scholarly journals Work Stress among Professionals in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eziyi Offia Ibem ◽  
Michael Nwabueze Anosike ◽  
Dominic Ezenwa Azuh ◽  
Tim O. Mosaku
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Structural Engineers

This study was undertaken to identify key stress factors among professionals in building construction industry in Nigeria. This is in view of the fact that to date, very little is known about work stress among professionals in building construction industry in this country. The study involved the administration of questionnaire to 107 professionals including architects, builders, civil/structural engineers and quantity surveyors randomly selected from 60 ongoing building projects in Anambra, Ogun and Kaduna States, Nigeria. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and findings show that the principal sources of stress were high volume of work, uncomfortable site office environment, lack of feedback on previous and ongoing building projects, and variations in the scope of work in ongoing building projects. The paper suggests that taking responsibility for work which one has adequate capacity to handle, establishing realistic budgets and time frame for project delivery, provision of spatially adequate, visually and thermally comfortable site offices, adoption of appropriate job design practice and education of professionals on stress management strategies will reduce the incidence of stress among professionals in building industry in Nigeria. 

scholarly journals Challenges Facing Graduate Structural Engineers in the Building Construction Industry in Kenya

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Bett Barnabas ◽  
Simiyu John ◽  
Dimo Herbert
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Structural Engineering ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Training Institution ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Coverage ◽  
Structural Engineers

Despite a number of challenges, training institution Kenya has produced structural engineers in the building and construction field. As a result, there have been problems facing these apprentices that have led to questions concerning their competencies in the Kenyan building and construction industry. Mitigating such foreseeable problems, require proper policy planning, which can only be enacted after findings of facts have been adduced. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the challenges facing university trained structural engineers in the construction industry in Kenya. The research design in the study was cross-sectional survey research design. Purposive sampling was employed in collecting the data. The study population comprised practicing structural engineers trained at the universities offering building construction, civil engineering and structural engineering. Questionnaires were used to collected data from the sampled respondents in the building industry. Proportional analysis techniques and statistical chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Information on problems facing the engineers and perception of the engineering graduates concerning university training were collected from 89 Kenyan university trained practicing Structural engineers. The data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 23.0) presented inform of descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, frequency distribution, cross-tabulation and Chi-square (c2) tests. The results obtained revealed that, graduates had problems related to initial choice of the course, for which they did not have interest in and hence poor content coverage. These results demonstrate the need for establishment of a clear policy aimed at regulating the learning resources for structural engineers at the universities appropriately. Moreover, there is need for standard resources for the teaching of the programme and the need for higher educational funding scheme for research in the universities.

scholarly journals Investigating Critical Non-Value Adding Activities and Their Resulting Wastes in BIM-Based Project Delivery

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Longhui Liao ◽  
Evelyn Ai Lin Teo ◽  
Ruidong Chang ◽  
Linhui Li
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Implementation Practices ◽  
Survey Interviews ◽  
Design Deficiencies

Building information modeling (BIM) is deemed a useful innovation for technological and sustainable development of the economy. It is partially used in building projects in Singapore, although its implementation is mandated by the local government, resulting in various wastes and suboptimal productivity. Little is known about how non-value adding (NVA) BIM implementation practices were perceived by the local practitioners and how these practices affected productivity in building projects in Singapore. This study aimed to identify critical NVA BIM implementation activities and investigate the criticality of their resulting wastes to productivity performance in the current project delivery process in Singapore. The results from a questionnaire survey of 73 experts and four post-survey interviews in Singapore revealed that 38 NVA BIM implementation activities were deemed critical, among which “lack of involvement by contractors to contribute site knowledge” in the design development phase was ranked top; the top five resulting wastes with highest criticalities were reworks/abortive works, requests for information, design deficiencies, defects, and waiting/idle time. Furthermore, an independent-samples t-test was conducted to examine whether construction firms and upfront stakeholders perceived the NVA activities differently. It was discovered that most NVA activities exerted more agreement from construction firms than upfront non-construction organizations. Six strategies were proposed to mitigate the NVA activities and wastes. The findings can help practitioners identify weak areas of their BIM implementation practices and prioritize resources accordingly to eliminate the wastes and foster sustainability, as well as help overseas project teams, with minor adjustments, customize their own NVA BIM implementation activities and management strategies.

scholarly journals Causes of delays in the construction phase of Chinese building projects

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1534-1551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Kwei Wang ◽  
David N. Ford ◽  
Heap-Yih Chong ◽  
Wei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Causes Of Delays ◽  
Survey Approach

PurposeDelays during construction are one of the common scenarios in the construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to identify the primary causes of delays in the construction phase of building construction projects in China.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire survey approach was adopted across the four typical cities in China, namely, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Shenzhen. In total, 115 sets of valid responded questionnaires were collected and analyzed.FindingsThe results show that the causes of variations, delays in progress payments, exceptionally low bids and subcontractors’ poor performance and communication issues were the most important causes of delays in China.Originality/valueThis research is the first questionnaire survey on the causes of delays in the construction phase of building construction projects in China. The comparative analysis shows two unique causes of delays in the Chinese construction industry, such as “difficulty in claiming indemnity” and “unreasonable upfront capital demanded by client.” It also reveals different ranked causes of delays as per distinguished political and economic situations in China. The research findings can be referred by construction projects in other countries that are funded or partnered with China.

Well Construction, Cones of Depression, and Groundwater Sharing Approaches

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fidel Ribera Urenda
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Aquifer Management ◽  
Well Design ◽  
Hydrogeological Characteristics ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Groundwater Reserves

The importance of groundwater has become particularly evident in the late 20th and early 21st centuries due to its increased use in many human activities. In this time frame, vertical wells have emerged as the most common, effective, and controlled system for obtaining water from aquifers, replacing other techniques such as drains and spring catchments. One negative effect of well abstraction is the generation of an inverted, conically shaped depression around the well, which grows as water is pumped and can negatively affect water quantity and quality in the aquifer. An increase in the abstraction rate of a specific well or, as is more common, an uncontrolled increase of the number of active wells in an area, could lead to overexploitation of the aquifer’s long-term groundwater reserves and, in some specific contexts, impact water quality. Major examples can be observed in arid or semi-arid coastal areas around the world that experience a high volume of tourism, where aquifers hydraulically connected with the sea are overexploited. In most of these areas, an excessive abstraction rate causes seawater to penetrate the inland part of the aquifer. This is known as marine intrusion. Another typical example of undesirable groundwater management can be found in many areas of intensive agricultural production. Excessive use of fertilizer is associated with an increase in the concentration of nitrogen solutions in groundwater and soils. In these farming areas, well design and controlled abstraction rates are critical in preventing penetrative depression cones, which ultimately affect water quality. To prevent any negative effects, several methods for aquifer management can be used. One common method is to set specific abstraction rules according to the hydrogeological characteristics of the aquifer, such as flow and chemical parameters, and its relationship with other water masses. These management plans are usually governed by national water agencies with support from, or in coordination with, private citizens. Transboundary or international aquifers require more complex management strategies, demanding a multidisciplinary approach, including legal, political, economic, and environmental action and, of course, a precise hydrogeological understanding of the effects of current and future usage.

scholarly journals Environmental performance analysis for the construction phase of building projects by using the indicators recommended by PBQP-H

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-26
Author(s):  
Luara Lopes de Araujo Fernandes ◽  
Dayana Bastos Costa
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
A Company

Abstract The construction industry uses certain performance indicators to monitor the impacts generated by their associated activities. However, the strict determination of these indicators cannot enhance the performance of a company, and certain benchmarks must be established to guide the goals and evaluate the performance of the companies. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the scenario and evolution of the environmental performance of the construction phase of building projects by using the indicators recommended by the Brazilian Program for Quality and Productivity in Habitat (PBQP-H) and to establish benchmarks for these indicators. The research strategy adopted in this study corresponded to a survey with 186 building projects. The results involved environmental performance scenario of the building sector in different scopes. The main contribution of this study is the establishment of a set of parameters and benchmarks that can help enhance the performance of the building construction sector. As practical implication, the presented analysis and trends may provide guidance to governments and sectoral initiatives to formulate public policies to enhance the environmental performance of the sector.

Assessment of Electronic Procurement Practices on Project Delivery, Case Study of Selected Construction Companies in Oyo State

2018 ◽  
pp. 257-266
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Electronic Procurement ◽  
Ict Infrastructure ◽  
E Mail

This study investigated the use of e-Procurement in selected construction firms in Oyo state, Nigeria. The data were derived using a well-structured questionnaire survey involving 104 respondents. Descriptive statistical and correlation analyses were used to analyze the data. Findings show that the use of electronic procurement in the selected construction firms for carrying out procurement function is high with majority of the professionals affirming the use of the system, the four categories of e-Procurement used were e-mail, static websites, web.2.0 technologies and portals that have capabilities of supporting the execution of functions limited to intra and inter firm communication and exchange of project information and data. Consequently, between 84 percent and 76 percent of the respondents used these e-Procurement technologies for communication of information, exchange of bill of quantities, project reports, CAD drawings and project specifications. Consequently, factors with the highest positive impacts on the use of these technologies in the firms were the speed of transactions, lower transaction cost and ease of use. The study implies that the selected construction firms in Oyo state Nigeria predominantly use e-mails and websites to support the execution of pre-award phase of construction procurement. Finding also shows that there is positive relationship between e-Procurement (e-Notifying, e-Exchange, and e-Submission of bid) and Project delivery. The study suggests that to accelerate the rate of uptake of e-Procurement and maximize its benefits in the Nigerian construction industry, there is a need to improve the quality and quantity of ICT infrastructure across the country; and to embark on aggressive enlightenment campaigns, training and skill development programs in the use of e-Procurement in the construction industry in this country.

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