tomorrow’s healthcare workers.

Ethical misconducts within the invitation to tender and tender evaluation and award stages of construction contracts in Ghana

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the views of construction practitioners on the prevalence of ethical misconduct within the invitation to tender and tender evaluation and award stages of construction contracts in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a critical comparative review of literature resulting in the identification of 18 potential misconducts within the invitation to tender and 11 potential misconducts within the tender evaluation and award stages of construction contracts, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 65 construction professionals. Data obtained from the survey were analysed using both descriptive (i.e. frequencies, mean scores and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (paired t-test), followed by gap analysis.FindingsThe findings revealed that corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices, client divulging more information to the preferred bidder and inflating tender prices by tenderers in return for kickbacks are key unethical practices prevalent at the invitation to tender stage. Following these key unethical practices, the findings further suggested through gap analysis that submission of bids on non-working days and inadequate time for preparation and submission of tenders were the top two unethical practices that needed serious interventions at this stage. At the tender evaluation and award stage, the findings revealed that interference by influential people in political positions, fake tendering and bid shopping are prevalent. Again, from the gap analysis, interference by influential people in political positions and poor definition of selection criteria were identified to be the two key unethical practices that need urgent intervention at this stage of construction contracts.Practical implicationsThis study holds a significant practical implication in the sense that key unethical practices at the invitation to tender and tender evaluation and award stages of construction contracts have been identified, and this provides a suitable basis for stakeholders that spearhead such activities to offer suitable interventions to control such practices.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge as it uncovers ethical misconducts within two important phases of construction contracts in a developing country setting. As there is a continuous effort by the international community towards finding lasting solutions to such misconducts, the findings from this study can be used as a starting point for appropriate policies to be put in place in Ghana to control such misconducts.