Practices In Construction Industry Research Articles

The Framework of Construction Workers Safety: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Safety Practices in Construction Industry

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the multifaceted approach to safety and health management practices within the construction industry, with the ultimate goal of delineating their impact on reducing workplace incidents and enhancing overall safety culture. In order to achieve this goal, a mixed-methods research design is employed, which combines quantitative data from structured surveys across a diverse sample of construction sites with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews and case studies. The findings of the analysis reveal a significant correlation between the frequency and comprehensiveness of safety training programs and a reduction in incident rates. Furthermore, the adoption of advanced safety technologies and equipment, coupled with a strong organizational safety culture, is found to be a pivotal factor in improving safety outcomes. The study also highlights the importance of customizing safety practices to the unique needs of different construction projects to optimize effectiveness.

Whole Life Costing Awareness and Implementation Challenges in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry

Construction industry is highly demanding, especially with regard to the project cost as a significant aspect. However, more informed cost advice can be produced considering the project’s life cycle that begins with the conception and ends with its disposal instead of using a conventional initial capital cost basis. Thus, Whole Life Costing (WLC) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) concepts are essential. Though many LCC research studies exist, WLC studies are minimal in the Sri Lankan construction industry context. Therefore, this study aims to explore WLC awareness and implementation challenges in the Sri Lankan construction industry. A literature review was conducted to search for the concepts. Empirical data were gathered using questionnaires by implementing a quantitative survey strategy. Findings depict that the awareness of WLC in the Sri Lankan construction industry is poor, preventing its benefits. Moreover, this research identified difficulty in identifying includes and excludes for calculating WLC, lack of details at early stages, lack of awareness of WLC benefits, lack of understanding of WLC tools, lack of reliable data and lack of expertise/knowledge on WLC as the primary challenges in implementing WLC in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Therefore, these challenges must be mitigated for the beneficial WLC implementation in the Sri Lankan construction industry while enhancing awareness and knowledge of the WLC concept among professionals, especially quantity surveyors, to facilitate responsible initiation of WLC practices in the Sri Lankan construction industry. KEYWORDS: Awareness, Benefits, Challenges, Construction industry, Life Cycle Costing, Sri Lanka, Whole Life Costing

A conceptual cost estimation model for the pre-design stage of road projects using multiple regression analysis

Purpose The current estimation practice in construction projects greatly needs upgrading, as there has been no improvement in the cost overrun issue over the past 70 years. The purpose of this research was to develop a new multiple regression analysis (MRA)-based model to forecast the final cost of road projects at the pre-design stage using data from 43 projects in New Zealand (NZ). Design/methodology/approach The research used the case study of 43 completed road projects in NZ. Document analysis was conducted to collect data, and statistical tests were used for model development and analysis. Findings Eight models were developed, and all models achieved the required F statistics and met the regression assumptions. The models’ mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was between 21.25% and 22.77%. The model with the lowest MAPE comprised the road length and width, number of bridges, pavement area, cut and fill area, preliminary cost and cost indices change. Research limitations/implications The model is based on road projects in NZ. However, it was designed to be able to adapt to other contexts. The findings suggest that the model can be used to improve traditional conceptual estimating methods. Past project data is often stored by the project team but rarely used for analysing and forecasting purposes. This research emphasises that past data can be effectively used to predict the project cost at the pre-design stage with limited information. Originality/value No research was conducted to adopt cost modelling techniques into the conceptual estimation practice in the NZ construction industry.

DOES INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONER CONTRIBUTE TO DECREASE EARNINGS MANAGEMENT AND TAX AVOIDANCE ACTIVITIES

This study examines the independent commissioner's role in moderating earnings management's effect on tax avoidance practices in the building construction industry. This study uses data from building construction sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during 2017-2020. Of the 15 companies observed, 42 samples were obtained using purposive sampling to be used in the study. They are processing data using regression analysis with cross-sectional data. The study results show that the company's earnings management positively affects tax avoidance activities carried out by building construction companies. Meanwhile, an independent commissioner does not affect the relationship between earnings management practices and corporate tax avoidance. Keywords: Corporate Governance, Earnings Quality, Tax Planning

Project Management Practices to Address the Challenges in International Construction Joint Ventures in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry

ABSTRACT International Construction Joint Ventures (ICJVs) offer benefits to both local and foreign partners. However, their failure rates tend to be high, leading to poor ICJV performance. Effective Project Management (PM) is considered a means to resolve challenges in a construction project. Therefore, this research aims to address the challenges in ICJV projects within the Sri Lankan construction industry through PM practices to establish successful ICJVs. The research adopted a mixed-method approach. A preliminary survey was conducted to validate the challenges in the Sri Lankan context. After that, challenges were ranked based on their significance level using the Relative Importance Index (RII) method through a questionnaire survey. Then, Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify the PM practices that can address significant challenges through code-based content analysis. The study revealed 38 challenges applicable to ICJVs and identified 88 PM practices for resolving 10 significant challenges out of the 38 identified in ICJV projects in Sri Lanka (SL). Finally, a framework was developed for successful ICJVs by addressing challenges through PM practices. This study marks the first attempt to establish a framework for successful ICJVs by addressing challenges through PM practices in the Sri Lankan construction industry.

Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) in Construction: A Holistic Review of Current Trends and Future Directions

The construction industry, despite its anticipated significant growth, has struggled with low productivity over the past two decades. Design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA), a methodology with a history of success in other industries, presents a promising solution to enhancing efficiency in construction. This article reviews the current state of DfMA in the construction industry, identifies the most recent research themes in the field of DfMA, and provides recommendations for future DfMA research based on the existing research gaps. The paper employs a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative bibliometric analysis and qualitative thematic analysis. Using Scopus as the literature database, the study identified 43 relevant articles published between 2013 and 2023. The bibliometric analysis reveals a growing interest in DfMA research, with an upward trend in publications over the years. The thematic analysis categorizes DfMA research topics into six main themes: Innovation and Technology Trends, Sustainability and Environmental Impact, Regulatory and Policy Considerations, Collaborative Approach, Applications, Benefits, and Challenges, and Project Lifecycle. Each theme is explored in-depth, providing insights into the transformative impact of technology, environmental considerations in DfMA, regulatory challenges, collaborative strategies, varied applications, and the project lifecycle phases influenced by DfMA. The article concludes by presenting identified research gaps and offering recommendations for future DfMA research. It emphasizes the need for a holistic approach, continued collaboration, and a focus on unexplored aspects of regulatory frameworks and the entire project lifecycle. This study sets a new benchmark in DfMA research by employing a novel mixed-method approach and providing unprecedented insights into the multifaceted role of DfMA in advancing construction industry practices. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders in the construction industry by offering a comprehensive understanding of DfMA’s current state and guiding future research endeavors.

Green supply chain management strategy in the Indonesian construction industry using analytic network process to improve sustainability

The construction industry is among the sectors associated with high environmental risks, with the construction supply chain process being a primary concern due to its potential for environmental damage. The absence of green practices in the Indonesian construction industry has led to an ongoing increase in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, posing a significant environmental threat. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is a concept that integrates the environmental aspect into traditional supply chain processes and can provide benefits not only on environmental performance but also on economic and organizational performance. This study aims to derive a suitable GSCM strategy in the Indonesian construction sector and investigate the relationship of GSCM strategy on sustainability performance. This study employed ANP to select the GSCM strategy and correlation analysis to examine the relationship involving professionals and practitioners in construction. The findings revealed that the efficiency-based strategy had the highest weight among the various GSCM strategies, and sensitivity analysis demonstrated that this strategy was not significantly affected by changes, making it the most suitable GSCM strategy. Also, the result indicates that the efficiency-based strategy moderately impacts sustainability performance. Therefore, the implementation of efficiency-based strategy can improve the sustainability of the Indonesian construction industry.

Digital transformation of the wood construction supply chain through building information modelling: current state of practice

PurposeThis study aims to present a state-of-the-art review of building information modelling (BIM) in the Swedish construction practice with a focus on wood construction. It focuses on examining the extent, maturity and actual practices of BIM in the Swedish wood construction industry, by analysing practitioners’ perspectives on the current state of BIM and its perceived benefits.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was selected, given the study’s exploratory character. Initially, an extensive review was undertaken to examine the current state of BIM utilisation and its associated advantages within the construction industry. Subsequently, empirical data were acquired through semi-structured interviews featuring open-ended questions, aimed at comprehensively assessing the prevailing extent of BIM integration within the Swedish wood construction sector.FindingsThe research concluded that the wood construction industry in Sweden is shifting towards BIM on different levels, where in some cases, the level of implementation is still modest. It should be emphasised that the wood construction industry in Sweden is not realising the full potential of BIM. The industry is still using a combination of BIM and traditional methods, thus, limiting the benefits that full BIM implementation could offer the industry.Originality/valueThis study provided empirical evidence on the current perceptions and state of practice of the Swedish wood construction industry regarding BIM maturity.

Barriers to circular economy practices during construction and demolition waste management in an emerging economy

The construction industry requires significant quantities of material and energy resources, which are either recycled or disposed as waste after demolition. Circular Economy (CE) facilitates the benefits of reuse and recycling of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) and promotes the industry in cradle-to-cradle or “Resolve” paradigms. However, in emerging economies, the industry merely achieves to harness a negligible amount of the CDW's intrinsic monetary benefit and sustainability, due to multiple barriers to circular practices. This study examines barriers that obstruct the incorporation of circular economy practices in the Indian construction industry. The study uses Relative Importance Index (RII), Factor Analysis, and Regression analysis to arrive at a list of macro-environmental barriers to the use of CE in CDW. The findings are presented using the PESTEL framework, with Political, Social, and Economic factors being the dominant barriers to the use of CE in CDW in emerging economies. Results from this study point towards the need for better guidelines by regulators for recycling of CDW, incentive schemes, and overall capacity building in emerging economies.

Optimising Daylight and Ventilation Performance: A Building Envelope Design Methodology

The future of building envelope design lies in smart adaptation. The current literature overlooks the crucial integration of airflow, ventilation and daylighting in adaptive façade design. Moreover, it neglects the occupants’ locations, activities and interior layouts in this context. This study introduces an innovative approach to adaptive building envelope design, aiming to enhance occupants’ comfort through parametric analysis of daylight and airflow. The research combines parametric simulation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and multiobjective optimisation. The optimisation goal is to improve visual comfort and indoor air quality while maintaining air temperature and velocity within the human comfort range. The study contributes to providing designers with a method for building envelope design that considers visual comfort and airflow, resulting in more interactive building envelopes that are adaptable to environmental conditions for enhanced utility and comfort. Results indicated that the optimised façade configuration and design methodology can achieve a 69% improvement in daylight performance, improving useful daylight illuminance (UDI) while reducing glare risk. Additionally, air changes per hour (ACH) showed a 38% annual improvement. This research signifies a significant step towards more efficient and occupant-centric building envelope design, aligning with the evolving demands of the construction industry and sustainable building practices.

Equipment Management In Construction

This thesis is to study the equipment management practices in construction industry and to present the most popular practices of the contractors and to compare the equipment management policies.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) based Framework for Construction and Demolition Waste Estimation and Management

Modern day world gives huge importance to sustainable construction and demolition (C&D). Governments and companies all over the world, are striving to develop methods, which reduce waste. A good step is to reduce, reuse and recycle (3R principle) construction and demolition waste. Essential for these activities is to have proper estimates of waste, that would be generated on construction and demolition of structures. Current practice in construction industry compromises on accurate estimation and audit of waste produced and recycled in construction and demolition. Considering this anomaly, this research is conducted to develop a BIM based system, for better waste estimation. The system is aimed towards estimating total waste produced, along with classifying waste that could be recycled or that must be disposed after building demolition. Initially, available waste estimation systems and their limitations are analysed. Consequently, a waste estimation is performed on a residential building model designed in Revit structures software. Successively, the data from Revit is input to a software programmed in C++ language to get estimates of waste. The research results into formation of a framework that estimates waste for any building required to be demolished. The framework has capability of estimating amount of total waste generated along with the amount of recyclable and disposable waste. Along with that, the framework gives an estimate of the cost of total amount of waste produced, specifying amount saved on recycling/reusing.

Stakeholder views of prevalent unethical practices in the Ghanaian construction industry

PurposeThis study aims to investigate stakeholders' perception of the most prevalent unethical practices in the Ghanaian construction industry.Design/methodology/approachData used for this study came from a cross-sectional survey (questionnaire), which was administered to 273 stakeholders in the construction industry using convenience sampling technique. The data were analyzed using statistical software package SPSSv17 to determine the most prevalent unethical practices. The ranking factor was calculated based on relative importance index (RII) value.FindingsThe results of this study reveal that corruption was perceived by major stakeholders as the most prevalent unethical behavior (RII = 0.82) followed by bribery (RII = 0.79). Political interference and kickback came third (RII = 0.77) and fourth (RII = 0.74), respectively. However, the least prevalent unethical behaviors were extortion (RII = 0.56), workplace violence (RII = 0.57), alcohol abuse (RII = 0.59) and harassment (RII = 0.59). The findings suggest that when the various groupings were taken into consideration separately, the differences in their perceptions were obvious.Research limitations/implicationsData for this study were collected from construction stakeholders in Ghana who were conveniently sampled. As a result, in reference to the sampling framework which focused on major stakeholders in only two regions of Ghana does not sufficiently ensure full generalization of the results.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study provide significant information for construction organizations and practitioners regarding unethical practices, which are most prevalent in the Ghanaian construction industry. Construction organizations and practitioners seeking to mitigate the negative effect of unethical practices on their performance should focus on educating construction workers on how to avoid corrupt practices and report same to the authorities. Also, ethics training programs must be instituted for staff coupled with constant and random inspection and checking of ethical compliance, verbal promotion and praise for ethical conduct and in some cases increase in employees pay.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to have accessed the views of broader stakeholders, i.e. consultants, contractors, professionals, suppliers, regulators, clients and construction workers in the construction industry regarding the most prevalent unethical practices in the Ghanaian construction industry in one study. This study, therefore, enriches the current literature by providing additional dimension to the understanding of unethical practices in the Ghanaian construction industry.

From awareness to action: a study of the effectiveness of environmental economic practices for sustainable construction in Nigeria

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to assess the extent to which environmental economic practices are recognized and implemented in developing countries, with a specific emphasis on the Nigerian construction sector.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the extent of awareness and usage, a quantitative research approach was adopted with close-ended questionnaires disseminated to construction professionals in Nigeria. The collected data were subjected to analysis using various statistical techniques such as percentages, frequencies and mean scores. Furthermore, to investigate any significant differences in the respondents' opinions, the Kruskal–Wallis H-test was applied.FindingsThe study's findings indicate that the level of awareness and implementation of environmental economic practices among construction professionals in Nigeria is limited. Based on the findings of this study, a roadmap of recommendations has been proposed to promote the adoption of environmental economic practices in the Nigerian construction industry. The implementation of these recommendations can help reduce the negative impact of construction activities on the environment and public health and contribute to the development of sustainable cities, communities and societies.Practical implicationsThe outcomes from this study can inform policy and decision-making by providing insights into the level of knowledge and awareness of environmental economic practices among construction professionals in Nigeria.Originality/valueThe findings from this study provide a baseline for assessing the level of knowledge and awareness of sustainable practices among construction professionals in Nigeria, which can inform future studies on the effectiveness of training and awareness programs.

MONITORING WORK PROGRESS OF DAM CONSTRUCTION BASED ON PHOTOGRAMMETRIC POINT CLOUDS AND BIM: PRACTICAL APPROACH TO TEACHING INDUSTRY

Abstract. Industry 4.0 encompasses a range of ideas, technologies, and procedures that impact engineering education and other fields. Building information modeling (BIM) has become a widely adopted practice in Indonesia's construction industry, prompting polytechnic universities to incorporate BIM skills and concepts into their construction engineering and management degree programs. Nowdays, more than 50 dam construction works occurred in Indonesia from 2014-2024. Monitoring progress regularly is crucial to ensure a construction project's successful completion. This can be done by visually tracking the project's advancement, which enables the identification of any changes or deviations that occur. Accurate measurement data is essential for reliable progress management, as it allows for the prediction of future project success or failure. Image-based object detection is highly beneficial for retrieving site information and monitoring construction progress. To monitor the progress of a construction project, comparisons between the building's as-built and as-planned states are necessary. BIM is employed to establish the intended condition of a building by providing information regarding its geometric characteristics and construction schedule. In this paper, we present a novel method for producing a point cloud that accurately represents the dam building site using photogrammetry. To overcome the limitation of capturing photographs from every possible angle at a construction site, we employ a combination of structure from motion and control points. This approach allows us to generate a scaled point cloud in a standardized coordinate system. The building's as-built and as-planned states are then compared using this point cloud. Structure from Motion (SfM) disparity maps are fused to create dense point clouds, which are then compared to the goal state for updating 4D BIM. This makes it possible to identify missing building components. To validate the presence of building elements, a secondary examination is conducted using the positions in front of and behind the model planes constructed as per the original blueprint. The research paper explores potential approaches and presents empirical results obtained from an actual case study.

Public procurement practice to enhance technology and innovation development in Ethiopian construction industry

Effectively utilizing public procurement as a tool to enhance different practices in construction industry needs detail investigation of each stage of the procurement. This would help to devise appropriate intervention strategies; hence, this study is aimed at investigating the practice of using public procurement to enhance technology and innovation development in the context of Ethiopia. A structured questionnaire was developed to evaluate the practice using a 5-point Likert scale. Major public clients and higher-grade consultants and contractors were selected for the survey. In addition, semi-structured interview was conducted to get detail insight about the practice. While mean score and T-test were used for the quantitative data analysis, the interview data was analyzed thematically focusing on specific objective of the study. The findings indicate that the public procurement practice is poor in promoting technology and innovation. The major attributes to the poor performance are associated with the shortfalls in the role of procuring entity at each stage of the procurement and suitability of the public procurement provisions. Considering the major attributes to the poor performance, a framework is suggested to improve the practice. The findings will be helpful to the public clients and regulatory bodies in indicating the potential intervention area.

Quantification of optimal target reliability for seismic design: Methodology and application to steel buildings

The reliability levels against which seismic standards are calibrated are currently quantified based on accepted practice, which may not lead to optimal designs that minimize the lifecycle cost. Deviation from optimal design is even more pronounced in countries whose regulations are adopted from the few leading codes. A major challenge in the quantification of optimal target reliability for the countries with such adopted codes is the lack of risk models that are suited for the local construction industry and design practices. This paper presents a holistic risk-based framework to quantify the optimal target reliability for seismic design through the notion of minimum lifecycle cost. To enable the implementation of the framework in countries with adopted provisions, the present paper proposes an approach to adapt the available risk models to the local conditions of those countries. The proposed framework is showcased through the National Building Code of Iran, which is adopted from the codes of the United States, using a case study of five residential steel building archetypes. The archetypes have various structural systems and comprise intermediate moment-resisting frame (IMF) buildings of various heights and special concentrically braced frame (SCBF) buildings. The results reveal 50-year optimal target reliability indices of 2.5, 2.0, and 1.9 for low-, mid-, and high-rise IMF buildings and 2.1 for mid-rise SCBF buildings.

Norwegian stakeholder's attitudes towards EU taxonomy

PurposeThe European Union (EU) aims to become climate-neutral by 2050. Achieving this requires targeted measures and strategies. One of the instruments of the EU is the EU taxonomy, a classification system with the purpose of creating a common definition of what economic activities are deemed sustainable. The paper aims to examine how the EU taxonomy can affect the Norwegian construction industry, property owners and facilities management (FM) providers.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a document analysis and interviews with main stakeholders within the financial sector, construction and real estate (RE) sector, authorities, environmental organisations and businesses related to FM and RE.FindingsThe findings show that different stakeholders share largely similar attitudes towards the taxonomy, although some differ in their opinions. This paper finds that there are high levels of uncertainty and confusion associated with the taxonomy, which can be said to be a major obstacle for successful implementation. Several stakeholders show concerns related to the fact that Norway lacks definitions and regulations on which the taxonomy is based. The requirements for new buildings and existing buildings are considered stricter than the current practice in the Norwegian construction and RE industry, while the requirements for renovation are considered more achievable. The uptake of the EU taxonomy will impact the FM and the urban FM practices and standards for the procurement of services, and the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies must be developed.Research limitations/implicationsThe research presented in this paper was conducted at a time when the EU taxonomy was a relatively unknown concept in the Norwegian construction and RE industry. FM providers were not interviewed in this study.Practical implicationsThis research is one of the first studies to be conducted on this topic in Norway and represents the first meeting between the EU taxonomy and the industry. The discussion underpins the relevance of adjusting and updating FM standards to today’s knowledge about ESG principles.Originality/valueThe paper shows the viewpoint of the Norwegian stakeholders involved in the construction and RE industry. This gives valuable information about the challenges that the industry needs to overcome.

Design for deconstruction (DfD) implementation among design professionals: empirical evidence from Ghana

Design for Deconstruction (DfD) is a technique where a structure is built to allow the reuse of its materials and components in addition to facilitating adaptation and renovation. Few design professionals in the building industry are knowledgeable with DfD implementation. The study examines how DfD is being implemented by design professionals in the Ghanaian construction sector. A questionnaire survey was used to obtain data from design professionals (i.e. Architects and Civil/Structural Engineers), and the data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. The findings of the study revealed that there is a low level of DfD practice in the Ghanaian construction industry and this was attributed to the low level of awareness of the concept among design professionals. The findings further revealed that the design professionals believe formal education, training, awareness, industry guidance, and regulations relating to DfD will have the greatest impact on DfD implementation in Ghana. The results of this study shed light on a less explored aspect of DfD implementation in the construction sector. It provides fresh data and new insights into how state-of-the-art DfD is now being implemented in the construction sector.

Risk assessment of circular economy practices in construction industry of Pakistan

The construction industry (CI) is responsible for consuming 3 billion tons of natural raw materials annually. Also, as per the survey by World Resources Institute, the CI accounts for 40 % of the total waste generated globally. The solution to this inefficient resource usage and adverse effects on the ecosystem is implementing Circular Economy (CE) practices in CI. However, the concept of circular construction is in developmental stages. Therefore, it is more prone to damaging risks than traditional construction. The primary aim of this study is to identify and assess the risk related to implementing CE practices in developing country construction sector. To achieve this aim, 25 risks were shortlisted from the literature review and evaluated upon the probability, detection, and severity risk criteria. This study proposed a novel hybrid fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach to analyze the shortlisted risks. Fuzzy Step Wise Assessment Ratio Analysis (FSWARA) is employed to gauge the risk criterion weightage. Moreover, Fuzzy VIKOR (FVIKOR) is used to determine the risks' ranking as per the weightage of the risk criterion. The analyses ranked “lack of political support and incentives for circular construction”, “difficulty in selection of circular construction experts”, “profit uncertainty”, and “circular material quality” as the most critical risks. Therefore, it is recommended for legislative authority to devise a framework that promotes and provides support to circular construction. Moreover, this study fills the literature gap by assessing the risks of CE practices in the CI of Pakistan.