Rework is an insidious problem in the construction industry. According to the Construction Industry Institute (CII) Source Document 29, the cost of rework is 12.4% of the total project cost. However, these costs are just the tip of the iceberg, because they do not represent schedule delays, litigation cost, and other intangible costs of poor quality. Therefore, the complete cost of rework is estimated to be much greater than 12.4%. To effectively reduce the cost of rework, it is necessary to not only study the causes of rework, but also to study the effectiveness of activities designed to reduce rework. This research studied the relationships between rework activities and prevention and appraisal activities on four construction projects. This research addressed two questions: 1) What is the effect of prevention and appraisal activities on the reduction of rework, and 2) What is the effect of prevention activities occurring in the design phase on rework due to design errors in the construction phase? Based on the project data collect by the Quality Performance Management System (QPMS), this research concluded there was a slight relationship between increasing prevention and appraisal activities and the reduction of rework. There was a direct relationship between the increase of prevention activities in design and the reduction of rework due to design errors in the construction phase. The relationships were stronger for both questions at the project level than at the discipline level. At the project level, the aggregation of all the disciplines appears to negate the biases created within the specific disciplines. This research helps to provide real-world data to emphasize the importance of prevention activity in the design phase of a construction project. / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters degree of Master of Science in Building in the School of Construction Economics and Management, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Witwatersrand. / Informal social networks among the construction craftworkers from various ethnic groups create barriers of entry to crafts men entering the Constuction Industry in the Western Cape, South Africa. This study aimed to investigage how informal social networks found in three construction sites in an ethnically diverse area, can bring economic exclusions and promote inequality in terms of accessibility to social economic resources. Data was collected using Social Network Analysis (SNA) method, through the egocentric approach. Data analysis was done with the use of the social network analysis program UCINET. Findings from the three case studies showed that the accessibility of job information is through the informal social networks formed among the construction artisans, foremen including construction managers. Moreover, artisans from these sites were mostly friends and neighbours of the same race which suggests that their social relations facilitated the transfer of information concerning job opportunities. These kinds of relations transmit limited information. As much as the informal social networks can be advantageous, they create barriers of entry to those who are not part of these networks or barriers to skills acquisition to those who do not possess craft skills. These exclude those who do not belong to these advantageous networks. Further findings showed that a particular trade was dominated by a particular race. Also, minimal interaction was observed among different races suggesting a hindrance of transfer of information about job opportunites across ethnic groups. It is recommended that the artisans need to interact with others from different races as to broaden their networks and also to have multiplex networks. The government also needs to implement new policies which can enable people to have equality in the accessbility of social resources and economic opportunities.

In recent years, the UK government skills policy has emphasised the role of workforce skills development as a key driver of economic success and improving productivity across all sectors of the economy. The importance of skills (as a vehicle for enhancing productivity performance) is highlighted within numerous government reports, such as Skills White Papers (2003 and 2005), in addition to the Leitch Review of Skills (2006) which coincided with the outset of this research. Thus, the aim of this research was to examine the relationship between skills development and productivity in the construction industry in order to assess the assumptions of government skills policy in the context of the sector. A multi-method approach was adopted in this research. This involved the analysis of: official construction statistics, levy/grant and financial accounts data of construction companies, in addition to a telephone survey. The main findings of the research are published in five peer reviewed academic papers, demonstrating the tenuous nature of the relationship between skills development and productivity performance, particularly when considering the heterogeneous nature of the construction industry. Government claims about the mono-causal relationship between skills and productivity should be treated with caution. A simple boost in qualification levels or participation rates of training is unlikely to lead to productivity improvements in the construction sector. However, skills development and training activities needs to be targeted and focused if the desired outcome of enhancing productivity performance is to be achieved. Construction companies needs to be proactive in addressing the skills and training needs of their business through drawing on the various support available through CITBConstructionSkills training grants or participating in appropriate skills/training initiatives, such as apprenticeship schemes. The provision of 'productivity-based' training grants should be considered by CITB-CS in order to prompt construction companies to consider training as a plausible means for enhancing their productivity performance. Finally, the recommendations presented in this thesis and areas for further research sets out the potential way forward in terms of advancing knowledge in this area.

by Paul Chu Hoi-fai. / Bibliography: leaf 40 / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1985

During the past 10 years, construction was the leading industry of occupational fatalities when compared to other goods producing industries in the US. This is partially attributed to ineffective safety management strategies, specifically lack of automated construction equipment and worker monitoring. Currently, worker safety performance is measured and recorded manually, assessed subjectively, and the resulting performance information is infrequently shared among selected or all project stakeholders. Accurate and emerging remote sensing technology provides critical spatio-temporal data that has the potential to automate and advance the safety monitoring of construction processes. This doctoral research focuses on pro-active safety utilizing radio-frequency location tracking (Ultra Wideband) and real-time three-dimensional (3D) immersive data visualization technologies. The objective of the research is to create a model that can automatically analyze the spatio-temporal data of the main construction resources (personnel, materials, and equipment), and automatically measure, assess, and visualize worker's safety performance. The research scope is limited to human-equipment interaction in a complex construction site layout where proximities among construction resources are omnipresent. In order to advance the understanding of human-equipment proximity issues, extensive data has been collected in various field trials and from projects with multiple scales. Computational algorithms developed in this research process the data to provide spatio-temporal information that is crucial for construction activity monitoring and analysis. Results indicate that worker's safety performance of selected activities can be automatically and objectively measured using the developed model. The major contribution of this research is the creation of a proximity hazards assessment model to automatically analyze spatio-temporal data of construction resources, and measure, evaluate, and visualize their safety performance. This research will significantly contribute to transform safety measures in construction industry, as it can determine and communicate automatically safe and unsafe conditions to various project participants located on the field or remotely.

Health and safety issues have always been a major problem and concern in the construction industry. Wherever reliable records are available, construction is found to be one of the most dangerous on health and safety criteria, particularly in developing countries. Efforts have been made to address this problem, but the results have been far from satisfactory, as construction accidents continue to dominate the overall construction industry. Despite the programs implemented by government authorities and measures introduced by companies themselves, the number of construction accidents still remains alarmingly high. In developing countries, safety rules usually do not exist; if they do, the regulatory authority is usually very weak in implementing such rules effectively. The UAE is one of developing countries that are currently enjoying a strong growth in construction activities. Unfortunately, some sectors of its construction industry suffer from poor safety and health conditions. Any framework of the existing occupational and health conditions is fragmented and inadequately enforced, making construction sites more hazardous. It may even be argued that relevant regulations are outdated and irrelevant in day-to-day construction operations. From this perspective this research explores the approved methods adopted in the UK in order to improve the existing code of practice in the UAE and thus introduce the foundations on which appropriate health and safety systems may be built. A framework for Health and Safety management in the UK is suggested. To reach this objective an overview of the published materials as well as the legislation has been undertaken. Questionnaires were designed and distributed to potential construction industry players and interview sessions have been conducted to meet the first objective of the project which to determine the health and safety measures currently applied on construction sites. In addition, structured interviews were carried out with selected managers from a selection of construction and oil companies, medium and large size. This thesis specifically, it investigates the safety perceptions, attitudes, and behaviour of construction workers and management safety practices. Based upon the analysis of the results, this study has demonstrated that the majority of those questioned UAE construction companies have a poor degree of risk awareness and do not seems to take health and safety as an important issue.

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Construction Project Management

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Real Estate and Construction