A systematic review of mental stressors in the construction industry

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir Tijani ◽  
Xiaohua Jin ◽  
Robert Osei-kyei
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Stressors ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Mental Stressors

PurposeStressors emanated from construction projects are causative factors for occupational stress inherent in the construction industry. Concomitant implications of stressors ignite a burst of empirical evidence, which necessitates a systematic review to capture the state of art of the extant literature. Therefore, this paper addresses this significant gap by conducting a systematic review of mental stressors.Design/methodology/approachA three-stage screening and data extraction method were employed to retrieve 38 papers that met the inclusion criteria for the study.FindingsThe annual publication trends and contributions of selected journals were elucidated. Moreover, this review identified 49 stressors from 38 selected peer-reviewed journals between 1997 and 2020. The most frequently reported mental stressors include work overload, home-work conflict, poor working environment, role ambiguity and poor working relationships. The 49 stressors could be classified into five main categories, namely; organizational stressors, task stressors, personal stressors, physical stressors and gender-related stressors.Originality/valueThe findings of the study broaden the understanding of the practitioners and policymakers on the dynamics of stressors for the development of stress interventions. Future research should focus on exploration of mental stressors specific to construction projects and different occupational trades.

Production pressures in the building sector of the construction industry: a systematic review of literature

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Neale ◽  
Argaw Gurmu
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Building Sector ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The building sector of the construction industry incorporates a precipitous and volatile nature with poor safety conditions being prevalent, owing to its inability to determine an appropriate trade-off between productivity and safety. This disproportionate trade-off produces production pressures, which contribute poorly to construction performance, by encouraging workers to prioritise their working productivity ahead of safety. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of production pressures in the building sector and propose mitigation strategies accordingly. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of literature was conducted, and secondary data were extracted from peer-reviewed journal papers. The data was then analysed to achieve the objectives of this study. Findings The main causes of production pressures are tight construction schedules, ineffective management and construction rework. Furthermore, the negative effects of production pressures are increased levels of stress in employees, reduced craftsmanship, encouraging accident-prone environments and decreasing employee’s safety behaviour. Effective mitigation strategies in relation to scheduling, leadership, communication and motivation were proposed. Finally, a causal loop diagram of production pressures in the building sector was developed. Originality/value This research will assist in creating a safer working environment within the building sector, by providing useful information regarding the severity of production pressures and suggesting mitigation strategies that can be implemented in the construction projects.

A systematic review of factors influencing the implementation of health promotion programs in the construction industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Fuller ◽  
Abid Hasan ◽  
Imriyas Kamardeen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Health Promotion Programs

PurposeThe construction industry has a poor reputation for an unhealthy lifestyle and a high prevalence of health problems such as obesity, stress and hypertension among construction workers. The review examines the factors influencing the design and delivery of health promotion programs implemented by construction organisations to educate workers and promote a healthy lifestyle. It also identifies gaps in research and practices and proposes directions for future research.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of 51 relevant journal articles published during 2010–2019 was undertaken to achieve the aim of the study.FindingsThe review reveals 46 different factors grouped into four major themes related to individuals, organisations, industry and the program, influencing the successful implementation of health promotion programs. The top ten most cited factors are cost, time, facilities and resources, transient workforce, delivery method, influence from managers, long working hours, masculine culture, production pressure and interest. The review also found a noticeable lack of studies on implementing health promotion programs in the context of developing countries, small and medium-sized construction organisations, residential sector workers, and construction professionals and female workers.Research limitations/implicationsThe review's scope is limited to research on health promotion programs, and it did not investigate the factors affecting the health of construction workers in construction projects.Practical implicationsA better understanding of various influencing factors present at different decision levels will inform the future implementation of targeted workforce health promotion strategies to foster construction workers' health and well-being.Originality/valueThe review reveals bottlenecks that need to be addressed to successfully implement health promotion programs in the construction industry. It provides new insights that can improve existing health and workplace policies and health promotion programs in the construction industry. Finally, it identifies new research directions in a neglected but crucial area of workers' health and safety management.

Implementation of technologies in the construction industry: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xichen Chen ◽  
Alice Yan Chang-Richards ◽  
Antony Pelosi ◽  
Yaodong Jia ◽  
Xuesong Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Holistic Understanding

PurposeWith interest in modern construction methods and new technologies on the rise, construction companies globally are increasingly looking at how to embrace new ideas and engage with new approaches to do things better. A significant amount of work has been carried out investigating the use of individual technologies in the construction sector. However, there is no holistic understanding of the new and emerging technologies that have had proven benefits for construction projects. To fill this gap, this paper aims to provide a landscape of technologies that have been implemented in the construction industry and the benefits associated with their implementation.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review approach and PRISMA guidelines were used. A total of 175 articles published between 2001 and 2020 were identified and thoroughly reviewed.FindingsThe results show that a total of 26 technologies were identified from the literature, and these can be categorised into five groups in terms of their functionality in construction process, namely: (1) data acquisition, (2) analytics, (3) visualisation, (4) communication and (5) design and construction automation. Digital technologies, especially for data acquisition and visualisation, generally appear to underpin and enable innovation in many aspects of construction. Improvements in work efficiency, health and safety, productivity, quality and sustainability have been cited as being the primary benefits of using these technologies. Of these, building information modelling (BIM) appears to be the single most commonly used technology thus far. With the development of computer technology, BIM has constantly been used in combination with other technologies/tools such as unmanned aerial vehicles/systems (unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/UAS), geographic information systems (GIS), light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and multidimensional modelling to realise a specifically defined benefit.Practical implicationsThe findings from this review would help construction practitioners identify the types of technologies that can be implemented in different stages of construction projects to achieve desired outcomes, and thus, make appropriate decisions on technology investment and adoption. This review also suggests that to reap the full potential that these technologies offer, aside from construction companies changing their culture and business models, corresponding changes in the construction sector’s operating systems related to building regulation, education and training, as well as contracting and procurement are required.Originality/valueThis paper undertakes a comprehensive systematic review of studies on technology implementation in the construction sector published between 2001 and 2020. It is the first attempt internationally to provide a holistic picture of technologies that have been studied and implemented in construction projects.

Carbon emissions management in construction operations: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Verona Ramas Joseph ◽  
Nur Kamaliah Mustaffa
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Social Factor ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Construction Operations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
The Usa

PurposeThe demand to reduce carbon emissions has become an increasingly important social factor due to the unprecedented impacts of climate change. However, most existing publications have focused on minimizing emissions during the operational phase of buildings. At the same time, there is a lack of comprehensive research conducted on carbon emissions, specifically during the construction phase. The purpose of this paper is to identify, review and classify current practices related to carbon emissions management in construction operations to gain greater insight into how to reduce and mitigate emissions and achieve more sustainable solutions.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviewed the published literature on carbon emissions from construction. A total of 198 bibliographic records were extracted from the Scopus collection database and analyzed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). PRISMA is used as a basis for reporting possible trends, research methods and strategies used in published literatures. A total of 99 papers related to carbon emissions in the construction operations were further reviewed and analyzed. This review paper draws on existing research and identifies current carbon management patterns in construction projects.FindingsData indicated an upward trend in the number of publications in carbon emissions research during the last few years, particularly in 2015, 2017 and 2019. The most significant contributions to the domain were reported from China, Europe and the USA. This paper found that most studies conduct the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to estimate carbon emissions. This paper found that the primary studies have focused on construction machinery and equipment emissions. The strategies such as establishing uniform standards for carbon emissions policies and regulations, equipment and logistic planning and low carbon design material will potentially impact carbon emissions reductions.Practical implicationsThis paper provides information that will be beneficial for the construction industry to design and manage construction operations. It will also be of interest to those looking to reduce or manage construction emissions.Originality/valueAlthough there is a diversity of current thinking related to the practical estimation and management of carbon emissions in construction projects, there is no consolidated set of keys of standardized carbon emissions management in practice. By assessing the existing paradigms of carbon assessment methods and tactics in the construction industry, this study contributed to the existing knowledge base by providing insights into current techniques in the construction sector for monitoring and mitigating emissions.

scholarly journals A systematic review of circular economy research in the construction industry

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluyomi A. Osobajo ◽  
Adekunle Oke ◽  
Temitope Omotayo ◽  
Lovelin Ifeoma Obi
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Directions

PurposeWhile circular economy (CE) is fast becoming a political and economic agenda for global urban development, there are still substantial knowledge gaps in possible strategies to speed up such transition, especially in the construction industry. This study analyses literature surrounding CE to unpack current trends possible future research directions to foster CE implementation in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachThe study undertakes a systematic review of CE literature published between 1990 and 2019. It adopts a five-stage procedure as a methodological approach for the review: formulation of the research question(s), locating and identifying relevant studies, selection and evaluation of studies, analysis or synthesis and results reporting.FindingsThe findings on CE research in the construction industry show extensive focus on resource use and waste management. There are limited investigations in other areas of construction such as supply chain integration, building designs, policy, energy efficiency, land use, offsite manufacturing, whole life costing, and risk, cost reduction, cost management, health and safety management. The study findings provide evidence that current CE practice fails to incorporate other areas that would facilitate the network of true circular construction industry.Originality/valueThis research provides a comprehensive overview of research efforts on CE in the construction context, identifying areas of extensive and limited coverage over three decades. Besides, it identifies possible pathways for future research directions on CE implementation, towards the accelerated transition to a true circular construction industry for the benefit of funding bodies and researchers.

Factors affecting construction productivity: a 30 year systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 916-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abid Hasan ◽  
Bassam Baroudi ◽  
Abbas Elmualim ◽  
Raufdeen Rameezdeen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Construction Productivity ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose A significant amount of work has been performed in the area of identification of factors affecting construction productivity. Previous studies have tried to determine the most important factors affecting construction productivity in different countries for a long time. As a result of continuous effort in this direction, researchers have identified a wide range of factors. While the subject area has matured, no general agreement could be made on the factors affecting construction productivity. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to undertake a comprehensive systematic review of mainstream studies on factors affecting construction productivity published in the last 30 years (1986–2016). Design/methodology/approach A total of 46 articles from different sources such as journals, conference proceedings, dissertation and PhD theses were identified and thoroughly reviewed. Findings Gaps in research and practices are discussed and directions for future research have been proposed. The literature review indicates that despite noticeable differences in the socio-economic conditions across both developed countries and developing countries, an overall reasonable consensus exists on few significant factors impeding productivity. These are, namely, non-availability of materials, inadequate supervision, skill shortage, lack of proper tools and equipment and incomplete drawing and specifications. Nevertheless, implications of technology, site amenities, process studies, project culture, and impacts of physiological and psychological factors were not adequately covered in existing literature. The study also found that traditional construction projects have remained the main focus of these studies while green construction projects have been generally overlooked. Research limitations/implications The review does not include studies that report productivity at the organisational or industry level as well as total factor productivity. The scope of the review is limited to work on identification of factors affecting productivity at the activity level in construction projects. Practical implications The outcomes of this study would help researchers and practitioners by providing the findings of previous studies in a concise manner. It is also expected that presenting a deeper and wider perspective of the research work performed until now will direct a more focussed approach on productivity improvement efforts in the construction industry. Originality/value This review paper undertakes a comprehensive systematic review of studies on identification of factors affecting construction productivity published during the last three decades.

The implications of the construction industry to national wealth

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 779-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Glenn Fulford
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Productivity Improvement ◽  
Strong Argument ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Productivity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how construction projects should be conceived and how the productivity of the construction industry impacts upon a nation’s wealth. Design/methodology/approach The approach has been to marshal the extant literature about the construction industry, construction industry productivity and the economic value of the built environment. Whilst there are many lenses that are used to understand the industry, different ways to measure productivity performance and differing practices between nations, it has been determined that construction industry productivity improvement significantly lags behind other industries. Findings There is a strong argument that construction productivity improvement correlates to advances in a nation’s economy. Nonetheless, it is the decisions about the nature of infrastructure, the standardisation of infrastructure and the effect upon labour productivity that will have the greatest implications for a nation’s economic future. These economic improvements will be inhibited by legacy infrastructure, particularly in densely populated areas. If substantial innovation occurs, the nations currently holding the highest stock of infrastructure might be economically constrained. Research limitations/implications The construction industry is highly fragmented and has the uncertainties of a cyclic industry. It is, therefore, necessary for governments to identify standards and facilitate innovation. The implications for short- and long-term economic performance require that the industry is a fundamental at the highest level of government. Originality/value Scholars can use the propositions to further analyse construction productivity improvement and the provision of different types of infrastructure with regard to a nation’s economic performance. Hypotheses are offered to support future research.

scholarly journals Value creation in mobile social media: a systematic review and agenda for future research

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingting Ju ◽  
Raquel Chocarro ◽  
Oscar Martín Martín
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Selection ◽  
Core Components ◽  
State Of Research

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of the current state of research regarding mobile social media use for value creation by firms and customers and an agenda for future research.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic review following three main steps: keyword search, study selection and data extraction. A total of 53 articles were identified using academic databases and manual cross-referencing. By means of a thematic analysis method, the study addresses issues related to theory, methods, context, findings and gaps.FindingsThe study reviews and illustrates 14 value aspects of the mobile social media and value creation literature. The findings indicate that mobile social media are effective tools for firms to create and capture value from customers and for customers to co-create value.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the marketing and social media literature by proposing a conceptual framework that integrates the core components of value creation by firms and customers in the mobile social media context and by proposing an agenda for future research.

Impact of surgery timing for craniosynostosis on neurodevelopmental outcomes: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Mandela ◽  
Maggie Bellew ◽  
Paul Chumas ◽  
Hannah Nash
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Age At Surgery ◽  
Data Extraction Form ◽  
Surgery Timing ◽  
Anesthetic Exposure

OBJECTIVEThere are currently no guidelines for the optimum age for surgical treatment of craniosynostosis. This systematic review summarizes and assesses evidence on whether there is an optimal age for surgery in terms of neurodevelopmental outcomes.METHODSThe databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase + Embase Classic, and Web of Science were searched between October and November 2016 and searches were repeated in July 2017. According to PICO (participants, intervention, comparison, outcome) criteria, studies were included that focused on: children diagnosed with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis, aged ≤ 5 years at time of surgery; corrective surgery for nonsyndromic craniosynostosis; comparison of age-at-surgery groups; and tests of cognitive and neurodevelopmental postoperative outcomes. Studies that did not compare age-at-surgery groups (e.g., those employing a correlational design alone) were excluded. Data were double-extracted by 2 authors using a modified version of the Cochrane data extraction form.RESULTSTen studies met the specified criteria; 5 found a beneficial effect of earlier surgery, and 5 did not. No study found a beneficial effect of later surgery. No study collected data on length of anesthetic exposure and only 1 study collected data on sociodemographic factors.CONCLUSIONSIt was difficult to draw firm conclusions from the results due to multiple confounding factors. There is some inconclusive evidence that earlier surgery is beneficial for patients with sagittal synostosis. The picture is even more mixed for other subtypes. There is no evidence that later surgery is beneficial. The authors recommend that future research use agreed-upon parameters for: age-at-surgery cut-offs, follow-up times, and outcome measures.

Labour productivity motivation framework for Iskandar Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chukwuka Christian Ohueri ◽  
Wallace Imoudu Enegbuma ◽  
Ngie Hing Wong ◽  
Kuok King Kuok ◽  
Russell Kenley
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Major Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a motivation framework that will enhance labour productivity for Iskandar Malaysia (IM) construction projects. The vision of IM development corridor is to become Southern Peninsular Malaysia’s most developed region by the year 2025. IM cannot realise this foresight without effective labour productivity. Previous studies have reported that the labour productivity of IM construction projects was six times lower than the labour productivity of Singapore construction projects, due to lack of motivation among IM labourers, and a shortage of local skilled labour. Therefore, there is a need to study how to motivate IM construction labourers, so as to increase their productivity. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research method was used to collect data from IM construction skilled labourers and construction professionals, using two sets of questionnaire. The respondents were selected using a purposive sampling technique. In total, 40 skilled labourers and 50 construction professionals responded to the questionnaire survey, and the data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science software (version 22). Findings The analysis revealed the major factors that motivate labourers participating in IM construction projects. The factors were ranked hierarchically using Relative Importance Index (RII) and the outcome of the ranking indicated that effective management, viable construction practices, financial incentives, continuous training and development, and safe working environment were the most significant motivation strategies that positively influence IM construction labourers. Originality/value The study developed and validated a framework that can be used to boost the morale of IM construction labourers, so that their productivity can be increased. Implementation of the established motivation framework will also lead to career progression of IM construction labourers, based on the training elements in the framework. This career prospect will attract local skilled labourers to participate in IM construction projects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document