scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on the GCC Construction Industry

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Tariq Umar
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Workforce Management ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Recession ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Industry Professionals

The Coronavirus pandemic has badly affected everyone on the earth. Apart from losing thousands of lives, businesses and individuals are going to be affected by the long-lasting financial effects due to an expected global recession. The impact of the financial crises can, however, be reduced if proper measured are put in place. This article aims to investigate the impact of Coronavirus on the construction industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries and provide recommendations to help the industry to sustain during this period of crisis. A qualitative research method involving face-to-face online interviews held with the construction industry professionals was adopted to achieve the aims and objectives of the research. Four main aspects of the impact on the construction industry are derived from analysis of interviews: 1) delays, 2) workforce management, 3) health and safety, and 4) legal issues. Recommendations are provided so that construction organizations in the GCC region can reduce the impact of Coronavirus on its businesses.

scholarly journals BARRIERS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (24) ◽  
pp. 90-99
Author(s):  
Adetunji Kamoli ◽  
Razali Adul Hamid ◽  
Syamsul Hendra Mahmud
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Safety Management Systems ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
The Government ◽  
Lack Of Commitment ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

OHSMS has become the main part of the establishment’s lifeline and a prerequisite for its stability in the 21st century. There is a growing need for OHSMS, in its ability to solve occupational accidents and also to develop a robust relationship among the stakeholders. The mission of OHSMS has not been followed in the Nigerian construction industry. The study, therefore, explores the barriers to the development of OHSMS in the Nigerian construction industry. The study adopted a literature review of OHSMS and thereafter, 300 structured questionnaires were administered to the construction professionals in the built environment of the Nigerian nation’s Capital-Abuja. 247 of the administered questionnaires were returned, considered for the analysis of the study. The data were analysed with SPSS and excel. The findings of the study indicate that the lack of commitment of the government, inefficient regulatory authorities, and lack of expertise in the OHS activities are the major barriers to the development of OHSMS. The study recommends collaborative efforts from the construction organizations, employees, and construction professionals to support the government on the OHSMS.

scholarly journals The Occupational Health and Safety Performance, of a Multinational Industrial Compagny Located in Casablanca, Kingdom of Morocco

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 4790-4796
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of the research is to present a statistical approach using latent and manifest variables applied to measure the occupational health and safety performance of a worldwide enterprise (energy sector) located in Casablanca, Kingdom of Morocco. The principal idea is to measure the impact of occupational health and safety practices OHS (which are divided into seven segments: Leadership and worker participation, Planning, Support, Operation, Improvement, Performance evaluation and Organizational context) on the OHS performance (which is divided into two perspectives: (Workers Results perspectives and Finance Results perspectives), enabling the company to characterize her performance regarding to the ISO 45001 standard's. To do this, we use the SEM’s resolution based on the Partial Least squares (PLS) method via the XL-STAT software on a sample of 139 questionnaires administered face-to-face with managers, technicians, engineers and directors of this company. The obtained results could be examined in order to analyze the occupational health and safety management system performance, in order to reveal the challenges faced by company to maintain the ISO 45001 and to make suggestion to improve operational health and safety process, plan the improvements and develop an action plan.

scholarly journals Methods of Improving Reporting of Occupational Accidents in the Nigerian Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Kamoli Adetunji ◽  
Razali Adul Hamid ◽  
Syamsul Hendra Bin Mahmud
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Economic Management ◽  
Legal Obligations ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
Safety Awareness

Information concerning occupational accidents are far less accessible in developing nations, and where data do present, they are mostly undependable. The serious problem is under-reporting. Various types of occupational injuries information are sometimes not reported to the appropriate authorities by the construction organizations. Also, the regulatory authorities with the statutory obligation to ensure all occupational accidents are reported, perform below standard. The aim of the study therefore is to explore the method of improving the reporting of occupational accidents in the Nigerian construction industry. Literature review of under-reporting of occupational accidents was conducted, thereafter, a field survey with 300 structured questionnaires were distributed, to solicit information from the construction professionals in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria. 235 questionnaires were returned, therefore considered for the analysis of the study. The relative importance index was used in the analysis of the data with SPSS software. The study found that an increase in health and safety awareness will enhance employees and organizations in the recording and reporting of occupational accidents. The study suggests that organizations and employees should keep with internal accidents recording systems whether or not legal obligations to report them are in place, the reasons being for humanitarian, economic, management and industrial relations.

scholarly journals A NEW SAFETY CLIMATE ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR GULF CONSTRUCTION

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Umar ◽  
◽  
N. Umeokafor ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Safety Climate ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
Climate Assessment ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Industry Professionals

One of the methods which could improve the safety performance of construction organizations is the safety climate approach which is helpful to know the existing maturity level of the safety climate and to develop plans to achieve the required level of maturity. Most of the existing safety climate tools were developed considering different industries in developed countries while construction was based only on few tools. Construction projects in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries are at a peak. This article, therefore, attempts to develop a safety climate assessment tool for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) construction industry. A mixed research method consisting of a systematic review (N = 32), structured questionnaire (N = 102) and email interview (N = 19) was adopted in this research. A new assessment tool that has seven factors including (i) Aligning and Integrating Safety As Value (ii) Training At All Level (iii) Improving Site Safety Leadership (iv) Management Commitment (v) Empowering And Involving Workers (vi) Ensuring Accountability At All Level and (vii) Improving Communication has been finally developed. Each factor is supported by a number of simple questions that the participants have to answer on a Likert scale of 1 to 5 is finally developed. Although, the newly developed tool is validated through email interviews held with the construction industry professionals, however, longitudinal studies are recommended to gauge to the effectiveness of the tool.

Impact of COVID-19 on project performance in the UAE construction industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sami Ur Rehman ◽  
Muhammad Tariq Shafiq ◽  
Muneeb Afzal
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Government Institutions ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the global economy and, thus, the global construction industry. This paper aims to study the impact of COVID-19 on construction project performance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative and exploratory approach to investigate the impact of COVID-19 and its policies on project performance in the UAE construction industry in critical areas of the project management body of knowledge (e.g. schedule, cost, resources and contracts). Semi-structured interview questions were asked from ten construction professional to obtain valuable insights into the pandemic’s effects on the UAE construction industry and the effectiveness of policies implemented to rectify the damage and identify the industry’s new normal. Findings The findings indicate that the construction industry faced several challenges such as schedule delays, disrupted cashflows, delayed permits, approvals and inspections, travel restrictions, serious health and safety concerns, material and equipment shortages, among others which hindered the timely delivery of construction projects. It also indicates that efforts made by the government institutions and the construction industry of the UAE such as economic support programs, digitization of processes, fee and fine waivers, health facilities, among other statutory relaxations proved effective in supporting the construction industry against the adverse effects of the pandemic. Research limitations/implications The research findings are limited to the literature review and ten semi-structured interviews seeking an expert’s opinion from industry professionals working in the UAE construction industry. The research team did not get access to project documents, contracts and project progress reports which may be required to validate the interview findings, and to perform an in-depth analysis quantifying the impact of COVID 19 on construction projects performance, which is a limitation of this research. Practical implications The implication is that, owing to the imposed lockdowns and strict precautionary measures to curb the rapid spread of the pandemic, smooth execution of the construction project across the country was affected. The government institutions and stakeholders of the construction projects introduced and implemented various techniques and solutions which effectively handled the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction industry of the UAE. Originality/value This study has identified the challenges faced by the construction industry of the UAE in the context of the management of project schedule, project cost, construction contracts, health and safety of construction employees and other related aspects of the construction projects. This study also identified the techniques and solutions adopted by various public and private institutions of the country and their implications on construction projects. Therefore, this study provides guidelines for policymakers and future research studies alike.

scholarly journals Developing a Sustainability Performance Assessment Tool for Public Funded Projects According to Policies and Stakeholders’ Perceptions

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousong Wang ◽  
Honglei Yi ◽  
Mian Fang
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
System Dynamic Model ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Project Governance ◽  
Improved Model ◽  
The Impact

Sustainable principles have been applied in many sectors including the construction industry. In light of this requirement, delivery and operation of public funded projects have been given particular attention since they are seen as benchmarks in this industry and possess more significant impact on economy, environment, society, resource utilization, health and safety, as well as project governance. Current studies on assessing sustainability performance of these projects are found to have some gaps. By calculating the sustainability performance indicator, the research reported in this paper introduced an improved System Dynamic model addressing the impact of policies and stakeholders’ perceptions based on the previous studies. In addition, the improved model alters the way in which sustainability performance indicator evolves to make it more precise. A real stadium project in Shenzhen, China is presented to illustrate the application of the improved model in appraising the sustainability performance of public funded projects. The case study also reveals the aspects to be enhanced to make the sustainability performance better in this project.

scholarly journals Characteristics of the Construction Industry in Developing Countries and Its Implications for Health and Safety: An Exploratory Study in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 4110
Author(s):  
Elijah Frimpong Boadu ◽  
Cynthia Changxin Wang ◽  
Riza Yosia Sunindijo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Industry Professionals ◽  
Country Specific

From both practical and theoretical perspectives, understanding the health and safety (H&S) implications of the characteristics and foundation upon which the construction industry in developing countries is built and operates is essential for H&S management within the industry. While many studies have provided evidence of factors affecting construction H&S in developing countries, none has fully considered the H&S implications of the industry’s characteristics. The current study thus examined how the peculiar characteristics of the construction industry in developing countries impact on the industry’s H&S management. Data were collected using questionnaire surveys from construction industry professionals in Ghana. Nine distinct characteristics were identified and ranked, as well as their relationships and statistical significance determined through correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA), respectively. The findings showed that these characteristics of the construction industry in developing countries, particularly the lack of skilled and educated workforce, reliance on labour intensive methods and lack of single regulatory authority, present huge challenges to the management of H&S. Accordingly, this research recommended strategic interventions which are tailored towards the context of the industry’s characteristics. With the construction industry in developing countries exhibiting similar characteristics, the findings of this research can serve as a framework for country-specific study. The study contributes to the broader H&S performance improvement research in developing countries by throwing light on the characteristics of the industry that pose challenges to H&S performance.

scholarly journals PRACTICAL VALIDATION MEASUREMENTS OF A PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS MONITORING SENSOR IN REAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar S.M. Moohialdin ◽  
Bambang T. Suhariadi ◽  
Mohsin K. Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Physiological Status ◽  
Physiological Monitoring ◽  
Status Monitoring ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Parametric Statistical Test ◽  
The Impact

The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industry and construction worker's health and safety in hot and humid weather conditions become a topic of a great interest for researchers and practitioners. Various physiological monitoring sensors have been employed to measure the physiological impacts of such weather conditions. However, the ability of these sensors to deal with the dynamic nature of the construction industry still under controversial arguments and there is a need to justify their applicability in real working conditions. This paper aims to investigate the accuracy of an off-the-shelf physiological monitoring sensor (Zephyr BioHarnessTM 3) in a real working environment when considering the impact of hot and humid weather conditions. Fifteen different construction workers participated in three site measurements, with monitoring two physiological parameters heart rate (HR) and breathing rate (BR). A non-parametric statistical test (Mann-Whitney) was applied to identify whether there is a significant difference between the medians of live data in the remote monitoring station and saved data of the sensor internal memories. The results showed that there are significant differences between live data and saved data. These differences were highly noticed in the third site measurements, as it included working in confined areas and trenches. The accuracy of live data is highly affected by types of activities and appropriate positions of the wireless connection devices (ECHO gate and repeater).

scholarly journals Current state and development prospects of the construction industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (02) ◽  
pp. 916-925
Author(s):  
Kheda Murtazova ◽  
Salambek Aliyev
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Current State ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that construction companies in a difficult period in 2020 faced risk problems and many construction companies declared themselves bankrupt during this period. The globalization of the modern world defines more and more severe challenges for national economies around the world. Taking into account the modern patterns of development of the world economy, it is important for the national economy of each state to have a competitive advantage, thanks to which it will develop. The purpose of this article is to analyze the current state of the construction industry both in Russia and throughout the world, analyze existing problems, and develop measures aimed at solving them. In studying the economic situation of this industry, indicators such as volume dynamics were considered. construction works and the dynamics of the number of construction organizations. In addition, the work identified factors that limit the activities of construction organizations and the prospects for the development of the construction industry both in Russia and around the world. This paper defines actions to solve the problems of the construction industry, and also determines the expected results of the implementation of these measures. The construction industry also sets the level of economic development, is a very important sector in the economy of many countries of the world. The development of construction services all over the world has been gaining momentum in the past few decades and is developing very dynamically. However, the construction industry is very sensitive to even minor fluctuations in the global market. The subject of the research was the cause-and-effect relationships of the problems and prospects for the development of the construction industry both in Russia and at the global level in the context of the economic transformation of the world economy. In this paper, using SWOT data analysis, the strengths and weaknesses of the construction industry, threats and opportunities of the external environment in the modern conditions of development of both the Russian economy and the international market are analyzed. A working hypothesis of the study was formed. This hypothesis was tested in the framework of a scientific and practical seminar with the participation of representatives of universities that are engaged in the development of the construction industry, as well as with the participation of heads of construction companies. The article describes the current state of the construction industry in modern conditions of development both in Russia and abroad. A hypothesis is put forward about the impact of the crisis on the current state of the construction industry of the world market, measures are proposed to solve the identified problems of the development of the construction industry in Russia within the framework of the coordinated work of the authorities, universities of the country and business.

scholarly journals İNŞAAT SEKTÖRÜNDEKİ İŞ SAĞLIĞI VE GÜVENLİĞİ FARKINDALIK ANALİZİ: İÇ ANADOLU VE MARMARA BÖLGESİ ÖRNEKLEMİ

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-173
Author(s):  
Melek Dikmen ◽  
Yusuf Doğan
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Economic Power ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Company Sector ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
Day By Day

The construction industry is a business that affects many different production areas and contributes significantly to the economy of the country and the geography it is connected to. The sector grows day by day due to its increasing economic power and technological developments, but it also brings with it occupational accidents resulting in many injuries, disability and death. Occupational accidents; In addition to the disruption of the country's economy and sectoral production, it causes prestige and significant economic losses on company/sector basis. In this study, occupational accidents, occupational health and safety concepts not only focuses on the literature review containing advancement in the world and Turkey but also presents the evaluations of 320 students who are candidates of civil engineering and construction technician through face-to-face surveys to determine their knowledge, awareness and expectations in the field of occupational accidents through the SPSS program. This study emphasizes regulation, support and cooperation through the firm, industry, government and university to increase the level of readiness of the civil engineers and construction technicians, who are expected to have significant authority and responsibility in the construction industry, and to reduce the occupational accidents.

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