The construction industry has always been recognized as a hazardous industry because there are a large number of work-related accidents and fatalities (Abdelhamid and Everett, 2000; Mohamed, 2002; Tam et al., 2004). For each year from 1997 to 2002, statistics reported by the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare of Thailand revealed that up to 100 construction workers lost their lives on construction sites, and this is the highest rate of all industries. In other countries, the accident rate in the construction industry remains at a higher level than in other industries despite a downward movement in recent years (Jaselski and Suazo, 1994; and Suraji et al., 2001).
In Thailand, early attempts were made by the government in 1996 to encourage the utilization of safety programs in the construction sector by legally requiring the main contractors of construction projects to establish and implement safety programs and to be accountable for all expenses associated with their implementation. To fulfill the safety legislation, in 2002, comprehensive guidelines for safety program implementation were developed by the National Institute for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment (NICE). The purpose of these guidelines was to assist contractors in managing workplace safety by incorporating safety programs into their business management systems. It was proposed that the following key safety programs must be integrated into day-to-day operations on every construction site: safety policy, safety organization and responsibility, administrative laws and regulations related to safety, safety induction and training, hazard control programs, safety inspections, in-house safety rules, safety control for sub-contractors, safety audits, accident investigations, safety-related promotions, first aid services, emergency preparedness planning, and safety recordkeeping. This provision provided specific guidelines on how construction firms organize and manage their projects to provide high safety standards for their employees as well as the public.
However, according to Siriruttanapruk and Anantagulnathi (2004), improving construction site safety in Thailand still remains a formidable problem due to a limited amount of resources available to governmental and non-governmental safety institutions to carry out inspections and to give advice and guidance for implementing safety programs adequately. Additionally, they point out that safety program implementation is often neglected on construction sites and rarely managed correctly. The use of safety programs is often discussed in management meetings as a priority, but instead it is given a low priority for management commitment and resource allocation. Michaud (1995) stated that safety programs should be fully integrated in a company’s injury prevention efforts because successful companies throughout the world all have outstanding safety and health programs. Furthermore, Findley et al. (2004) showed that there is no absolute model of safety program to follow but safety programs can be successful if they contain the appropriate elements that fit with working environments.
Mr. Thanet Aksorn made a research which general objective focused on comprehensive exploration of specific aspects of safety program implementation. His was to assess the relative performance of various safety programs implemented in the Thai construction industry. To achieve the broad objective, his study had two specific objectives such as follows:
· To investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of safety program implementation in the Thai construction industry.
· To identify critical factors of successful safety program implementation.
Conclusions
Conclusions of Safety Performance Measurement
Both proactive and reactive measurements of safety performance were conducted in this study. By taking a measure of reactive indicators, it was found that, overall, approximately 77 accidents happen on construction sites every million working hours. The averages of accident rates of large-scale and medium-scale projects were 45.15 and 107.73 per one million man-hours worked respectively.
Furthermore, field observations for unsafe acts and unsafe conditions were carried out as a proactive safety measurement. Firstly, it was found that that approximately 30% of all observed working practices of Thai construction workers were unsafe. Secondly, field observations showed that nearly 37% of all observed working conditions of Thai construction projects departed from an acceptable standard. This would be partially responsible for serious accidents, injuries or even deaths of workers at construction sites. More particularly, it was found that averages of unsafe condition indices of large-scale and medium-scale projects were 35.08% and 37.53% respectively.
Elements of an Effective Safety Program for Construction Safety Performance Improvement
The results show overall that five safety programs, namely safety record keeping, safety inductions, control of subcontractors, safety committees and safety training, have very high mean scores. It was implied that these five programs have been given the highest attention within construction projects.
However, more emphasis needs to be placed on those factors with an unsatisfactory status. It can be seen that five factors, namely job hazard analysis, emergency preparedness planning, first aid programs, safety incentive schemes, and selection of employees, have the least mean scores. It was therefore suggested that management should pay greater attention to improve these five programs’ standards.
Elements of an Efficiency Safety Program for Construction Safety Performance Improvement
In light of this study, construction managers can use these quantitative results to effectively and efficiently implement their safety programs in achieving improved construction site safety performance. The table below provides a summary of the key safety programs which were found to be effective and efficient in reducing accidents, minimizing unsafe acts, and eliminating unsafe conditions.
Critical Success Factors for Safety Program Implementation
The results showed that “appropriate safety education and training” was the best actual status factor among 16 factors. The overall ranking of the 16 CSFs sorted by level of actual status was: (1) appropriate safety education and training, (2) clear and realistic goals, (3) safety equipment acquisition and maintenance, (4) delegation of authority and responsibility, (5) good communication, (6) personal motivation, (7) personal attitude, (8) personal competency, (9) continuing participation of employees, (10) management support, (11) program evaluation, (12) effective enforcement scheme, (13) teamwork, (14) positive group norms, (15) appropriate supervision and (16) sufficient resource allocation. In addition, Spearman’s rank correlation was used to test the relationship between rankings of the two different groups of respondents. It was found that there was a strong conformity in the rankings of actual status of those 16 factors between the two different groups of respondents.
Furthermore, the results also revealed simultaneously that “management support” was the most influential factor for safety program implementation in the Thai construction industry. The overall ranking of the 16 CSFs in the order of the degree of influence was: (1) management support, (2) appropriate safety education and training, (3) teamwork, (4) clear and realistic goals, (5) effective enforcement scheme, (6) personal attitude, (7) program evaluation, (8) personal motivation, (9) delegation of authority and responsibility, (10) appropriate supervision, (11) safety equipment acquisition and maintenance, (12) positive group norms, (13) sufficient resource allocation, (14) continuing participation of employees, (15) good communication, and (16) personal competency. Additionally, there was a strong consensus on the rankings of degree of influence of those 16 factors between the two different groups of respondents as indicated by Spearman’s rank correlation test.
By using a Factor Analysis technique, the identified CSFs were grouped into four major dimensions labeled as (1) worker involvement, (2) safety prevention and control system, (3) safety arrangement and (4) management commitment. “Worker involvement” referred to creating favorable safety attitudes and motivation of workers which largely depended on constructive norms of the workgroup and their degree of their participation in safety activities. “Safety prevention and control system” required an effective enforcement scheme, appropriate supervision, equipment acquisition and maintenance, appropriate safety education and training, program evaluation, and staffing by qualified persons in order to successfully implement a safety program. “Safety arrangement” involved setting up proper mechanisms to disseminate information to all people concerned, assigning clear authorities and responsibilities to everyone at all levels, and allocating adequate resources to safely carry out activities. “Management commitment” consolidated the safety program implementation through visible support of the highest ranking members of management, which also included encouraging all employees to achieve success through team spirit and setting realistic and achievable safety goals which could be accomplished.
Furthermore, to prove whether or not those 16 CSFs have a positive impact on safety standard, three construction projects were selected as case studies. The results proved that on construction projects where all CSFs, and not just one or a few, were given proper attention, a higher standard of safety performance can be achieved.
Gap analysis was further carried out to determine how to improve safety programs. This analysis suggested that larger gaps between degree of influence and actual status of success indicate more unsatisfactory practices. Thus, correcting the factors which have large gaps must be emphasized more strongly. This study also found that the first five critical problems of safety program implementation are management support, appropriate supervision, sufficient resource allocation, teamwork, and effective enforcement scheme. These five priority factors should be given more attention in order to achieve a satisfactory level. Meanwhile, there are five factors, namely ‘delegation of authority and responsibility’, ‘good communication’, ‘clear and realistic goals’, ‘appropriate safety education and training’, and ‘safety equipment acquisition and maintenance’, showing satisfactory practices as characterized by very small gaps.
Practical Implications for the Industry
This study proposed a self-regulatory safety management approach, where the implementation of safety programs is demanded, for managing construction site safety. Indeed, successful safety programs do not need extensive elements, but should at least include the critical elements (Tam and Fung, 1998; Poon et al., 2000; Goldenhar et al., 2001; Hinze and Gambatese, 2003; and Findley et al., 2004). A total of 17 safety programs were identified and evaluated extensively to discover which are the key safety programs for achieving improved safety performance. In the light of this research, construction companies where the need for improving safety performance is obvious should take the following practical recommendations into further consideration.
A close examination of the results of effectiveness and efficiency studies showed that some of the programs are uniquely identifiable as different form others and some overlap. By integrating the results of the study, the following safety programs are proven to be the most effective and efficient practices in reducing the possibility of accidents, occurrences of unsafe acts, and unsafe conditions.
1. Accident investigations: all cases of accidents, even near-misses, should be thoroughly investigated, documented and statistically analyzed to some extent.
2. Safety inspections: safety inspections should be conducted at regular intervals or as appropriate to discover hazardous conditions and unsafe practices before such hazards cause accidents.
3. Control of subcontractors: subcontractor safety requirements should be adequately defined and enforced.
4. Safety incentives: a mix of financial and non-financial incentives should be invested to raise safety awareness, reinforce safe behaviors and counteract unsafe behaviors of the workers for the purpose of eliminating undesired events.
5. Safety committees: the safety committee is a diverse group of representatives of management and employees working together in a non-adversarial, cooperative endeavor to create and maintain a high level of safety at job site. More specifically, a safety committee is created to perform workplace inspections, review accident and injury records, and make recommendations for safety improvement.
6. Safety record keeping: a good recordkeeping system enables the root causes of work-related accidents to be identified correctly; therefore, effective corrective actions can be provided. All of the safety records as required by Thai OS&H standards must be kept and maintained.
7. Job hazard analysis: all construction-related activities should be identified and listed in order to identify any potential hazards associated with them. Job hazard analysis should be made with input from job-involved workers.
8. Safety orientation: prior to authorizing new employees to perform their assigned jobs, safety orientation should be carried out to create safety awareness as well as to alert newcomers to work in a safe manner, and to report any unsafe conditions or other hazards encountered at work.
9. Safety auditing: a safety audit is an effective means of identifying deviations from general standards; analyzing events leading to such deviations, and highlighting good practices, which in turn can serve as feedback to the company for providing corrective actions.
10. In-house safety rules: a company’s safety policy is generally translated into safety rules. Safety rules are designed to provide basic guidance for safe operating practices and procedures (Hale and Swuste, 1998). All rules must be strictly enforced for all employees without exception.
Construction projects could have an outstanding safety performance if all suggested safety programs are implemented in a quality manner. However, to ensure the attainment of the safety success, there are critical activities that should receive constant and careful attention from management. Given that, the implementation of safety programs may perhaps fail catastrophically if careful consideration is not given to the following important prerequisites:
1. Management commitment: management cannot just say that the implementation of safety programs will occur on site. Management must demonstrate strong commitment by identifying and devoting the needed resources to each program so that they are carried out in a quality manner.
2. Worker involvement: successful safety programs largely depend on employee involvement as workers tend to support the activities that they themselves help to create. Workers should therefore be given the opportunities to provide input into the design and implementation of safety programs, such as being a member of the safety committee, reporting hazards and unsafe practices to supervisors, identifying training needs, investigating accidents, etc
3. Safety prevention and control system: in construction, workers are prone to different hazards and risks every workday due to the unique nature of the construction industry. An effective prevention and control system with elements such as an effective enforcement system, supervision, safety-related equipment acquisition and maintenance, appropriate safety education and training, personal evaluation, and program evaluation should be established and fully adopted.
4. Safety arrangement: the effectiveness of a safety program depends largely on the level of resources allocated, including sufficient staff, time, money, information, methods used to work safely, facilities, tools, machines, etc. To successfully implement safety programs, it has been suggested that the lines of communications between management and the workforce should be clearly established.
In light of this study, it was found that safety performance at construction projects could be improved if the above-listed safety programs are implemented in a quality manner. Nevertheless, to achieve the ultimate goals and objectives of safety program implementation, there are key activities or known as “Critical Success Factors (CSFs)” that should receive major concerns from management. Given that, the implementation of safety programs may perhaps fail catastrophically if the following key activities are not performed well: (a) clear and realistic goals, (b) good communication, (c) delegation of authority and responsibility, (d) sufficient resource allocation, (e) management support, (f) program evaluation, (g) continuing participation of employees, (h) personal motivation, (i) personal competency, (j) teamwork, (k) positive group norms, (l) personal attitude, (m) effective enforcement scheme, (n) safety equipment acquisition and maintenance, (o) appropriate supervision, and (p) appropriate safety education and training.
At this point, for successful safety program implementation, the missions of those key activities must be simultaneously accomplished. A construction project where all critical success factors are given appropriate attention at satisfactory level will almost certainly have excellent safety performance.
His thesis abstract is copied and posted.
ABSTRACT
The construction industry has been globally regarded as a relatively hazardous industry. It has always been reported that fatal accidents and injuries in construction remain consistently at a very high level despite a significant downward trend in recent years. Similarly, in Thailand, the construction industry has faced a wide range of challenges, one of which is the frequent occurrences of accidents at the workplace. Safety programs are now considered to be one of the most important approaches to eliminating work-related accidents and injuries. An effective safety program can substantially reduce accidents because it can help management build up safer ways to operate and create safe working environments for the workers.
The Thai Government has taken significant steps to improve safety in the construction industry by promoting the establishment of safety programs at the enterprise level. It has been suggested that the following 17 safety programs should be implemented as business core functions: safety policies, safety committees, safety inductions, safety training, safety inspections, accident investigations, first aid programs, in-house safety rules, safety incentive schemes, control of subcontractors, selection of employees, personal protection programs, emergency preparedness planning, safety-related promotions, safety auditing, safety record keeping, and job hazard analysis. However, the accident occurrence rate in the construction industry still remains at unacceptable levels. This shows that the industry suffers from an inability to implement safety programs which achieve improved safety performance.
To help the industry, therefore, it is worthwhile to conduct research focused on investigating effective and efficient safety programs, and identifying the key factors influencing the success of safety programs. The findings therefore can be used as a guideline by construction sites to implement safety programs successfully.
This study was conducted with 35 medium and 35 large-scale construction projects taking part. To assess safety programs, an evaluation tool was developed by using scientific methods based upon Thai safety regulations and standards, and which was validated by a panel of safety experts. Multiple regression analysis was used to create models that reflect a set of the most effective and efficient safety programs for safety performance improvement.
The effectiveness of safety programs was evaluated by studying the relationship between their actual status and associated site safety performance. It was found that 4 of the 17 safety programs, namely accident investigations, safety inspections, control of subcontractors, and safety incentives, are the most effective in reducing accident rates at construction sites. The most effective safety programs in minimizing the occurrence of unsafe acts at construction sites are safety inspections, accident investigations, control of subcontractors, and safety incentives. And lastly, accident investigations, safety inspections, job hazard analysis, safety inductions, and safety auditing were the most effective factors in eliminating unsafe conditions at construction sites.
To evaluate the efficiency of safety programs, this study quantified amounts of staff time and budget allocated for safety program implementation based upon the perception-based survey and correlated them with safety performance. Multiple regression analysis yielded models which showed that 5 of the 17 safety programs, namely accident investigations, control of subcontractors, safety incentives, safety inspections, and safety auditing were the most efficient in improving accident rates. The most efficient safety programs in preventing the occurrence of unsafe acts were accident investigations, job hazard analysis, in-house safety rules, safety inspections, safety committees, and safety incentives. Lastly, safety committees, safety incentives, accident investigations, safety auditing, and safety inspections were found as the most efficient factors in controlling unsafe conditions on the sites.
Furthermore, this research also investigated critical success factors (CSFs) for safety programs. These CSFs are important to guide contractors to implement safety programs successfully. The CSFs are regarded as the limited number of activities in which results, if they are satisfactory, will ensure successful implementation of safety programs. Therefore, the final output of this study will enable contractors to choose effective and efficient safety programs and to implement them by understanding the CSFs. This study showed that management support, appropriate safety education and training, teamwork, clear and realistic goals, and an effective enforcement scheme were perceived by the respondents as the most significant factors that need considerable attention in order to ensure successful safety programs. However, this study found the current problems which may lead to failure of safety programs were lack of management support, lack of appropriate supervision, lack of sufficient resource allocation, lack of teamwork, and lack of effective enforcement. Improving these priority factors to satisfactory levels would lead to successful safety programs, thereby minimizing accidents.
In conclusion, in light of this research, a package of comprehensive strategies for achieving improved construction safety performance was provided. In other words, the study gave a set of the most effective and efficient safety programs for implementation on construction sites as well as critical activities or known as critical success factors (CSFs) that can ensure the successful implementation of the safety programs.
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Application Of Neuro-Fuzzy Networks To Forecast Cost And Duration Variance For Building Projects In Vietnam
Since Vietnam implemented its policy of reform and opening to the outside world, and with the continuous development of its national economy, the Vietnamese building enterprises have been growing steadily in quantity, and the building industry has been increasing its total output value. With Vietnam going to entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), the process of opening the Vietnamese construction market to the outside world will be accelerated. Moreover, because of economic development, infrastructure has to be improved to adapt with the changing. Many office buildings, apartments, bridges, roads… have been built. However, Vietnam is still undergoing reform of its system, from a planned economy to a market economy. Laws, regulations, market and government management models and systems are still not stable. National market is still controlled by government. All are obstacles preventing contractors from fully understanding the entire situation and risk in the Vietnamese construction market, especially international contractors. Therefore, identify and analyze risk factors in Vietnam construction market is necessary.
Construction projects involve hundreds or even thousands of interacting activities, each with cost, time, quality, and sequencing problem. The costs and durations are uncertain and one response, still surprisingly common, is to shy away from uncertainty and hope for the best. Another is to apply expert judgment, experience, and gut feel to the problem (Roger Flanagan & George Norman, 1993). Construction projects are unique arenas in which highly complex, uncertain and creative projects have to be realized (Hartman, 1998). However, construction project risks are often ignored by most owners and contractors. As a result, unnecessary long and disruptive delays turn an otherwise profitable project into a financially ruinous undertaking (WONG, 2006).
Obviously, there are some overlaps between these risks. Edwards and Bowen (2005) used a source system-based approach to classify risks under two primary categories: natural systems and human systems. The sub-category of natural risks includes events originating in weather, geological, biological, physiological, ecological and extraterrestrial systems. The sub-categories of human risks comprise social, political, cultural, health, legal, economic, financial, technical and managerial systems. Edwards (1999) used the same risk sources as a primary means of categorization to minimize confusion.
Conventional risk analysis techniques, such as Monte Carlo analysis, provide tools to help practitioners to assess impacts of uncertainties, to support the determination or the assessment of the risk level of a project, and to allocate a contingency associated with the possibility of success. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of using this technique is heavily dependent upon experts' opinions and judgments (Xiaoying Liu,1998).
Neuron-Fuzzy is an approach that is free of mathematical models. It requires less expert opinion and judgments than do other techniques. It represents an attempt to simulate the human brain's learning process through massive training. It is able to learn from samples. Knowledge learned is stored within the network. This technology provides a powerful and robust means to assess uncertainty through learning and capturing general patterns in available data. NF integrates both neural networks and fuzzy inference systems. These model frameworks possess both the learning capability of neural networks and the structured knowledge representation employed in fuzzy inference systems (Jyh-Shing Roger Jang, 1992).
On time and within budget are two main outputs of successful project. However, there are risk factors affecting the construction projects’ time and cost. In order to achieve two major project outputs, management team needs to access and analyze those risk factors as a proactive plan. NF is considered as the advantage method to help practitioners who are either not much experience or expert develop a proactive plan to modify threats which possible impact on project performance.
Mr. Pham Hiep Luc made a research on “Application Of Neuro-Fuzzy Networks To Forecast Cost And Duration Variance For Building Projects In Vietnam” which major objectives were to: (1) identify main risk factors which affect the duration and cost variance of building projects in Vietnam; (2) develop a Neuron-Fuzzy model to predict project cost and time variances; and (3) compare Neuron-Fuzzy model with conventional method.
CONCLUSION
Significant risk factors impacting cost and time variances of building projects in Vietnam were identified in this study. Manager experience, construction method, type of clients, client changes, project complexity and market price fluctuation were identified by respondents as having high correlations with time and cost variances. Factors related with client were given high marks by respondents. However, when choosing the factors which had high correlations with time and cost variance by forward regression technique, the results was quite different from the respondent’s perception. Client type, project priority, vagueness in scope and construction method had strong correlation with time variance. Project function, location, contract type, project complexity, market price fluctuation and project priority had strong correlation with cost variance.
The goal of this result was to apply the Neuro-Fuzzy to risk analysis. Most traditional techniques are heavily dependent upon expert judgment and experience. In complex situations, these techniques are difficult to use because no mathematical model can be applied and the correlations between risk factors are not easy to identify. The weaknesses require the researchers to find out a new technique to approach better the complicated situations in project time and cost risks.
An attempt has been made to apply neuro-fuzzy network in the assessment of risks at the early stage of a project. The relationships among risks, project characteristics, decisions, and outcomes were captured by neuron fuzzy networks. Intelligent models were then developed and tested. They can be used to predict project cost and time variations.
The research results showed that the neuro-fuzzy networks outperform conventional techniques such as multiple linear regression analysis. The practical application of neuro-fuzzy network technology in project risk analysis is promising, especially in the front end stage.
Neuro-fuzzy network (NFN) model is able to capture the risk patterns of projects by learning from historical project samples and to generate a reasonable prediction of project cost and time variances. It is superior to conventional techniques as multi-regression technique and neuron network technique.
Neuro-fuzzy network model with forward stepwise regression analysis provides more accurate estimates of project cost and time variations than NFN with variables ranking by respondents. It also significantly reduces the training time and increases the training efficiency of the networks.
Neuro-fuzzy network model is superior to neural network because, neural network is difficult to determinate its configuration.
This research built a rational base for developing a decision support system to assist project managers (decision makers) in better decision making.
Overall, projects will have a greater chance of success, in terms of “within budget” and “on time”, when project managers direct more effort into managing the identified important factors during project planning at the front end phases and NFN is the useful technique to support decision making process.
His thesis abstract is copied and posted.
Abstract
The importance of decision making in time and cost estimation for investment processes points to a need for an estimation tool for owners, designers and project managers. This research is aimed to explore the applications of neuron-fuzzy network technology in project risk analysis and to develop models to predict cost and time variances at the front end stage of building projects.
Seventy finished building projects in Vietnam replied by the respondents were used for training and testing the model. Important risk factors at the front end stage are determined by respondents’ ranking. To develop the neuro-fuzzy network model, forward stepwise selection technique was used to identify input sets. Different number of data was being used to train the model. The results of neuro-fuzzy network models were superior to conventional technique (such as multiple linear regression) and neural network models in the prediction of project cost and time variations. Moreover, the result showed that using forward stepwise technique to determine the input set for the model is better than respondent’s perception. One proposed program written by Visual Basic Macro language was conducted in order try to interpret the results with practitioners.
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Friday, 25 December 2009
Safety Communication In Construction Projects
Communication of the human skills is the best way for effective and successful implementation of the safety program. Aim and meaning of the safety program is very difficult to understand for employees working in different industries. However, the risk communication design can help people work safely and brings the benefit to the workplace. According to the study from Ferguson et al. (2003), the risk communication has 3 elements in order to make it effective:
1) Usability - how easy is the material to read, remember and comprehend
2) Usefulness - the material relevant to the target audience and
3) Message framing effects - what is the influence of presenting the same risk information as positives or negatives
According to Herrero et al. (2002), one of the problems in safety management is the relationship between top manager and workers. The lack of communication from top manager to the workers could be damaged the safety management. Cullen (1990) also recognized that the break in the communications sequence between different of individuals and groups on the platform itself and the management structure is major factors contribute to the increase of the disaster.
Although many construction projects in Thailand should be intensive on safety regulation, the construction workers do not care about the safety because they are temporary employee. This can be the deficiency between the regulation and the actual that communication can solve and share the knowledge in safety together for improving the safety procedure. Finally, all the involve parties have to keep in mind that safety is the first priority for working in the dangerous workplace like construction project.
Mr. Somjate Chatutewaprasit made a research which main objective is to investigate the effective communication methods in managing construction safety and health. His sub-objectives were also explored as follows: (1) to conduct an exploratory study to identify communication methods in managing safety and health; and (2) to study problems in implementing the communication methods.
Conclusion
This study was concentrated on medium to large scale construction projects and focused on safety communication methods and the effectiveness of each safety communication methods.
For the main objective which is to investigate the effective safety communication methods in managing construction safety and health by using correlation between frequency (action) with level of safety awareness and level of understanding (output), to explain which safety communication are suitable with each situations are concluded as follow:
- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of Safety Awareness showed that safety communication methods do not have any correlation between each other. The meaning of this case is that if safety supervisors increase frequency of safety communication methods, the level of safety awareness in construction site would not increase following the frequency.
From this situation, the frequencies of safety communication methods are not related with safety awareness. Because of in construction site have many temporary workers so when temporary workers go out to work in agriculture field. Therefore construction should recruit the new workers who not have experience of construction work. The safety communication methods are maintained by safety supervisor, but level of awareness drop in a few months.
- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of New and Complex Safety Issue meant that correlation between safety communication methods with level of understanding of new and complex safety issue.
In this case, frequency of safety manual and procedure related with level of understanding of new and complex safety issue. Because of when project use new equipment or complex work methods, safety supervisor should put the work process in safety manual and distribute safety manual handbook to all workers. The process of work use cartoon to communicate to workers it easier than letters.
- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of Understanding of Safety Issue for Own Team and Subcontractor Team showed that there are correlations between levels of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team and safety issue for subcontractor team with safety newsletter and safety bulletin.
For correlation between frequency of safety communication methods and level of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team are related together. Safety newsletter and safety bulletin can communicate safety information such as report accident record, next activities and safety work process (from weekly work planning). Safety supervisor have to walk around and investigate workers and take pictures, after that put in safety bulletin to compare correct and incorrect work process to contractor team.
For correlation between frequency of safety communication methods and level of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team are related together. Safety newsletter and safety bulletin can communicate safety information such as report accident record, next activities and safety work process (from weekly work planning). Safety supervisor have to walk around and investigate workers and take pictures, after that put in safety bulletin to compare correct and incorrect work process to subcontractor team.
Perception of respondent of Effectiveness of Safety Communication Methods
Follow the result of this research, safety training is the best safety communication methods that safety supervisors using to communicate to all workers. The results showed that, all of safety supervisors that the researcher collected data from questionnaire, they are same perception that safety training is the best way to communicate with their workers. Because of safety training can transform all of safety information such as safety work process, checking how to check equipment before use. And then safety supervisors can investigate the workers work safety follow safety supervisor instruction, and safety supervisor can advice them in front of construction work area.
The main safety communication problems that related with subcontractor foremen and workers are lack of workers experience and lack of participation with safety supervisor. In case of lack of experience it tough to teach the workers who never work in construction site to work safety and use PPE. However safety supervisor should participation with workers and advice them repeatable, then workers will improve themselves.
His thesis abstract is copied and posted.
ABSTRACT
Due to the most important in order to get success and effectiveness in safety program is communication of the human skills. However, most accidents come from the lack of communication. The lack of communication from top manager to the workers could be damaged the safety management. Therefore, it is necessary to have the study on an effective safety communication in construction project. The objectives of the study is 1) to conduct an exploratory study to identify communication methods in managing safety and health, and 2) to study problems in implementing the communication methods.
The common ways of safety communication method are Safety training, Project meeting, Toolbox meeting, Safety orientation, Safety feedback, Safety incentive, Safety manual and procedure, Safety Poster, Safety Sign, Safety newsletter, Safety bulletin, MSDS, Safety suggestion box, and Morning talk. The problems in implementing the communication methods are Literacy, Time for explaining, Lack of workers experience, Challenge behavior of workers, Lack of participation with safety supervisor, Attitude of workers with safety program, Site environment, and Length of communication.
Data was collected by using face-to-face interviews. The analysis was based on the statistic techniques and interpreted in meaningful ways and presented in this study. Finally, the effective safety communication methods in managing construction safety and health were concluded. Accordingly, the results of this study can be used for safety management in order to provide and improve the effective safety communication methods. Safety communication problems are related with safety communication in construction site.
1) Usability - how easy is the material to read, remember and comprehend
2) Usefulness - the material relevant to the target audience and
3) Message framing effects - what is the influence of presenting the same risk information as positives or negatives
According to Herrero et al. (2002), one of the problems in safety management is the relationship between top manager and workers. The lack of communication from top manager to the workers could be damaged the safety management. Cullen (1990) also recognized that the break in the communications sequence between different of individuals and groups on the platform itself and the management structure is major factors contribute to the increase of the disaster.
Although many construction projects in Thailand should be intensive on safety regulation, the construction workers do not care about the safety because they are temporary employee. This can be the deficiency between the regulation and the actual that communication can solve and share the knowledge in safety together for improving the safety procedure. Finally, all the involve parties have to keep in mind that safety is the first priority for working in the dangerous workplace like construction project.
Mr. Somjate Chatutewaprasit made a research which main objective is to investigate the effective communication methods in managing construction safety and health. His sub-objectives were also explored as follows: (1) to conduct an exploratory study to identify communication methods in managing safety and health; and (2) to study problems in implementing the communication methods.
Conclusion
This study was concentrated on medium to large scale construction projects and focused on safety communication methods and the effectiveness of each safety communication methods.
For the main objective which is to investigate the effective safety communication methods in managing construction safety and health by using correlation between frequency (action) with level of safety awareness and level of understanding (output), to explain which safety communication are suitable with each situations are concluded as follow:
- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of Safety Awareness showed that safety communication methods do not have any correlation between each other. The meaning of this case is that if safety supervisors increase frequency of safety communication methods, the level of safety awareness in construction site would not increase following the frequency.
From this situation, the frequencies of safety communication methods are not related with safety awareness. Because of in construction site have many temporary workers so when temporary workers go out to work in agriculture field. Therefore construction should recruit the new workers who not have experience of construction work. The safety communication methods are maintained by safety supervisor, but level of awareness drop in a few months.
- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of New and Complex Safety Issue meant that correlation between safety communication methods with level of understanding of new and complex safety issue.
In this case, frequency of safety manual and procedure related with level of understanding of new and complex safety issue. Because of when project use new equipment or complex work methods, safety supervisor should put the work process in safety manual and distribute safety manual handbook to all workers. The process of work use cartoon to communicate to workers it easier than letters.
- Correlation analysis between Frequency of Safety communication methods and Level of Understanding of Safety Issue for Own Team and Subcontractor Team showed that there are correlations between levels of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team and safety issue for subcontractor team with safety newsletter and safety bulletin.
For correlation between frequency of safety communication methods and level of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team are related together. Safety newsletter and safety bulletin can communicate safety information such as report accident record, next activities and safety work process (from weekly work planning). Safety supervisor have to walk around and investigate workers and take pictures, after that put in safety bulletin to compare correct and incorrect work process to contractor team.
For correlation between frequency of safety communication methods and level of understanding of safety issue for own contractor team are related together. Safety newsletter and safety bulletin can communicate safety information such as report accident record, next activities and safety work process (from weekly work planning). Safety supervisor have to walk around and investigate workers and take pictures, after that put in safety bulletin to compare correct and incorrect work process to subcontractor team.
Perception of respondent of Effectiveness of Safety Communication Methods
Follow the result of this research, safety training is the best safety communication methods that safety supervisors using to communicate to all workers. The results showed that, all of safety supervisors that the researcher collected data from questionnaire, they are same perception that safety training is the best way to communicate with their workers. Because of safety training can transform all of safety information such as safety work process, checking how to check equipment before use. And then safety supervisors can investigate the workers work safety follow safety supervisor instruction, and safety supervisor can advice them in front of construction work area.
The main safety communication problems that related with subcontractor foremen and workers are lack of workers experience and lack of participation with safety supervisor. In case of lack of experience it tough to teach the workers who never work in construction site to work safety and use PPE. However safety supervisor should participation with workers and advice them repeatable, then workers will improve themselves.
His thesis abstract is copied and posted.
ABSTRACT
Due to the most important in order to get success and effectiveness in safety program is communication of the human skills. However, most accidents come from the lack of communication. The lack of communication from top manager to the workers could be damaged the safety management. Therefore, it is necessary to have the study on an effective safety communication in construction project. The objectives of the study is 1) to conduct an exploratory study to identify communication methods in managing safety and health, and 2) to study problems in implementing the communication methods.
The common ways of safety communication method are Safety training, Project meeting, Toolbox meeting, Safety orientation, Safety feedback, Safety incentive, Safety manual and procedure, Safety Poster, Safety Sign, Safety newsletter, Safety bulletin, MSDS, Safety suggestion box, and Morning talk. The problems in implementing the communication methods are Literacy, Time for explaining, Lack of workers experience, Challenge behavior of workers, Lack of participation with safety supervisor, Attitude of workers with safety program, Site environment, and Length of communication.
Data was collected by using face-to-face interviews. The analysis was based on the statistic techniques and interpreted in meaningful ways and presented in this study. Finally, the effective safety communication methods in managing construction safety and health were concluded. Accordingly, the results of this study can be used for safety management in order to provide and improve the effective safety communication methods. Safety communication problems are related with safety communication in construction site.
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Quality Function Deployment Approach In Condominium Construction Project: A Case Study
Improving customer satisfaction has been identified as one of the most important challenges facing businesses over the past decade. As industries and companies worldwide face increasing competition, slower growth rates, and price pressures, greater attention continues to be placed on customer satisfaction (Johnson et al, 1991 cited in Syed et al, 2003)
Vietnam is experiencing many changes as it integrates into the global economy. As one of the developing country on its way towards the world economy, Vietnam now is opening the free market for the economy development in almost all its fields. With a growing population of more than 80 millions, property development is playing a very important role in the national economy. With its newly entrance in the World Trade Organization (WTO), opening the real estate market to international arena is inevitable. Furthermore, the Vietnamese government has made changes in regulation to rouse the market by introducing Decree 17CP which is considered an “opened door” policy for the real estate market (Vietnam Economy News, 2006). According to the CB Richard Ellis report (2006), the real estate industry has so far attracted 18% of total FDI in Vietnam.
Residential housing in Vietnam is a rapidly growing business especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The demand of residential housing, especially condominium units has increased compare to previous years. Due to the increasing demand, Vietnam now is a potential market for both local and oversea home builders. Satisfied customers are said to be the back bone of the home building industry. Home builders have come to realize that the ability to correctly assess the desirability of their housing units and the quality of service is crucial to their financial viability. But Vietnam housing developers faced many problems since they do not know what exactly the customers need. This is because different customers have different needs. And to address this question, developers’ answers is prioritization and take into account the customers’ needs and try to satisfy each one according to what’s important.
Ms. Pham Nguyen Quynh Huong made a research which aimed to improve the quality of apartments and give customer satisfaction in terms of housing quality. Her study objectives were: (1) identifying the needs of the customers in housing quality (focus on condominium residential) using QFD approach; (2) develop a House of Quality for apartment based on customers’ demands; and (3) give recommendation to the developer so that they could better allocate resource in order to offer the improvement according to the clients’ requirements and needs.
Conclusion
One aspect that the construction industry can improve is its ability to determine the customers’ requirements, interpret them and transfer these requirements into plans to construct a facility. This research was conducted to identify factors influencing the quality of condominium. The first step is to list the customer requirements or needs. These needs were divided by two groups, general condition factors and internal condition factors and then evaluated for theirs importance indicated by assigning a number from 1 to 5. After that the satisfaction level of actual status based upon the respondents’ perceptions were evaluated. Gap analysis was done to examine the differences between the importance of these factors and their level of satisfaction of actual status towards the customers’ attitudes. The purpose of this was to evaluate how close to optimum (most satisfactory) the present condominium was compared to each of the defined needs. Based on the survey conducted in two new urban areas Trung Hoa – Nhan Chinh and My Dinh – Me Tri in Hanoi, the general factors which have the largest gap are basic facilities, workmanship, building materials, and current amenities of the over all project. The internal factors which have the largest gap are living room, kitchen, height of flat and special installation.
Quality Function Deployment was applied on this case as a tool to prioritize important point that could offer improvements according to the customers’ requirements and needs. The result indicated that the architecture work play a very important role to improve the quality of condominium. It has the highest relative degree of importance which is 26% in improving the overall general condition and about 65% in improving the overall internal condition. Construction work has relative degree of importance of 13% in improving the general conditions and 25% in improving the internal condition. The research indicated that good specifications ensure no miscommunication between the designers and the builders on site to reduce any mistake with unsatisfied customers. Besides, standard requirements are needed to be set by the developer to avoid any improper construction work. Stricter control and supervision should be established to ensure that the building is build according to the design and method specified. Further more, good building management also make a better home quality for the customers.
The development of House of Quality can be used as a guide to focus on what the customers want throughout the planning, design and implementing condominium project.
Recommendation for developer
In general, the house of quality aims to let the developer know the needs of the customers. As a developer, its his duty to satisfy all the needs of the customers. However, due time constraints, budget constraints of the developer, the developer cannot improve all the needs. The HoQ serves to guide the developer in choosing which solution based on the tabulated absolute important score. The developer should concentrate more on the solution that have high score of absolute importance. The developer can also set priority base on interaction matrix (the roof of House of Quality). The developer can decide on the type of solution effectives
In this case, from the absolute importance score, the group with the highest score in both general conditions and internal condition is architecture. This is because good specification and standard requirement in the design ensures the quality of the apartment. Therefore, the developer should concentrate on the architectural work and then move to the following group.
Her thesis abstract is copied and posted.
ABSTRACT
Many developers has been investing and developing in residential housing to cope with the increasing demands, especially condominium residential. Satisfy the need of customers is the critical factor which contributes positively and significantly to the business. In order to get better satisfaction from customer, home builders need to know what the qualities the customer desires are and how they can best provide what their customers want.
The study aims to identify the needs of the customers in housing quality especially in condominium project. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is an effective approach with a wide range of applications. This study present a application of QFD in construction projects with special focus on middle- class condominium scheme. QFD approach was used as a tool in improvement quality of condominium project. House of Quality was developed to interpret the needs of customers. The developers therefore can better allocate resource in order to offer the improvement according to the clients’ requirements and needs.
Vietnam is experiencing many changes as it integrates into the global economy. As one of the developing country on its way towards the world economy, Vietnam now is opening the free market for the economy development in almost all its fields. With a growing population of more than 80 millions, property development is playing a very important role in the national economy. With its newly entrance in the World Trade Organization (WTO), opening the real estate market to international arena is inevitable. Furthermore, the Vietnamese government has made changes in regulation to rouse the market by introducing Decree 17CP which is considered an “opened door” policy for the real estate market (Vietnam Economy News, 2006). According to the CB Richard Ellis report (2006), the real estate industry has so far attracted 18% of total FDI in Vietnam.
Residential housing in Vietnam is a rapidly growing business especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The demand of residential housing, especially condominium units has increased compare to previous years. Due to the increasing demand, Vietnam now is a potential market for both local and oversea home builders. Satisfied customers are said to be the back bone of the home building industry. Home builders have come to realize that the ability to correctly assess the desirability of their housing units and the quality of service is crucial to their financial viability. But Vietnam housing developers faced many problems since they do not know what exactly the customers need. This is because different customers have different needs. And to address this question, developers’ answers is prioritization and take into account the customers’ needs and try to satisfy each one according to what’s important.
Ms. Pham Nguyen Quynh Huong made a research which aimed to improve the quality of apartments and give customer satisfaction in terms of housing quality. Her study objectives were: (1) identifying the needs of the customers in housing quality (focus on condominium residential) using QFD approach; (2) develop a House of Quality for apartment based on customers’ demands; and (3) give recommendation to the developer so that they could better allocate resource in order to offer the improvement according to the clients’ requirements and needs.
Conclusion
One aspect that the construction industry can improve is its ability to determine the customers’ requirements, interpret them and transfer these requirements into plans to construct a facility. This research was conducted to identify factors influencing the quality of condominium. The first step is to list the customer requirements or needs. These needs were divided by two groups, general condition factors and internal condition factors and then evaluated for theirs importance indicated by assigning a number from 1 to 5. After that the satisfaction level of actual status based upon the respondents’ perceptions were evaluated. Gap analysis was done to examine the differences between the importance of these factors and their level of satisfaction of actual status towards the customers’ attitudes. The purpose of this was to evaluate how close to optimum (most satisfactory) the present condominium was compared to each of the defined needs. Based on the survey conducted in two new urban areas Trung Hoa – Nhan Chinh and My Dinh – Me Tri in Hanoi, the general factors which have the largest gap are basic facilities, workmanship, building materials, and current amenities of the over all project. The internal factors which have the largest gap are living room, kitchen, height of flat and special installation.
Quality Function Deployment was applied on this case as a tool to prioritize important point that could offer improvements according to the customers’ requirements and needs. The result indicated that the architecture work play a very important role to improve the quality of condominium. It has the highest relative degree of importance which is 26% in improving the overall general condition and about 65% in improving the overall internal condition. Construction work has relative degree of importance of 13% in improving the general conditions and 25% in improving the internal condition. The research indicated that good specifications ensure no miscommunication between the designers and the builders on site to reduce any mistake with unsatisfied customers. Besides, standard requirements are needed to be set by the developer to avoid any improper construction work. Stricter control and supervision should be established to ensure that the building is build according to the design and method specified. Further more, good building management also make a better home quality for the customers.
The development of House of Quality can be used as a guide to focus on what the customers want throughout the planning, design and implementing condominium project.
Recommendation for developer
In general, the house of quality aims to let the developer know the needs of the customers. As a developer, its his duty to satisfy all the needs of the customers. However, due time constraints, budget constraints of the developer, the developer cannot improve all the needs. The HoQ serves to guide the developer in choosing which solution based on the tabulated absolute important score. The developer should concentrate more on the solution that have high score of absolute importance. The developer can also set priority base on interaction matrix (the roof of House of Quality). The developer can decide on the type of solution effectives
In this case, from the absolute importance score, the group with the highest score in both general conditions and internal condition is architecture. This is because good specification and standard requirement in the design ensures the quality of the apartment. Therefore, the developer should concentrate on the architectural work and then move to the following group.
Her thesis abstract is copied and posted.
ABSTRACT
Many developers has been investing and developing in residential housing to cope with the increasing demands, especially condominium residential. Satisfy the need of customers is the critical factor which contributes positively and significantly to the business. In order to get better satisfaction from customer, home builders need to know what the qualities the customer desires are and how they can best provide what their customers want.
The study aims to identify the needs of the customers in housing quality especially in condominium project. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is an effective approach with a wide range of applications. This study present a application of QFD in construction projects with special focus on middle- class condominium scheme. QFD approach was used as a tool in improvement quality of condominium project. House of Quality was developed to interpret the needs of customers. The developers therefore can better allocate resource in order to offer the improvement according to the clients’ requirements and needs.
Monday, 14 December 2009
Making Construction Employment Decent Work: Dynamic Modelling Of Workers’ Willingness To Be Employed In The Industry
Employment is widely recognised as the best route out of poverty. The construction sector which is the backbone of a nation’s development has a very high potential of employment creation. Construction is a labour-intensive activity and has the capacity to provide extensive employment with very little investment. It is considered an ‘employment spinner’ which provides employment for the least educated and marginalized poor. (ILO, 2001)
Creating jobs is not sufficient. There are many people who work, but are poor. They do not have adequate income and protection. The ‘working poor’ are people who have jobs but still cannot lift themselves out of poverty (World Bank, 2005). A job which is not ‘decent’ enough, that is, a job which does not give a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families and better prospects for personal development and social integration will not improve the quality of peoples’ lives. Hence, creating ‘decent work’ which ensures decent levels of income and living standards is essential. (ILO, 2004)
Regrettably, construction employment is not considered ‘decent’. Construction work is considered as “dirty, difficult and dangerous”. Studies point out that people work in construction sector out of necessity rather than out of choice (Mitullah and Wachira, 2003). The temporary and casual terms of employment, the practice of recruitment through subcontractors and intermediaries, lack of opportunities for training and skill formation, continuous mobility of workforce and health and safety problems contribute to the unattractiveness of a career in construction. (ILO, 2001).
Moreover, the workers stay most of their lives as construction workers no matter what hardships they have to go through. Generally, construction labourers are not a transient population (Mitullah and Wachira, 2003). They work in the industry for 20-30 years. Hence, the question is what makes the workers willing to be employed in construction? Is it only the subsistence requirement which makes them willing?
Further, income from construction job is generally very low. In that case, what do the poor achieve from the construction employment? Can the job fulfil their aspirations? Is the job helping the workers to improve the quality of their lives? Are the peoples’ lives better than before? Or are they still poor with low levels of quality of life?
The prevailing practices regarding labour in the construction industry such as outsourcing labour and temporary and casual terms of employment lead to deteriorating working conditions (ILO, 2001). This raises a question whether the welfare of the workers is taken care of in the construction industry. Can the workers’ life quality deteriorate instead of improvement, due to these bad working conditions? Is it possible for them to change the quality of their lives with construction employment which is not considered ‘decent’? How can the job be made ‘decent’ so that workers do not have to fight daily for their lives?
The negligence of the workers’ welfare may be due to the nature of the industry which considers labourers as ‘production cost’ only. Reducing costs and maximising profits have been the aims of the industry most of the time and workers’ welfare is often neglected (ILO, 2001). It should be noted that workers are one of the major stakeholders of construction projects. Their satisfaction in the process of production shall not be neglected. Thus, it is essential for the industry to take initiatives to study about workers’ aspirations and improve their lives so that the production process benefits all stake holders.
Ms. Ramya Kanaganayagam made a research that investigated on what can be done to improve the job and workers’ lives. The objectives of her study were: (1) identify factors which determine the quality of construction workers’ lives and influence workers’ willingness to be employed as construction workers; (2) using System Dynamics approach, develop a model to understand the dynamics of workers’ willingness to be employed as construction workers; (3) using the model, study the influence of factors which can be leveraged by construction companies to improve construction workers’ lives and make construction employment ‘decent work’.
The following conclusions were reached from her study.
1. Employment provides opportunities for people to fulfil their needs. The importance of needs and the extent to which these needs are fulfilled determine the quality of life. Hence, it can be concluded that employment determines quality of life. The satisfaction or dissatisfaction resulting from fulfilment of needs will determine the willingness to continue work and or the motivation to perform in work.
2· Work which is not ‘decent’ may erode the quality of life. Insecure and inadequate income, necessity for severe physical exertion, exposure to health and safety hazards, exposure to poor living conditions, requirement for separation from family, lack of free time, gender discrimination which result due to the nature and terms of construction employment erode the quality of workers’ life. Though, economic conditions of the construction industry play a major role in determining the severity of these conditions. When economic conditions are good, that is, when the labour supply is less than the demand, these conditions are not so severe.
3· Factors which determine the quality of a worker’s life and affect the worker’s willingness to be employed in construction are almost identical. The need to improve the quality of life and improvements achieved as a result of the employment in the quality of life make workers willing to be employed in construction. On the other hand factors which deteriorate the quality of life reduce the willingness.
4· The pressure to generate income and satisfaction resulting from fulfilment of certain higher level needs increase workers’ ‘willingness to be employed as construction workers’. Dissatisfaction resulting from bad conditions of work; and other available opportunities reduce the willingness. The commitment from employers or construction companies reduces dissatisfaction, increase satisfaction and thereby increase workers willingness to work in construction and attachment to the particular company.
5· The adverse nature and terms of construction employment cannot be avoided. However, employers or construction companies can make construction employment ‘decent’ by leveraging the following factors: working hours and wages, social security and welfare, occupational safety and health measures, skills development and gender equality.
Her thesis abstract is copied and posted.
ABSTRACT
Employment is considered the best way out of poverty. The construction industry has a very high potential of employment creation, especially for the uneducated and poor. However prevailing practices regarding labour in the construction industry such as outsourcing and recruiting on temporary and casual terms, lead to deteriorating working conditions. It is sometimes viewed that construction employment is not ‘decent’ and a mere exploitation of cheap labour. This research aimed to investigate how construction employment is shaping workers’ lives, what makes the workers willing to work in construction and how the job can be improved. Qualitative data gathered from case study and interviews conducted in Thailand and a review of literature helped to develop a System Dynamics model to investigate workers’ willingness to work in construction. The study reveals that insecure and inadequate income, necessity for severe physical exertion, exposure to health and safety hazards, exposure to poor living conditions, requirement for separation from family, lack of free time and gender discrimination erode workers’ quality of life and reduce their willingness. The pressure to generate income and satisfaction resulting from fulfilment of certain higher level needs increase willingness. The study also investigates possible actions by construction companies such as limiting overtime hours, provisions for accommodation and welfare facilities, safety and health measures, skills development and gender equality which could improve workers’ willingness and their life.
Creating jobs is not sufficient. There are many people who work, but are poor. They do not have adequate income and protection. The ‘working poor’ are people who have jobs but still cannot lift themselves out of poverty (World Bank, 2005). A job which is not ‘decent’ enough, that is, a job which does not give a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families and better prospects for personal development and social integration will not improve the quality of peoples’ lives. Hence, creating ‘decent work’ which ensures decent levels of income and living standards is essential. (ILO, 2004)
Regrettably, construction employment is not considered ‘decent’. Construction work is considered as “dirty, difficult and dangerous”. Studies point out that people work in construction sector out of necessity rather than out of choice (Mitullah and Wachira, 2003). The temporary and casual terms of employment, the practice of recruitment through subcontractors and intermediaries, lack of opportunities for training and skill formation, continuous mobility of workforce and health and safety problems contribute to the unattractiveness of a career in construction. (ILO, 2001).
Moreover, the workers stay most of their lives as construction workers no matter what hardships they have to go through. Generally, construction labourers are not a transient population (Mitullah and Wachira, 2003). They work in the industry for 20-30 years. Hence, the question is what makes the workers willing to be employed in construction? Is it only the subsistence requirement which makes them willing?
Further, income from construction job is generally very low. In that case, what do the poor achieve from the construction employment? Can the job fulfil their aspirations? Is the job helping the workers to improve the quality of their lives? Are the peoples’ lives better than before? Or are they still poor with low levels of quality of life?
The prevailing practices regarding labour in the construction industry such as outsourcing labour and temporary and casual terms of employment lead to deteriorating working conditions (ILO, 2001). This raises a question whether the welfare of the workers is taken care of in the construction industry. Can the workers’ life quality deteriorate instead of improvement, due to these bad working conditions? Is it possible for them to change the quality of their lives with construction employment which is not considered ‘decent’? How can the job be made ‘decent’ so that workers do not have to fight daily for their lives?
The negligence of the workers’ welfare may be due to the nature of the industry which considers labourers as ‘production cost’ only. Reducing costs and maximising profits have been the aims of the industry most of the time and workers’ welfare is often neglected (ILO, 2001). It should be noted that workers are one of the major stakeholders of construction projects. Their satisfaction in the process of production shall not be neglected. Thus, it is essential for the industry to take initiatives to study about workers’ aspirations and improve their lives so that the production process benefits all stake holders.
Ms. Ramya Kanaganayagam made a research that investigated on what can be done to improve the job and workers’ lives. The objectives of her study were: (1) identify factors which determine the quality of construction workers’ lives and influence workers’ willingness to be employed as construction workers; (2) using System Dynamics approach, develop a model to understand the dynamics of workers’ willingness to be employed as construction workers; (3) using the model, study the influence of factors which can be leveraged by construction companies to improve construction workers’ lives and make construction employment ‘decent work’.
The following conclusions were reached from her study.
1. Employment provides opportunities for people to fulfil their needs. The importance of needs and the extent to which these needs are fulfilled determine the quality of life. Hence, it can be concluded that employment determines quality of life. The satisfaction or dissatisfaction resulting from fulfilment of needs will determine the willingness to continue work and or the motivation to perform in work.
2· Work which is not ‘decent’ may erode the quality of life. Insecure and inadequate income, necessity for severe physical exertion, exposure to health and safety hazards, exposure to poor living conditions, requirement for separation from family, lack of free time, gender discrimination which result due to the nature and terms of construction employment erode the quality of workers’ life. Though, economic conditions of the construction industry play a major role in determining the severity of these conditions. When economic conditions are good, that is, when the labour supply is less than the demand, these conditions are not so severe.
3· Factors which determine the quality of a worker’s life and affect the worker’s willingness to be employed in construction are almost identical. The need to improve the quality of life and improvements achieved as a result of the employment in the quality of life make workers willing to be employed in construction. On the other hand factors which deteriorate the quality of life reduce the willingness.
4· The pressure to generate income and satisfaction resulting from fulfilment of certain higher level needs increase workers’ ‘willingness to be employed as construction workers’. Dissatisfaction resulting from bad conditions of work; and other available opportunities reduce the willingness. The commitment from employers or construction companies reduces dissatisfaction, increase satisfaction and thereby increase workers willingness to work in construction and attachment to the particular company.
5· The adverse nature and terms of construction employment cannot be avoided. However, employers or construction companies can make construction employment ‘decent’ by leveraging the following factors: working hours and wages, social security and welfare, occupational safety and health measures, skills development and gender equality.
Her thesis abstract is copied and posted.
ABSTRACT
Employment is considered the best way out of poverty. The construction industry has a very high potential of employment creation, especially for the uneducated and poor. However prevailing practices regarding labour in the construction industry such as outsourcing and recruiting on temporary and casual terms, lead to deteriorating working conditions. It is sometimes viewed that construction employment is not ‘decent’ and a mere exploitation of cheap labour. This research aimed to investigate how construction employment is shaping workers’ lives, what makes the workers willing to work in construction and how the job can be improved. Qualitative data gathered from case study and interviews conducted in Thailand and a review of literature helped to develop a System Dynamics model to investigate workers’ willingness to work in construction. The study reveals that insecure and inadequate income, necessity for severe physical exertion, exposure to health and safety hazards, exposure to poor living conditions, requirement for separation from family, lack of free time and gender discrimination erode workers’ quality of life and reduce their willingness. The pressure to generate income and satisfaction resulting from fulfilment of certain higher level needs increase willingness. The study also investigates possible actions by construction companies such as limiting overtime hours, provisions for accommodation and welfare facilities, safety and health measures, skills development and gender equality which could improve workers’ willingness and their life.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Modeling the Dynamics of Heavy Equipment Management Practices and Downtime in Large Highway Contractors
Thanapun Prasertrungruang1 and B. H. W. Hadikusumo2
Introduction
In the construction industry, the tangible benefits of using machinery are obvious as greater productivity, performance, cost reductions, and improved competitiveness for contractors can be obtained. This is particularly so in highway construction organizations where a variety of construction equipment has been heavily deployed as a major resource in generating work production. However, managing construction equipment effectively is not an easy task since the contractor is required to dynamically interact with various parties and activities. Highway contractors are thus invariably plagued by a number of equipment management problems. Downtime resulting from machine breakdown during operations is of prime concern in views of contractors (Prasertrungruang and Hadikusumo 2007). Indeed, equipment practices and policies are some of the most important factors that affect machine downtime significantly (Elazouni and Basha 1996). Variation in practices regarding the flow of factors (e.g., spare parts, operators, equipment, mechanics, and information) over time is claimed as a major cause of the dynamics of downtime (Nepal and Park 2004). Nevertheless, to date, little efforts have been made to study the effect of less tangible factors (e.g., equipment management practices) on downtime, which control the dynamic behavior of the system, particularly in the construction context (Edwards et al. 2002). Hence, this research attempts to address this issue by exploring and highlighting key dynamic structures of equipment management practices and downtime inherent in each particular stage of machine lifecycle and then uses them as a framework in building a system dynamics (SD) simulation model. Scope of this study covers merely on large highway contractors with five types of heavy equipment for highway construction (see Table 1) as machine weight is one of the major indicators of downtime and maintenance cost (Edwards et al. 2002). It is noted that weight interval for each equipment type is also assigned in order to allow for machine generalization.
Applications of SD in Construction Decision-Making
By nature, construction project management is considered as a complex system (Richardson and Pugh 1981). Several researchers have adopted a SD methodology to model construction project.
For instance, Richardson and Pugh (1981) introduced a SD model for project management. This model concentrates on schedule overrun controlled by the magnitude of the workforce and rework. Subsequently, large-scale projects using fast-track procurement were modeled using the SD approach (Huot and Sylvestre 1985). The results reveal that the major problems in project failure are problems of quality, productivity, and worker morale. The SD was also used to model rework in construction (Love et al. 1999). Results show that rework is predominantly attributable to designer’s errors, design changes and construction errors. To solve this problem, teamwork between design and construction people, training, and skill development must be emphasized.
In the context of construction equipment management, the use of SD in modeling the dynamics of downtime is highly promising (Nepal and Park 2004). It was proposed that downtime and its consequences on construction equipment are significantly influenced by many factors: equipment-related factors, site-related factors, project-related factors, company’s policies, crew-level factors, site management actions, and force majeure.
Equipment Management Practices and Downtime
As the challenge of selecting, managing, and maintaining the equipment asset becomes more complex and costly every day, effective management of these assets directly fuels the success for business by significantly minimizing direct and indirect costs of equipment while still concurrently ensuring high availability of equipment productivity. Realizing the right practices on equipment management is dependent on where the machines are in their lifecycle. Indeed, equipment management practices can be categorized into four groups: machine acquisition, operations, maintenance, and disposal. Key practices in each particular stage of machine lifecycle include, for example, procurement decision approach (equipment acquisition stage), safety and training programs (equipment operational stage), schedule PM inspection and standby repair-maintenance facilities (equipment maintenance stage), equipment economic life and replacement decisions (equipment disposal stage) (Prasertrungruang and Hadikusumo
2006).
When the machine fails during operations, it is said to be “down or unavailable” which means that it is waiting for repair and thus incurring downtime (Nagi 1987). Typically, downtime duration consists of three major components, including (1) administrative time: time required for communication flow from user to manufacturer, time required for commercial formalities, and hours necessary to report a machine failure and give work directions for maintenance; (2) supply time: time when repair is delayed due to non-availability of spare parts and materials necessary to perform maintenance; and (3) active repair: time when technicians are working on the equipment to actually commission it including both preventive and corrective maintenance (Komatsu 1986). To minimize the consequential impact of downtime, contractors may opt to seek for substitute equipment, wait until the repair finished, accelerate work pace, modify work schedule, or transfer crews to other works (Nepal and Park 2004).
The research methodology was divided into two parts: data collection and data analysis. For the Data Collection, the research uses data collected from face-to-face interviews with five large highway contractors located in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces in Thailand. An equipment manager with at least 10 years work experience was selected as the interviewee for each of the participated contractors. A convenience sampling technique was used in identifying not only the sample contractors but also the interviewees. The interview checklist is in a semi-structured format in order to cover both open and closed-end dialogs. During the interviews, causal relationships between each pair of variables were disclosed and confirmed by the interviewees. For the data analysis, data collected from all five large contractor cases was administered using within-case as well as cross-case analysis approaches (Eisenhardt 1989). First, within-case analysis was employed to reveal the data characteristics for each particular contractor case. Then, attempt was made to draw the integrated picture among all contractor cases regarding the generic feedback structures of equipment management practices and downtime using cross-case analysis approach. The generic feedback structures were rechecked again with experts for validation until they are satisfactorily valid. Next, the generic feedback structures were used as a foundation in constructing the generic SD simulation model, using Powersim software. During this step, a number of stock and flow diagrams, which are all connected together in the generic SD model, have been identified. “Stock” represents accumulated quantities that change over time, while “flow” controls the changing rate of quantity going into or out of the stock (Sterman 2000). After data from each of the five contractor cases was input separately into the generic SD model, five applied SD models could be launched. Each of the applied SD models was then subjected to a number of validation tests to ensure that the model is structurally and behaviorally valid. Upon passing all validation tests, the generic SD model is deemed valid in representing the equipment management system as related to downtime of large contractors.
Conclusions
The aim of this paper is to give an insight into the dynamics of equipment management practices and downtime in large highway contractors. The dynamics of equipment management practices and downtime are presented through five generic feedback structures: machine acquisition, operations, maintenance, disposal, and downtime. Each of the feedback structures is interrelated and used as a framework in constructing the generic SD simulation model. A number of validation tests were used to ensure that the model is structurally and behaviorally valid.
To be successful in managing downtime, equipment management practices must be perceived as a combination of multiple feedback processes, which are interrelated to machine downtime. Indeed, downtime is interdependent and stimulated by three reinforcing cycles: schedule disruption and acceleration, operator schedule pressure creep, and mechanics’ schedule pressure creep. Even though downtime can be tackled through adoption of three balancing cycles (i.e., repair outsourced adjustment, operator skill adjustment, and mechanics’ skill adjustment), their expected benefits are always delayed, which retard or sometimes deteriorate the scenarios if contractors opt to stop the improvement processes. In addition, downtime is partly minimized through the reduction of disruption of work sequences by activating another two balancing cycles (i.e., rental machine adjustment and subcontractor adjustment). With high downtime, PM efforts are eroded, which in turn even worsen the scenarios as the reinforcing cycles of operator schedule pressure creep and mechanics’ schedule pressure creep have now been activated. However, contractors can mitigate this problem through adoption of balancing cycle of dealer maintenance services adjustment and the reinforcing cycle of management commitment in proactive maintenance.
Future work could be directed toward studying the interactions among equipment policies that have been addressed in the study. This would be useful especially when there are multiple performance tradeoffs involved among the stated policies (e.g., adopting participatory multi-skilled training policy may cause more fatigue to equipment operators and thus reduce the operator’s effort in performing the autonomous maintenance policy). Additional case studies are also needed to validate the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed system and make further adjustments for a more reliable system.
This paper is part of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 135, No. 10, October 1, 2009. Full paper is available upon request.
Abstract is copied and posted.
Abstract: Machine downtime is invariably perceived as one of the most critical problems faced by highway contractors. Attempts to reduce downtime often result in failure due to the dynamic behaviors between equipment management practices and downtime. This paper is thus intended to highlight the dynamics of heavy equipment management practices and downtime in large highway contractors and utilizes them as a framework in constructing a simulation model using a system dynamics approach. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with equipment managers from five different large highway contractors in Thailand. The finding reveals that, to be successful in alleviating downtime, contractors must view their practices on equipment management as an integration of multiple feedback processes, which are interrelated and interdependent with downtime. Based on various validation tests, the simulation model is deemed appropriate in representing the equipment management system as related to downtime of large highway contractors. The research is of value in facilitating better understanding on the dynamics of equipment management practices and downtime as well as their interdependency.
DOI: 10.1061/_ASCE_CO.1943-7862.0000076
CE Database subject headings: Maintenance; Dynamic models; Construction equipment; Contractors; Systems management; Construction industry; Thailand; Contractors; Highway and road construction.
1Researcher, Construction Engineering and Infrastructure Management,
School of Engineering and Technology, Asian Institute of Technology,
Pathumthani 12120, Thailand (corresponding author). E-mail:
st101533@ait.ac.th
2Associate Professor, Construction Engineering and Infrastructure
Management, School of Engineering and Technology, Asian Institute of
Technology, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand.
Introduction
In the construction industry, the tangible benefits of using machinery are obvious as greater productivity, performance, cost reductions, and improved competitiveness for contractors can be obtained. This is particularly so in highway construction organizations where a variety of construction equipment has been heavily deployed as a major resource in generating work production. However, managing construction equipment effectively is not an easy task since the contractor is required to dynamically interact with various parties and activities. Highway contractors are thus invariably plagued by a number of equipment management problems. Downtime resulting from machine breakdown during operations is of prime concern in views of contractors (Prasertrungruang and Hadikusumo 2007). Indeed, equipment practices and policies are some of the most important factors that affect machine downtime significantly (Elazouni and Basha 1996). Variation in practices regarding the flow of factors (e.g., spare parts, operators, equipment, mechanics, and information) over time is claimed as a major cause of the dynamics of downtime (Nepal and Park 2004). Nevertheless, to date, little efforts have been made to study the effect of less tangible factors (e.g., equipment management practices) on downtime, which control the dynamic behavior of the system, particularly in the construction context (Edwards et al. 2002). Hence, this research attempts to address this issue by exploring and highlighting key dynamic structures of equipment management practices and downtime inherent in each particular stage of machine lifecycle and then uses them as a framework in building a system dynamics (SD) simulation model. Scope of this study covers merely on large highway contractors with five types of heavy equipment for highway construction (see Table 1) as machine weight is one of the major indicators of downtime and maintenance cost (Edwards et al. 2002). It is noted that weight interval for each equipment type is also assigned in order to allow for machine generalization.
Applications of SD in Construction Decision-Making
By nature, construction project management is considered as a complex system (Richardson and Pugh 1981). Several researchers have adopted a SD methodology to model construction project.
For instance, Richardson and Pugh (1981) introduced a SD model for project management. This model concentrates on schedule overrun controlled by the magnitude of the workforce and rework. Subsequently, large-scale projects using fast-track procurement were modeled using the SD approach (Huot and Sylvestre 1985). The results reveal that the major problems in project failure are problems of quality, productivity, and worker morale. The SD was also used to model rework in construction (Love et al. 1999). Results show that rework is predominantly attributable to designer’s errors, design changes and construction errors. To solve this problem, teamwork between design and construction people, training, and skill development must be emphasized.
In the context of construction equipment management, the use of SD in modeling the dynamics of downtime is highly promising (Nepal and Park 2004). It was proposed that downtime and its consequences on construction equipment are significantly influenced by many factors: equipment-related factors, site-related factors, project-related factors, company’s policies, crew-level factors, site management actions, and force majeure.
Equipment Management Practices and Downtime
As the challenge of selecting, managing, and maintaining the equipment asset becomes more complex and costly every day, effective management of these assets directly fuels the success for business by significantly minimizing direct and indirect costs of equipment while still concurrently ensuring high availability of equipment productivity. Realizing the right practices on equipment management is dependent on where the machines are in their lifecycle. Indeed, equipment management practices can be categorized into four groups: machine acquisition, operations, maintenance, and disposal. Key practices in each particular stage of machine lifecycle include, for example, procurement decision approach (equipment acquisition stage), safety and training programs (equipment operational stage), schedule PM inspection and standby repair-maintenance facilities (equipment maintenance stage), equipment economic life and replacement decisions (equipment disposal stage) (Prasertrungruang and Hadikusumo
2006).
When the machine fails during operations, it is said to be “down or unavailable” which means that it is waiting for repair and thus incurring downtime (Nagi 1987). Typically, downtime duration consists of three major components, including (1) administrative time: time required for communication flow from user to manufacturer, time required for commercial formalities, and hours necessary to report a machine failure and give work directions for maintenance; (2) supply time: time when repair is delayed due to non-availability of spare parts and materials necessary to perform maintenance; and (3) active repair: time when technicians are working on the equipment to actually commission it including both preventive and corrective maintenance (Komatsu 1986). To minimize the consequential impact of downtime, contractors may opt to seek for substitute equipment, wait until the repair finished, accelerate work pace, modify work schedule, or transfer crews to other works (Nepal and Park 2004).
The research methodology was divided into two parts: data collection and data analysis. For the Data Collection, the research uses data collected from face-to-face interviews with five large highway contractors located in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces in Thailand. An equipment manager with at least 10 years work experience was selected as the interviewee for each of the participated contractors. A convenience sampling technique was used in identifying not only the sample contractors but also the interviewees. The interview checklist is in a semi-structured format in order to cover both open and closed-end dialogs. During the interviews, causal relationships between each pair of variables were disclosed and confirmed by the interviewees. For the data analysis, data collected from all five large contractor cases was administered using within-case as well as cross-case analysis approaches (Eisenhardt 1989). First, within-case analysis was employed to reveal the data characteristics for each particular contractor case. Then, attempt was made to draw the integrated picture among all contractor cases regarding the generic feedback structures of equipment management practices and downtime using cross-case analysis approach. The generic feedback structures were rechecked again with experts for validation until they are satisfactorily valid. Next, the generic feedback structures were used as a foundation in constructing the generic SD simulation model, using Powersim software. During this step, a number of stock and flow diagrams, which are all connected together in the generic SD model, have been identified. “Stock” represents accumulated quantities that change over time, while “flow” controls the changing rate of quantity going into or out of the stock (Sterman 2000). After data from each of the five contractor cases was input separately into the generic SD model, five applied SD models could be launched. Each of the applied SD models was then subjected to a number of validation tests to ensure that the model is structurally and behaviorally valid. Upon passing all validation tests, the generic SD model is deemed valid in representing the equipment management system as related to downtime of large contractors.
Conclusions
The aim of this paper is to give an insight into the dynamics of equipment management practices and downtime in large highway contractors. The dynamics of equipment management practices and downtime are presented through five generic feedback structures: machine acquisition, operations, maintenance, disposal, and downtime. Each of the feedback structures is interrelated and used as a framework in constructing the generic SD simulation model. A number of validation tests were used to ensure that the model is structurally and behaviorally valid.
To be successful in managing downtime, equipment management practices must be perceived as a combination of multiple feedback processes, which are interrelated to machine downtime. Indeed, downtime is interdependent and stimulated by three reinforcing cycles: schedule disruption and acceleration, operator schedule pressure creep, and mechanics’ schedule pressure creep. Even though downtime can be tackled through adoption of three balancing cycles (i.e., repair outsourced adjustment, operator skill adjustment, and mechanics’ skill adjustment), their expected benefits are always delayed, which retard or sometimes deteriorate the scenarios if contractors opt to stop the improvement processes. In addition, downtime is partly minimized through the reduction of disruption of work sequences by activating another two balancing cycles (i.e., rental machine adjustment and subcontractor adjustment). With high downtime, PM efforts are eroded, which in turn even worsen the scenarios as the reinforcing cycles of operator schedule pressure creep and mechanics’ schedule pressure creep have now been activated. However, contractors can mitigate this problem through adoption of balancing cycle of dealer maintenance services adjustment and the reinforcing cycle of management commitment in proactive maintenance.
Future work could be directed toward studying the interactions among equipment policies that have been addressed in the study. This would be useful especially when there are multiple performance tradeoffs involved among the stated policies (e.g., adopting participatory multi-skilled training policy may cause more fatigue to equipment operators and thus reduce the operator’s effort in performing the autonomous maintenance policy). Additional case studies are also needed to validate the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed system and make further adjustments for a more reliable system.
This paper is part of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 135, No. 10, October 1, 2009. Full paper is available upon request.
Abstract is copied and posted.
Abstract: Machine downtime is invariably perceived as one of the most critical problems faced by highway contractors. Attempts to reduce downtime often result in failure due to the dynamic behaviors between equipment management practices and downtime. This paper is thus intended to highlight the dynamics of heavy equipment management practices and downtime in large highway contractors and utilizes them as a framework in constructing a simulation model using a system dynamics approach. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with equipment managers from five different large highway contractors in Thailand. The finding reveals that, to be successful in alleviating downtime, contractors must view their practices on equipment management as an integration of multiple feedback processes, which are interrelated and interdependent with downtime. Based on various validation tests, the simulation model is deemed appropriate in representing the equipment management system as related to downtime of large highway contractors. The research is of value in facilitating better understanding on the dynamics of equipment management practices and downtime as well as their interdependency.
DOI: 10.1061/_ASCE_CO.1943-7862.0000076
CE Database subject headings: Maintenance; Dynamic models; Construction equipment; Contractors; Systems management; Construction industry; Thailand; Contractors; Highway and road construction.
1Researcher, Construction Engineering and Infrastructure Management,
School of Engineering and Technology, Asian Institute of Technology,
Pathumthani 12120, Thailand (corresponding author). E-mail:
st101533@ait.ac.th
2Associate Professor, Construction Engineering and Infrastructure
Management, School of Engineering and Technology, Asian Institute of
Technology, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand.
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