scholarly journals A Study on Fire Safety on Residential and Commercial Construction Sites

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-174
Author(s):  
C. Sivakumar ◽  
R. Malathy ◽  
P. Sivaprakash
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Legal Standards ◽  
Global Standards ◽  
Under Construction ◽  
Safety Systems

AbstractThe construction industry in India is the country’s second largest industrial sector, after agriculture. The construction industry makes a remarkable contribution to the Indian economy and provides employment to a large number of people of India. Fire is a chemical reaction of a combustible substance with oxygen, involving heat and is usually accompanied by a visual flame or incandescence. Ensuring fire safety has always been a challenge to the stakeholders, i.e. building owners, construction companies, contractors and sub-contractors, and government employees due to the multiplicity of the factors involved and their complexity. There are various legal standards and requirements for ensuring fire safety on construction sites. The buildings are normally provided with firewalls during construction and these firewalls separate two structures or divide a structure into smaller portions to prevent the spread of fire. The lightweight construction and trusses are designed to support only their own weight. During a fire, if one fails, a domino effect happens and all fail rapidly within 5 to 10 minutes. Prolonged exposure to fire may result in structural collapse and injury or death of the occupants of the building under construction. Fire safety on construction sites is still in its primitive stages in India. There is a great necessity to improve fire safety on construction sites to protect construction workers and other occupants of the buildings. This study aims to design and implement fire safety systems for construction sites, thereby enhancing the standards to meet the system requirements at par with global standards.

BUSINESS SURVIVAL RATE IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN RELATION TO OTHER INDUSTRIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ifte Choudhury
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Business Survival ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Hard Time ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Huge Impact

Construction industry is one of the largest industrial sector in the United States that employs close to ten million people and makes a high contribution to the growth of the country's economy. In spite of the huge impact that the industry has on the US economy, construction businesses have a hard time surviving in the market, with construction companies having the least survival rate among all the industries. Five-year survival rate of construction companies is one of the lowest compared to other industries. This study aims at providing evidence that the construction industry suffers the most as compared to the other industries in terms of business survival rate. A General Linear Model was used for statistical analysis. Results show a significant difference between the construction industry and other industries providing evidence that the construction industry businesses have the least survival rate.

scholarly journals Developing a Culture of Health and Safety on Construction Projects Framework in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1019-1022
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Nouban ◽  
Serah Onuh John
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Security Framework ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Government Construction ◽  
Construction Works

Managing health and safety on construction sites has always been a challenging issue faced by the Nigerian construction industry. Safety conditions on the construction sites depends on type or nature of work to be carried out and the management make commitment to implement safety projects concerning construction. There are no requirements assigned for implementing a security management system by the Nigerian government. Construction industries lacked a framework to implement security regarding projects on construction sites. Developing a Safety Framework can help professionals involved in carrying out construction works, implement and improve safety practices in executing their projects on sites. This study presents the development of a structure for implementing an effective health security on construction sites. An extensive review of the literature was carried out to design an appropriate security framework. The results underscore the requirement for competent personnel who must be appointed to ensure safety on construction sites. Finally, a security framework was developed in which companies can accept and adhere. The results of this research will help Nigerian construction companies to improve safety on construction sites.

THE POTENTIAL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ON CONSTRUCTION SITES

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Ninaus ◽  
David Knapp
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Execution Phase ◽  
Cost Benefit Ratio ◽  
New Construction ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Knowledge management is the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing knowledge, one of the most valuable organizational resources. This approach is well-known in Austria's industrial sector, but applied only in major construction companies. It is mainly used to share knowledge between different departments, but it is not commonly found on construction sites. During the construction phase a variety of separate firms build a temporary multidisciplinary organization, to produce investment goods. To show the potential of knowledge management on building sites in Austria, 78 interviews were conducted. Construction sites of different types (new construction and refurbishment of buildings) were taken into account in order to guarantee a representative outcome. The highest cost-benefit ratio for knowledge management can be seen in knowledge intensive processes. The execution phase is characterized by craftwork which often includes many routine steps. But the survey shows that almost a quarter of the daily business is about knowledge intensive processes while the amount doesn't correlate with the working experience. Furthermore, on construction sites with many trades the lack of information and knowledge transfer is the cause of nearly a quarter of the problems faced. The findings indicate the need for knowledge management on construction sites and the potential grows with the number of trades. The teambuilding process can be seen as the most important step for an efficient knowledge management during the execution phase.

scholarly journals Substitution of the labor market in the construction industry by technical and automated systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 01086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Prokhorov
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Calculation ◽  
Manual Labor ◽  
Labor Intensity ◽  
Automated Systems ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Total Labor

Construction is one of the oldest branches of the national economy. With the development of mankind, construction technologies, instruments of labor, machinery and mechanisms were developing as well. A large number of technological processes and operations performed in the design and construction of real estate, were carried out manually. Modern pace of economic development increase requirements on the speed of construction, its quality, as well as on reduction of the works labor intensity. The aim of the research was to determine the areas of construction in which it is advisable to replace manual labor, and also to develop recommendations for construction companies on the implementation of mechanization and automation in their production. During the research it was found that the area of design, calculation and logistics was automated almost 100%. At the same time, specifically when erecting buildings on Russian construction sites, up to 70% of the total labor volume is manual. Even in excavation and installation works, the level of manual operations of the machinists and accompanying workers is quite large. In the course of the analysis of the existing market of technologies and software products in the field of construction, there were determined the ways to reduce labor intensity and to increase the profitability of production.

Implementation challenges of COVID-19 safety measures at construction sites in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Amoah ◽  
Fredrick Simpeh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Construction Companies

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed safety measures in every industry, including the construction industry. Thus, the construction companies have instituted safety measures at the construction sites to curve the disease’s spread among the workforce. This paper aims to examine the challenges encountered by construction firms in implementing COVID-19 safety measures at construction sites. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach was adopted for this study using open-ended interview questions to solicit data from 19 construction professionals currently working on a construction project in South Africa. Content analysis with the assistance of an Excel spreadsheet was used to analyse the data collected. Findings The findings indicate that there are numerous challenges such as ignorance of COVID-19, the supply of poor personal protective equipment (PPEs) by contractors, lack of compliance, sanitising construction materials, difficulty in sharing tools and equipment, public transport usage by workers, superstition (COVID-19 is for a particular group of people), complying with social distancing rules, among others in the implementation of the COVID-19 safety measure at the construction site to curb the spread of the disease among the workers. These challenges have, therefore, hampered their effort to strictly adhere to the safety measures in accordance with the COVID-19 safety protocol at the project sites currently under construction. Research limitations/implications The interviewees were construction professionals working in the South African construction industry during the COVID-19 period. Practical implications The implication is that, due to the challenges faced in implementing the COVID-19 safety measures, workers on the construction site are not adequately protected from contracting COVID-19. The workers may thus contract the disease at the project sites and transmit it to their families and vice versa, which may have further implications on the spread of the disease within the communities and society. Originality/value The study has identified implementation challenges of the COVID-19 safety measures at construction sites of which the construction stakeholders must institute measures to overcome since COVID-19 has become part of our daily life. The study also recommends some preventive measures to the owners of construction companies to help overcome or minimise these COVID-19 safety implementation hurdles to minimise the spread of the disease among the construction site workers.

METHODS AND TOOLS TO SUPPORT ON-SITE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Ninaus ◽  
Christian Hofstadler
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Highway Construction ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

A method describes the way of doing something with a definite plan, while a tool can support the method by using information technologies (IT). Knowledge management provides thousands of methods and tools to assist the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing knowledge. This approach is well-known in Austria's industrial sector and only applied in major construction companies ‒ especially not during the execution phase. Even though the building industry is characterized by routine processes, renovation projects cause unpredictable conditions leading to knowledge-intensive processes, which indicates the potential of knowledge management. A case study was conducted to identify the requirements for knowledge management tools or methods suitable for infrastructure projects focusing on highway construction sites. It points out that the needs of the interviewees working on-site are not very complex but very fundamental. The investigation shows that the most important needs include connecting, transparency, and team building. After this first step, research of methods and tools commonly used for knowledge management was completed. Those fulfilling at least one of the identified requirements were considered, evaluated, and examined for their applicability. This paper presents a selection of methods and tools to meet the identified needs on highway construction sites in Austria.

OVERVIEW OF SAFETY PERFORMANCE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud ◽  
Mohd. Hamdan Ahmad ◽  
Yahya Mohd. Yatim
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Labor Cost ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Total Project Cost

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries worldwide due to deadly fatalities and accidents recorded yearly, compared to other sector of the economy in many countries. Though many safety programs have been established and implemented, the situation does not seem to have been mitigated the menace of accidents. Developing countries, like Nigeria, still lack laws and regulations on health and safety practices. The health and well-being of construction workers are being threatened by the increasing cases of injuries and casualties recorded at construction sites. The construction industry in Nigeria is also labor intensive with labor cost running between 40 to 65% of the total project cost. Operators are majorly categorized into multinational and indigenous construction companies. Indigenous companies in Nigeria are involved in an estimated 50-100% public and private clients in both traditional and non-traditional systems of procurement. However, indigenous companies’ record 2 and 5 percent accident and injury level among workers with 300% more risk than the multinationals. Thus, this paper aims to provide an overview of the construction safety performance and construction stakeholders’ operations in the construction industry of Nigeria. The overview is of potential benefit to the administrators of building development, building designers and policy makers.

scholarly journals A GESTÃO DE RESÍDUOS DA CONSTRUÇÃO CIVIL EM TERESINA – PIAUÍ [ The management of waste of civil construction in Teresina – Piauí ]

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tércia Emanuelle Ribeiro Alves ◽  
Maria Socorro Ferreira dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Construction Waste ◽  
The Public ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
Construction And Demolition Wastes ◽  
Supervision And Management

RESUMO: O impacto ambiental causado pela produção e descarte de resíduos da indústria da construção civil é um dos principais do planeta, seja pela quantidade descartada diariamente ou pelo uso irracional das jazidas de recursos naturais. Este estudo buscou investigar a gestão dos resíduos da construção civil em Teresina – Piauí e envolveu levantamento bibliográfico e pesquisa de campo que foi realizada através da aplicação de questionários, visitas a canteiros da obra de construtoras, empresas terceirizadas atuantes na coleta de entulhos de construção civil e entrevista aos órgãos de fiscalização. A aplicação dos questionários trouxe como resultados, a quantidade de empresas atuantes no município, a quantidade de resíduos produzidos pelas empresas construtoras, suas composições e a destinação final dada pelas empresas recolhedoras. A verificação quanto à atuação dos órgãos públicos responsáveis pela fiscalização e gerenciamento dos resíduos de construção e demolição, mostrou que esta não ocorre de forma regular e que o mais comum é apenas mediante denúncias. A gestão dos resíduos da construção nos canteiros de obra de Teresina é ainda bastante falha com adoção de práticas não eficazes para a amenização do impacto ambiental causado por esses resíduos, sendo bastante deficiente em relação à destinação final adequada.  O intuito do estudo foi investigar o sistema de gestão de resíduos da construção civil em Teresina – Piauí.ABSTRACT: The environmental impact caused by the production and disposal of waste from the construction industry is one of the main issues on the planet, either by the quantity discarded daily or by the irrational use of natural resource deposits. This study sought to investigate the management of construction waste in Teresina - Piauí and involved a bibliographical survey and field research that was carried out through the application of questionnaires, visits to construction sites of contractors, outsourced companies involved in the collection of civil construction debris and interview the supervisory bodies. The application of the questionnaires resulted in the number of companies operating in the municipality, the amount of waste produced by the construction companies, their composition and the final destination given by the collecting companies. The verification of the performance of the public agencies responsible for the supervision and management of construction and demolition wastes has shown that this does not occur regularly and that the most common is only through complaints. The management of construction waste at Teresina's construction sites is still quite flawed with the adoption of ineffective practices for mitigating the environmental impact caused by these wastes and is quite deficient in relation to the final destination. The purpose of the study was to investigate the waste management system of the construction industry in Teresina – Piauí.

scholarly journals The Effects of Pandemic on Construction Industry in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Abdussalam Shibani ◽  
Dyaa Hassan ◽  
Nehal Shakir
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Commercial Development ◽  
Good Relationship ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Study Participants

Pandemics such as: Covid-19 virus have a major impact on the economy of the world and the construction industry has not been exempted. This research investigates the effects of pandemic on construction industry in the UK, and particularly, ways in which the UK construction industry stakeholders such as project managers, contractors, engineers and subcontractors have responded to these pandemics. The research involved a 30 study participants who comprised site engineers, project managers, construction teams, subcontractors and contractors. The findings reported construction companies both dealing with residential and commercial development were major affected by Covid-19 pandemic due to lockdown and social distancing in construction sites. The strategy that was applied by construction companies was maintaining a good relationship with their suppliers and the safety of construction teams. The findings of the research will offer construction companies in the UK insights on how to deal with such pandemics in future to become more resilient.

scholarly journals Studies on Labour Safety in Construction Sites

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kanchana ◽  
P. Sivaprakash ◽  
Sebastian Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Safe Work

Construction industry has accomplished extensive growth worldwide particularly in past few decades. For a construction project to be successful, safety of the structures as well as that of the personnel is of utmost importance. The safety issues are to be considered right from the design stage till the completion and handing over of the structure. Construction industry employs skilled and unskilled labourers subject to construction site accidents and health risks. A proper coordination between contractors, clients, and workforce is needed for safe work conditions which are very much lacking in Indian construction companies. Though labour safety laws are available, the numerous accidents taking place at construction sites are continuing. Management commitment towards health and safety of the workers is also lagging. A detailed literature study was carried out to understand the causes of accidents, preventive measures, and development of safe work environment. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey, which was distributed among various categories of construction workers in Kerala region. The paper examines and discusses in detail the total working hours, work shifts, nativity of the workers, number of accidents, and type of injuries taking place in small and large construction sites.

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