Increase of the contract amounts for LHC civil-engineering construction and civil-engineering consultancy contracts

CERN Document Server

2005-01-01

This document concerns the increase of the contract amounts for LHC civil-engineering construction and civil-engineering consultancy, Package 2. The Finance Committee is invited to take note of the increase of the contract amounts with: - the joint venture DRAGADOS (ES) and SELI (IT) for civil-engineering construction, LHC Package 2, for an amount of 28 087 000 Swiss francs, subject to revision, in the amount previously announced to Finance Committee (CERN/FC/4516) of 132 200 000 Swiss francs, subject to revision, bringing the total to a maximum amount of 160 287 000 Swiss francs, subject to revision. - the joint venture GIBB (GB), GEOCONSULT (AT) and SGI (CH) for the provision of civil-engineering consultancy services, LHC Package 2, for an amount of 900 000 Swiss francs, subject to revision, in the amount previously announced to Finance Committee of 13 800 000 Swiss francs, subject to revision, bringing the total to a maximum amount of 14 700 000 Swiss francs, subject to revision

Clients' perspectives of professional ethics for civil engineers

OpenAIRE

Abdul-Rahman, H; Wang, C; Saimon, M A

2011-01-01

Many parties in the construction industry claim that codes of professional ethics can help mitigate the unethical conduct of civil engineers and improve the ethical level amongst construction players. However, the fact is, even though most organisations have their own codes of ethics, there still are many instances of unethical conduct in the construction industry. For this reason, this research attempted to study clients' perceptions of the impact on civil engineering works that codes of pro...

Decision support model for selecting and evaluating suppliers in the construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Schramm

2012-12-01

Full Text Available A structured evaluation of the construction industry's suppliers, considering aspects which make their quality and credibility evident, can be a strategic tool to manage this specific supply chain. This study proposes a multi-criteria decision model for suppliers' selection from the construction industry, as well as an efficient evaluation procedure for the selected suppliers. The model is based on SMARTER (Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique Exploiting Ranking method and its main contribution is a new approach to structure the process of suppliers' selection, establishing explicit strategic policies on which the company management system relied to make the suppliers selection. This model was applied to a Civil Construction Company in Brazil and the main results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model. This study allowed the development of an approach to Construction Industry which was able to provide a better relationship among its managers, suppliers and partners.

Comment: Risk Allocation Norms of Civil Construction Contracts in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This comment discusses risk allocation under Ethiopian construction law and examines risks in civil construction contracts. The comment highlights the gaps in risk allocation norms under the standard format of construction contract that was issued by the Ethiopian Ministry of Work and Urban Development (MoWUD) in 1994 ...

Construction Site Environmental Impact in Civil Engineering Education

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, Jose M. Cardoso

2005-01-01

The environmental impact of construction activity has gained increasing importance in the last few years and become a key subject for civil engineering education. A survey of Portuguese higher education institutions shows that concern with this topic is mostly directed at the impact of large construction projects and especially focused on their…

Supply chain of steel industries for the nuclear power plant construction in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dharu Dewi; Sahala M Lumbanraja

2017-01-01

Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Construction needs steel materials for the manufacturing of heavy components and civil work construction. National industries is expected to supply steel components especially for non nuclear component needs. Supply chain of steel industries is required to know the potency of steel industries from upstream to downstream industries which can support the NPP construction sustainability. The type of steel needed in the NPP construction consist of structure steel, rebar, steel plate, etc. The aim of the study is to identify supply chain of steel industries from upstream industries to downstream industries so that they can supply steel needs in the NPP construction. The methodology used are literature review and industries survey by purposive sampling test which sent questionnaires and carrying out technical visits to the potential industries to supply steel components for NPP construction. From the analysis of the questionnaires and survey, it has been obtained that the Indonesian steel industries capable of supplying steel for construction materials of non-nuclear parts are PT. Krakatau Steel, PT. Gunung Steel Group (PT Gunung Garuda and PT. Gunung Raja Paksi), PT. Cilegon Fabricators and PT. Ometraco Arya Samanta. While steel materials for primary components with nuclear grade, such as steel materials for reactor vessels and pressure vessels, the Indonesian steel industry has not been able to supply them. Therefore, the Indonesian steel industries must improve its capability, both in raw material processing and fabrication capability in order to meet the requirements of specifications, codes and standards of nuclear grade. (author)

Proposal for the award of an industrial services contract for civil engineering superstructure and internal construction building work

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

This document concerns the award of an Industrial Services contract for civil engineering superstructure and internal construction building work. Following a market survey carried out among 112 firms in fifteen Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2546/ST/Rev.) was sent on 12 April 2001 to eleven consortia, four consisting of four firms, three consisting of three firms and four consisting of two firms, in seven Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received tenders from eight consortia in six Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium SPIE CITRA SUD-EST(FR)-ANTIRUST TECHNOLOGY (GR), the lowest bidder, for an initial period of three years from 1 January 2002 for an amount not exceeding 15 375 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period. The consortium has indicated the following distribution by country of the contract value covered by this ...

Identification of patent in incentivizing innovation for sustainability in the construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Zakaria, Sharifah Akmam Syed; Sadullah, Ahmad Farhan Mohd; Majid, Taksiah A.; Ghazali, Farid Ezanee Mohamed

2017-07-01

The increasing trend of research and innovation developments in the field of construction industry and their impacts on the national economy have raised much attention in the recent years. In this respect, through the relationship that exists between innovation and patent protection means that the education system of civil engineering has to gear itself to provide a sense of direction to facilitate future civil engineers to meet the challenges through innovation. The aim of this paper is to examine the educational experience and inclination of civil engineering students at Universiti Sains Malaysia in terms of their educational readiness to invent and innovate based on patents' exploration. Specifically, this paper presents research evidence using a quantitative method through questionnaire surveys in determining the dimension of patent information usage for innovation purposes, with attention to the hierarchy of each usage aspect and outcome measures reported. Results of this study revealed that majority of the participants have a "simplistic and superficial" ideas of patents identification as a source of innovation. Although a fair number of participants have relatively good knowledge of patents and innovation, lack of practical exposure and experience in construction industry are still a problem frequently encountered in the preparation to invent and innovate based on patents' exploration. It is recommended that the research model is tested using a greater number of research participants.

New constructions of wire ropes for the industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ŠŠaderová Jana

1996-03-01

Full Text Available The wire ropes are used in different industrial fields. Their construction depends on the type of equipment and its purpose. Most frequently we meet with ropes at different transport and hoisting equipments and very freqently in the civil industry. For users characteristics are important which must meet requirements of the individual regulations and standards of the selection of wire ropes for the concrete equipment. The most important is the factor of safety being safeguarded by the corresponding bearing capacity of the rope. The service life of rope is interesting for the user, too, because of having an influence on the economy of the equipment on which the rope is working. These problems are solved by the grant project at our department . We are aimed at questions of the optimization of construction of wire rope with regard to their geometric construction and service life. Respectively on the basis of elaborated computer software eightstrand ropes of parallel construction were disigned and produced at the Drôtov ň a Hlohovec. The results of the fatigue tests confirmed their better qualitative properties, longer service life and economy advantages for users, too. Their using is possible and suitable on the new hoisting eguipment on the surface, in the undeground and in the hole drilling industry. By the application of the computer technique is also possible to improve the parametres of six-strands` construction of rope, the classic and parallel constructions, especially their bearing capacity. This fact follows from the knowledge that for the production of rope we use calculated diameters of wires, which secure better utilization of the metal cross-section of the wire ropes.

The Brazilian experience in the civil construction of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzaga, L.A.

1985-01-01

The processes and phases of technology absorption, together with the resultant Experience-Factor Model for civil Works, considering philosophy of operation of the civil contractor, design aspects and some structural influences for constructing nuclear power plants are presented. (Author) [pt

The Brazilian experience in the civil construction of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzaga, L.A.

1985-01-01

The processes and phases of technology absorption, together with the resultant Experience Factor Model for Civil Works, considering philosophy of operation of the civil contractor, design aspects and some structural influences for constructing nuclear power plants are presented. (author) [pt

Civil Engineering Construction of Underground Works

CERN Document Server

Rammer, H

1999-01-01

For the first time at CERN, new shafts and caverns will be excavated inside a surface building. The LHC civil engineering construction for the ATLAS experiment has been designed such that the experimental hall will be completed to the extent that it can provide a secure, weatherproof and sound insulated covering to the shaft excavation area. The construction of the two access shafts and the experimental cavern will follow and will be carried out inside the building. This unconventional method of working allows the excavation of the Molasse rock in the dry, which is essential for this type of rock, and ensures reduced environmental pollution by noise and dust. The paper will present the technical infrastructure required for this particular construction method, explain its advantages and disadvantages, and compare it with a conventional method of underground excavations to be used on the same work site for the construction of the service cavern.

Occupational radioactive contamination of cement handlers of the civil construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Pedro Lopes dos; Gouvea, Rita de Cassia dos Santos; Kelecom, Alphonse; Dutra, Iedo Ramos

1999-01-01

Due to their occupational activities, several classes of workers are exposed to radioactive contamination by materials they handle and that contain traces of uranium and its descendants. This is the case of people that work in the civil construction and that currently handle Portland cement. Among other radioactive elements, cement contains the highly radiotoxic polonium-210 which may promote skin cancer because of its high specific activity and high LET α-particle it emits. Concentrations of polonium-210 are reported for urine, hair and skin smear of workers of the civil construction that usually handle cement. The results are compared to a control group. (author)

New horizons for high-power lasers: applications in civil engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Wignarajah, Sivakumaran

2000-01-01

Although material processing with high power lasers has found widespread use in a variety of industries such as the automotive industry, electrical and electronics industries, aerospace industry etc., civil engineering construction is one field that has lagged behind in the use of lasers for material processing. This is in spite of the fact that a large variety of materials including ceramics, metals and plastics are used in very large quantities for civil engineering construction. The main reasons for the delay in the adopting of laser for processing construction material seem to be the high costs involved and the lack of sufficient power for processing heavy and thick materials. However, with the advent of more compact lasers with higher powers, higher efficiencies and lower photon costs, greater interest has been shown in recent years in the possible uses of high power lasers for material processing in the construction industry. The author traces some of the past work carried out both in Japan and abroad on the use of lasers in civil engineering, specially with respect to the processing of inorganic material such as concrete, natural stones, tiles and rocks. Recent developments regarding laser decontamination and laser assisted rock excavation are also introduced.

Analysis on optimization of the critical path for civil construction period of Fangjiashan nuclear island constructed under EPC mode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yongqing; Wu Youcong; Qiu Jinhong

2011-01-01

Based on the actual situation of nuclear island civil construction in Fangjiashan nuclear power plant and combined with the arrangement of the construction schedule, the analysis on optimization of the critical path for civil construction period is conducted. The result shows that on the premise of not increasing the contract price and the total engineering cost based on the original 57-month construction period, the construction period can be shorten to 21 month through strengthening the schedule control, keeping the critical work in a reasonable duration and rearranging the link between programmers. In addition, in view of the economic analysis, if we increase the mechanical engagement and adopt special method, the 2-month construction period can be even shortened to 20 months. (authors)

VE of construction industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1987-10-15

This book gives descriptions of basic of VE of construction industry including doing away with mannerism, necessity of cost reduction, management method of cost reduction, thinking of idea, target of VE, starting VE activity, technical method of VE of construction industry such as thinking of idea with brainstorming, function trade method, new brainstorming, MM method, morphology analysis and lateral thinking, cases of VE of construction industry.

VE of construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-10-01

This book gives descriptions of basic of VE of construction industry including doing away with mannerism, necessity of cost reduction, management method of cost reduction, thinking of idea, target of VE, starting VE activity, technical method of VE of construction industry such as thinking of idea with brainstorming, function trade method, new brainstorming, MM method, morphology analysis and lateral thinking, cases of VE of construction industry.

IMPACT OF ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRISIS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina PLOSCARU

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The current financial and economic crisis has affected many sectors, and also the construction sector. The construction market has been and will be an important source of income for the entire Europe, totaling about 1.650 thousand billion euro, which is more than the GDP of Italy. Building no doubt brings significant percentage in the GDP of any European country, which of course is different from country to country. In Western European countries, the residential market is almost 50% from the construction market, while in Eastern European countries the majority is held by the civil and non-residential constructions. In addition, in the West the medium budget per capita spent on construction is 3-4 times higher than that spent in Eastern countries. But, according to previsions in the coming years the countries that will witness a growth, albeit small, will be the Eastern ones. The paper highlights the impact of the economic and financial crisis in the construction industry on a European and national level, as the sustainable constructions that may represent the sector’s future.

Quality control of three main materials for civil construction of nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Feng

2011-01-01

The construction and operation of nuclear power plant is a systematic engineering. To ensure quality and safety of nuclear power plants, each work from design to operation can have certain impact on the quality and safety of the project. The quality of each related work shall be controlled. Starting from the quality control over raw materials for the civil construction of nuclear power plant, this article mainly analyzes how to control the quality and manage the three main materials of steel, concrete and modular parts in the civil construction. (author)

Work Stress among Professionals in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eziyi Offia Ibem

2011-09-01

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

Work Stress among Professionals in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eziyi Offia Ibem

2011-09-01

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

Desenvolvimento de argamassas microporosas para a construção civil Development of microporous mortar for the civil construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Coimbra

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Esse trabalho consistiu na obtenção e estudo de uma argamassa de peso leve para o uso na construção civil através da adição combinada, de aditivos formadores de microporosidade, mais a utilização de cargas que incorporam resíduos industriais. A técnica vem sendo recentemente apontada como uma promissora alternativa para a construção de estruturas leves, onde o compromisso da resistência mecânica aliada às ações ambientais, tais como degradações físico-químicas provocadas por intemperismo, não representam pré-requisitos básicos da construção civil, que possam impedir a utilização de argamassas de baixa densidade, com micro porosidade controlada. Assim sendo, esse trabalho utilizou aditivos adequados para a formação de bolhas estáveis, e quando necessário, agentes promotores de resistência mecânica, tais que puderam compensar perdas de resistência devido a presença excessiva das bolhas. A avaliação da influência dos aditivos, bem como do método de preparação das argamassas leves que incluem o mecanismo de mistura, o desenvolvimento microestrutural e propriedades são correlacionados, visando a obtenção de uma composição adequada que possa ser utilizada na fabricação de estruturas leves.The purpose of that work was to obtain a lightweight mortar for use in the civil construction through the combined addition of micropore chemical formers and industrial residues. Recently, the lightweight mortar technique has been pointed out as an alternative for the construction of light structures, where the commitment of the mechanical resistance associated with the climate actions, such as physical-chemical degradation caused by environmental actions, do not represent basic requirements for civil construction that could restrain the use of low density mortar, with micropore controlled structure. The work analysed the influence of additives adapted for the formation of stable bubbles, and in some cases, the use of

Waste Management in Industrial Construction: Investigating Contributions from Industrial Ecology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larissa A. R. U. Freitas

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The need for effective construction waste management is growing in importance, due to the increasing generation of construction waste and to its adverse impacts on the environment. However, despite the numerous studies on construction waste management, recovery of construction waste through Industrial Symbiosis and the adoption of other inter-firm practices, comprised within Industrial Ecology field of study, have not been fully explored. The present research aims to investigate Industrial Ecology contributions to waste management in industrial construction. The waste management strategies adopted in two industrial construction projects in Brazil are analyzed. The main waste streams generated are identified, recycling and landfilling diversion rates are presented and waste recovery through Industrial Symbiosis is discussed. A SWOT analysis was carried out. Results demonstrate that 9% of the waste produced in one of the projects was recovered through Industrial Symbiosis, while in the other project, waste recovery through Industrial Symbiosis achieved the rate of 30%. These data reveal Industrial Symbiosis’ potential to reduce landfilling of industrial construction wastes, contributing to waste recovery in construction. In addition, results show that industrial construction projects can benefit from the following synergies common in Industrial Ecology place-based approaches: centralized waste management service, shared waste management infrastructure and administrative simplification.

78 FR 9396 - Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Civil Money Penalties for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-08

...] Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Civil Money Penalties for Tobacco... guidance for industry entitled ``Civil Money Penalties for Tobacco Retailers: Responses to Frequently Asked... civil money penalties for violations of regulations issued under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic...

Trends in occupational exposure within the UK civil nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, J.S.

1996-01-01

The UK civil nuclear industry was established in the 1950s and workers in the industry have received occupational radiation exposures since that time. Data on occupational exposures over this period show a reduction in annual doses. This trend was initiated by more restrictive statutory dose limitation requirements, and was achieved by greater emphasis on radiation protection methods. (Author)

Biotechnologies and biomimetics for civil engineering

CERN Document Server

Labrincha, J; Diamanti, M; Yu, C-P; Lee, H

2015-01-01

Putting forward an innovative approach to solving current technological problems faced by human society, this book encompasses a holistic way of perceiving the potential of natural systems. Nature has developed several materials and processes which both maintain an optimal performance and are also totally biodegradable, properties which can be used in civil engineering. Delivering the latest research findings to building industry professionals and other practitioners, as well as containing information useful to the public, ‘Biotechnologies and Biomimetics for Civil Engineering’ serves as an important tool to tackle the challenges of a more sustainable construction industry and the future of buildings.

B 150 civil engineering futures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foreword B150 –Civil Engineering Futures consists of interviews made, articles written, and projects presented in connection with the 150th anniversary celebrations of the study of civil engineering in Denmark. Instead of a historical retrospect, it was decided to look into the future. What...... challenges will the next 150 years bring civil engineers? Researchers and lecturers at DTU’s Department of Civil Engineering (known as DTU Byg) suggested possible events, and we also consulted civil engineers and their business partners in the building industry. In this way, a programme was put together...... theme in twentieth century architecture. Together, civil engineer Peter Rice and architect Ian Ritchie created a paradigm shift with their revolutionary ideas for glass facades supported by cables. Glued and bolted constructions made entirely of glass are now a reality in small-scale projects, yet...

Quality assurance during construction of civil engineering structures important to safety of nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-11-01

The present manual is developed to deal with quality assurance aspect of civil engineering structures in a greater detail. This manual gives detail to develop QA plans specific to multifarious activities of civil engineering construction

Job Prospects for Civil Engineers.

Science.gov (United States)

Basta, Nicholas

1985-01-01

Government programs and renewed industrial activity have combined with stable enrollments to create bright job prospects for civil engineers. Areas with good opportunities include highway reconstruction and rehabilitation, water-resource management, and new factory construction. The subspecialty of structural engineering has a growing need in…

The measurement of radon concentration of soil in a civil construction site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hanbin; Fan Guang

2004-01-01

Radon is one of radioactive resources which do harm to human body. Therefore, its concentration in the soil should be measured before the civil construction works. Code for Indoor Environmental Pollution Control of Civil Building Engineering (GB50325-2001) is the main norm used for soil radon concentration measurement. By using FD-3017 RaA radon measuring equipment, the soil radon concentration in a civil building engineering site has been measured, the result shows that the concentration is lower than the regional average value, radon protective measures should not be installed in that site. (authors)

Evolutionary algorithms and metaheuristics in civil engineering and Construction management

CERN Document Server

Greiner, David

2015-01-01

This book focuses on civil and structural engineering and construction management applications. The contributions constitute modified, extended and improved versions of research presented at the  minisymposium organized by the editors at the ECCOMAS conference on this topic in Barcelona 2014.

B 150 civil engineering futures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

specific climatic challenge or clean the air. With nanotechnology, the artificial and the natural move closer together; this is the perspective for civil engineer Chris McCarthy’s work all over the world. And what is new is not just the way the construction materials are put together; they also require......Foreword B150 –Civil Engineering Futures consists of interviews made, articles written, and projects presented in connection with the 150th anniversary celebrations of the study of civil engineering in Denmark. Instead of a historical retrospect, it was decided to look into the future. What...... challenges will the next 150 years bring civil engineers? Researchers and lecturers at DTU’s Department of Civil Engineering (known as DTU Byg) suggested possible events, and we also consulted civil engineers and their business partners in the building industry. In this way, a programme was put together...

LHC Civil Engineering Construction Contracts Cost Monitoring and Budget Forecasting

CERN Document Server

Skelton, K

2000-01-01

The Civil Engineering project for the LHC is estimated at 350 MCHF, of which about 316 MCHF is for the construction contracts. These contracts are based on a system of remeasurement whereby the consultant estimates the quantities required for the construction of each structure and the contractor commits himself to the unit price, which define the initial tender price. There are many factors that affect the final price for these contracts, from increases or decreases in quantities of the estimated amounts in the original bill of quantities to variations to the contract. This paper will look at how these factors change costs at the individual level of a structure to the overall costs of the contract. It will look at how the Civil Engineering Group monitors these changes to calculate cash flows and final costs and how this information is used as a basis for budget forecasts.

Construction industry in developing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moavenzadeh, F

1978-01-01

This paper provides a review of the construction capability available in the developing countries to meet the demand for shelter. It discusses the role of construction in the process of development and its importance to economic growth. It considers the issue facing the growth of a viable indigenous construction industry in the developing world within the context of the activities involved in the creation of constructed facilities--planning, design, contruction and maintenance; it also examines the environment within which the industry has developed. For each construction activity the paper reviews available capabilities, the various resources needed for the development of an indigenous industry, and some possible means of accommodating these needs.

Role of civil engineers in design and construction of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivathanu Pillai, C.

2015-01-01

Nuclear energy remains an important element in India's energy mix for sustaining rapid economic growth. In the Indian energy scenario projections for the future, nuclear power through fast reactors has been considered as an important component. Fast reactors are also planned to be built in the medium term to burn minor actinides as means of reducing the burden of radioactive waste management. Nuclear power in India provides 3% of the electricity generated in the country now; it is estimated to go up to 25% by 2050. India has a special interest in developing fast breeder reactors and use of thorium as a source of energy as it has one of the largest reserves of thorium. Nuclear industry always provides challenging works to civil engineers. From geotechnical investigation, structural analysis, design, construction and to material developments and provides unique opportunity for excellence

Waste Management in Industrial Construction: Investigating Contributions from Industrial Ecology

OpenAIRE

Larissa A. R. U. Freitas; Alessandra Magrini

2017-01-01

The need for effective construction waste management is growing in importance, due to the increasing generation of construction waste and to its adverse impacts on the environment. However, despite the numerous studies on construction waste management, recovery of construction waste through Industrial Symbiosis and the adoption of other inter-firm practices, comprised within Industrial Ecology field of study, have not been fully explored. The present research aims to investigate Industrial Ec...

Claims in civil engineering contracts

CERN Document Server

Speirs, N A

1999-01-01

This paper considers claims arising during civil engineering construction contracts. The meaning of the word 'claim' is considered and its possible implications for additional cost and time to completion. The conditions of the construction contract selected will influence the risk apportionment between contractor and client and the price offered by the contractor for the work. Competitive bidding constraints and profit margins in the construction industry, however, may also influence the price offered. This in turn can influence the likelihood of claims arising. The client from his point of view is concerned to complete the work within an agreed time and budget. The circumstances under which claims may arise are reviewed in relation to typical conditions of contract. These circumstances are then related to the CERN LHC civil works. Ways of avoiding claims, where this is possible, are considered. Finally, the means of evaluation of claims and their settlement are considered.

Innovation, Procurement and Construction Industry Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geard de Valence

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The implications for analysis of innovation in construction of theoretical developments in industrial organisation are considered in this research, as an attempt to outline a new approach to construction innovation incorporating the ideas found in knowledge based, technology centred models. The paper firstly summarises characteristics of the construction industry, focusing on their effects on innovation, before surveying some of the ideas about the sources of innovation and the expansion and application of knowledge. Construction can be seen as an industry with limited scope for knowledge externalities, where the procurement methods used by the industry’s clients do not pay for innovation. The following discussion uses recent developments in the research on the economics of innovation and industrial organization theory, such as research intensity and the endogenous sunk costs in competitive, fragmented, low research intensity industries. The effects on R&D of procurement methods and on industry structure are discussed, with a focus on the appropriability of innovations and the role of the client on the Heathrow Terminal 5 project. The paper concludes that the procurement methods used for building and construction projects appears to be a determining factor in the level of innovation in the construction industry

Achievement report for fiscal 1981 on Sunshine Program-assisted project. Survey of Australian industrial capability and construction capability relative to Australian brown coal liquefaction plant construction project; 1981 nendo Goshu kattan ekika plant no kensetsu ni kakawaru kogyoryoku, kensetsu kojiryoku ni kansuru chosa seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1982-03-01

The industrial capability and construction capability of Australia are surveyed in relation with the project of constructing a brown coal liquefaction plant there. Australian heavy industry is conspicuously advanced in the field of mining machinery involving coal, iron ore, and other mineral resources. On the other hand, in the fields of general-purpose machinery for plants and of civil engineering machinery, it is behind other countries in terms of technology and cost because of the small market. When an industrial project is implemented in Australia, consulting firms, engineering contractors, etc., operate independently from each other, and the project is propelled forward under a perfect specialization system. Labor-related problems in the civil engineering and construction industry are the recruitment of laborers which is difficult and the delay in and suspension of construction due to labor disputes that take place very frequently. In Victoria State where a brown coal liquefaction plant is under construction, the availability of laborers specializing in construction is rather higher than in other states, and there is no important problem in this respect. One cannot be too prudent in Victoria State, however, since it includes a region which is the most notorious in Australia in terms of labor-management dispute. (NEDO)

ACCELERATING CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohan M. Kumaraswamy

2006-06-01

Full Text Available The needs for construction industry development are initially viewed from the broader perspectives of imperatives for infrastructure development and national development. All these are clearly more critical in developing countries. A non-exhaustive set of potential drivers and common barriers to construction industry development is identified from previous research. These suggest the usefulness of consolidating a cluster of recent proposals and exercises aiming at (a construction organization development in terms of an over-arching management support system model, as well as improved information and knowledge management; and (b project team development in the context of relationally integrated teams and supply chains, joint risk management and ‘technology and knowledge exchange’ in joint ventures, as well as longer term public private partnerships. These apparently disparate research thrusts are threaded together into a pattern that may inspire, if not feed, specific research and development (R & D agendas for construction industry development in different countries according to their own priorities, constraints and stages of infrastructure and national development.

Handling Low-Density LiDAR Data: Calculating the Heights of Civil Constructions and the Accuracy Expected

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubén Martínez Marín

2013-01-01

Full Text Available During the last years, in many developed countries, administrations and private companies have devoted considerable amounts of money to obtain mapping data using airborne LiDAR. For many civil activities, we can take advantage of it, since those data are available with no cost. Some important questions arise: Are those data good enough to be used for determining the heights of the civil constructions with the accuracy we need in some civil work? What accuracy can we expect when using low-density LiDAR data (0.5 pts/m2? In order to answer those questions, we have developed a specific methodology based on establishing a set of control points on the top of several constructions and calculating the elevation of each one using postprocessing GPS. Those results have been taken as correct values and the comparison between those values and the elevations obtained, assigning values to the control points by the interpolation of the LiDAR dataset, has been carried out. This paper shows the results obtained using low-density airborne LiDAR data and the accuracy obtained. Results have shown that LiDAR can be accurate enough (10–25 cm to determine the height of civil constructions and apply those data in many civil engineering activities.

31 CFR 501.703 - Overview of civil penalty process and construction of rules.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... process and construction of rules. (a) The administrative process for enforcing TWEA sanctions programs... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Overview of civil penalty process and construction of rules. 501.703 Section 501.703 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and...

Sustainable Construction Risk Perceptions in the Kuwaiti Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalya Ismael

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Sustainable construction is fundamentally different than traditional construction because it requires whole systems thinking, early collaboration across stakeholders, and core principles like reducing resource consumption, eliminating toxins, and applying life cycle costing. Construction professionals unfamiliar with this mindset and approach may perceive sustainable construction as risky. One of the global regions in need of more sustainable construction is the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA region. The MENA region is one of the fastest developing in the world. However, it is the slowest one in implementing sustainable construction practices. Kuwait, in particular, contributes 53% more carbon emissions per capita than the United States. To understand how the Kuwaiti construction industry perceives risks associated with more sustainable construction, a survey was developed with 52 risk elements in which 131 industry professionals responded. The results indicate that industry professionals perceive a lack of public awareness as the risk element with the highest probability of occurrence. The risk element with the highest possible negative impact on future projects is designers’ and contractors’ inexperience with sustainable construction. Other risks were found to include a high initial cost for materials and overall project costs. Educational interventions, changes in risk allocation, and behavioral science to reframe upfront costs as long-term savings are offered as possible solutions.

COMPETITIVENESS OF THE INDONESIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agung Budiwibowo

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Indonesia’s construction industry is important to the national economy. However, its competitiveness is considered low due to the lack of success of its development strategy and policy. A new approach known as the cluster approach is being used to make strategy and policy in order to develop a stronger more competitive industry . This paper discusses the layout of the Indonesian construction cluster and its competitiveness. The archival analysis research approach was used to identify the construction cluster. The analysis was based on the I/O tables of the years 1995 and 2000, which were published by the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics. The results suggest that the Indonesian construction cluster consists of the industries directly involved in construction as the core, with the other related and supporting industries as the balance. The anatomy of the Indonesian construction cluster permits structural changes to happen within it. These changes depend on policies that regulate the cluster’s constituents.

Nuclear civil construction, an essential activity dedicated to outstanding projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herve, G.

2016-01-01

The complexity of nuclear civil construction is directly linked to the safety requirements imposed on nuclear facilities: durability in terms of time, stability, containment, tightness, managing cracking and leakages, quality controls... These requirements imply specific measures for instance the concrete that is used for the containment building has a particular composition that gives it an enhanced resistance or the substantial thickness of the foundation raft implies monitoring the temperature at which the concrete is poured. The construction of the EPR at the Flamanville site is taken as an example. This construction involves 120.000 tonnes of concrete-reinforcement steels, 400.000 m"3 of concrete, 400 km of pipes and 1600 km of cables. (A.C.)

78 FR 72900 - Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Civil Money Penalties for Tobacco...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-04

...] Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Civil Money Penalties for Tobacco Retailers... the guidance entitled ``Civil Money Penalties for Tobacco Retailers: Responses to Frequently Asked... issuance of civil money penalties for violations of regulations issued under the Federal Food, Drug, and...

Construction Industry Related Mathematics: Seventh Grade.

Science.gov (United States)

Mundell, Scott

The field tested construction industry-related mathematics unit is intended to familiarize seventh grade students with various facets of the construction industry, including the various occupations available and the mathematical abilities and other skills and training necessary to pursue an occupation in the industry. The final set of activities…

Safety in construction industry - overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chockalingam, S.; Nehru, R.M.; Ramprasad, K.; Sonawane, A.U.

2016-01-01

The construction industry plays an important role in the social and economic development in a country. Safety in the construction industry is considered a major issue in developed and developing countries. In urban sector of India increasing numbers of workers have taken up construction work as a means of immediate employment, which provides cash earnings at the end of the day. Being as unorganized sector, the fatal injuries in DAE unit for the construction industry (Nuclear Power Project including BHAVINI: 62.7% from 1999 to 2014) is higher than the category for all other units (UCIL:13.3%; ECIL:6.7%; NFC and ZC: 4%; HWP: 2.7%; IREL:2.7%; Nuclear Power Plant: 2.7% etc., from 1999 to 2014). A variety hazards exist in the construction site. The best way to protect workers against workers against hazards is to control problems at the source. The problem regarding construction industry is not that the hazards and risks are unknown, but it very difficult to accurately identify in a constantly changing work environment. To prevent hazards at work, all possible hazards that may be encountered should be identified in advance through Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). The present scenario has deduced a fact that efficient Safety Management Techniques (SMT) are (essential for today's construction companies and adaptation of legal requirements including regulatory requirements and proactive safety management techniques will help organizations in providing a better workplace to its employees and reduce the accidents. (author)

Main problems of increasing labour productivity in the power plant construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Falaleev, P.P.

1984-01-01

The reserve for labour productivity growth in power-, industrial- and civil engineering in the USSR Minenergo system are discussed. Such reserve comprises: introduction of effective designs, increase of technological readiness of structures; a higher mechanization level in construction, improvement of industrial organization, economical and social aspects. Decrease of labour inputs in NPP construction will be attained by using unified designs of serial WWER-1000, RBMK-1000- and RBMK-1500 reactors as well as by developing nuclear power construction complexes-industrial-construction enterprises for manufacturing and transport of special structures as well as for performing civil engineering and installation work on the ground part of the reactor building and special structure. Other potentialities for increasing labour productivity in NPP construction are considered

Safety in construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.M.

1979-01-01

Causative factors of accidents in construction industry in the context of experience of construction work of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project are enumerated. The aspect of accident cost - direct and indirect - is discussed briefly. Setting up of a safety set-up at construction sites is emphasized and principles which should guide the accident prevention programme are spelt out. (M.G.B.)

CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCES BETWEEN SMEs IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND TOURISM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LUDMILA PĂUNESCU (RAILEAN

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The SMEs who are looking the way to success and sustainable development are beginning to seek strategic alliances with one or more players on the market, just to gain fast and inexpensive acces to: technology, expertise, marketing, production, distribution and other benefits.Tourism development both as a way to spend a pleasant and instructive leisure, even as a service activity required at various stages of a tourist trip, is a necessity of today civilization, with broad prospects for development, is at once a consequence and cause of mutations economic, social, cultural and environmental. Thus, this paper approaches the advantages and disadvantages of strategic alliance between SMEs in the construction industry and tourism, and the elements necessary to achieve its objectives, in view to stimulate touristic activities and development of constructions sector.

Industrialization for sustainable construction?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Egmond - de Wilde De Ligny, van E.L.C.; Barrett, P; Amaratunga, D.; Haigh, R; Keraminiyage, K.; Pathirage, C

2010-01-01

Sustainable construction (SuCo), which genesis dates in the early 1990’s, advocates the creation and operation of a quality and healthy built environment based on resource efficiency, life cycle economics and ecological principles. (Kibert, 2003). Currently the Construction Industry does not meet

RCC-CW - Rules for design and construction of PWR nuclear civil works

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

RCC-CW describes the rules for designing, building and testing civil engineering works in PWR reactors. It explains the principles and requirements for the safety, serviceability and durability of concrete and metal frame structures, based on Eurocode design principles (European standards for the structural design of construction works) combined with specific measures for safety-class buildings. The code is produced as part of the RCC-CW Subcommittee, which includes all the parties involved in civil engineering works in the nuclear sector: clients, contractors, general and specialized firms, consultancies and inspection offices. The code covers the following areas relating to the design and construction of civil engineering works that play an important safety role: geotechnical aspects, reinforced concrete structures and galleries, pre-stressed containments with metal liner, metal containment and pool liners, metal frames, anchors, concrete cylinder pipes, containment leak tests. The RCC-CW code is available as an ETC-C version specific to EPR projects (European pressurized reactor). Contents of the 2016 edition of the RCC-CW Code: Part G - General: scope, standards, notations, quality management, general principles; Part D - Design: actions and combinations of actions, geotechnical aspects, pre-stressed or reinforced concrete structures, metal containment liners, metal pool liners, metal frames, anchors; Part C - Construction: geotechnical aspects, concrete, surface finish and formwork, reinforcement for reinforced concrete, pre-stressing processes, prefabricated concrete elements, metal containment liners, metal pool liners, metal frames, anchors, embedded pipelines, joint sealing, survey networks and tolerances; Part M - Maintenance and monitoring: containment integrity and rate tests

Innovation in civil construction system of nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takami, Masahiro

1996-01-01

Nowadays, the computer-aided production systems have been already introduced to almost all kinds of industries. The construction industry, which has been said to be conservative for the modernization of production system, now expects the CIC (Computer Integrated Construction) as the means to innovate the construction production process. Shimizu Corporation has developed the new computer-aided production system, 'SIPS: Shimizu Integrated Production System', and has used it in the actual construction projects. In the system, the computer supports every phase of construction projects like market researching, design, material purchase, construction work, and maintenance. The project of Kashiwazaki-kariwa Nuclear Power Station Unit No.7 is one of the model cases. Here we applied following three concepts, (1) the full use and integration of 3D-CAD data-base through all phases of construction, (2) the setting-up of the information network system among the site office, the head office, and the mechanical and electrical manufacturer, (3) the introduction of advanced construction technologies such as large block prefabrication method. (author)

Collusion in the Dutch construction industry: an industrial organization perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doree, Andries G.

2004-01-01

Several investigations by parliament, cabinet, justice and antitrust authorities have shown a widespread use of cartels and structural bid rigging within the Dutch construction industry. The reputation of the Dutch construction industry has been dented with both the general public and clients. As a

DEM GPU studies of industrial scale particle simulations for granular flow civil engineering applications

Science.gov (United States)

Pizette, Patrick; Govender, Nicolin; Wilke, Daniel N.; Abriak, Nor-Edine

2017-06-01

The use of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) for industrial civil engineering industrial applications is currently limited due to the computational demands when large numbers of particles are considered. The graphics processing unit (GPU) with its highly parallelized hardware architecture shows potential to enable solution of civil engineering problems using discrete granular approaches. We demonstrate in this study the pratical utility of a validated GPU-enabled DEM modeling environment to simulate industrial scale granular problems. As illustration, the flow discharge of storage silos using 8 and 17 million particles is considered. DEM simulations have been performed to investigate the influence of particle size (equivalent size for the 20/40-mesh gravel) and induced shear stress for two hopper shapes. The preliminary results indicate that the shape of the hopper significantly influences the discharge rates for the same material. Specifically, this work shows that GPU-enabled DEM modeling environments can model industrial scale problems on a single portable computer within a day for 30 seconds of process time.

World atlas of nuclear industry: civil and military

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandre, Nicolas

2011-01-01

Todays, with the energy supplies and global warming concerns, nuclear energy in making a come-back, witness the numerous nuclear programs launched or re-launched in the US, in Europe, China and India. In parallel, on the military side, the deterrence strategy remains in the center of security politics of big powers. This atlas takes stock of the overall issues linked with the nuclear technology: production, civil applications (power generation, medicine etc..), military usages (naval propulsion, weapons). It answers the main questions of this complex world, often dominated by secrecy: who does what in the nuclear domain in France? Is an accident, like the Chernobyl's one, possible today in Europe? What solutions for radioactive wastes? Do we take risks when we export our reactor technologies to Middle-East countries? Are we at the dawn of a new arms rush? What do international agreements foresee in this domain? Taking into account the costs, the hazards and the advantages of nuclear industry, the atlas shows that it is possible to establish solid technical and legal barriers between its civil and military sides. (J.S.)

QUALITY OF HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofronov Daniil Sergeevich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Human resources serve as the basis for development of the national economy, as a whole, and the construction industry, as its constituent part. The problem of inferior labor productivity within the framework of the national economy and its construction industry is considered in the paper. The author has identified the reasons why the productivity of the national economy and its construction industry is low. Low quality manpower is one of the reasons. Analysis of the statistical information has proven that the quality of the manpower in the construction industry is unsatisfactory. The author has also analyzed the relation between the construction industry development pattern and the quality of the manpower. Low manpower quality is a consequence of low personnel training and development expenditures assumed by local construction companies, if compared to the same assumed in the developed economies. Russian businesses do not invest any proceeds into their employees, as any employee may leave the company at any moment, and the employer will lose the investment. Therefore, the performance rate of the Russian construction industry cannot catch up with its western counterpart. The author also provides the analysis of the western personnel development concept. The author also makes his suggestions designated to reverse the unfavourable trend of the construction industry.

Reverse logistics in the construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini, M Reza; Rameezdeen, Raufdeen; Chileshe, Nicholas; Lehmann, Steffen

2015-06-01

Reverse logistics in construction refers to the movement of products and materials from salvaged buildings to a new construction site. While there is a plethora of studies looking at various aspects of the reverse logistics chain, there is no systematic review of literature on this important subject as applied to the construction industry. Therefore, the objective of this study is to integrate the fragmented body of knowledge on reverse logistics in construction, with the aim of promoting the concept among industry stakeholders and the wider construction community. Through a qualitative meta-analysis, the study synthesises the findings of previous studies and presents some actions needed by industry stakeholders to promote this concept within the real-life context. First, the trend of research and terminology related with reverse logistics is introduced. Second, it unearths the main advantages and barriers of reverse logistics in construction while providing some suggestions to harness the advantages and mitigate these barriers. Finally, it provides a future research direction based on the review. © The Author(s) 2015.

In nuclear civil construction, France benefits from a leading know-how and expertise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, F.

2016-01-01

EGIS is an enterprise that has been a partner for EDF and AREVA since the construction of the first nuclear power plant in France at Fessenheim in 1970. EGIS has a global competency for nuclear civil construction from design to the follow-up of the work. EGIS has taken part into the construction of the 3 first EPR in France, Finland and China and into the implementation of post-Fukushima measures in operating nuclear power plants. EGIS has developed a specific know-how for managing the seismic risk. (A.C.)

Selection of procurement systems in the South African construction industry: An exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. D. Thwala

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose of this paper: Procurement systems are vital in ensuring the successful implementation of construction projects precisely in all the phases of any particular project. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate in a systematic manner the factors that influence the selection of a procurement system in the South African construction industry. Research methodology: An extensive theory and literature review of procurement systems was conducted. The literature reviewed included a sample of case studies of procurement systems successfully implemented in completed building and civil engineering projects in South Africa. A questionnaire using a four-round Delphi survey method was used to conduct the empirical study in order to obtain participants' opinions about factors influencing the selection of procurement systems as well as the utility value of various procurement systems on each factor as identified. Finally, data analysis of both qualitative and quantitative techniques was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS. Findings: After qualitative analysis, findings of the literature reviewed suggest that factors that influence the selection of procurement systems cut across all the phases of the project as identified in this paper. Therefore, these factors are categorically classified into internal and external factors. Factors from the internal environment were further classified into client characteristics and project characteristics, with client characteristics comprising of variables such as clients' level of knowledge and control, political and social consideration, familiarity of procurement systems, competition, funding arrangement, government public/private sector projects and risk allocation whereas project characteristics comprise of factors (variables such as size and technical complexity of the project, influence of the project life cycle, expedited project delivery, time, quality and price certainty. Factors

The prospects of construction and transport industry

Science.gov (United States)

Yaskova, Natalia

2017-10-01

The article is focused on a problem of moving the construction industry into the growth and prosperity phase. The method of target orienting developed by the author is aimed at overcoming technological weakness of the construction industry and eliminating disproportions of the capital funds’ structure. Exhaustion of traditional sources of construction industry growth and real property market growth required the research on specific technologies of interphase transformations and their development. It will contribute to implementing the objective laws of the new wave of construction growth, which provides the development of immovable’s structure that is reasonable in terms of strategic priorities of the national economy.

Sustainability in the UK construction minerals industry

OpenAIRE

Mitchell, Clive

2015-01-01

Sustainability in the UK construction minerals industry Clive Mitchell, Industrial Minerals Specialist, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK Email: Sustainability is not just about environmental protection it also concerns biodiversity, community relations, competence, employment, geodiversity, health and safety, resource efficiency, restoration and stakeholder accountability. The UK construction minerals industry aims to supply essential materials in a sustainabl...

Barriers of lean construction implementation in the Moroccan construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Bajjou, Mohamed Saad; Chafi, Anas

2018-04-01

Improving the production system performance has become a fundamental pillar that must be taken into consideration in the construction industry. Recent developments in the construction sector have led to renewed interest in new techniques of management. Lean Construction is a very effective approach that has gained a high popularity by its ability to eliminate waste and maximize the value for the customer. Although both developed and developing countries have gained large benefits by implementing Lean Construction approach, several experiences showed many barriers that are hindering its implementation especially in developing countries. This paper aims to assess the critical barriers to the successful implementation in the Moroccan construction industry. Based on a literature review, followed by an analysis of data collected from a questionnaire survey which targeted 330 practitioners in the Moroccan construction field, several barriers were identified as key barriers. The findings of this investigation revealed that there are significant barriers such as Lack of knowledge about Lean Construction concepts, Unskilled Human Resources, and insufficient financial resources.

The civil society and the regulation of the extractive industry in Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article focuses on the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in impacting on trends and developments in the extractive industry in Nigeria. For example, CSOs take on the government to promote accountability and probity in the management of the sector that is beset by ineffectual regulation; alleged collusion with ...

Construction simulation analysis of 120m continuous rigid frame bridge based on Midas Civil

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jing-xian; Ran, Zhi-hong

2018-03-01

In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model of a continuous rigid frame bridge with a main span of 120m is established by the simulation and analysis of Midas Civil software. The deflection and stress of the main beam in each construction stage of continuous beam bridge are simulated and analyzed, which provides a reliable technical guarantee for the safe construction of the bridge.

Research on Ecological Civilization Construction and Environmental Sustainable Development in the New Era

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang-chao, Pan

2018-05-01

After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics entered a new era. However, the contradiction between China’s economic and social development and the sustainable development of environment is still outstanding. That is mainly due to the fact that China pays some attention to the economic development but neglects the ecological protection to a certain extent. In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it is clearly proposed that it is necessary to adhere to the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and to establish the concept of green development firmly, focusing on solving the problem of the environmental pollution and destruction and other outstanding issues, and strengthening the construction of the ecological environment supervision system, and the legal guarantee of the construction of ecological civilization. Only by adhering to the concept of ecological civilization in the new era can we finally realize the fundamental improvement of ecological environment.

'Civil skepticism' and the social construction of knowledge: A case in dendroclimatology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez-I-Ollé, Meritxell

2018-03-01

Early Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholars recognized that the social construction of knowledge depends on skepticism's parasitic relationship to background expectations and trust. Subsequent generations have paid less empirical attention to skepticism in science and its relationship with trust. I seek to rehabilitate skepticism in STS - particularly, Merton's view of skepticism as a scientific norm sustained by trust among status peers - with a study of what I call 'civil skepticism'. The empirical grounding is a case in contemporary dendroclimatology and the development of a method ('Blue Intensity') for generating knowledge about climate change from trees. I present a sequence of four instances of civil skepticism involved in making Blue Intensity more resistant to critique, and hence credible (in laboratory experiments, workshops, conferences, and peer-review of articles). These skeptical interactions depended upon maintaining communal notions of civility among an increasingly extended network of mutually trusted peers through a variety of means: by making Blue Intensity complementary to existing methods used to study a diverse natural world (tree-ring patterns) and by contributing to a shared professional goal (the study of global climate change). I conclude with a sociological theory about the role of civil skepticism in constituting knowledge-claims of greater generality and relevance.

Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Dutch Construction Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klein Woolthuis, R.J.A.

2010-01-01

This article discusses the strategies that sustainable entrepreneurs use to interact with their environment in the Dutch construction industry. The Dutch construction industry is under great pressure to move towards sustainability, and entrepreneurs are believed to be able to play a large role in

Sustainable entrepreneurship in the Dutch construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klein Woolthuis, R.J.A.

2010-01-01

This article discusses the strategies that sustainable entrepreneurs use to interact with their environment in the Dutch construction industry. The Dutch construction industry is under great pressure to move towards sustainability, and entrepreneurs are believed to be able to play a large role in

Enablers of Innovation in the Construction Material Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wandahl, Søren; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann; Jacobsen, Alexia

2014-01-01

, which creates a strong interdependence between the different supply network partners and can be seen as a hindrance for innovation. Innovation models must embrace such a contemporary business structures, where competition often takes place between supply chains rather than between individual companies......The construction material industry is often acknowledged as slightly more innovative than the overall construction industry and could hence serve as a valuable learning place for how innovation could flourish in the construction industry. Construction is viewed as network or supply chain based......, it was found that different approaches for facilitating this journey exists, based on company characteristics. This paper adds to the body of knowledge on how to succeed with innovation in the construction industry. The increased awareness of an open and cooperative approach to innovation is of value both...

Industrial Work Placement in Higher Education: A Study of Civil Engineering Student Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Tennant, Stuart; Murray, Mike; Gilmour, Bob; Brown, Linda

2018-01-01

For civil engineering undergraduates, short-term industrial work placement provides an invaluable learning experience. Notwithstanding the near-universal endorsement of short-term placement programmes, the resulting experience is rarely articulated through the student voice. This article provides an analysis of 174 questionnaires returned by…

Occupational fatalities due to electrocutions in the construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Janicak, Christopher A

2008-01-01

Occupational fatalities due to contact with electricity account for approximately 9% of all deaths in the construction industry and is the fourth leading cause of death in this industry. Differences in the proportions of electrocutions in the construction industry are significantly different from other industries based upon the age of the worker and the source of the electricity. This study found that, in the construction industry, the proportion of occupational fatalities due to contact with electric current is significantly higher for workers in the 16 to 19 years old age group. Contact with overhead power lines occurred more frequently with younger workers, while contact with electric wiring, transformers, and related equipment was found to occur more frequently with older workers. The proportion of fatalities due to this event was also found to account for a significantly greater proportion of fatalities in the construction industry overall. The proportions of electrocution fatalities in the construction industry were found to be significantly higher for younger workers when compared to all other industries. Focusing prevention measures toward younger workers who work near overhead power lines could have a significant impact upon death rates. For older workers, the focus should be on those who work on or near transformers, electrical wiring, and components. Across the construction industry, implementation of effective lockout-tagout programs, and verification of energy isolation, can prevent approximately 125 fatalities per year in the construction industry.

State of the art on construction automation and robotic system in domestic and foreign construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sung Uk; Seo, Yong Chil; Jung, Seung Ho; Cho, Jai Wan; Choi, Young Soo

2007-08-01

In this report, we review the existing concept of construction automation and also survey the state of the art on construction automation and robotic system in domestic and foreign construction industry. On the basis of the result of review and survey, we want to suggest an applicable robotic technology to construction industry and points to be duly considered for activating construction automation. We investigate the state of the art on construction automation and robotic system in domestic and foreign construction industry and also applicable area and direction of domestic construction automation and robotic system. We hope that construction automation and robotic technology, which are improved rapidly nowadays, can contribute to the growth of construction industry

Physicochemical study of parameters for the production of mortar using industrial waste and construction; Estudo de parametros fisicoquimicos para a producao de argamassas utilizando residuos industriais e da construcao civil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferreira, K.C.; Goncalves, S.G. e; Souza, J. A. da S.; Felipe, A.M.P.F., E-mail: keyllafcastro@yahoo.com.br [Universidade Federal do Para (UFPA), PA (Brazil)

2014-07-01

The mortars can be considered as a mixture of the binders and aggregates with water, having capacity of the induration and adherence. Instead, it is suggested the production of mortars using civil construction waste, with plenty silicoaluminate, obtained in demolitions and reforms of build, and fly ash as material pozzolana, obtained of the combustion of mineral coal in fluidized bed boilers, in partial replacement of Portland cement. The civil construction wastes were benefited and characterized by X-ray spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. The fly ash was characterized by granulometric analyze and X-ray spectrometry. The mortars of the were prepared using the following compositions of RCC, 95, 90, 85, 80, 75 and 70%; CV of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% e 5% of Portland CP II Z 32 cement. In all the compositions were put 0,8% of water and the rheological testing was used the same proportions residue (RCC e CV) with 35% water. The specimens were cured for 28 days and after were submitted physical trials of absorption, porosity and bulk density; mechanical trials of resistance to compression and analysis of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results obtained show that the recycling of civil construction waste and the use of fly ash and RCC is a promising technique in production of mortars. (author)

World atlas of nuclear industry: civil and military; Atlas mondial du nucleaire: Civil et militaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexandre, Nicolas

2011-07-01

Todays, with the energy supplies and global warming concerns, nuclear energy in making a come-back, witness the numerous nuclear programs launched or re-launched in the US, in Europe, China and India. In parallel, on the military side, the deterrence strategy remains in the center of security politics of big powers. This atlas takes stock of the overall issues linked with the nuclear technology: production, civil applications (power generation, medicine etc..), military usages (naval propulsion, weapons). It answers the main questions of this complex world, often dominated by secrecy: who does what in the nuclear domain in France? Is an accident, like the Chernobyl's one, possible today in Europe? What solutions for radioactive wastes? Do we take risks when we export our reactor technologies to Middle-East countries? Are we at the dawn of a new arms rush? What do international agreements foresee in this domain? Taking into account the costs, the hazards and the advantages of nuclear industry, the atlas shows that it is possible to establish solid technical and legal barriers between its civil and military sides. (J.S.)

Occupational accidents: a perspective of pakistan construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, T.H.; Khahro, S.H.; Memon, F.A.

2014-01-01

It has been observed that the construction industry is one of the notorious industry having higher rate of facilities and injuries. Resulting in higher financial losses and work hour losses, which are normally faced by this industry due to occupational accidents. Construction industry has the highest occupational accidents rate recorded throughout the world after agriculture industry. The construction work site is often a busy place having an incredibly high account of activities taking place, where everyone is moving in frenzy having particular task assigned. In such an environment, occupational accidents do occur. This paper gives information about different types of occupational accidents and their causes in the construction industry of Pakistan. A survey has been carried out to identify the types of occupational accidents often occur at construction site. The impact of each occupational accident has also been identified. The input from the different stakeholders involved on the work site was analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight) method. The findings of this research show that fall from elevation, electrocution from building power and snake bite are the frequent occupational accidents occur within the work site where as fall from elevation, struck by, snake bite and electrocution from faulty tool are the occupational accident with high impact within the construction industry of Pakistan. The results also shows the final ranking of the accidents based on higher frequency and higher impact. Poor Management, Human Element and Poor Site Condition are found as the root causes leading to such occupational accidents. Hence, this paper identify that what type of occupational accidents occur at the work place in construction industry of pakistan, in order to develop the corrective actions which should be adequate enough to prevent the re-occurrence of such accidents at work site. (author)

Technical change in US industry: A cross-industry analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, R. R. (Editor)

1981-01-01

The nature of the public policies which have influenced the pace and pattern of technical progress in a number of American industries is studied with the view of assessing the broad effects of these policies. The industries studied are agriculture, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, computers, civil aircraft, automobiles and residential construction. The policies considered include research and development funding as well as government procurement, education, information dissemination, patent protection, licensing, regulations, and anti-trust policies.

Construction industry accidents in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Camino López, Miguel A; Ritzel, Dale O; Fontaneda, Ignacio; González Alcantara, Oscar J

2008-01-01

This paper analyzed industrial accidents that take place on construction sites and their severity. Eighteen variables were studied. We analyzed the influence of each of these with respect to the severity and fatality of the accident. This descriptive analysis was grounded in 1,630,452 accidents, representing the total number of accidents suffered by workers in the construction sector in Spain over the period 1990-2000. It was shown that age, type of contract, time of accident, length of service in the company, company size, day of the week, and the remainder of the variables under analysis influenced the seriousness of the accident. IMPACT ON INJURY PREVENTION: The results obtained show that different training was needed, depending on the severity of accidents, for different age, length of service in the company, organization of work, and time when workers work. The research provides an insight to the likely causes of construction injuries in Spain. As a result of the analysis, industries and governmental agencies in Spain can start to provide appropriate strategies and training to the construction workers.

The image of the construction industry and its employment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Peer reviewed and revised November. 2016. Abstract. As the construction industry does not seem to .... in order to survive or reduce costs, construction companies had ... the Construction Industry Development Board Act with promoting.

The role of leaders' paradigm in construction industry change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pries, Frens; Doree, Andries G.; van der Veen, Bas; van der Veen, Bas; Vrijhoef, Ruben

2004-01-01

As in other industries, firms in the construction industry need to become more client- and market-oriented. In the last decade, several initiatives have been taken to change the construction industry in that direction. The changes, however, seem to be slower than other industries and less

Occupational Accidents: A Perspective of Pakistan Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tauha Hussain Ali

2014-07-01

Full Text Available It has been observed that the construction industry is one of the notorious industry having higher rate of fatalities and injuries. Resulting in higher financial losses and work hour losses, which are normally faced by this industry due to occuptional accidents. Construction industry has the highest occupational accidents rate recorded throughout the world after agriculture industry. The construction work site is often a busy place having an incredibly high account of activities taking place, where everyone is moving in frenzy having particular task assigned. In such an environment, occupational accidents do occur. This paper gives information about different types of occupational accidents & their causes in the construction industry of Pakistan. A survey has been carried out to identify the types of occupational accidents often occur at construction site. The impact of each occupational accident has also been identified. The input from the different stakeholders involved on the work site was analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight method. The findings of this research show that ?fall from elevation, electrocution from building power and snake bite? are the frequent occupational accidents occur within the work site where as ?fall from elevation, struck by, snake bite and electrocution from faulty tool? are the occupational accident with high impact within the construction industry of Pakistan. The results also shows the final ranking of the accidents based on higher frequency and higher impact. Poor Management, Human Element and Poor Site Condition are found as the root causes leading to such occupational accidents. Hence, this paper

SPECIFICITY IN DEVELOPMENT OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. S. Golubova

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Specificity in development of construction industry of the Republic of Belarus determines  character of competition on the construction market, forms a pricing, marketing and product policy of building companies. Construction represents itself as a highly developed complex where interaction of business entities is of rather complicated multilateral character.

The Attitude of Civil Engineering Students towards Health and Safety Risk Management: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, A. K.; Reynolds, J. H.; Ng, L. W. T.

2008-01-01

The highest rate of accidents and injuries in British industries has been reported by the construction industry during the past decade. Since then stakeholders have recognised that a possible solution would be to inculcate a good attitude towards health and safety risk management in undergraduate civil engineering students and construction…

Evaluation of IT in the Danish Construction Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Jan Lambrecht

1999-01-01

How are companies in the Danish construction industry identifying the value achieved by investing in and using information technology (IT)? This question has become more important and is the subject of this paper.The construction industry has characteristics which may have some influence on how...... companies manage (and evaluate) their IT systems and what their requirements are. With the aim of identifying the sophistication of IT evaluation a questionnaire has been sent to 648 Danish companies in the construction industry. Primarily findings in the area of IT strategy and evaluation of IT systems...... are presented in this paper. The findings are compared with other related surveys and some comparisons will be made between these.The analysis of the survey indicates in general that the evaluation of IT is unsophisticated and insufficient in the construction industry. These indications are, however, found...

Evaluation of IT in the Danish Construction Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Jan Lambrecht

1999-01-01

This report presents data on how companies from the Danish construction industry evaluate new IT investments and their existing IT systems.A questionnaire has therefore been sent to 648 Danish companies in the construction industry in order collect and analyse data on the current sophistication...... of IT evaluation practice.The analysis of the survey indicates in general that the evaluation of IT is unsophisticated and insufficient in the Danish construction industry. Several companies in the survey conduct evaluation of some IT investments, but often using informal procedures. However very few companies do...

Achieving Supply Chain Integration within Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter McDermotti

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The main driver behind the adoption of supply chain management (SCM philosophy into the construction industry was the successes within other industry sectors. SCM can be defined as network of different organisations, linked upstream and downstream in a chain, aiming to produce quality and value in the services and products for the end consumers through integrated processes and activities. In order to achieve the optimised level of integration of the whole supply chain, the industry has responded in various forms. This paper will discuss different initiatives by the researchers,construction industry,and the UK government in order to achieve optimal level of supply chain integration. This paper will discuss the concept of aggregation,and also look at other supply chain integration related concepts including client-led supply chain, knowledge about the whole supply chain, effects of procurement on integration of supply chain, etc. The paper will give a brief overview and initial findings of a project undertaken by the authors, and also include examples from the UK construction industry on bundling of the supply and demand.

IT-investigation in the building construction industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lars Schiøtt

1995-01-01

An investigation of the level of computing in the Danish construction industry. A quantitative and qualitative level was stated among architects, engineers, building owners, contractors a.o. use of computing......An investigation of the level of computing in the Danish construction industry. A quantitative and qualitative level was stated among architects, engineers, building owners, contractors a.o. use of computing...

Issues confronting women participation in the construction industry

OpenAIRE

Aulin, Radhlinah; Jingmond, Monika

2011-01-01

This paper raises the issues confronting the minority cohort’s participation in the construction industry. Women in construction are seen as the wrong gender to be around for the construction occupations require not only manual dexterity but physical strength. Currently, the industry is employing less than 10% of the female in the workforce with even lower participation in crafts and trade. This paper discussed about the current women participation in construction focusing on the European Uni...

Reuse of harbour sediments in the Greenlandic construction industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Belmonte, Louise Josefine; Kirkelund, Gunvor Marie; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate possibilities of using harbour sediments from the Greenlandic harbours as substitutes in the Greenlandic construction industry, mainly for concrete production and road construction. Materials for use in the Greenlandic construction industry are shipped...

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES IN VICTORIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA

OpenAIRE

M. Asad, Abdurrahman

2010-01-01

The construction industry has one of the highest injury ratios of all Australian industries. Individuals employed on the construction industries find themselves confronted with dangerous and life-threatening work conditions. However, it appears that the trend in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) performance of construction industry has improved consistently compared with the other industries. The enforcement of OHS law and regulation, and the outcome of authority function to assist and pro...

Developing a strategic perspective for construction industry of Botswana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Ssegawa

2013-09-01

Full Text Available 800x600 The paper discusses the outcome of a study conducted to formulate the strategic perspective of the construction industry in Botswana. The study was sanctioned by the two influential entities namely the Ministry of Infrastructure and BOCCIM Construction Sector. The two entities not only represent the demand and supply side of the construction industry but also represent key professions, trades and interests of the industry. A focus group approach was used based on workshops to formulate the strategic perspective. Workshop participants were drawn from various organisations that play a role in the delivery of construction projects. Individually they also represented the various professions, trades, occupations and interests relating to the construction processes in Botswana. Specific statements for industry’s vision, mission, values and goals were formulated through constructive discussions and debates to describe the future desired state of the construction industry. These are to serve as guiding tools for the industry’s reform process. The paper provides a step by step approach that integrates several scholastic frameworks for developing a strategic perspective for the industry. Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE

The Competitive status of the U.S. civil aviation manufacturing industry: a study of the influences of technology in determining international industrial competitive advantage

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Seitz, Frederick; Steele, Lowell W

1985-01-01

... A Study of the Influences of Technology in Determining International Industrial Competitive Advantage Prepared by the U.S. Civil Aviation Manufacturing Industry Panel, Committee on Technology and International Economic and Trade Issues of the Office of the Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Engineering and the Commission on Engineering and Techni...

Approaching safety in the Swedish and Danish construction industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grill, Martin; Grytnes, Regine; Törner, Marianne

2015-01-01

in accidents rates, especially in construction, and as such offer an opportunity to explore organizational and managerial issues related to safety outcomes. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five construction managers and four construction workers in Danish and Swedish construction...... industry. The transcripts were analysed using semantic thematic analysis. Results: Seven safety related themes were distinguished, conveying safety culture differences between Swedish and Danish construction industry concerning: participatory or directive management; challenge or obey; compliance or non...... identifies seven factors perceived by the professionals as related to lower occupational accident rates in the construction industry. Engaging in participatory management, promoting long-term planning and long-term tenures, encouraging cooperation, cautiousness and compliance to rules as well as challenging...

Citizenship in civil society?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ossewaarde, Marinus R.R.

2007-01-01

This article seeks to provide a conceptual framework to complement and guide the empirical analysis of civil society. The core argument is that civil society must be understood, not as a category of (post)industrialized society, but as one of individualized society. Civil society is characterized by

Applying systems engineering in the civil engineering industry : an analysis of systems engineering projects of a Dutch water board

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Graaf, R. S. (Robin); Vromen, R. M.(Rick); Boes, J. (Hans)

2017-01-01

The past decade, practice and literature have shown an increasing interest in Systems Engineering (SE) in the civil engineering industry. The aim of this study is to analyse to what extent SE is applied in six civil engineering SE projects of a Dutch water board. The projects were analysed using a

Allergy-related disorders in the construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Carino, Mauro; Romita, Paolo; Foti, Caterina

2013-01-01

Working conditions in the construction industry have improved in many industrialized countries, but heavy physical work with recurrent exposure to chemical agents, dust, and climatic influences still represents considerable risk for construction workers and may affect their health. The aim of this review is to analyze available data of the literature on allergy-related respiratory and skin disorders with emphasis on a preventive appraisal in order to produce statements and recommendations based on research evidence. The most common agents involved in the construction industry as a cause of occupational asthma (OA) in industrialized countries are isocyanates, wood dust, resins, glues, cobalt, and chromium. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is an immunologic cell-mediated response to a sensitizing agent and the most common sensitizing agents associated with construction workers are epoxy resins, thiurams and thiazoles, and chromates. Medical surveillance must consider individual risk factors such as differences in individual susceptibility and sensitization to agents at workplace. Once work-related disorder is confirmed, adequate fitness for work should be assessed for the worker impaired by health condition. A reliable diagnosis of an index case is a sentinel event that may reveal risks for workers with similar exposure, leading to a revised risk assessment at the workplace that should reduce the risk and prevent further cases.

Benchmarking Sustainability Practices Use throughout Industrial Construction Project Delivery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sungmin Yun

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Despite the efforts for sustainability studies in building and infrastructure construction, the sustainability issues in industrial construction remain understudied. Further, few studies evaluate sustainability and benchmark sustainability issues in industrial construction from a management perspective. This study presents a phase-based benchmarking framework for evaluating sustainability practices use focusing on industrial facilities project. Based on the framework, this study quantifies and assesses sustainability practices use, and further sorts the results by project phase and major project characteristics, including project type, project nature, and project delivery method. The results show that sustainability practices were implemented higher in the construction and startup phases relative to other phases, with a very broad range. An assessment by project type and project nature showed significant differences in sustainability practices use, but no significant difference in practices use by project delivery method. This study contributes to providing a benchmarking method for sustainability practices in industrial facilities projects at the project phase level. This study also discusses and provides an application of phase-based benchmarking for sustainability in industrial construction.

Optimalisation of national industry participation in nuclear power plant construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sriyana

2008-01-01

A study of national industry participation based on recent data has already been conducted. The current industry data is used to estimate the optimum level of national industry participation in nuclear power plant (NPP) construction based on the prior study. The purpose of the study is to give a figure of the optimum level of national industry participation in NPP construction. The scope of the study is the NPP construction project in related to the potency of national industry to participate in the project. The methodology used in the study are literature study, web surfing for industrial data, and on-the-spot industry survey that are potential to participate in NPP construction. In addition to that, discussion with expertise of industrial practitioner was also conducted. The study concludes that (1) based on the recent national industry capability provided and compared to prior similar study, it is estimated that the level of national industry participation in the first NPP construction with the capacity of 1000 MWe PWR is about 40%. (2) to accelerate NPP technology transfer, we need to build a small size NPP. The nuclear island will be developed by BATAN in cooperation with national industry and the non-nuclear island will be developed by national industry. Universities and other academicians should be involved to support and keep the sustainability of man power availability in developing the NPP technology. (author)

Industrial Disputes in the Construction Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.J Perry

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The Cole Royal Commission enquiry into the building and construction (abbreviated to ‘construction’ sector recommended controversial workplace-relation reforms for that sector. The recommended changes are likely to be enshrined in legislation within the year. The Commission drew on analyses of industrial disputes that focused, in the main, on quite recent experience. This paper attempts to give a broader historical perspective on disputes in that sector by considering the pattern of disputes for the entire post-World War II period. Accordingly, data on disputes and employees during the entire period are gathered from Australian Bureau of Statistics current and archived sources. These data are classified according to sector (construction versus non-construction and analysed. It is found that the strike rate has, on average, been greater in the construction sector than in the non-construction sector. However, there have been periods during which disputes in the construction sector have been relatively low. The most recent period was during the period of the Accord (1983-96, during which the strike rate in the construction sector fell relatively strongly. The analysis of this relatively broad historical period draws attention, among other things, to the possibility that the sort of strategies employed during the Accord years – strategies of cooperation and consensus building – may provide a more effective means of bringing industrial peace to the workplace relations scene of the construction sector than policies that are relatively confrontational.

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF INVESTMENT DESIGN IN INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. M. Meylanov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. The development of a set of practical measures in order to improve the quality of investment design in industrial construction.Methods. The basis of research comprises a project management methodology as well as methods for logical and statistical analysis of decisionmaking in investment activities.Results. A mechanism of inclusion of industrial construction objects into the Federal targeted investment programme is revealed. The sequence of the state expert evaluation of investment projects is determined, which optimises the design solutions aimed at minimising their estimated cost if the investment is made with the involvement of the Federal budget. Qualitative and quantitative criteria are systematised for the integrated assessment of the effectiveness of investment fund usage sent to industrial construction objects.Conclusion. The consistent implementation of the state investment policy is aimed at developing the scientific-technological and scientific-industrial potential of industrial construction by providing favourable conditions for effective innovation activity, selecting rational investment strategies and priority projects aimed at solving urgent problems of improving the competitiveness of construction. Successful implementation of the state investment policy in industrial construction largely depends on the effectiveness of investment design, starting from the accuracy of the formulation of the investment plan (idea, in which the interests of all participants in investment activities are concentrated and taken into account, and to the development of an agreed set of actions to complete the project. A unified register covering the data on the cost and results of investment projects is proposed to be created with the purpose of facilitating decision-making in the process of allocation of the Federal budget funds, planning of state capital investments and approval of project documentation for new industrial construction

Civil design aspects for nuclear fuel cycle facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhalerao, Sandip; Subramanyam, P.; Sharma, Sudin; Bhargava, Kapilesh; Agarwal, Kailash; Rao, D.A.S.; Roy, Amitava; Basu, S.

2015-01-01

The civil design requirements of safety related nuclear structures are much more stringent and conservative as compared to that for conventional and industrial structures. Due to the importance of safety and desired reliability in the civil design of nuclear structures, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) have provided various safety guides for their safe design. There has been advancement in theoretical and experimental knowledge pertaining to the design, construction, installation, maintenance, testing and inspection of structures, systems, and components (SSCs) of nuclear power plants (NPPs), such that, their quality and reliability is commensurate with safety functions. The well established procedures are available in the form of different codes, standards, guidelines and well proven research work for NPPs. However, such procedures are somewhat limited in nature for design of civil structures in nuclear fuel cycle facilities (NFCF), and till date no separate codes or standards have been published by regulatory authorities in India that cover civil design aspects for NFCF. Hence, design of civil structures of NFCF in India is performed by using different national and international standards, and the recommendations provided by BARC Safety Council (BSC). Present paper focuses civil design aspects for NFCF in India. (author)

Safety risk assessment for vertical concrete formwork activities in civil engineering construction.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Arquillos, Antonio; Rubio-Romero, Juan Carlos; Gibb, Alistair G F; Gambatese, John A

2014-01-01

The construction sector has one of the worst occupational health and safety records in Europe. Of all construction tasks, formwork activities are associated with a high frequency of accidents and injuries. This paper presents an investigation of the activities and related safety risks present in vertical formwork for in-situ concrete construction in the civil engineering sector. Using the methodology of staticized groups, twelve activities and ten safety risks were identified and validated by experts. Every safety risk identified in this manner was quantified for each activity using binary methodology according to the frequency and severity scales developed in prior research. A panel of experts was selected according to the relevant literature on staticized groups. The results obtained show that the activities with the highest risk in vertical formwork tasks are: Plumbing and leveling of forms, cutting of material, handling materials with cranes, and climbing or descending ladders. The most dangerous health and safety risks detected were falls from height, cutting and overexertion. The research findings provide construction practitioners with further evidence of the hazardous activities associated with concrete formwork construction and a starting point for targeting worker health and safety programmes.

Research on carbon emission driving factors of China’s provincial construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Mei; Dong, Rui; Fu, Yujie; Hao, Wentao

2018-03-01

As a pillar industry of the national economy, the damage to the environment by construction industry can not be ignored. In the context of low carbon development, identifying the main driving factors for the carbon emission of the provincial construction industry are the key for the local government to formulate the development strategy for construction. In the paper, based on the Kaya factor decomposition method, the carbon intensity of the energy structure, energy intensity and the impact of the construction output on the carbon emission of provincial construction industry are studied, and relevant suggestions for low carbon development of provincial construction industry are proposed. The conclusion of this paper provides a theoretical basis for the early realization of low-carbon development in China’s provincial construction industry.

Corruption and internal fraud in the Turkish construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunduz, Murat; Önder, Oytun

2013-06-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding about the internal fraud and corruption problem in the Turkish construction industry. The reasons behind the internal fraud and corruption problem as well as the types of prevention methods were investigated; and as a result various recommendations were made. To this end, a risk awareness questionnaire was used to understand the behavioral patterns of the construction industry, and to clarify possible proactive and reactive measures against internal fraud and corruption. The type of fraud experienced by Turkish construction companies was also surveyed in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to 89 firms; and depending on the collected data, certain recommendations for construction industry professionals were provided.

Urinary lithiasis in civil construction workers as a management indicator for health and improvement in personnel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Ribeiro Nogueira Ferraz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Empirical information provided by health care professionals acting in the first line of care report a constant increase in the number of civil construction workers that present painful acute conditions, in most cases associated with the existence of urinary tract calculi. Aims: Evaluating the prevalence of urinary lithiasis in civil construction workers, as a means to identify indicators for the management of health and personnel. Methods: Observational study based on directed questionnaire. Results: From the 94 participants, 18 (19% were lithiasic, mostly due to overweight and reduced fluid intake. Conclusion: The observed prevalence appeared to be two times greater than that of the general population. Thus, prevention for such condition gains relevance, in order to avoid discomfort for the worker, and also reduce costs due to absenteeism, improving productivity, benefiting the workers by performance and creating the perspective of an improved quality of life.

Sustainable Construction Industry Development and Green Buildings: A Case of Latvia

Science.gov (United States)

Kauskale, L.; Geipele, I.; Zeltins, N.; Vanags, J.

2018-02-01

Nowadays, more and more attention is being paid to the country's economy, construction industry and real estate market's sustainable development and to the studies related to these issues. The aim of the research is to analyse significant aspects of sustainable development of construction activities and real estate market, with particular focus on environmental aspects of construction or the role of green buildings. The research includes an integrated approach of construction industry analysis and analysis of real estate operations area. Scientific and practical solutions and recommendations will enable the industry participants to be introduced to the main sustainable aspects of construction industry development, which, in their turn, can improve the overall performance of the industry in the long term.

Giat Industries selected for construction of the "Very Large Telescope"

Science.gov (United States)

1995-06-01

Versailles-Satory (France) May 31, 1995 - Giat Industries has just obtained a contract from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for the construction of the primary and tertiary mirror supports and the positioning apparatus of the world's largest optical telescope. This contract, worth almost 140 million francs, represents over 100,000 hours of work. It was won by Gitech, a division of Giat Industries, in collaboration with the Sfim group, following an international competition between the largest European groups in the space field. Gitech is charged with the development of civil and military industrial equipment for the Giat Industries group, in particular in high technology fields. The VLT (Very Large Telescope) will be installed in Chile before the year 2000; the delivery schedule provides for reception of the first assembly in May 1997. It will consist of four telescopes of 8.2m diameter, providing, in its most powerful configuration, a close-up view of an object measuring one meter on the surface of the moon. The cell, built by Gitech, is one of the key parts of the telescope. It mainly consists of a very rigid metal structure and an electro-hydraulic system of more that 200 hydraulic jacks and 150 electrically-controlled jacks linking the metallic structure to the mirror. This structure, produced to an original design of laser-welded steel chambers, weighs less than 10 tonnes and will support over 37 tonnes of mirror and equipment, while guaranteeing precise positioning to within a micron. The electro-hydraulic jack system, manufactured in collaboration with the Sfim group, will support and position the mirror, and correct its geometry by applying a precise distribution of forces to its rear. The assembly is designed to meet the requirements of para-seismic safety. Gitech is also producing the computerised control system to ensure the operation and the reliability of the assembly.

Supply chain bottlenecks in the South African construction industry: Qualitative insights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poobalan Pillay

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background: The construction industry in South Africa has a lot of potential but its performance is still restricted by numerous internal and external challenges. Unless these challenges are identified and understood better, further growth of this industry is likely to be hindered, which has negative economic implications for the South African economy. Objectives: This study investigated supply chain bottlenecks faced by the construction industry in South Africa. It also discussed solutions for addressing the identified bottlenecks in order to facilitate the continued development of supply chain management in the construction industry. Method: The study used a qualitative approach in which in-depth interviews were held with purposively selected senior managers drawn from the construction industry in South Africa. Content analysis using ATLAS.ti software was employed to identify the themes from the collected data. Findings: The findings of the study showed that supply chain management in the construction industry in South Africa is constrained by five major bottlenecks: skills and qualifications, procurement practices and systems, supply chain integration, supply chain relationships and the structure of the construction industry. Recommendations for addressing each of these five challenges were put forward. Conclusion: The study concludes that both awareness and application of supply chain management in the construction industry in South Africa remains inhibited, which creates opportunities for further improvements in this area to realise the full potential of the industry.

Partnering in the Construction Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ditlev Bohnstedt, Kristian; Bejder, Erik; Haugbølle, Kim

2013-01-01

Huge efforts have been made in order to stimulate thorough improvements in the construction industry in terms of value for money, feasibility and consistency when facilitating a partnering approach. Despite this attention there is limited documentation on the development of research trends, thus...

Civil defence abroad. Pt. 3: The Warsaw Pact countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schirrmeister, K.G.; Hofmann, H.

1988-01-01

Civil defence forms part of the national defence of the G.D.R., and belongs since 1976 to the responsibility of the Defence Ministry. Civil defence service is equal to military service. Civil defence services are organised on a territorial basis and a production-oriented basis: Double concept. Construction of shelters is propagated for 30 years now, maintenance of existing buildings is an obligation since 1965. Principles (triage) of military medical service are applied, and are valid for students and post-graduate medical training. Civil defence training is required in school and industry. Civil defence expenditure is increasing, although there is little acceptance by the population. The issue presents extensive documentation. - Civil defence in the Soviet Union covers services in times of peace and of war. Defence measures are prepared and held up to date in the entire territory. The civil defence service belongs to the responsibility of the Council of Ministers, and the deputy minister of defence is the head of services. The training schedules and principles are laid down by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the government, and local party organisations and governmental authorities. Civil defence training is a general obligation for all citizens over 8 years of age. The main goal is: Protection of the population as the production force, of the economy, and resources. (orig.) [de

CIVIL ENGINEERS' ROLES IN PUBLIC WORKS

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Teruaki

Recently, the public interests are becoming high in the way of executing public works and the future direction of infrastructure development, which raises nation-wide discussion on these issues. How should we make our country's growth strategy for sustainable development? How should we realize the grand design of infrastructure needed for the implementation of such a strategy? It is obvious that further discussions are needed for these challenging questions. With an aim to promote such discussions, this paper reviews the history of public works and the professional practices (or accomplishments) of our great civil engineers, and discusses the future of public works and the roles of civil engineers based on their origin. Further, in this paper, the author, as the chairman of the Public Works Committee of Japan Civil Engineering Contractors Association, introduces the Association's proposal of "realization of an attractive construction industry." However, for its realization, sustainable institutional arrangements under social consensus are indispensable. Also, individual engineer must establish his/her own identity based on sense of social ethics. It is the author's hope that, through these journals, the professional practices of civil engineers will be widely known to the public with objective logics and discussed to achieve social consensus.

Sustainable Construction Industry Development and Green Buildings: A Case of Latvia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kauskale L.

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, more and more attention is being paid to the country's economy, construction industry and real estate market's sustainable development and to the studies related to these issues. The aim of the research is to analyse significant aspects of sustainable development of construction activities and real estate market, with particular focus on environmental aspects of construction or the role of green buildings. The research includes an integrated approach of construction industry analysis and analysis of real estate operations area. Scientific and practical solutions and recommendations will enable the industry participants to be introduced to the main sustainable aspects of construction industry development, which, in their turn, can improve the overall performance of the industry in the long term.

Prefabricated Construction using Digitally Integrated Industrial Manufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harry Giles

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The paper describes research being carried out in relation to prefabricated high density affordablehousing under a grant from the Partnership for the Advancement of Technology in Housing(PATH and the National Science Foundation (NSF in the USA. The objective is to demonstratehow a new paradigm for the conceptualization and construction of buildings can be conceivedof as an entirely factory based process that creates advantages for construction through industrialsystems technology transfer. Our approach is intended to transform design methodologythrough demonstrating how alternative construction concepts, using entirely pre-manufacturedvolumetric units, can be adopted. This involves digital modeling that facilitates parametric variationsfor creating customized prefabricated products from design conceptualization through tofinal product delivery. The paper discusses key areas under investigation in relation to a manufacturingparadigm used in the automotive industry that integrates virtual prototyping and industrialmanufacturing systems. Our research explores a type of monocoque volumetric unit prefabricatedin steel, which will be pre-finished as part of a modular factory-built approach usingindustrialized methodologies that will facilitate customized manufacture of a high quality energyefficient product for affordable housing.The paper addresses the automotive industry methods of manufacture that have served increasedautomobile performance and economics through mass production for over a century. In starkcontrast, the building industry and in particular the housing industry is still a century behind. It issuggested that a move away from tradition will require an industry wide initiative, just like HenryFord led the way with mass production. By embracing the increasing sophistication and capabilitythat digital technology offers, it is shown how digital tools are implemented towards masscustomization in house design using virtual modeling in the

Including the people with disabilities at work: a case study of the job of bricklayer in civil construction in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, L B; Barkokébas Junior, B; Guimarães, B M

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the results of the evaluation of the job of bricklayer in the construction industry to determine the profile of workers with disabilities who could perform this function and what adjustments are needed. The methods and techniques used in the field study were: direct observation of the activities and the environment, interviews with bricklayers on building sites, a video and photographic record of tasks being carried out to analyze the job of bricklayer, software resources were used. This study set out the disabilities most commonly caused by work accidents in the civil construction industry and simulated the conditions of the individuals to determine whether they could perform the activities of this function and what adaptations are needed. It was observed that workers with hearing impairments could perform activities without any change in the workplace and individuals who had had a leg or foot amputated need to use appropriate prostheses to perform the activities of the function. Thus, it was shown that the activity of professionals with experience in Ergonomics is essential since, by the activity of gathering data and analysing the physical, cognitive and organizational requirements of jobs and by collecting data on and analysing the functional capabilities of the worker with a disability, adaptations to jobs can be adequately defined.

Causes of defects in the South African housing construction industry ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Martyn le Roux, Department of Quantity Surveying, P.O. Box 77000, Nelson Mandela ... in South Africa. There is a shortage of skilled people in the South. African construction industry; local and international companies within the construction industry are joining ..... observation of construction of any new home or building.

ISO in the Construction and Manufacturing Companies: A Case Study from the Construction Industry of Hyderabad and Karachi, Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Nafees Ahmed Memon; Qazi Muhammad Moinuddin Abro; Zubair Ahmed Memon

2011-01-01

Construction industry plays very important role in development of any country. The development of construction industry depends to a larger extent on quality of construction productions and projects. Quality of construction productions and projects is linked with the implementation of QMS (Quality Management System) in construction organizations. ISO certification is one of the QMS which has been adopted in manufacturing and construction industry at the global level. The constr...

Innovation in the Danish Construction Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonke, Sten; Bang, Henrik; Clausen, Lennie

This report is concerned with public policy instruments, how they are used and to which degree they enhance innovativeness in the Danish construction sector.The report is written as a Danish response to the first of three thematic questions raised in CIB Task Group 35 on innovation systems...... in construction. The three themes are:A. Which current public policy instruments facilitate innovation in construction?B. What is the role of knowledge brokers in the innovation process?C. How does the client-industry interface influence innovation?...

A Report on the Industry: Construction

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Conway, Hugh; Dunn, Colin; Khalil, Gary

2004-01-01

.... national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A healthy construction industry creates jobs, fuels the economy, enhances the quality of life for Americans, and is an essential component of national security...

Asbestos Standard for the Construction Industry

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1995-01-01

.... In the construction industry, asbestos is found in installed products such as shingles, floor tiles, cement pipe and sheet, roofing felts, insulation, ceiling tiles, fire-resistant drywall, and acoustical products...

Accelerating nano-technological innovation in the Danish construction industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Christian; Stissing Jensen, Jens

2007-01-01

. The institutional features of the system are furthermore poorly equipped at identifying potentials within high-tech areas. In order to exploit the potentials of nano-technology it is thus argued that an alternative TIS needs to be established. Initiatives should identify and support "incubation rooms" or marked......  By viewing the construction industry as a technological innovation system (TIS) this paper discusses possible initiatives to accelerate nanotechnological innovations. The point of departure is a recent report on the application of nano-technology in the Danish construction industry, which...... concludes that opportunities are generally poorly appreciated by the industry and research communities alike. It is found that the construction industry is characterised by low-tech trajectories where dedicated innovation networks are often too fragile for innovations to stabilize and diffuse...

Optimization and control methods in industrial engineering and construction

CERN Document Server

Wang, Xiangyu

2014-01-01

This book presents recent advances in optimization and control methods with applications to industrial engineering and construction management. It consists of 15 chapters authored by recognized experts in a variety of fields including control and operation research, industrial engineering, and project management. Topics include numerical methods in unconstrained optimization, robust optimal control problems, set splitting problems, optimum confidence interval analysis, a monitoring networks optimization survey, distributed fault detection, nonferrous industrial optimization approaches, neural networks in traffic flows, economic scheduling of CCHP systems, a project scheduling optimization survey, lean and agile construction project management, practical construction projects in Hong Kong, dynamic project management, production control in PC4P, and target contracts optimization.   The book offers a valuable reference work for scientists, engineers, researchers and practitioners in industrial engineering and c...

ENABLING KNOWLEDGE FLOW: RETAINING GRADUATE WOMEN IN THE SINGAPORE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florence Yean Yng Ling

2008-12-01

Full Text Available As extensive resources are expanded in transferring knowledge from universities to undergraduates, it is important for them to enter the workforce upon graduation to enable the knowledge to flow to the industry. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which knowledge flow is disrupted because graduate women are not entering the Singapore construction industry to ensure its sustainable growth. This study used a structured questionnaire, with data collected from 116 construction-trained graduate women via postal survey. Results show that 58% of them chose not to enter or are considering leaving the construction industry. The disruption in knowledge flow is due to better prospects in other industries (pull factor and poor job conditions within the construction industry (push factor. To retain graduate women in the construction industry, it is recommended that employers: introduce flexible work schedule; allow graduate women to work from home; and give them the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Civil engineering work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cousyn, Rene; Goubin, Jean.

1977-01-01

Although it does not require a specifically new technicality, the Civil Engineering site of a nuclear power plant is a complex work. Considering as an example the power plant currently in construction at Tricastin, the authors describe the main Civil Engineering work and task organization applied to carry it out [fr

Developing a fatigue questionnaire for Chinese civil aviation pilots.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Jing; Luo, Min; Hu, Wendong; Ma, Jin; Wen, Zhihong

2018-03-23

To assess the fatigue risk is an important challenge in improving flight safety in aviation industry. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive fatigue risk management indicators system and a fatigue questionnaire for Chinese civil aviation pilots. Participants included 74 (all males) civil aviation pilots. They finished the questionnaire in 20 minutes before a flight mission. The estimation of internal consistency with Cronbach's α and Student's t test as well as Pearson's correlation analysis were the main statistical methods. The results revealed that the fatigue questionnaire had acceptable internal consistency reliability and construct validity; there were significant differences on fatigue scores between international and domestic flight pilots. And some international flight pilots, who had taken medications as a sleep aid, had worse sleep quality than those had not. The long-endurance flight across time zones caused significant differences in circadian rhythm. The fatigue questionnaire can be used to measure Chinese civil aviation pilots' fatigue, which provided a reference for fatigue risk management system to civil aviation pilots.

Prefabrication in Building Construction: A Perspective of Pakistan Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nafees Ahmed Memon

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Construction industry is facing many problems in terms of construction waste, quality, environment, durability, safety and higher construction cost. Adoption of prefabrication is a possible solution to such problems. Accordingly, there is a need to study the prospects that would stimulate the appropriate discussion of the suitability of prefabrication and other construction methods for concrete buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the significance of advantages in adopting prefabrication along with hindrances through questionnaire survey. The data has been analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight method as a MCDM approach. The results depict that main advantages of prefabrication are ?Shorter construction time? and ?Less construction site waste?. The top hindrances in adopting prefabrication as identified in this study are: ?Higher initial construction cost? and ?Inflexible for design changes?. Based on the survey results and apparent progress in the adoption of prefabrication around the world, it is concluded that the use of prefabrication is likely to increase in developing countries like Pakistan

Prefabrication in building construction: a perspective of pakistan construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memon, N.A.; Memon, F.A.; Khehro, S.H.

2014-01-01

Construction industry is facing many problems in terms of construction waste, quality, environment, durability, safety and higher construction cost. Adoption of prefabrication is a possible solution to such problems. Accordingly, there is a need to study the prospects that would stimulate the appropriate discussion of the suitability of prefabrication and other construction methods for concrete buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the significance of advantages in adopting prefabrication along with hindrances through questionnaire survey. The data has been analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight) method as a MCDM approach. The results depict that main advantages of prefabrication are Shorter construction time and Less construction site waste. The top hindrances in adopting prefabrication as identified in this study are: Higher initial construction cost and Inflexible for design changes. Based on the survey results and apparent progress in the adoption of prefabrication around the world, it is concluded that the use of prefabrication is likely to increase in developing countries like Pakistan. (author)

Facilitating Industrial Placement in the Construction Engineering Curriculum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wandahl, Søren; Ussing, Lene Faber

2016-01-01

outset in the hypothesis that external effectiveness (industry readiness) is better in those modes of education that, at least in part, are based on the world of work itself, and several sources highlight the necessity of strong links between engineering education and industry. Hence, it becomes central......There is often a claim that there is a disconnection between theory and practice, which raises questions on student’s readiness for employment and the extent that higher education responds effectively to the evolving needs of the construction industry. Industrial placements schemes can facilitate...... student learning from construction practice whereby students can reflect on their learning experience at the university. The interplay between traditional engineering curriculum and the context-based learning is important for securing the right skills and competencies among the graduates. This paper takes...

The impact of labour productivity on the Swedish construction industries

OpenAIRE

Forsberg, Azam

2007-01-01

There have been debates concerning what can be done about the current low labour productivity in the Swedish construction industries. High production cost in the construction industries has been a burning issue for a long time. On the other hand, process industries and organisations have taken the advantage of labour productivity measurement to reduce their production cost and eliminate non value-added activities. The purpose of this paper is to examine, why and how the process industries and...

On civil engineering disasters and their mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Lili; Qu, Zhe

2018-01-01

Civil engineering works such as buildings and infrastructure are the carriers of human civilization. They are, however, also the origins of various types of disasters, which are referred to in this paper as civil engineering disasters. This paper presents the concept of civil engineering disasters, their characteristics, classification, causes, and mitigation technologies. Civil engineering disasters are caused primarily by civil engineering defects, which are usually attributed to improper selection of construction site, hazard assessment, design and construction, occupancy, and maintenance. From this viewpoint, many so-called natural disasters such as earthquakes, strong winds, floods, landslides, and debris flows are substantially due to civil engineering defects rather than the actual natural hazards. Civil engineering disasters occur frequently and globally and are the most closely related to human beings among all disasters. This paper emphasizes that such disasters can be mitigated mainly through civil engineering measures, and outlines the related objectives and scientific and technological challenges.

The construction industry takes up the gauntlet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Elsebet Frydendal

2005-01-01

focus on health and safety, including attempts to reduce the high risks of accidents in the industry has also been adressed. This paper questions whether these activities are enough and presents an ongoing reseach project that illustrates the need for innovation from a more holistic, normative......Public and political dissadisfaction with the Danish construction industry in terms of low productivity, high prices and poor qualiyt has lead the industry to a stage where new methods and new innovative measures are needed. The industry, supported by the government, has engaged in a range...

The Significance of Barriers to Entry in the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerard de Valence

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This research looks at the significance of barriers that firms considering entry into the construction industry might face. Drawing on the microeconomic characteristics of imperfectly competitive and oligopolistic markets the analysis finds that there are a dozen barriers to entry that affect the industry, but their significance depends on the product type. The discussion covers the question of product homogeneity in construction and evidence for the existence of barriers to entry in concentration levels. Barriers to entry specific to construction are then identified, which leads to an analysis of how they operate and their significance (high, medium or low in different market types, thus increasing our understanding of construction industry dynamics.

Research on the use of Ferro-Chrome slag in civil engineering applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Jabri Khalifa S.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Over recent decades there has been rapid increase in the industrial waste materials and by-products yields due to the progressive growth rate of population, development of industry and technology and the growth of consumerism. With the growing environmental pressures to reduce waste and pollution, Intensive research studies have been conducted to explore all suitable reuse methods. Wastes such as construction waste, blast furnace, steel slag, coal fly ash and bottom ash have been approved in many places as alternative materials in bridges, roads, pavements, foundations and building construction. The use of industrial solid waste as a partial replacement of raw materials in construction activities not only saves landfill space but also reduces the demand for extraction of natural raw materials. Ferrochrome slag is a by-product from the production of chrome. There are environmental and economic advantages in seeing slags as a potentially useful resource rather than as waste products. Slag management at ferrochrome producing companies has been influenced by the limited space available and financial cost implications of the slag dumps. Internationally, e.g. South Africa, India, Norway, Turkey, East Europe, China, Sweden and USA, ferrochrome slag is used commercially in the road and construction Industries. This material is being used for road construction, as aggregates in concrete industry, brick manufacturing, and in pavement construction as engineering fill and has recently been tried in cement. This paper presents an overview of the recent advances of the use of ferrochrome slag in various civil engineering applications such as road construction, and cement and concrete industries.

Towards Implementation of Green Technology in Sabah Construction Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Azland Jainudin, Noor; Jugah, Ivy; Nasrizal Awang Ali, Awang; Tawie, Rudy

2017-12-01

The construction industry in Sabah is one of the major roles for development of social, economic infrastructures and buildings in generating wealth to the state besides the tourism sector. The increasing number of construction projects particularly in the rapid developing city of Kota Kinabalu, green technology as a whole is becoming more significant as it helps to develop effective solutions to encounter global environmental issues. The objective of the research is to identify the awareness and implementation of green technology in construction industry in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The methodology of the research is through distributing the questionnaire to the contractors, developers, consultants, architects and state government agencies to the area in Kota Kinabalu only. The questionnaires had been analysed to find out the mean value. 100 questionnaires distributed to the respondents but merely 85 questionnaires collected have been analysed. Based on the findings, 83.5% organisations were aware with the concept of green technology in construction project. In terms of the implementation only 64.7% had been implemented in their organizations. More than 50% from the major players such as contractors, consultants, developers, architects and state government agencies were aware based on six green technology concepts in their organizations. As a conclusion, the awareness towards green policy concept in construction industry is very satisfied. Meanwhile, in terms of implementation need to be increased the number of organizations to be involved in green technology in construction industry.

An assessment of drug testing within the construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, Jonathan K; Yacoubian, George S

2002-01-01

Drug testing in the workplace has gone from virtual nonexistence to widespread employer acceptance during the past two decades. This growth is particularly significant for the construction industry. High rates of alcohol and other drug use, coupled with the high-risk, safety-sensitive nature of the industry, have prompted the development of a variety of drug surveillance and prevention strategies. Despite this growing vigilance, no scholarly works have examined the impact of drug-related policies in the construction industry. To address this limitation, we investigate the efficacy of workplace drug-testing programs in reducing injury incident rates and workers' compensation experience-rating modification factors (MODs) within the construction industry. Analyses indicate that companies with drug-testing programs experienced a 51 percent reduction in incident rates within two years of implementation. Moreover, companies that drug test their employees experienced a significant reduction in their MODs. Policy implications are discussed in light of the current findings.

National industry and the constraints for participating in NPP construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sriyana; Moch Djoko Birmano

2012-01-01

Readiness of nuclear power construction benchmarks is the extent to which the infrastructure's has been prepared. One aspect that needs to be prepared is the national industry involvement. How far the industry is ready and will be involved in future development. Nuclear power development planning is a long-term planning, so, it is necessary to analyze about the supporting items and also the constraints. The purpose of this paper is to parse what about the constraints of national industry to participate in the construction of nuclear power plants. The method are a literature study, data collection of industry capability and industry experience, as well as discussion with industry practitioners. From the above data and analysis can be concluded that the constraints faced by the national industry in participating for NPP construction are: (1) Government policy is unclear, (2) The potential for the industrial market which needs to be guaranteed, (3) The policy horizon just for short-term interests only, (4) Lack of the big manufacturer that was taken action as another industries driver, (5) The competitiveness which still need to continue enhanced, (6) Industry players that only profit-oriented and do not take sides on enhancing of the national capability. (author)

Implementation of building information modeling in Malaysian construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Memon, Aftab Hameed; Rahman, Ismail Abdul; Harman, Nur Melly Edora

2014-10-01

This study has assessed the implementation level of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry of Malaysia. It also investigated several computer software packages facilitating BIM and challenges affecting its implementation. Data collection for this study was carried out using questionnaire survey among the construction practitioners. 95 completed forms of questionnaire received against 150 distributed questionnaire sets from consultant, contractor and client organizations were analyzed statistically. Analysis findings indicated that the level of implementation of BIM in the construction industry of Malaysia is very low. Average index method employed to assess the effectiveness of various software packages of BIM highlighted that Bentley construction, AutoCAD and ArchiCAD are three most popular and effective software packages. Major challenges to BIM implementation are it requires enhanced collaboration, add work to a designer, interoperability and needs enhanced collaboration. For improving the level of implementing BIM in Malaysian industry, it is recommended that a flexible training program of BIM for all practitioners must be created.

Experience in applying quality assurance to civil construction work on the Heysham site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wise, D.L.

1985-01-01

A comparison of the civil construction works experience on Heysham I nuclear power plant with that of Heysham II following the introduction of a quality system provided on insight into the benefits resulting from quality assurance. These included: improved administration, better identification of responsibility and improved communications, improved pre-planning, better records, and greater control over activities with Suppliers and Sub-contractors. For Heysham II the full benefits of quality assurance were realised by integrating it into the management system and through the practical understanding achieved with the Client. (U.K.)

Labour Productivity in the New Zealand Construction Industry: A Thorough Investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John E Tookey

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Productivity growth is strongly correlated to economic growth and increases in welfare. This fact also holds true at the industry level and is particularly true in the NZ construction industry, since productivity growth in this sector may have significant effects on the affordability of housing in the country. In recent years construction in NZ has been subjected to a series of reports that have either highlighted ‘failure’ to grow productivity or have exhorted the industry to improve its ‘poor performance’.  However thus far little by way of analysis has gone into the productivity figures that have been quoted, nor has much been done to explain and justify if or why these figures are correct or incorrect.This research seeks to deconstruct construction productivity figures in NZ and explain the patterns over recent years of ‘poor performance’ in comparison with other industries.  As such it will examine the nature of the NZ construction industry and analyse the historic statistics related to its labour productivity. This will provide an overall understanding of the sector as well as those extraneous factors that may have significant influences on the NZ construction sector.The research found that while factors influencing inputs of labour productivity measure such as labour and material costs remained stable, factors impacting the corresponding outputs such as house and land prices, value of work in Non-residential and Infrastructure construction grew significantly between 1997 and 2007. Given the positive skewing effect of standard economic indicators (inflation etc on construction labour productivity figures, the relatively poor performance of construction is worrying for the industry. The paper concludes by demonstrating labour productivity in construction is significantly worse performing than previously suspected.

RESOURCE SAVING IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WITH HIGHWAY BRANCH AS EXAMPLE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Roudensky

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Consumption of energy is an objective (independent on cost fluctuations technical efficiency criterion of any construction or repair work. Highway/road (particularly bituminous pavement sector is an important construction industry part. Bituminous road pavement construction consists of such components as excavation and preparation of basic materials, manufacture of mixes, ready mix laying/compacting and transportation of all materials. Average energy consumption for every bituminous pavement construction component is assessed. Approach to resource and energy saving presented in the article may be used in construction industry to develop and implement innovativetechnical and organizational solutions both of general application and for individual projects.

Physicochemical study of parameters for the production of mortar using industrial waste and construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, K.C.; Goncalves, S.G. e; Souza, J. A. da S.; Felipe, A.M.P.F.

2014-01-01

The mortars can be considered as a mixture of the binders and aggregates with water, having capacity of the induration and adherence. Instead, it is suggested the production of mortars using civil construction waste, with plenty silicoaluminate, obtained in demolitions and reforms of build, and fly ash as material pozzolana, obtained of the combustion of mineral coal in fluidized bed boilers, in partial replacement of Portland cement. The civil construction wastes were benefited and characterized by X-ray spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. The fly ash was characterized by granulometric analyze and X-ray spectrometry. The mortars of the were prepared using the following compositions of RCC, 95, 90, 85, 80, 75 and 70%; CV of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% e 5% of Portland CP II Z 32 cement. In all the compositions were put 0,8% of water and the rheological testing was used the same proportions residue (RCC e CV) with 35% water. The specimens were cured for 28 days and after were submitted physical trials of absorption, porosity and bulk density; mechanical trials of resistance to compression and analysis of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results obtained show that the recycling of civil construction waste and the use of fly ash and RCC is a promising technique in production of mortars. (author)

perceptions of undergraduate construction students on industrial

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

Keywords: Industrial training, perception, construction graduates, Ghana. INTRODUCTION .... higher educational institutions to continue to strengthen its links ... the profile of the respondents; ... the teaching departments in the placement of.

Risk management in the construction industry: a new literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renault Berenger Y.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The construction industry is well known as a highly risk prone industry owing to the complexity of its activities and dynamic project environments generating an atmosphere of risks that must be taken into consideration in the decision process. For this reason, we have developed this treatise to elucidate the fundamentals of risk management through a concise new proposal of literature review for risk management in construction. Our explanation of this is venture is that over the years, this area has been acknowledged as a crucial process in the business institutions and the most discussed subject among experts and researchers in the construction sector. We have tried in this report to present the most recent studies considering the impossibility to present all definitions of the concept of risk. This study is mainly a literature review; it looks at the literature relating to the concept of risk, risk management in construction as well as methods used in construction industry.

Study of reuse drill cuttings as aggregate in the civil construction industry; Estudo para reaproveitamento do cascalho de perfuracao como agregado na industria da construcao civil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neder, L.T.C. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Exploracao e Producao. Seguranca, Meio Ambiente e Saude; Santos, E.; Bezerra, M.T.A.; Farias, J.G.; Felizardo, A.; Santos, A.S.; Ribeiro, J.C. [PETROBRAS, Natal/Fortaleza, RN/CE (Brazil). Unidade de Negocio; Curti, R.; Suto, A.J. [Associacao Brasileira de Cimento Portland, Jaguare, SP (Brazil)

2004-07-01

This study was conducted to verify technical feasibility in reusing drill cuttings originated in oil and gas exploration and production to produce concrete or mortar elements. It consisted of physical and chemical characterization of all items used to build field-cured cement samples - drill cuttings, cement and used aggregates; evaluation of resistance; environmental behavior and classification of the resultant materials. The results had demonstrated the reuse of drill cuttings is possible from both technical and environmental perspective and the ratio of concrete or mortar can be customized according to physical and mechanical needs of end products. In the civil construction elements can be built and used as road basis, ground-cement base, blocks and bricks and other non-structural elements. The application of these elements in E and P operations include containment walls for onshore wells, collecting stations, pipeline brackets, supports and hold-down anchors as well as road pavement and access. From the standpoint of chemical safety, the resultant elements made-up from drill cuttings had demonstrated no potential risk for hydrocarbon leaching (TPH), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH's), Volatile Organic Compounds (BTEX), Phenols nor Metals. From these results many improvements in the E and P waste management can be established, bringing both economy and greater environment protection measures for the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production operations. (author)

Industry 4.0 Concept Introduction into Construction SMEs

Science.gov (United States)

Nowotarski, Piotr; Paslawski, Jerzy

2017-10-01

The article presents a general idea of Industry 4.0 concept with the introduction presenting descriptions of the most important aspects in terms of production and construction industry development. The importance of the SME sector is stressed showing that this group of companies plays significant role in the European economy. The main objective of the article is to define and show possible research areas connected with the introduction of Industry 4.0 concept into SMEs with the main focus on the construction sector. For this purpose, an analysis was made, based on the most recent literature, to point out actual needs in the SMEs sector in terms of its evolution into 4.0 level. What is more, the analysis was performed based on the most popular articles published in journals available in Thomson Reuters Web of Science Core Collection database regarding Industry 4.0 concept in the last decade showing the actual change of interest in this filed, taking into account possibility of usage of this concept in the construction and production sector. Authors tried to describe current knowledge regarding Industry 4.0 introduction for SMEs. Performed analysis showed that there is a wide spectrum of disciplines that are affected by the Industry 4.0 that needs to be examined considering introduction into SMEs. Study also showed that multidiscipline approach was not investigated so far to create special rules, procedures and methods and know-how designed for introduction of main principles of Industry 4.0 in the SME sector. Authors came to the conclusions that there should be more stress put into research in this field especially taking into account the huge potential which lies in SME sector in terms of global economic strength.

A Study of the potency of construction service industries to support the first nuclear power plant construction in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dharu Dewi; Sriyana

2008-01-01

The study was conducted to identify the potency of construction service industries to participate in nuclear power plant program in Indonesia. The potency is identified by evaluation results of national industries potency in some multinational construction service industries. The research methodology chosen was the survey method by sending questionnaires, visits to National industries, interview, and literature study. The data collection technique was sampling purposive. Data can be obtained from both primary and secondary data. The study results showed that the performance of construction service industries to support the NPP program must be increased through the selection of competent human resources, reliable equipment and an effective and efficient project management system, so that they can be expected to play necessary role in the nuclear power plant construction in Indonesia. (author)

Sustainable development and construction industry in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suliman L. Kh. M.

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Sustainable construction is a way for the building and infrastructure industry to move towards achieving sustainable development, taking into account environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues. Differing approaches and differing economic markets lead to different priorities. This paper presents the construction scenario of Malaysia and the developments in sustainable construction taking place in this country. Barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction are discussed. A list of recommendation was proposed to drive sustainable construction in this country. In conclusion, the status of sustainable construction in Malaysia is still in its infancy. The lack of awareness, training and education, ineffective procurement systems, existing public policies and regulatory frameworks are among the major barriers for sustainable construction in Malaysia. Besides the needs for capacities, technologies and tools, total and ardent commitment by all players in the construction sectors including the governments and the public atlarge are required in order to achieve sustainable construction in Malaysia.

Construction mediation and its hybridization: the case of the Hong Kong construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ng Pui-Lam

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In view of the sophisticated nature of construction disputes, specialized dispute resolution mechanisms are of pivotal importance to the satisfactory settlement between disputing parties. Among the various construction dispute resolution mechanisms, mediation has been increasingly gaining recognition and acceptance. Its hybrid, namely mediation-arbitration (med-arb, has also emerged and has started receiving attention and appreciation. With special reference to the construction industry practice in Hong Kong, a commentary on the respective merits and demerits of construction mediation and construction med-arb, as well as the ways forward, are presented in this article.

Mitigating delay and non-payment in the Malaysian construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamad, N.; Suman, A. S.; Harun, H.; Hashim, H.

2018-02-01

Construction industry is one of the industries that have contributed towards the rapid growth of development and economics in Malaysia. However, the industry is inundated with delay and non-payment issues between the two parties in contract that is the clients and contractors Even though there are contractual and administrative provisions in the standard forms of contract in Malaysia regarding payments, delay and non-payment issues still occur between them. The aim of the study is to develop measures to mitigate delay and non-payment issues between contractors and clients in the Malaysian construction industry. Questionnaire survey was conducted with clients and contractors in Klang Valley. Results from data analysis identified significant measures to mitigate delay and non-payment issues between contractors and clients which include contractors should submit their progress work invoicing with adequate documents; contractors should follow up constantly with client regarding payment; proper understanding of requirements with regards to payment; mutual discussion of problems with client to address problems in a timely manner and proper use of payment provisions in the standard form of contract. This study is significant to contractors and clients and to other construction players in order to reduce and minimise delay and non-payment issues for the growth of economy in the Malaysian construction industry.

Cooperating internationally. US/Japan Civil Industrial Technologies (CIT) Arrangement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-01

The Civil Industrial Technologies (CIT) Arrangement was signed in July 1994 between governments of the US and Japan. Areas of research range from scientific and technical databases and bioprocessing to precompetitive processing of functionally-gradient materials and ceramics. Papers presented in this symposium include studies on thin polymer films generated by vapor deposition polymerization, development of manufacturing technique of fusing 3D C/C composite materials, measurement and analysis for high performance computing systems, low-cost fabrication of ceramic components, bioprocessing, data exchange for mass spectral databases, development of high performance aluminum nitride ceramics, precompetitive processing of functionally-gradient materials, purity determination of organic reference materials, definitive methods traceable to SI unit, development of biocompatible artificial hard tissue materials, development of photoassisted catalysis technologies, surface analysis for catalysts by electron spectroscopy, development of ultra-solid lubricant with cluster diamond, precise determination of impurities in high-purity rare-earth metals, and highly accurate acceleration measurement system. 22 refs., 86 figs., 3 tabs.

Recycled industrial and construction waste for mutual beneficial use.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-01

Instead of going to landfills, certain waste materials from industry and building construction can be recycled in transportation infrastructure projects, such as roadway paving. The beneficial use of waste materials in the construction of transportat...

HIV infection in the South African construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowen, Paul; Govender, Rajen; Edwards, Peter; Lake, Antony

2018-06-01

South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalences in the world, and compared with other sectors of the national economy, the construction industry is disproportionately adversely affected. Using data collected nationally from more than 57,000 construction workers, HIV infection among South African construction workers was estimated, together with an assessment of the association between worker HIV serostatus and worker characteristics of gender, age, nature of employment, occupation, and HIV testing history. The HIV infection of construction workers was estimated to be lower than that found in a smaller 2008 sample. All worker characteristics are significantly associated with HIV serostatus. In terms of most at-risk categories: females are more at risk of HIV infection than males; workers in the 30-49 year old age group are more at risk than other age groups; workers employed on a less permanent basis are more at risk; as are workers not having recently tested for HIV. Among occupations in the construction industry, general workers, artisans, and operator/drivers are those most at risk. Besides yielding more up-to-date estimated infection statistics, this research also identifies vulnerable sub-groups as valuable pointers for more targeted workplace interventions by construction firms.

The Dutch Construction Industry: An Overview and Its Use of Performance Information

OpenAIRE

Van de Rijt, J.; Hompes, M.; Santema, S.C.

2010-01-01

This paper gives an overview of the Dutch Construction industry and elaborates further on its use of performance information. After giving an overview of the Dutch construction industry depicting size, major contractors, growth, profitability, value added, costs, productivity, this section is concluded by giving future predictions of the industry for the following years. A summary is given of the 2002 Dutch construction collusion as a means to give explanations for the persistent use of procu...

THE APPLICATION OF THE JUST-IN-TIME PHILOSOPHY IN THE CHINESE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Low Sui Pheng

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The Just-in-Time (JIT philosophy originated from the Toyota Production System (TPS and has been used in the manufacturing industry for many decades. It has helped to increase the productivity of the industry and has also increased the quality of its products. In recent years, numerous studies in developed countries have endeavoured to introduce JIT in the construction industry to reap similar benefits. This study focused on applying JIT to the Chinese construction industry with the goal of improving its performance and thus its competitiveness. This paper discusses the current state of the Chinese construction industry; presents the potential impediments to implementing JIT; and proposes a framework for JIT implementation in the areas of design, procurement, construction and inspection. The results of this study suggest that government and educational institutions should play a key role in spearheading the application of JIT in the construction industry in China.

Traumatic brain injuries in the construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Colantonio, Angela; McVittie, Doug; Lewko, John; Yin, Junlang

2009-10-01

This study analyses factors associated with work-related traumatic brain injury (TBI), specifically in the construction industry in Ontario, Canada. This cross-sectional study utilized data extracted from the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) records indicating concussion/intracranial injury that resulted in days off work in 2004-2005. Analyses of 218 TBI cases revealed that falls were the most common cause of injury, followed by being struck by or against an object. Mechanisms of injury and the temporal profile of injury also varied by age. For instance, a significantly higher proportion of injuries occurred in the mornings for young workers compared to older workers. The results of this study provide important information for prevention of TBI which suggest important age-specific strategies for workers in the construction industry.

ISO in the Construction and Manufacturing Companies: A Case Study from the Construction Industry of Hyderabad and Karachi, Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nafees Ahmed Memon

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Construction industry plays very important role in development of any country. The development of construction industry depends to a larger extent on quality of construction productions and projects. Quality of construction productions and projects is linked with the implementation of QMS (Quality Management System in construction organizations. ISO certification is one of the QMS which has been adopted in manufacturing and construction industry at the global level. The construction companies of developing countries have reaped many advantages from the effective implementation of ISO standards. The rate of adoption of ISO standards has remained slow in the construction sector of some developing countries like Pakistan. This paper presents the literature review of ISO in global construction industry. It highlights the advantages, disadvantages and barriers faced by construction companies in the implementation of ISO standards. This study also investigates the level of adoption of ISO standards in construction and manufacturing companies of Pakistan through a questionnaire survey. It presents the comparison of ISO standards\\\\\\' adoption in both construction and manufacturing sectors. The paper puts forward some suggestions and recommendation for the better adoption and improvement of ISO implementation in the construction sector of Pakistan. This study emphasizes that construction companies of Pakistan should learn from the benefits reaped by the construction companies of developed countries and take appropriate measures for implementing ISO standards. It also suggests that public sector clients should make it obligatory for the contractors and consultants to have ISO certification before awarding the works in order to enhance the the adoption of ISO standards in construction sector.

Need of risk management practice amongst bumiputera contractors in Malaysia construction industries

Science.gov (United States)

Syuhada Fadzil, Nur; Noor, Nurazuwa Md; Rahman, Ismail Abdul

2017-11-01

Malaysia construction industry has been growing continuously with double-digit growth for the past two decades. There are many issues surrounded the industry such as delay in delivery, cost overrun, quality and safety. In bumiputera contractor’s context, the literature review found that 32 issues were encountered in the construction project. These issues can be handled properly with the application of risk management. According to previous researchers, application of risk management in Malaysia construction industry is at the low level where it is implemented in traditional ways that are brainstorming and checklist. These were due to lack of knowledge, the high cost of hiring experts and avoiding extra cost. Besides that, this study also intentions to analyse the risk categories in the construction industry as well as identify risk management process to resolve the construction issues. Hence, this paper presents issues engulfed by Bumiputera contractors which can partly be resolved by applying risk management practice in carrying out the construction activity. This may inspire the contractors to apply the risk management practice in ensuring the success of their construction project.

Ranking of Delay Factors for Makkah’s Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Emad Nashwan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents identification of significant delay factors encountered by Makkah’s construction industry using quantitative approach. A structured questionnaire developed based on literature review was verified through pilot study involved selected construction experts. Questionnaire survey was conducted amongst Makkah construction practitioners include contractors, consultants and project management consultancy. The survey managed to collect 100 valid responses which were used to rank the factors using average index approach. Results of the analysis for 10 most significant factors causing construction delay in Makkah construction industry are Difficulties in financing project by contractor, Poor coordination between parties, Shortage of manpower, Delays in producing design documents, Improper planning and scheduling of the project, Delay in progress payments, Low productivity level of labour, Poor communication between parties, Unqualified workforce and Poor contract management. This finding is helpful to Makkah construction’s community particularly projects’ stakeholders in avoiding potential delay for their future projects.

Kaisten exploration well. Civil construction work, environemntal protection and drilling techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1986-02-01

The exploration well at Kaisten was realized as the fifth well within the Nagra Deep Drilling Program in Northern Switzerland. The drilling work was startet February 13, 1984. Having reached the final depth of 1305.8 m on June 27, 1984, the test phase was initiated and completed by May 3, 1985. The well drilled approx. 300 m of sediments and approx. 1000 m of crystalline rock. Oriented cores were taken over the whole length of the well. The present report presents the drilling activities, civil construction work related to the site and precautions taken to account for environmental protection aspects. A chapter dealing with the commission representing members of the federal, cantonal and local authorities and about reporting is given at the end of this report. (author)

Positioning and Priorities of Growth Management in Construction Industrialization: Chinese Firm-Level Empirical Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingxiao Zhang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to quantitatively evaluate the growth phase, position, and priorities of the industrialization policy management of the construction industry at firm level. The goal is to integrate quantitative dynamics into the policy-making process for sustainable policy development in future China. This research proposes an integrated framework, including growth management model and industrial policy evaluation method, to identify the challenges of construction industrialization and policy management. The research applies the mixed system method, which includes entropy method and average score method, to analyze the growth stage and major impact indexes targeting 327 survey samples. The empirical results show that the proposed conceptual framework and policy evaluation method could effectively determine the growth position and directions of the construction industrialization. For verification purpose, the study uses the local industry data from Shaanxi Province, China. The calculation results substantiate that the construction industry is in the middle section of the third growth phase. The comparison of the results from statistical methods shows that the local construction industry still needs substantial effort in policy management to improve its sustainable industrialization level. As countermeasures, the policy priorities should concentrate on: (1 enhancing effective cooperation among universities, research institutions and enterprises; (2 improving actions towards technology transfer into productivity; and (3 encouraging market acceptance of construction industrialization. This research complements the existing literature of policy evaluation of construction industrialization. Moreover, it provides theoretical and operational steps on industry policy evaluation and growth management framework, with accurate and ample data analysis on firm-level survey. Researchers and policy makers can use this research for further

Co-operation an competition in the construction industry of the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doree, Andries G.; Holmen, Elsebeth; Caerteling, Jasper; Greenwood, D

2003-01-01

In 2002, a Parliamentary Enquiry Committee exposed widespread collusion practices in the Dutch construction industry. The construction industry in the Netherlands is in turmoil and is seen as not living up to the standards that society requires. There seems to be a culture and an environment that

Retrofit of containers in civil construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonora Romano

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The solid waste reuse affects all society sectors that have committed to generate the smallest possible impact in the environment. Professionals in the construction industry, from which comes an important part of solid waste, rethink their project decisions about the use of conventional materials, evaluating on a case-by-case costs and benefits of their choices. The recycling or reuse of solid waste in building became a reality and their prudent use a necessity, a fact that enhances the role of academic research involving the subject (Carneiro; CASSA ; BRUM , 2001. Among the materials investigated thoroughly is the container, discard material that can become a problem for the public space and nature, but that is slowly gaining market share due to advantages associated with cost , speed of assembly , durability and reuse residue, or retrofit , which substantially decreases (dis advantages that this type of architecture might suggest, many of them conditioned to merely esthetic analysis (ZOMER , 2009.

Geometric procedures for civil engineers

CERN Document Server

Tonias, Elias C

2016-01-01

This book provides a multitude of geometric constructions usually encountered in civil engineering and surveying practice.  A detailed geometric solution is provided to each construction as well as a step-by-step set of programming instructions for incorporation into a computing system. The volume is comprised of 12 chapters and appendices that may be grouped in three major parts: the first is intended for those who love geometry for its own sake and its evolution through the ages, in general, and, more specifically, with the introduction of the computer. The second section addresses geometric features used in the book and provides support procedures used by the constructions presented. The remaining chapters and the appendices contain the various constructions. The volume is ideal for engineering practitioners in civil and construction engineering and allied areas.

Modularization in the construction industry using a top-down approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kudsk, Anders; Hvam, Lars; Thuesen, Christian

2013-01-01

Throughout the last centuries, the manufacturing industry has experienced great improvements in efficiency and cost reductions, but the same improvements have not taken place in the construction industry. Based on the principles of mass customization that are known from the manufacturing industry...

DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING OF MODULAR PARQUET FLOORING IN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan CISMARU

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The paper submits constructive options and methods to design and manufacture modular parquet flooring, as well as fastening methods in constructions. Likewise, it presents the branches of civil engineering where modular parquet flooring may be turned to profit – industrial buildings, company premises or residential premises. The turn towards the achievement of private constructions, such as individual houses, led to losing control of the modular system applied in defining the inner sizes of the constructions and implicitly to the apparition of dimensional incompatibilities between the parquet flooring and the built spaces. The paper sets out (to solve by an individualized design procedure to achieve modular parquet flooring in industrial system, in correspondence with the sizes of the inner spaces afferent to the constructions.

Urban BIPV in the new residential construction industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elzinga, D.

2008-03-15

This report for the International Energy Agency (IEA) made by Task 10 of the Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS) programme takes a look at urban building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in the new residential construction industry. The mission of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme is to enhance the international collaboration efforts which accelerate the development and deployment of photovoltaic solar energy. The aim of Task 10 is stated as being to enhance the opportunities for wide-scale, solution-oriented application of photovoltaics in the urban environment. The report states that different types of building require different approaches to BIPV due to their associated varying dimensions and geometry. Several solutions are proposed to encourage the adoption and diffusion of BIPV by the new home residential building industry. These are divided into PV industry-based approaches and policy-based solutions. The former include end-customer focused policies, the identification of early adopters, the creation of product solutions that meet the needs of the building industry and standards and that the construction industry must be engaged in the design and planning stage of residential developments. Policy questions discussed include the provision of incentives, a planned approach to the demonstration of BIPV and the development of BIPV-specific policy.

Property and Construction Professions: The Views of Industry Leaders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony Mills

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The role of professionals has changed significantly, and sotoo should the role of professional societies. The future isvery unclear, and it is likely that professional societies willcontinue to change and adapt. But what is their role today;is it to provide leadership, serve their members, or promotetheir professions? These questions were put to a numberof construction industry leaders to seek their views. Thepresidents of three professional institutes and a governmentregulator for the construction industry were approachedand their opinions recorded. Each interviewee was chosenbecause of their leadership role within the property andconstruction industries. Using an informal exploratoryinterview approach each respondent discussed issuesfacing their professional society. The results show thatindemnity insurance, continuing professional development,and public recognition were key concerns.

Innovative quality management practices in the Dutch construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bossink, B.A.G.

2002-01-01

Quality management practices do support the management of strategically important innoυation processes. This conclusion is based on empirical research in the Dutch construction industry. A large-scale innovative construction project is intensively studied during a three-year period. The quality

Lessons learned in the construction industry Extracting collaborative components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bohnstedt, Kristian Ditlev; Rasmussen, Arne P.; Faber, Lene

2017-01-01

Significant literature has been dedicated to research on partnering in construction, and a plethora of underlying theories and industrial practices on partnering application have been reported. The aim is to analyze and summarize the research trend of partnering research from leading construction...

Correlation of Safety Culture Attributes in Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pervez Shaikh

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The importance of construction industry can not be overemphasized because it is one of the biggest contributors toward economic activities of a country. It employs a countable number of workforce and it is prone to accidents, incidents, hazards and disasters, therefore, the safety factor is equally important. The current research explores safety culture in the perspective of its important attributes. The EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management is taken as the bases for finding the ways and means of safety culture improvement of the construction industry. The correlation of pattern of responses is found for every attribute of the safety culture and the interrelationships and strengths are worked out to detect the involvement of the attribute.

Advocating mindset for cooperative partnership for better future of construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Omar, Datuk Wahid

2017-11-01

Construction industry players are known for their low acceptance on the changes. Hence, it is identified that the biggest challenge in the industry is changing the mindset. This paper highlights the importance of transformation in shaping for better future of the industry. Transformation favors innovation and progressive development in the industry and specifically in managing a project. Thus changes in mindset of players with an eye to the future and focus on what is coming are paramount in inculcating the transformation culture in construction eco-system. The key to the success of transformation is the collaborative and cooperative partnering which ensuring the performance of every stage of project delivery. The collaborative, cooperative and concerted effort of all parties involved in the project creates mutual understanding on mission and vision of project. Adopting healthy and harmonious project culture, implementing innovative procurement that emphasis on fair risk sharing should be a working culture. This cooperative partnership should be the future of the project undertaking in the construction industry.

Design and construction of the Portable Industrial X-Ray Equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Phuc; Nguyen Van Si; Le Tien Quan; Trinh Anh Tuan; Nguyen Manh Hung; Trinh Dinh Tuong

2011-01-01

The main purposes of the project are the supporting to design and construction of the Portable Industrial X-Ray Equipment; with the accuracy ±2% of Output High Voltage 200 kV and Tube current 5 mA. The Equipment is composed of control unit, X-ray generator, and power cable, connection cable. X-ray generator is assembling construction X-ray tube, H.V transformer together with gas insulation (SF6) are sealed up in aluminum bucked cabinet, fan and heat-sink are mounted in the end of X-ray generator as cooling, SF6 is a gas electrical performance to H.V. Alarm lamp is used to warn, flashing, show generating X-ray. Control unit is box construction. Four printed circuit boards (PCB) and electronic device are mounted in it. All operating buttons switches and displays are equipped on the panel. We have completed to design and construct the Portable Industrial X-Ray Equipment; and have tested the electronic parameters of all test points and the main parameters of equipment (the accuracy ±2% of Output High Voltage 200 kV and Tube current 5 mA). We also have successful used the Portable Industrial X-Ray Equipment to evaluate the welds in industry. (author)

Civil Engineering Technology Needs Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Oakland Community Coll., Farmington, MI. Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis.

In 1991, a study was conducted by Oakland Community College (OCC) to evaluate the need for a proposed Civil Engineering Technology program. An initial examination of the literature focused on industry needs and the job market for civil engineering technicians. In order to gather information on local area employers' hiring practices and needs, a…

Innovation and sectoral change in construction: The role of the industry paradigm and industry leaders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pries, F.; Vrijhoef, R.

2004-01-01

The construction industry appears to have serious problems to innovate effectively and incorporate innovative knowledge into firms’ businesses, despite the innovation potential and capacities of the industry. In the last decades several initiatives have been taken and many approaches have been

40 CFR 35.925-9 - Civil rights.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Civil rights. 35.925-9 Section 35.925-9... ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act § 35.925-9 Civil rights. That if the... the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and part 7 of this chapter have been met. ...

The Dutch Construction Industry : An Overview and Its Use of Performance Information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van de Rijt, J.; Hompes, M.; Santema, S.C.

2010-01-01

This paper gives an overview of the Dutch Construction industry and elaborates further on its use of performance information. After giving an overview of the Dutch construction industry depicting size, major contractors, growth, profitability, value added, costs, productivity, this section is

Construction and maintenance of underground mine roads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logan, A.S.; Seedsman, R.W. [Coffey Partners International Pty. Ltd. (Australia)

1995-12-31

Good roads are essential in moving men and materials to and from the underground workplace. An underground coal industry funded project was recently completed on underground mine road construction and maintenance. This paper discusses practical approaches to construction and maintenance of underground mine roads using transferable civil technologies and innovative techniques. Mine pavements are generally low-cost (relative to civil roads), constructed to varying standards using locally available materials to best meet the mobility needs of the mine. Performance of pavements is thus largely dependent on the environmental conditions, quality of the available road making materials, maintenance policies and available resources. This paper explains the causes of bad roads in various underground environments. It details available management strategies, construction and water control techniques, road maintenance and vehicle considerations. It concludes that the trend to larger rubber tires mining equipment needs to be matched with construction and maintenance of high quality road surfaces. For large operations, the total cost due to poor roads may equate to in excess of $A1 million per annum. The strategies outlined in this paper provide the basis for construction and maintenance of underground mine roads to help achieve desired production targets. (author). 2 tabs., 4 figs., 7 refs.

A brief review of the construction aggregates market

Science.gov (United States)

Willett, Jason Christopher

2012-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey defines the construction aggregates industry as those companies that mine and process crushed stone and/or construction sand and gravel. Aggregates have been used from the earliest times of our civilization for a variety of purposes - construction being the major use. As construction aggregates, crushed stone and construction sand and gravel are the basic raw materials used to build the foundation for modern society. The widespread use of construction aggregates is the result of their general availability throughout the country and around the world along with their relatively low cost. Although construction aggregates have a low unit value, their widespread use makes them major contributors to, and indicators of, the economic well-being of the nation.

Modeling injury rates as a function of industrialized versus on-site construction techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio-Romero, J C; Suárez-Cebador, M; Abad, Jesús

2014-05-01

It is often predicted that the industrialization of building activities will lead to a reduction of accident rates in the construction sector, particularly as a result of switching activities from building sites to factories. However, to date no scientific research has provided objective quantitative results to back up this claim. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how industrialization affects the accident rate in different industrialized building systems in Spain. Our results revealed that the industrialized steel modular system presents the lowest accident rate, while the highest accident rate was recorded in the construction method with cast-in-place concrete. The lightweight construction system also presents a high accident rate. Accordingly, industrialized building systems cannot claim to be safer than traditional ones. The different types of "on-site work" seem to be the main variable which would explain the accident rates recorded in industrialized construction systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Unidentified Value of IT in the Construction Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Jan Lambrecht

2000-01-01

A questionnaire survey was completed in spring1999 about the evaluation of IT in the Danish construction industry. This paper presents some of the results found in the analysis of the survey. It is found that few companies have a written IT strategy and in those who have, the practicality...... of their IT strategy is generally low. Most IT evaluation is done before the investment is made using primarily oral guidelines and subjective arguments. CAD systems are the most evaluated. In general it is found that the IT evaluations completed by companies in the construction industry are unsophisticated compared...

Worksite element as causes of occupational accidents and illnesses in Malaysian residential construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Hafiidz, J. Mohd; Arifin, K.; Aiyub, K.; Razman, M. R.; Samsurijan, M. S.; Syakir, M. I.

2017-09-01

Construction industry is an important sector that contributes to the development of economy and socioeconomy in Malaysia. It is a vital component in achieving the developed country status. However, fatalities in the Malaysian construction industry are a critical problem. Number of fatalities in this industry is the highest compared to other industries registered in Malaysia under the investigation of Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Worksite element (worksite conditions, poor site management, construction tasks, and equipment & materials) was identified as one category of causes of occupational accidents and illnesses in Malaysian construction industry. The main objective of this study is to understand the perception of local construction personnel in terms of worksite element as causes of occupational accidents and illnesses in Malaysian residential construction industry. 13 housing projects that were registered with Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government and being permitted to perform construction work in 2012 were selected in Pulau Pinang to be studied using questionnaire survey. Worksite condition and poor site management was perceived as the most significant with the mean values of 3.68 and 3.61 respectively.

Environmental and Energy Aspects of Construction Industry and Green Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Kauskale, L.; Geipele, I.; Zeltins, N.; Lecis, I.

2017-04-01

Green building is an important component of sustainable real estate market development, and one of the reasons is that the construction industry consumes a high amount of resources. Energy consumption of construction industry results in greenhouse gas emissions, so green buildings, energy systems, building technologies and other aspects play an important role in sustainable development of real estate market, construction and environmental development. The aim of the research is to analyse environmental aspects of sustainable real estate market development, focusing on importance of green buildings at the industry level and related energy aspects. Literature review, historical, statistical data analysis and logical access methods have been used in the research. The conducted research resulted in high environmental rationale and importance of environment-friendly buildings, and there are many green building benefits during the building life cycle. Future research direction is environmental information process and its models.

Causes of Payment Problems in the New Zealand Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanuja Ramachandra

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Payment delays and losses persist in the construction industry and continue to be a key concern to industry practitioners. Therefore an exploration of the key causes of payment delays and losses is undertaken in this study with the ultimate objective of seeking mitigating solutions. The study adopted a survey approach using an online questionnaire, administered to practitioners from the New Zealand construction industry, comprising consultants, head contractors and subcontractors. The data obtained was analysed using inferential statistical techniques, including comparing means and factor analysis. Factor analysis enabled clustering of the inter-related causes of payment delays and losses in order to find reduced number of causes. Accordingly, the study found that payment problems mainly relate to contractual issues, financial strength of industry players, disputes, short-comings of payment processes and ‘domino effects’. Among them, the financial strength of critical industry players was considered central to payment problems. The study concludes that any solution to these problems must address these primary causes, as a rational starting point. Thus procuring a feasible form of financial security at the outset of a project, and the pre-qualification of the financial status of critical project participants, were found to be significant in the mitigation of construction payment risks. Paper Type: Research article

Establishing a Commercialization Model for Innovative Products in the Residential Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

McCoy, Andrew Patton

2007-01-01

Throughout the world, innovation is viewed as a critical factor in the future health of the construction industry. There is universal interest in successful commercialization of innovative construction products. This thesis focuses on the US construction industry's ability to successfully commercialize innovative products. US small, limited-resource innovators will be key players in this success. Recent failures of entrepreneurial business ventures in the commercialization of such product...

The Nature of Payment Problems in the New Zealand Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanuja Ramachandra

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Delay and loss of payment is a serious problem in the construction industry of many countries. These affect the cash flow of contractors which is critical to meeting their financial obligations. Payment defaults by the principal leads to insolvency of contractors and in turn other parts of the project chain. In recognition of some of these problems, most countries have established payment-specific construction industry legislation and other contractual measures to mitigate the problems, but nevertheless the problem persists. In this context, the paper examines the nature of payment problems in the construction industry in New Zealand. It is part of a larger study, that seeks solutions to payment losses in the construction industry.The study uses two approaches; an analysis of liquidators’ reports, and an analysis of court cases involving payment disputes to determine the magnitude of payment problems on construction parties. The findings are presented using simple descriptive and interpretive analyses. The study finds that trade creditors are impacted negatively (payment delays and losses by the liquidation of property developers, general construction and construction trade companies. 75% of trade creditors are unable to be paid fully by these categories of construction companies after liquidation proceedings. Liquidation proceedings take an average 18 months before they are finalised. The analysis of court cases found that 80% of payment disputes are between principals and contractors; with considerably significant percentage of disputes resulting in outright loss of payments. Only 40% of the cases are successful, in which case claimants are able to fully recover the amount in dispute. Payment losses are more prevalent in liquidation than delays and unlike in legal disputes, there is no security for those losses. The study finds that construction parties use remedies contained in the security of payment provisions within standard conditions

The Nature of Payment Problems in the New Zealand Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanuja Ramachandra

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Delay and loss of payment is a serious problem in the construction industry of many countries. These affect the cash flow of contractors which is critical to meeting their financial obligations. Payment defaults by the principal leads to insolvency of contractors and in turn other parts of the project chain. In recognition of some of these problems, most countries have established payment-specific construction industry legislation and other contractual measures to mitigate the problems, but nevertheless the problem persists. In this context, the paper examines the nature of payment problems in the construction industry in New Zealand. It is part of a larger study, that seeks solutions to payment losses in the construction industry.The study uses two approaches; an analysis of liquidators’ reports, and an analysis of court cases involving payment disputes to determine the magnitude of payment problems on construction parties. The findings are presented using simple descriptive and interpretive analyses. The study finds that trade creditors are impacted negatively (payment delays and losses by the liquidation of property developers, general construction and construction trade companies. 75% of trade creditors are unable to be paid fully by these categories of construction companies after liquidation proceedings. Liquidation proceedings take an average 18 months before they could be finalised. The analysis of court cases found that 80% of payment disputes are between principals and contractors; with considerably significant percentage of disputes resulting in outright loss of payments. Only 40% of the cases are successful, in which case claimants are able to fully recover the amount in dispute. Payment losses are more prevalent in liquidation than delays and unlike in legal disputes, there is no security for those losses. The study finds that construction parties use remedies contained in the security of payment provisions within standard

29 CFR 530.302 - Amounts of civil money penalties.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amounts of civil money penalties. 530.302 Section 530.302... EMPLOYMENT OF HOMEWORKERS IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES Civil Money Penalties § 530.302 Amounts of civil money penalties. (a) A civil money penalty, not to exceed $500 per affected homeworker for any one violation, may...

Predictors for the Success and Survival of Entrepreneurs in the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahidy Abd-Hamid1

2015-05-01

Full Text Available A review of entrepreneurship literature suggests that entrepreneurial activities are the most important drivers for economic growth and corporate success, regardless of size, age or industry. Nevertheless, so far, only a few studies, if any, have considered entrepreneurship as a success factor for construction enterprises, although the importance of the construction industry to the nation’s economic growth is significant. This paper reports a conceptual framework for formulating the success and survival factors of entrepreneurs in the construction industry. It also integrates four major perspectives in entrepreneurship: entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial organization, entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial environment.

System Dynamics Model and Simulation of Employee Work-Family Conflict in the Construction Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Guangdong; Duan, Kaifeng; Zuo, Jian; Yang, Jianlin; Wen, Shiping

2016-01-01

The construction industry is a demanding work environment where employees’ work-family conflict is particularly prominent. This conflict has a significant impact on job and family satisfaction and performance of employees. In order to analyze the dynamic evolution of construction industry employee’s work-family conflict between work and family domains, this paper constructs a bi-directional dynamic model framework of work-family conflict by referring to the relevant literature. Consequently, a system dynamics model of employee’s work-family conflict in the construction industry is established, and a simulation is conducted. The simulation results indicate that construction industry employees experience work interference with family conflict (WIFC) levels which are significantly greater than the family interference with work conflict (FIWC) levels. This study also revealed that improving work flexibility and organizational support can have a positive impact on the satisfaction and performance of construction industry employees from a work and family perspective. Furthermore, improving family support can only significantly improve employee job satisfaction. PMID:27801857

System Dynamics Model and Simulation of Employee Work-Family Conflict in the Construction Industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Guangdong; Duan, Kaifeng; Zuo, Jian; Yang, Jianlin; Wen, Shiping

2016-10-28

The construction industry is a demanding work environment where employees' work-family conflict is particularly prominent. This conflict has a significant impact on job and family satisfaction and performance of employees. In order to analyze the dynamic evolution of construction industry employee's work-family conflict between work and family domains, this paper constructs a bi-directional dynamic model framework of work-family conflict by referring to the relevant literature. Consequently, a system dynamics model of employee's work-family conflict in the construction industry is established, and a simulation is conducted. The simulation results indicate that construction industry employees experience work interference with family conflict (WIFC) levels which are significantly greater than the family interference with work conflict (FIWC) levels. This study also revealed that improving work flexibility and organizational support can have a positive impact on the satisfaction and performance of construction industry employees from a work and family perspective. Furthermore, improving family support can only significantly improve employee job satisfaction.

System Dynamics Model and Simulation of Employee Work-Family Conflict in the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guangdong Wu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The construction industry is a demanding work environment where employees’ work-family conflict is particularly prominent. This conflict has a significant impact on job and family satisfaction and performance of employees. In order to analyze the dynamic evolution of construction industry employee’s work-family conflict between work and family domains, this paper constructs a bi-directional dynamic model framework of work-family conflict by referring to the relevant literature. Consequently, a system dynamics model of employee’s work-family conflict in the construction industry is established, and a simulation is conducted. The simulation results indicate that construction industry employees experience work interference with family conflict (WIFC levels which are significantly greater than the family interference with work conflict (FIWC levels. This study also revealed that improving work flexibility and organizational support can have a positive impact on the satisfaction and performance of construction industry employees from a work and family perspective. Furthermore, improving family support can only significantly improve employee job satisfaction.

[Muskuloskeletal disorders in construction industry: hospital cases].

Science.gov (United States)

Santini, M; Riva, M M; Mosconi, G

2012-01-01

The authors analyse 493 hospital cases in 356 workers from the construction industry, came to observation for musculoskeletal disorders (average age 48, 2 years, SD 9; work seniority 32, 2 years, SD 9, 7; work seniority in construction industry 27, 3 years, SD 12, 4). The evaluation was required in 305 subjects (85.7% of the sample) to investigate one or more suspected WMDS; in 51 subjects (14.3% of the sample) to express an opinion on fitness to work or residual work capacity. Investigations led to diagnosis of 479 musculoskeletal disorders; the districts most affected are spine and upper limb. 64.7% of the musculoskeletal disorders was evaluated to be work-related, the percentage rises to 68% when considering only cases sent for evaluation of suspected WMDS. The most frequent reasons to exclude relation between the musculoskeletal disorders and work were an high age at diagnosis, presence of comorbidity or outcome of trauma, a disease mismatch exposure.

Decision problems in management of construction projects

Science.gov (United States)

Szafranko, E.

2017-10-01

In a construction business, one must oftentimes make decisions during all stages of a building process, from planning a new construction project through its execution to the stage of using a ready structure. As a rule, the decision making process is made more complicated due to certain conditions specific for civil engineering. With such diverse decision situations, it is recommended to apply various decision making support methods. Both, literature and hands-on experience suggest several methods based on analytical and computational procedures, some less and some more complex. This article presents the methods which can be helpful in supporting decision making processes in the management of civil engineering projects. These are multi-criteria methods, such as MCE, AHP or indicator methods. Because the methods have different advantages and disadvantages, whereas decision situations have their own specific nature, a brief summary of the methods alongside some recommendations regarding their practical applications has been given at the end of the paper. The main aim of this article is to review the methods of decision support and their analysis for possible use in the construction industry.

Analysis of Construction Accidents in Turkey and Responsible Parties

OpenAIRE

GÜRCANLI, G. Emre; MÜNGEN, Uğur

2013-01-01

Construction is one of the world’s biggest industry that includes jobs as diverse as building, civil engineering, demolition, renovation, repair and maintenance. Construction workers are exposed to a wide variety of hazards. This study analyzes 1,117 expert witness reports which were submitted to criminal and labour courts. These reports are from all regions of the country and cover the period 1972–2008. Accidents were classified by the consequence of the incident, time and main causes of the...

The development of public and private construction procurement systems in the Malaysian construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mastura Jaafar

2012-12-01

Full Text Available As demand on building construction projects rises, various procurement methods have been adapted to suit with unique project requirements. However, poor industry performance and rapid developments within it indicate the need for a research on the procurement systems in the industry. In order to explore the development of procurement systems in Malaysia, a discussion on different economic phases which influence the routes of procurement systems and its evolution in Malaysia's construction industry is initiated. Subsequently, based on a questionnaire survey collected from 73 public and 68 private parties, the significant and dominant role of traditional procurement system used by both the public and private sectors in Malaysia can be confirmed. Further, compared to the public sector, the private sector is observed to be more aggressive in adapting alternative systems such as design and build (D&B and Turnkey. Further elaboration on the research findings is covered in the discussion section.

The Needs for Professionalism and Competency in the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adebiyi John Oladotun

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The quantity surveyors, in the present day construction industry, analyze cost components of a construction project in a scientific way and applies the results of the analysis to a variety of financial and economic problems confronting the developer and the designer. However, competence, in any sphere of work, can be a difficult concept to pin down, especially, when it relates to professional occupations where such roles are complex and involved diverse professionals in the built environment sector. This paper aims to investigate the competencies of quantity surveyors in the discharge of its professional duties by evaluating the effects of professional competency on quantity surveying practices in Nigeria. The study population comprised professional quantity surveyors who are in the private construction/consulting firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data were obtained to investigate the professional views on the quantity surveying profession, the roles of quantity surveyors in the construction industry and the need for professionalism and competencies in the surveying industry. Questionnaires were administered to randomly select 200 practicing quantity surveyors in Lagos state. Findings revealed that the major role of quantity surveyors in the construction industry is the preparation of the bill of quantity as it ranked 1st with RII value of 1.00; it was also discovered that quantity surveyors were in agreement with client service delivery as the first ethical standard that construction professionals should consider when performing their professional obligations in order to avoid project failure and over-cost. It is therefore recommended that the professional bodies and the academia should organize proper and adequate service trainings, workshops and seminars which will enhance the possibility of acquiring more skills and experience so as to improve competence in the discharge of quantity surveyors professional duties.

The Need for Professionalism and Competencies in the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adebiyi John Oladotun

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The quantity surveyors, in the present day construction industry, analyze cost components of a construction project in a scientific way and applies the results of the analysis to a variety of financial and economic problems confronting the developer and the designer. However, competence, in any sphere of work, can be a difficult concept to pin down, especially, when it relates to professional occupations where such roles are complex and involved diverse professionals in the built environment sector. This paper aims to investigate the competencies of quantity surveyors in the discharge of its professional duties by evaluating the effects of professional competency on quantity surveying practices in Nigeria. The study population comprised professional quantity surveyors who are in the private construction/consulting firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data were obtained to investigate the professional views on the quantity surveying profession, the roles of quantity surveyors in the construction industry and the need for professionalism and competencies in the surveying industry. Questionnaires were administered to randomly select 200 practicing quantity surveyors in Lagos state. Findings revealed that the major role of quantity surveyors in the construction industry is the preparation of the bill of quantity as it ranked 1st with RII value of 1.00; it was also discovered that quantity surveyors were in agreement with client service delivery as the first ethical standard that construction professionals should consider when performing their professional obligations in order to avoid project failure and over-cost. It is therefore recommended that the professional bodies and the academia should organize proper and adequate service trainings, workshops and seminars which will enhance the possibility of acquiring more skills and experience so as to improve competence in the discharge of quantity surveyors professional duties.

Applications of building information model (BIM) in Malaysian construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Tahir, M. M.; Haron, N. A.; Alias, A. H.; Al-Jumaa, A. T.; Muhammad, I. B.; Harun, A. N.

2017-12-01

Since the introduction of BIM in Malaysia in 2009, the technology adoption rate is slow when compared to other countries of the world. Most of the construction companies in Malaysia have an insight on the BIM concept but are yet to implement it in the management of their construction projects. By the year 2020, the Malaysian government will make BIM mandatory, this makes it important to carry out research on the possible applications of the technology. A qualitative method of enquiry was used for this study in Klang Valley using semistructured interview. The responses received were analysed using Principal component analysis (PCA). The result of the analysis showed that “quantity take-off and estimation”, “clash detection and coordination”, “integration and collaboration of stakeholders”, and “design and visualisation” as the main applications of BIM in Malaysia presently. The implication of this findings is that the Malaysian construction industry productivity is likely to increase to meet the demand of the population through the implementations of BIM. More also, BIM technology is regarded as the future of construction industry, which makes it very important for the industry.

VHTR Construction Ripple Effect using Inter-Industry Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, T. H.; Lee, K. Y.; Shin, Y. J.

2015-01-01

As a part of a VHTR economic analysis, we have studied the VHTR construction cost and operation and maintenance cost. However, it is somewhat difficult to expect the exact cost due to insufficient reference data and experience. As a result, we propose quantitative analysis techniques for ripple effects such as the production inducement effect, added value inducement effect, and employment inducement effect for VHTR 600MWt x 4 module construction and operation ripple effect based on NOAK. This paper presents a new method for the ripple effect and preliminary ripple effect consequence. We proposed a ripple effect analysis method using a time series and inter-industry table. As a result, we can predict that a 600MWth x 4 module VHTR reactor construction will bring about a 43771 employment effect, 24160 billion KRW production effect, and 4472 billion added value effect for 22 years. It is necessary to use the sub-account values of an inter-industry table to obtain a more precise effect result. However, the methodology can be applied with minor modification to another reactor type.

VHTR Construction Ripple Effect using Inter-Industry Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, T. H.; Lee, K. Y.; Shin, Y. J. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

As a part of a VHTR economic analysis, we have studied the VHTR construction cost and operation and maintenance cost. However, it is somewhat difficult to expect the exact cost due to insufficient reference data and experience. As a result, we propose quantitative analysis techniques for ripple effects such as the production inducement effect, added value inducement effect, and employment inducement effect for VHTR 600MWt x 4 module construction and operation ripple effect based on NOAK. This paper presents a new method for the ripple effect and preliminary ripple effect consequence. We proposed a ripple effect analysis method using a time series and inter-industry table. As a result, we can predict that a 600MWth x 4 module VHTR reactor construction will bring about a 43771 employment effect, 24160 billion KRW production effect, and 4472 billion added value effect for 22 years. It is necessary to use the sub-account values of an inter-industry table to obtain a more precise effect result. However, the methodology can be applied with minor modification to another reactor type.

Project and Production Management in the Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

Chien-Ho Ko

2012-01-01

In this issue, the Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management (EPPM-Journal) presents five original research papers related to project and production management in the construction industry from authors in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

A multi-agent safety response model in the construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Meliá, José L

2015-01-01

The construction industry is one of the sectors with the highest accident rates and the most serious accidents. A multi-agent safety response approach allows a useful diagnostic tool in order to understand factors affecting risk and accidents. The special features of the construction sector can influence the relationships among safety responses along the model of safety influences. The purpose of this paper is to test a model explaining risk and work-related accidents in the construction industry as a result of the safety responses of the organization, the supervisors, the co-workers and the worker. 374 construction employees belonging to 64 small Spanish construction companies working for two main companies participated in the study. Safety responses were measured using a 45-item Likert-type questionnaire. The structure of the measure was analyzed using factor analysis and the model of effects was tested using a structural equation model. Factor analysis clearly identifies the multi-agent safety dimensions hypothesized. The proposed safety response model of work-related accidents, involving construction specific results, showed a good fit. The multi-agent safety response approach to safety climate is a useful framework for the assessment of organizational and behavioral risks in construction.

Identifying the Critical Factors Affecting Safety Program Performance for Construction Projects within Pakistan Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zubair Ahmed Memon

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Many studies have shown that the construction industry one of the most hazardous industries with its high rates of fatalities and injuries and high financial losses incurred through work related accident. To reduce or overcome the safety issues on construction sites, different safety programs are introduced by construction firms. A questionnaire survey study was conducted to highlight the influence of the Construction Safety Factors on safety program implementation. The input from the questionnaire survey was analyzed by using AIM (Average Index Method and rank correlation test was conducted between different groups of respondents to measure the association between different groups of respondent. The finding of this study highlighted that management support is the critical factor for implementing the safety program on projects. From statistical test, it is concluded that all respondent groups were strongly in the favor of management support factor as CSF (Critical Success Factor. The findings of this study were validated on selected case studies. Results of the case studies will help to know the effect of the factors on implementing safety programs during the execution stage.

Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Dutch Construction Industry

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Rosalinde J.A. Klein Woolthuis

2010-02-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the strategies that sustainable entrepreneurs use to interact with their environment in the Dutch construction industry. The Dutch construction industry is under great pressure to move towards sustainability, and entrepreneurs are believed to be able to play a large role in this transition by introducing new products and new business practices. But how can entrepreneurs prosper in an environment that is not geared up towards such a change? And which strategies do they use to bend conditions in their favor? In this article we make use of the Market and System Failure Framework to analyze the pressures that entrepreneurs are confronted with when introducing sustainable innovations. We recognize that these pressures can be seen as bottlenecks, but that market and system failures can also create entrepreneurial opportunities. We interviewed 16 entrepreneurs in the Dutch construction industry to determine the influences they experienced from their environment and the strategies they use to deal with these. We conclude that we can distinguish between system building and following entrepreneurs, where the former aims to build a new system to challenge the old one, whereas the latter rather makes use of existing structures to build a business. We find that both strategies can be successful and that overall, the entrepreneurs confirm the belief that sustainability on people, planet and transparency aspects, can contribute very well to the long term profitability of the businesses the entrepreneurs are running. These in-depth insights into the influences from the context on the one hand, and the entrepreneurs’ strategic reactions on the other hand, contribute to our understanding of the interactions between entrepreneurs and the system context. This can help us to more effectively stimulate and support innovating entrepreneurs to contribute to the transition towards sustainability.

Barriers to the Uptake of Concurrent Engineering in the Nigerian Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

Aniekwu, Nathaniel Anny; Igboanugo, Anthony C.

2012-01-01

It is the consensus of scholars that the productivity of the construction industry is very low when compared with other industries. Concurrent Engineering (CE), which has a primary goal of reducing the total time from designing a product to releasing it into the market, while creating better designs as well, has been identified as one of the concepts that has yielded effective adaptation in the construction industry. An exploratory survey was used to identify 63 variables with the capacity to...

Reuse of industrial sludge as construction aggregates.

Science.gov (United States)

Tay, J H; Show, K Y; Hong, S Y

2001-01-01

Industrial wastewater sludge and dredged marine clay are high volume wastes that needed enormous space at landfill disposal sites. Due to the limitation of land space, there is an urgent need for alternative disposal methods for these two wastes. This study investigates the possibility of using the industrial sludge in combination with marine clay as construction aggregates. Different proportions of sludge and clay were made into round and angular aggregates. It was found that certain mix proportions could provide aggregates of adequate strength, comparable to that of conventional aggregates. Concrete samples cast from the sludge-clay aggregates yield compressive strengths in the range of 31.0 to 39.0 N/mm2. The results showed that the round aggregates of 100% sludge and the crush aggregates of sludge with up to 20% clay produced concrete of compressive strengths which are superior to that of 38.0 N/mm2 for conventional aggregate. The study indicates that the conversion of high volume wastes into construction materials is a potential option for waste management.

Managing Conflict in The Nigerian Construction Industry: A Study of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study investigated the causes of conflictin the Nigerian construction industry and, the strategies for managing them in terms of resolutions and prevention. A quantitative approach using questionnaire survey was adopted to empirically test the opinions of construction professionals on causes of conflicts and ...

The use of constructed wetlands for the treatment of industrial wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skrzypiecbcef Katarzyna

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Constructed wetlands are characterized by specific conditions enabling simultaneous various physical and biochemical processes. This is the result of specific environment for the growth of microorganisms and hydrophytes (aquatic and semiaquatic plants which are capable of living in aerobic, anaerobic and facultative anaerobic conditions. Their interaction contributes to the intensification of oxidation and reduction responsible for the removal and retention of pollutants. These processes are supported by sorption, sedimentation and assimilation. Thanks to these advantages, treatment wetland systems have been used in communal management for over 50 years. In recent years, thanks to its advantages, low operational costs and high removal efficiency, there is growing interest in the use of constructed wetlands for the treatment or pre-treatment of various types of industrial wastewater. The study analyzes current use of these facilities for the treatment of industrial wastewater in the world. The conditions of use and efficiency of pollutants removal from readily and slowly biodegradable wastewater, with special emphasis on specific and characteristic pollutants of particular industries were presented. The use of subsurface horizontal flow beds for the treatment of industrial wastewater, among others from crude oil processing, paper production, food industry including wineries and distillery, olive oil production and coffee processing was described. In Poland constructed wetlands are used for the treatment of sewage and sludge from milk processing in pilot scale or for dewatering of sewage sludge produced in municipal wastewater treatment plant treating domestic sewage with approximately 40% share of wastewater from dairy and fish industry. In all cases, constructed wetlands provided an appropriate level of treatment and in addition the so-called ecosystem service.

PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT IN RUSSIA IN THE CONDITIONS OF ECONOMIC CRISIS

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Nidziy Elena Nikolaevna

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The construction industry is one of the key fund-creating industries, the formation of the Russian economy greatly depends on it. The construction sector is cyclic, that’s why it has always been sensitive to the tendencies of the national economy. In the contemporary conditions of weak economical climate the construction industry is in a state of sluggish recession. The key indicators exercising restraining influence on the construction complex are analyzed. The author carried out calculations of the prices for residential real estate in the past years. The author’s view on the near-term prospects on the exit from recession state is formulated. From the view of the today’s state and the nearest development prospects, it can be stated that the construction industry is one of the most problematic among the basic economic sectors. Retrieval of the expansion rate of the construction industry is possible in case of the positive changes of general economic state.

Construction of Industrial Ecosystem of an Electric Company under Ecological Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin; Zhang, Yuan; Wu, Han

2018-01-01

Be confronted with more and more fierce competition environment, only by constantly integrating, constructing and restructuring internal and external resources as well as capabilities can enterprises adapt themselves to the rapidly changing environment and maintain the advantages of sustained competition. Business competition has changed from product competition of single enterprise to competition of bussiness ecosystem. Therefore, how to build a business system is the key to win competition. This paper draws lessons from business ecosystem and industrial ecosystem concept and takes the subordinate industry company of a large enterprise as the research object. On the the basis of combing its characteristics and organizational structure, an industrial ecosystem is tired to constructed.

Comparative Study On The Ethical Perceptions Of Contractors And Designers In The China Construction Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Byung Gyoo; Long, Kaiwen; Zhang, Cheng; Li Hao, Jian

2017-12-01

Ethics is becoming one of the most important requirements for successful business in the 21st century. The construction industry cannot be exceptional from this trend. However construction ethics management requires different approaches from other industries, as the products of the industry are construction projects which are completely different from mass production. Contractors and designers are two major participants in construction projects. The roles and responsibilities of these two project stakeholders decisively influence all aspects of construction project. Practically ethical perceptions of contractors and designers are one of main aspects to be considered for the effective and efficient management of ethics for the construction industry. This research has investigated the ethical perceptions of contractors and designers in the China construction industry. A questionnaire survey which contains 15 ethical issues and 6 demographic factors has been conducted. 170 construction professionals from construction companies and consulting companies have been participated in this survey. These 15 ethical issues are ranked in terms of seriousness, frequency and importance for both contractors and designers as a single group to understand the overall perceptions in the industry. The analysis has also been conducted for contractors and designers respectively to make comparisons between them. The top three serious ethical issues in the industry are ‘Bribery and corruption’, ‘Failure to practice whistle-blowing’ and ‘Improper bidding practices’. Contractors and designers showed similar outcomes for the top five important ethical issues. But for the middle ranged ethical issues, they showed some differences. Further researches are required to identify the causes of the similarity and differences.

Impact of Fragmentation Issue in Construction Industry: An Overview

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Mohd Nawi Mohd Nasrun

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In general, fragmentation within the construction industry arises from two areas within the traditional construction process; the construction work process where the most significant division is in the separation of the design and construction phase, and the construction structure itself. The fragmentation process in traditional contracting practice further hinders the integration of construction knowledge among contractors, diminishing the opportunity for them to influence design decisions. When design professionals fail to consider as to how a contractor would construct the designed project results in scheduling problems, delays, and disputes during the construction process. Moving towards team integration is considered a significant strategy for overcoming the issue. Accordingly, this paper discusses the fragmentation issue in more detail including its definition, and causes and effects to the construction projects. It also explores that the team integration strategy alleviates scheduling problems, and helps avoid delays and disputes during the construction process, preventing harm to overall project performance.

Causes of Fatal Accidents Involving Cranes in the Australian Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

Gharaie, Ehsan; Lingard, Helen; Cooke, Tracy

2015-01-01

In ten years from 2004 to 2013, 359 workers died in the Australian construction industry because of work related causes. This paper investigates crane-related fatalities in order to find the upstream causation of such accidents. The National Coroners’ Information System (NCIS) database was searched to identify fatal accidents in the construction industry involving the use of a crane.  The narrative description of the cases provided in the coroners’ findings and associated documents were conte...

Stepwise modularization in the construction industry using a bottom-up approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kudsk, Anders; Grønvold, Martin O'Brien; Olsen, Magnus Holo

2013-01-01

The manufacturing industry has experienced a great deal of improvement in efficiency and cost reductions throughout the last centuries. But although there have been improvements in the manufacturing industry, the principles and work methods in the construction industry have stood still for more t...... than a hundred years. Based on principles of mass customization applied in the manufacturing industry, two cases of successful implementation of mass customization and modularization have been investigated as a means of showcasing the possibility to incorporate standardization in parts...... implemented stepwise. The case shows that substantial benefits can be gained through implementing modularized construction. It is especially interesting to note that these benefits are achieved through the development of a module with focus on the internal interfaces. © Kudsk et al.; Licensee Bentham Open....

Relationship between time management in construction industry and project management performance

Science.gov (United States)

Nasir, Najuwa; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Radzuan, Kamaruddin

2016-08-01

Nowadays, construction industry particularly in Malaysia struggle in achieving status of eminent time management for construction project. Project managers have a great responsibility to keep the project success under time of project completion. However, studies shows that delays especially in Malaysian construction industry still unresolved due to weakness in managing the project. In addition, quality of time management on construction projects is generally poor. Due to the progressively extended delays issue, time performance becomes an important subject to be explored to investigate delay factors. The method of this study is review of literature towards issues in construction industry which affecting time performance of project in general by focusing towards process involved for project management. Based on study, it was found that knowledge, commitment, cooperation are the main criteria as an overall to manage the project into a smooth process during project execution until completion. It can be concluded that, the strength between project manager and team members in these main criteria while conducting the project towards good time performance is highly needed. However, there is lack of establishment towards factors of poor time performance which strongly related with project management. Hence, this study has been conducted to establish factors of poor time performance and its relations with project management.

Civil engineering in power plant technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krolewski, H.

1982-01-01

Guaranteeing our power supplies requires increasingly large, bold or novel construction works (for example, 200 m chimney with installation of stays over a wide area for a wind power plant in Spain; up to 400 m structure height on floating drill rigs). The layman admires the impressiveness with which these demand great ability and responsibility on the part of the civil engineer. The inland power station builder has to concentrate on few spectacular methods of construction or dimensions. The success of the total undertaking is however no less attributable to structural prerequisites. Civil engineering problems have to be displaced by means of static and dynamic problems in order to meet licensing requirements (planning of construction supervision, fire prevention, structure of supply and disposal). (orig.) [de

Applicability of the 'constructional fire prevention for industrial plants' to power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammacher, P.

1978-01-01

Power plants, especially nuclear power plants, are considered because of their high value and large construction volume to be among the most important industrial constructions of our time. They have a very exposed position from the point of view of fire prevention because of their constructional and operational concept. The efforts in the Federal Republic of Germany to standardize laws and regulations for fire prevention in industrial plants (industrial construction code, DIN 18230) must be supported if only because they would simplify the licensing procedure. However these regulations cannot be applied in many cases and especially in the main buildings of thermal power plants without restricting or even endangering the function or the safety of such plants. At the present state of the art many parts of the power plant can surely be defined as 'fire safe'. Fire endangered plant components and rooms are protected according to their importance by different measures (constructional measures, fire-fighting equipments, extractors for flue gases and for heat, fire-brigade of the plant). (orig.) [de

Sustainability issues in civil engineering

CERN Document Server

Saride, Sireesh; Basha, B

2017-01-01

This compilation on sustainability issues in civil engineering comprises contributions from international experts who have been working in the area of sustainability in civil engineering. Many of the contributions have been presented as keynote lectures at the International Conference on Sustainable Civil Infrastructure (ICSCI) held in Hyderabad, India. The book has been divided into core themes of Sustainable Transportation Systems, Sustainable Geosystems, Sustainable Environmental and Water Resources and Sustainable Structural Systems. Use of sustainability principles in engineering has become an important component of the process of design and in this context, design and analysis approaches in civil engineering are being reexamined to incorporate the principles of sustainable designs and construction in practice. Developing economies are on the threshold of rapid infrastructure growth and there is a need to compile the developments in various branches of civil engineering and highlight the issues. It is th...

EFFECTS OF HIGH ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL BRANCHES ON HUMAN LIFE QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENT

OpenAIRE

Özarslan, Doguş Deniz; Cumbul Altay, Melek; Arabaci, Aliye; Altay, H. Fatih; Sivri, Nüket

2012-01-01

Importance of industrialization which has a role in determination of the civilization levels of societies is increasing everyday due to meet rapidly increasing demands. However this process has led up to environmental problems with time and thus effects on quality of human life also brought along. In this study, three sectors were selected among different branches of industry according to their economical importance in Turkey. These sectors are paper, metal and construction chemicals industry...

Methodology of ecooriented assessment of constructive schemes of cast in-situ RC framework in civil engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Avilova, I. P.; Krutilova, M. O.

2018-01-01

Economic growth is the main determinant of the trend to increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Therefore, the reduction of emission and stabilization of GHG levels in the atmosphere become an urgent task to avoid the worst predicted consequences of climate change. GHG emissions in construction industry take a significant part of industrial GHG emission and are expected to consistently increase. The problem could be successfully solved with a help of both economical and organizational restrictions, based on enhanced algorithms of calculation and amercement of environmental harm in building industry. This study aims to quantify of GHG emission caused by different constructive schemes of RC framework in concrete casting. The result shows that proposed methodology allows to make a comparative analysis of alternative projects in residential housing, taking into account an environmental damage, caused by construction process. The study was carried out in the framework of the Program of flagship university development on the base of Belgorod State Technological University named after V.G. Shoukhov

The institutionalization of benchmarking in the Danish construction industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Grane Mikael Gregaard; Gottlieb, Stefan Christoffer

, the chapter accounts for the data collection methods used to conduct the empirical data collection and the appertaining choices that are made, based on the account for analyzing institutionalization processes. The analysis unfolds over seven chapters, starting with an exposition of the political foundation...... and disseminated to the construction industry. The fourth chapter demonstrates how benchmarking was concretized into a benchmarking system and articulated to address several political focus areas for the construction industry. BEC accordingly became a political arena where many local perspectives and strategic...... emerged as actors expressed diverse political interests in the institutionalization of benchmarking. The political struggles accounted for in chapter five constituted a powerful political pressure and called for transformations of the institutionalization in order for benchmarking to attain institutional...

Simple, Complex, Innovative : Design Education at Civil Engineering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Nederveen, G.A.; Soons, F.A.M.; Suddle, S.I.; De Ridder, H.

2011-01-01

In faculties such as Civil Engineering, design is a not a core activity. Core activities at Civil Engineering are structural engineering, structural analysis, mechanics, fluid dynamics, etc. Design education has a relatively small share in the curriculum, compared to faculties such as Industrial

Occupational Health Hazards of Women Working in Brick Kiln and Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. G Vaidya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: In brick kiln and construction industry the exposure to carbon monoxide and silica dust is the most common occupational hazard to the workers in these industries. A study on occupational health hazards of working women in these two unorganized sectors was undertaken by Lokmanya Medical Research Centre. Objectives: To study the effect of work site environment on the health of the women working in brick kiln and construction industry. An attempt was also made to study the seasonal changes in the concentration of carbon monoxide and dust at the worksite. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the working women (age 18-40 years at brick kilns and construction sites during summer and winter season. They were examined primarily to assess the effect of working environment on health. Gasteck Detector Pump of model 800 and air sampling instrument (SKC Air Check–52 were used to measure concentration of carbon monoxide and dust in the air respectively. Results: There were 66% of women who were in the age group of 18-40 years and most of them (94% were married. At brick kiln sites, average CO exposure was 62.8 ppm and 55.5 ppm and average dust exposure was 3 3 146.1 mg/m and 91.4 mg/m in summer and winter season respectively.At construction sites, average dust exposure was 41.5 ppm and 90.8 ppm in summer and winter. Conclusion: Both exposure to CO and dust were more in summer than in winter in brick kiln industry whereas in construction industry the exposure to dust was more in winter season. A high level of morbidity in the form of headache, bodyache, problems with vision, cough and breathlessness were observed in both industries. It is strongly recommended to take pollution control measures.

Construction Safety And Health Factors At The Industry Level: The Case Of Singapore

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Y.J. Cheah

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries due to the unique nature of its products and the processes involved. Recent occurrences of highly publicized construction site accidents in Singapore have highlighted the immediate needs for the local industry to address safety and attention at the industry level. The objective of this paper is to examine issues and critical factors affecting S&H standards in Singapore. Clearly, collective efforts should be pursued at the industry level as the country moves towards the ultimate safety management strategy of self-regulation. The findings also indicate that the challenge of making worksites safe should not be placed solely on the contractors but should be shared by all parties affecting the value chain of construction, including the developers, the consultants and the government. The factors identified through factor analysis may inform legislators and industry practitioners in terms of the sources of problems and help develop effective strategies for improvement. Some of the experiences mentioned in the paper could also be relevant to other countries facing similar circumstances.

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE BARRIERS FACING BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNICS WITHIN THE UK CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vian Ahmed

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The UK construction industry is one of the largest employers, positioned as the country’s top employer with over two million employees and projected to continue growth as far as 2011. However, it is facing ongoing skills shortages in a number of professional areas and tends to lack an ethnic diversity of workers compared to the White community of workers across the whole economy. The government’s Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force shows that for any given level of qualification, a Black or ethnic minority person is less likely to be employed, than a similarly qualified White person. Current research into issues surrounding ethnicity, from academia to employment is scarce, particularly in entry and process development within the construction industry. The aim of this paper is to outline the findings from perceptional and experiential barriers of Black and Minority Ethnics (BMEs students and employees, in order to identify perceptional and actual barriers that lead to the under-representation of BMEs within the construction industry; and also to suggest how better knowledge flow mechanisms could lead to a more balanced development, particularly in terms of ethnic diversification in the UK construction industry. The aim was achieved by adopting qualitative and quantitative methods including questionnaire surveys of undergraduate students in a construction related program, employees working within the construction industry and interviews with company directors and human resource managers. The image of the construction industry is found to be one of the major barriers for entry into the industry. Language and cultures form additional barriers for a range of ethnic groupings. Support, in the form of recruitment events, training, mentoring, professional networking, as well as work placement and experience schemes, can smooth entry, retention and progression within the construction industry.

Challenges, success factors and strategies for women’s career development in the Australian construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jasmin E. Rosa

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Construction is traditionally a male industry. Women have long had difficulties entering or advancing their career in construction. Evidence shows that a diversified workforce with gender balance will bring about higher levels of productivity. Despite the importance of this issue, there have been limited studies on women’s career development in construction. This study aims to investigate women’s career development in the Australian construction industry, with objectives to evaluate the challenges and success factors of women’s career development in the construction industry and provide strategies for narrowing the gender imbalance. A mixed approach of questionnaire survey and interview were conducted with female practitioners in the construction industry. Forty-three completed questionnaires were received and 10 interviews were conducted. Stress, family-work balance, and negative perception towards women in construction were the top three challenges identified. Dedication, determination, and independence were the top three success factors of women in construction. This study recommends construction employers consider providing personal development programs and flexible working arrangement for their female employees. Significance of this study lies on contributing to understanding women’s career development in construction. Findings will be useful for government and professional institutions to promulgate strategies for advancing women’s career development in construction.

Industrial robots application in the construction of buildings and structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verzhbovskiy Gennady

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Proposals on the use of modernized industrial robots in the construction of low-rise buildings are formulated. The necessary parameters of such a mechanism are established. The time necessary for building the walls of a two-story house is determined. Features of the robots use on the construction site are described.

Technology Trends and Opportunities for Construction Industry and Lifecycle Management

OpenAIRE

Janson, Vidar

2017-01-01

Master's thesis in for Offshore Technology: Industrial Asset Management The purpose of the report is to highlight methods that can make it easier for the construction industry and industry in general to benefit from new technology. The report is intended as a reference to technological solutions that along with some techniques, can streamline workflow for multiple tasks in planning, design, and operation and maintenance management. The problems focused on is how to: • Simplify the procu...

Proposal for the award of an industrial support contract for minor civil-engineering work at CERN

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for minor civil-engineering work at CERN. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm LOSINGER CONSTRUCTION (CH), the lowest bidder, for the provision of minor civilengineering work at CERN for three years for a total amount not exceeding 2 840 278 Swiss francs, not subject to revision for the first two years. The contract will include options for two one-year extensions beyond the initial three-year period.

Women in the Construction Industry in the U.K.: a Cultural Discord?

Science.gov (United States)

Bagilhole, Barbara M.; Dainty, Andrew R. J.; Neale, Richard H.

The construction industry is the most male dominated of all industrial sectors in the United Kingdom. This article reports on a study that explored women's and men's experiences of working in the industry, focusing on how the cultural aspects of the workplace environment impinged upon women's career development. We interviewed more than 80 male and female construction professionals from large construction organizations, and compared their career accounts in order to establish the aspects of the workplace culture that had a gender-differentiated impact on progression. We found that construction organizations formed competitive "power" cultures where women's contributions were marginalized and their careers impeded through a combination of inflexible work practices and discriminatory behavior. These barriers to women's careers were maintained in small project teams by autonomous male operational managers. Their locus of control embraced recruitment, promotion, and staff development, which allowed them to sustain a workplace culture intolerant of nontraditional entrants. We conclude that this cultural environment is likely to remain problematic for women unless it can be changed in a way that values their contribution. This requires a radical shift in middle management attitudes, a departure from current organizational human resource management systems, and a wider acceptance of the need for cultural change within the industry.

Organisation, ‘anchoring’ of knowledge, and innovation in the construction industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Drejer, Ina; Vinding, Anker Lund

2004-01-01

explanation for the relatively poor innovation performance of the industry. Using survey data from the Danish construction industry the paper investigates the importance of learning and ?anchoring? of project specific knowledge within the firms for facilitating engagement in innovative activities...... at the firm level. The data refer to the overall Danish construction industry, as well as a specific region, North Jutland, which is relatively specialised in construction. By using latent class and regression analysis the results show that firms, which to a high extent make use of partnering and other...... interorganisational features, combined with internal product and process evaluation and knowledge diffusion, are more likely to engage in innovative activities than firms that make less use of what we label ?knowledge anchoring mechanisms?. This indicates that there are ways for firms to compensate for the problems...

Occupational safety and health management in the construction industry: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaafar, Mohd Hafiidz; Arifin, Kadir; Aiyub, Kadaruddin; Razman, Muhammad Rizal; Ishak, Muhammad Izzuddin Syakir; Samsurijan, Mohamad Shaharudin

2017-09-11

The construction industry plays a significant role in contributing to the economy and development globally. During the process of construction, various hazards coupled with the unique nature of the industry contribute to high fatality rates. This review refers to previous published studies and related Malaysian legislation documents. Four main elements consisting of human, worksite, management and external elements which cause occupational accidents and illnesses were identified. External and management elements are the underlying causes contributing to occupational safety and health (OSH), while human and worksite elements are more apparent causes of occupational accidents and illnesses. An effective OSH management approach is required to contain all hazards at construction sites. An approach to OSH management constructed by elements of policy, process, personnel and incentive developed in previous work is explored. Changes to the sub-elements according to previous studies and the related Malaysian legislation are also covered in this review.

Construction industry, e-business and marketing. Are the dot.coms pushing aside personal relationships?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tijhuis, Willem

2001-01-01

In the present globalizing construction industry, parties in construction industry are looking more internationally for enhancing their business-activities. But what stimulates these developments specifically? It seems to be that the role of information-technology is one of the big drivers for it,

Developing a Best-Evidence Pre-employment Medical Examination: An Example from the Construction Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gouttebarge, Vincent; van der Molen, Henk F.; Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W.; Sluiter, Judith K.

2014-01-01

The Dutch construction industry has introduced a compulsory preemployment medical examination (PE-ME). Best-evidence contents related to specific job demands are, however, lacking and need to be gathered. After the identification of job demands and health problems in the construction industry

Quality Cost in the Construction Industry ' Preliminary Findings in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mukhtar Che Ali

2010-06-01

Full Text Available One of the key areas being emphasis in ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS is performance measurement towards continual improvement. Among the primary measuring tools is quality cost approach. Quality cost has been well practice in manufacturing sector but slowly gain its importance in construction industry. In fact Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK has reckoned quality cost as one of the tool and technique in few of its management processes. In view of such circumstances that has prompted an effort to undertake a study to ascertain the level of knowledge and practice on quality cost in Malaysian construction landscape. The targeted group of respondents was the personnel in the project management team. Capitalizing Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB National Electronic Tendering Initiatives (NETI road shows which were held in year 2007 throughout the country, the author was able to garner 263 respondents representing the project management team. Subsequently the data gathered from the completed forms were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS software. General findings indicated that the level of knowledge and practice on quality cost among the project management team were relatively low. One of the main contributing factors was poor knowledge in the area related to quality cost. Despite of such scenario most of the respondents showed their interest in acquiring knowledge in the field of quality cost. Hence quality cost approach is at the infancy stage in Malaysian construction industry.

Computer support for collaborative work in the construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeuwen, van J.P.; Cha, J.

2003-01-01

Collaborative work is an essential ingredient for success in the construction industry. With the advancements of capabilities of information technologies and communication infrastructures, the effective utilisation of these technologies has become very important and strongly affects business

A Guide to Scaffold Use in the Construction Industry

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2001-01-01

On August 30, 1996, OSHA issued revised standards for scaffolds. The revised standard, known as "Safety Standards for Scaffolds Used in the Construction Industry" is found in Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part, Subpart L...

Impact of Inadequate Experience and Skill on the Construction Sector in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Ntuli

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Civil engineering contractors encounter serious challenges in order to sustain their businesses, especially in a weak economic climate. A certain level of construction experience, expertise and training are required to manage a sustainable construction company. The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB was established in 2000 as a statutory body to provide leadership to stakeholders and stimulate sustainable growth, reform and improvement of the construction sector for effective infrastructure delivery and improvement of construction skills. The objectives of this research were to investigate challenges faced by civil engineering contractors whilst making their enterprises sustainable. Contractors’ views were presented at “Construction Indaba 2011” held on 1–2 June 2011 and hosted by eThekwini Municipality’s Business Support, Tourism and Markets in Durban KwaZulu-Natal. Discussion and findings revealed to a skills’ shortage in the construction section and underlined the need for continuous training of the contractors’ employees. The South African government in conjunction with all stakeholders should develop and implement contractor programs to address the lack of technical and management skills in the construction sector.

Technology transfer by industry for the construction of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frewer, H.; Altvater, W.

1977-01-01

The construction of nuclear power plants call for a wide sphere of industrial activities, nuclear as well as conventional. For a specific country the ways and methods of developing an industrial nuclear power program and reaching the target of independence, will widely differ, depending on the size of the country, the economic situation, the already existing industrial manufacturing and engineering capacities, the time schedule of the program and the type of contracting. The experience in effective technology transfer for the strengthening and setting up the national industry, and the engineering capacities, needed for the construction of nuclear power plants up to the largest size existing today are considered. The German nuclear power industry gained this experience in connection with the turn-key supply of the first units in various countries. The prerequisites and national nuclear power programs were different. Based on a successful technological development, including standardization, the German nuclear power industry could meet the demand and different approaches in these countries. The main features and practices followed for the transfer of technology is described for three different cases, namely Argentina, Brazil and Iran. (author)

Analysis of administrative barriers in the industry of the high-rise construction in Russian Federation

Science.gov (United States)

Zaychenko, Irina; Borremans, Alexandra; Gutman, Svetlana

2018-03-01

The article describes the concept and types of administrative barriers encountered in various areas of the enterprise. The particularities of the Russian high-rise construction industry are described and a comparative analysis of administrative barriers in this sector is performed. The main stages and administrative procedures when the developers implement investment and construction projects in the field of high-rise construction are determined. The regulatory and legal framework for the implementation of investment and project activities in the high-rise construction industry has been studied and conclusions have been drawn on its low level of precision in the issue of the formation of competitive and efficient high-rise construction markets. The average number of administrative procedures for the implementation of the investment and construction project in the field of high-rise construction is determined. The factors preventing the reduction of administrative barriers in the high-rise construction industry are revealed.

Characteristic of Noise-induced Hearing Loss among Workers in Construction Industries

Science.gov (United States)

Naadia Mazlan, Ain; Yahya, Khairulzan; Haron, Zaiton; Amsharija Mohamed, Nik; Rasib, Edrin Nazri Abdul; Jamaludin, Nizam; Darus, Nadirah

2018-03-01

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is among the most common occupational disease in industries. This paper investigates NIHL in construction related industries in Malaysia with particular emphasis on its relation with risk factors. The objectives of this research were to (1) quantify the prevalence of NIHL in construction related industries, and (2) assess the relationship between hearing loss and risk factors and it's characteristic. The study was conducted using 110 NIHL compensation record collected from Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), Malaysia. Risk factors namely area noise, age, temperature, smoking habit, hobby, diabetic and cardiovascular disease were identified and analysed. Results showed that there was no direct relationship between area noise with hearing impairment while there was only low relationship between age and hearing impairment. The range for area noise and age were between 70 to 140 dB(A) and 20 to 70 years, respectively. The other risk factors classified as categorical data and analysed using frequency method. Grade of impairment does not depend solely on area noise but also in combination with age and other risk factors. Characteristic of NIHL prevailed in construction related industries were presented using scatterplots and can serve as a references for future hazard control on site.

Radiation control aspects of the civil construction for a high power free electron laser (FEL) facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunn, T.; Neil, G.; Stapleton, G.

1996-01-01

The paper discusses some of the assumptions and methods employed for the control of ionizing radiation in the specifications for the civil construction of a planned free electron laser facility based on a 200 MeV, 5 mA superconducting recirculation electron accelerator. Consideration is given firstly to the way in which the underlying building configuration and siting aspects were optimized on the basis of the early assumptions of beam loss and radiation goals. The various design requirements for radiation protection are then considered, and how they were folded into an aesthetically pleasing and functional building

Apprenticeship Bullying in the Building and Construction Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Riggall, Michaela; Skues, Jason; Wise, Lisa

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the definition, prevalence, antecedents, consequences and coping behaviours associated with apprenticeship bullying in the building and construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprises 13 participants aged between 22 and 27 (M = 23.8, SD = 1.26) who were all men who had…

A patent landscape on application of microorganisms in construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Dapurkar, Dipti; Telang, Manasi

2017-07-01

Construction biotechnology includes research and development of construction materials and processes that make use of various microbes. The present technology landscape gives a perspective on how microbes have been used in construction industry as cement and concrete additives by analyzing patents filed in this technology arena. All patents related to the technology of interest published globally to date have been reviewed. The earliest patent filing in this technology domain was recorded in the year 1958 and the patenting activity reached its peak around mid to late 1990s. The early technology was mainly focused on microbial polysaccharides and other metabolic products as additives. Year 2002 onwards, biomineralization has taken precedence over the other technologies with consistent patent filings indicating a shift in innovation focus. Japan has been the global leader with highest number of patents filed on application of microbes in construction industry. Southeast University, China has topped the patent assignee list with maximum number of filings followed by Kajima Corp. and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. Most patent applications have claimed microbe based bio-products. Construction-related microbial technologies are mainly based on activity of different microorganisms such as urease-producing, acidogenic, halophilic, alkaliphilic, nitrate and iron-reducing bacteria. Sporosarcina pasteurii has been the most widely used microbe for biomineralization.

3D laser scanning in civil engineering - measurements of volume of earth masses

Science.gov (United States)

Pawłowicz, J. A.; Szafranko, E.; Harasymiuk, J.

2018-03-01

Considering the constant drive to improve and accelerate building processes as well as possible applications of the latest technological achievements in civil engineering practice, the author has proposed to use 3D laser scanning in the construction industry. For example, data achieved through a 3D laser scanning process will facilitate making inventories of parameters of buildings in a very short time, will enable one to check irregularly shaped masses of earth, heavy and practically impossible to calculate precisely using traditional techniques. The other part of the research, performed in the laboratory, consisted of measurements of a model mound of earth. All the measurements were made with a 3D SkanStation C10 laser scanner manufactured by Leica. The data were analyzed. The results suggest that there are great opportunities for using the laser scanning technology in civil engineering

Successful Paths to Becoming a Lean Organization in the Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

Warcup, Robert D.

2015-01-01

Lean construction is considered a valuable solution for the declining productivity of the construction industry. This study seeks to answer the general research question: What does it take to become lean? The research explored the possible paths to becoming lean by examining the journeys of three successful lean construction firms in the U.S. The results are intended to assist other construction firms with their own transformations. This study is especially useful to executives and management...

Economic assessment of the construction industry: A construction-economics nexus

Science.gov (United States)

Barber, Herbert Marion, Jr.

The purpose of this study was to conduct an economic assessment of the construction industry. More specifically, this study addresses ambiguities within the literature that are associated with the construction-economics nexus. The researcher 1) investigated the relationships between economic indicators and stock prices of U.S. construction equipment manufacturers, 2) investigated the relationships between energy production, consumption, and corruption, and 3) determined the economic effect electricity generation and electricity consumption has on economies of scale. The researcher used descriptive and inferential statistics in this study and determined that economists, researchers, policy-makers, and others should have predicted the 2007-08 world economic collapse 5-6 years prior to realization of the event given that construction indices and GDP grossly regressed from statistically acceptable trends as early as 2002 and perhaps 2000. Substantiating this claim, the effect of the cost of construction materials and labor, i.e. construction index, on GDP was significant for years leading up to the collapse (1970-2007). Additionally, it was determined that energy production and consumption are predictors of governmental corruption in some countries. In the Republic of Botswana, for example, the researcher determined that energy production and consumption statistically jointly effected governmental corruption. In addition to determining statistical effect, a model for predicting governmental corruption was developed based on energy production and consumption volumes. Also, the researcher found that electricity generation in the 25 largest world economies had a statistically significant effect on GDP. Electricity consumption also had an effect on GDP, as well, but not on other economic indicators. More importantly than the quantitative findings, the researcher concluded that the construction-economics nexus is far more complex than most policy-makers realize. As such

MANAGEMENT PROCESS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK IN THE NIGERIA CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

OpenAIRE

Akwu, Ifeoma Claris

2017-01-01

The study examined the state of health and safety risk management practices in the building sector of the construction industry with the objective to examine the health and safety risk management processes adopted by the construction industry in Nigeria; the study adopted the survey and case study research design. It employed the use of Delphi’s technique in the distribution of questionnaire and made use of chi-square analytical technique for the analysis of gathered data. The findings reveal...

Disabling occupational injury in the US construction industry, 1996.

Science.gov (United States)

Courtney, Theodore K; Matz, Simon; Webster, Barbara S

2002-12-01

In 1996 the US construction industry comprised 5.4% of the annual US employment but accounted for 7.8% of nonfatal occupational injuries and illness and 9.7% of cases involving at least a day away from work. Information in the published literature on the disability arising from construction injuries is limited. The construction claims experience (n = 35,790) of a large workers' compensation insurer with national coverage was examined. The leading types and sources of disabling occupational morbidity in 1996 in the US construction industry were identified. Disability duration was calculated from indemnity payments data using previously published methods. The average disability duration for an injured construction worker was 46 days with a median of 0 days. The most frequently occurring conditions were low back pain (14.8%), foreign body eye injuries (8.5%), and finger lacerations (4.8%). Back pain also accounted for the greatest percentage of construction claim costs (21.3%) and disability days (25.5%). However, the conditions with the longest disability durations were sudden-onset injuries, including fractures of the ankle (median = 55 days), foot (42 days), and wrist (38 days). Same-level and elevated falls were the principal exposures for fractures of the wrist and ankle, whereas elevated falls and struck by incidents accounted for the majority of foot fractures. Manual materials handling activities were most often associated with low back pain disability. The results suggest that these most disabling injuries can be addressed by increasing primary prevention resources in slips and falls and exposures related to injuries of sudden-onset as well as in reducing manual materials handling and other exposures associated with more gradual-onset injuries.

Categorization of potential project cost overrun factors in construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Karunakaran, P.; Abdullah, A. H.; Nagapan, S.; Sohu, S.; Kasvar, K. K.

2018-04-01

Cost overrun has been severely hit down the economy and reputations for many construction industry around the world. Many project management tools developed to control the budget of a project. However, the cost management is still considered poor as there are many cost overrun issues occurred in the construction industry. Thus, this paper aims to identify and cluster the potential construction project cost overrun factors according to their originating groups using the thematic approach. Basically, through literature review, all the potential factors that may cause cost overrun were screened thoroughly before they were clustered into seven (7) groups of the originating factors, namely project, contract, client, contractor, consultant, labour and external. Each potential factor was explained clearly with some examples based on the Malaysian case studies to illustrate the cost overrun scenario. These findings may aid in the future to highlight on how to mitigate the critical potential factors of cost overrun to reduce or overcome its impact on all the stakeholders involved.

Analysis of noise on construction sites of high-rise buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

Barkokébas, Béda; Vasconcelos, Bianca M; Lago, Eliane Maria G; Alcoforador, Aline Fabiana P

2012-01-01

In the civil construction industry sector, it has been observed that the increasing use of machines has made tasks noisier and consequently caused hearing loss and had other adverse effects on workers. The objective of this study was to identify and assess the physical risks of noise present in activities undertaken in a construction company in order to propose control measures which will contribute to the management of health and safety within the company's organization. The methodology applied was based on verifying the characteristics of exposure to noise on construction sites, from an observation of sources which generated noise and making measurements of sound pressure levels emitted by these sources. The data was then analyzed and compared with the recommended performance levels established in control measures. As a result, it was found that some machines and equipment used in civil construction often generate noise above the acceptable levels and as such, in these cases, various control measures have been proposed. It is believed that the use of management techniques is the most effective way to assess risk and to implement the preventive and corrective actions proposed, and allows for the analysis of sound pressure levels on an ongoing basis.

Program-oriented approach to resource saving issues in construction materials industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novikova Galina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The construction as a sector of the economy is one of the largest consumers of energy resources, and the building materials industry is today one of the most energy-intensive construction industry. At the enterprises of the building materials industry the different approaches and methods are used to solve resource and energy problems. Energy saving is considered not as an complex approach in the enterprise activity, but as activity for the implementation of specific energy-saving projects, which have limitations in time and in resources. The authors suggest to use a softwareoriented approach to solving the problems of resource and energy saving. For practical application of program-oriented approach we offer to use a structuring method of the decision-making, not previously used to solve problems of resource and energy saving.

Bi-project management in engineering complex industrial construction projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velde, Robert R. van der; Donk, Dirk Pieter van

2000-01-01

Engineering large industrial construction projects is usually a complex task with several co-operating actors. This paper investigates such projects, characterised by two main actors: the owner of the installation (the client organisation) responsible for the engineering of the production process,

Project Culture in the Chinese Construction Industry: Perceptions of Contractors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Zou

2012-11-01

Full Text Available In recent years culture has become one of the most studied topicsin project management research. Some studies have investigatedthe infl uence of culture at different levels – such as nationalculture, industry culture, organisational culture and professionalculture. As a project-based industry, the construction industryneeds to have more insight concerning cultural issues at theproject level and their infl uence on the performance of constructionprojects. Few studies, however, have focused on culture at theproject level. This paper uses a questionnaire survey to determinethe perceptions of Chinese contractors about the impact of projectculture on the performance of local construction projects. This isaugmented by a series of in-depth interviews with senior executivemanagers in the industry. The fi ndings indicate that specifi c projectculture does contribute signifi cantly towards project outcomes.In particular, goal orientation and fl exibility, as two dimensionsof project culture, have a negative statistical correlation withperceived satisfaction of the process, commercial success, futurebusiness opportunities, lessons learnt from the project, satisfactionwith the relationships, and overall performance. This paper alsoindicates that the affordability of developing an appropriate projectculture is a major concern for industry practitioners.

Habituating pain: Questioning pain and physical strain as inextricable conditions in the construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeppe Z.N. Ajslev

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In this article, we investigate the relations between discursive practices within the Danish construction industry and the perceived pain, physical deterioration, and strain affecting the construction workers. Of central importance is the widely accepted hegemonic discourse on physical strain and pain as unavoidable conditions in construction work. Based on 32 semi-structured interviews performed in eight case studies within four different construction professions, workers’ descriptions of physical strain and its relation to the organizational and social context are analyzed through concepts of subject positioning in discursive practice and a focus on power relations. The analysis shows that workers and employers reproduce certain types of traditional working class masculinities and search for high-pace productive working rhythms, which in combination with economic incentives common within the industry reproduce physical strain and the habituation of pain as unquestioned conditions in construction work. The understanding of this mutual reinforcement of the necessity of physically straining, painful, high-paced construction work provides fruitful perspectives on the overrepresentation of musculoskeletal deterioration within construction work and also sheds light on some of the difficulties in addressing and changing occupational health and safety practices in the construction industry.

Influence of industrial solid waste addition on properties of soil-cement bricks

OpenAIRE

Siqueira, F. B.; Amaral, M. C.; Bou-Issa, R. A.; Holanda, J. N. F.

2016-01-01

Abstract The reuse of pollutant solid wastes produced in distinct industrial activities (avian eggshell waste and welding flux slag waste) as a source of alternative raw material for producing soil-cement bricks for civil construction was investigated. Soil-cement bricks containing up to 30 wt% of industrial solid waste were uniaxially pressed and cured for 28 days. Special emphasis is given on the influence of solid waste addition on the technical properties (as such volumetric shrinkage, wa...

The Use of Information Technology Techniques in the Construction Industry of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zubair Ahmed Memon

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Construction sector together with service, manufacturing, agriculture and mining sectors is the main contributors of the Pakistan\\'s GDP (Gross Domestic Product and economic growth. It is also a key indicator in determining the economic performance of the country. As the issues of globalization and trades deregulation, stringer requirements of time, cost, quality and advancement of technologies have become more critical, the sector has to find ways to enhance its operational efficiency and effectiveness. IT (Information Technology as a key enabler has been recognized to be an inseparable tool to sustain business and become more competitive. This paper gives an overview of the current status of IT application and presents the significant results from PCI (Pakistan Construction Industry. The result of survey also highlights the challenges to the construction industry of Pakistan before implementing the IT techniques. A statistical method \\'Average Index\\' is used to analyze the collected data and statistical hypothesis testing is conducted to know the difference between the parameters. The survey produced knowledge about the use of computers, hardware and software, communication and strategies for the use of IT. The use of spread sheets, word processor, CAD (Computer Aided Drafting in general has increased and the use of model based CAD software has increased among the major key players of construction industry. The use of project webs and electronic trade in the industry is not started properly. From the analysis it is concluded that construction firms in Pakistan are mostly using manual procedures and the use of IT seems to be at the inception stage

Efficiency of innovative technology in construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Stverkova, H.; Vaclavik, V.

2017-10-01

The need for sustainability increasingly influences the development of new technologies, business processes and working practices. Innovations are an important part of all business processes. The aim of innovation is, in particular, to reduce the burden on the environment. The current trend in the construction industry is diamond rope cutting. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the most advanced technology for cutting and removing concrete structures in terms of efficiency.

Distributed object models for collaboration in the construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeuwen, van J.P.; Zee, van der A.

2005-01-01

Abstract Information about products for the construction industry is increasingly often provided to designers in digital ways that enable them to apply the information directly in the design process. Digital product catalogues are provided using various media and formats and several initiatives are

Successful verification of subcontracted work in the construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Makkinga, Rick; de Graaf, Robin; Voordijk, Hans

2018-01-01

Due to the introduction of new types of contracts, such as Design, Build, Finance, & Maintain (DBFM), a major shift in tasks and responsibilities from client to contractor can be seen in the construction industry. To manage these new contracts and corresponding shifts in responsibilities, systems

How clients influence building projects - a comparison of the construction industry and the petroleum industry in Norway

OpenAIRE

Evju, Mads; Mai, Nam Bao Nguyen

2014-01-01

Master's thesis in Industrial economics Several studies indicate the need for competence and quality improvement in the Norwegian construction industry. Findings show that diversity in client groups can lead to different levels of competence. This poses many challenges to the industry and those involved, all of which will be highlighted in this thesis. The objective of this thesis is to provide an understanding of how clients’ levels of competence and focus can influence the final resu...

R&D investment and impact in the global construction industry

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hampson, Keith

2014-01-01

"R&D Investment and Impact in the Global Construction Industry brings together contributions from leading academics in a diverse group of countries to investigate the role of research and development (R&D...

Industrial safety management with emphasis on construction safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, R.

2016-01-01

Safety professionals, line managers, team leaders and concerned workers today eagerly discuss to find out the best safety approach for their workplace. Some research suggested that behaviour based and comprehensive ergonomics approaches lead in average reduction of injuries. This article discusses 'the science and engineering' behind improvement in industrial safety aspects particularly at construction sites through various safety approaches. A high degree of commitment to safety by the project management and rigorous and proactive measures are essential to prevent accidents at construction sites particularly in DAE units because of its sensitivity. Persistent efforts by the project management are needed for sustainable and committed safety at work place. The number of fatalities occurring from construction work in DAE units is sometimes disturbing and fall of person from height and through openings are the major causes for serious accidents

Exploring the Driving Factors of Construction Industrialization Development in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaer Xiahou

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Construction industrialization (CI has been adopted worldwide because of its potential benefits. However, current research shows the incentives for adopting CI may differ in different regions. While the promotion of CI in China is still at the initial stage, a systematical analysis of the driving factors would help decision makers get a comprehensive understanding of CI development and select proper strategies to promote CI. This research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the construction industrialization driving factors (CIDFs in China. The grounded theory method (GTM was employed to explore CI concepts among 182 CI-related articles published in 10 top-tier journals from 2000 to 2017. A total of 15 CIDFs were identified, including one suggested by professionals during a pre-test questionnaire survey. The analysis showed that the development of CI in China is pushed by macrodevelopment and pulled by the government and is also a self-driven process. The major driving factors for CI adoption in China are the transformation and upgrade of the conventional construction industry and the solution of development dilemmas. Our study also suggests that pilot programs are, currently, the most effective method to promote CI in China and to accumulate experience so to gain recognition by the society. This research is also of value for CI promotion in other developing countries.

Exploring the Driving Factors of Construction Industrialization Development in China

Science.gov (United States)

Xiahou, Xiaer; Yuan, Jingfeng; Tang, Yuchun; Li, Qiming

2018-01-01

Construction industrialization (CI) has been adopted worldwide because of its potential benefits. However, current research shows the incentives for adopting CI may differ in different regions. While the promotion of CI in China is still at the initial stage, a systematical analysis of the driving factors would help decision makers get a comprehensive understanding of CI development and select proper strategies to promote CI. This research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the construction industrialization driving factors (CIDFs) in China. The grounded theory method (GTM) was employed to explore CI concepts among 182 CI-related articles published in 10 top-tier journals from 2000 to 2017. A total of 15 CIDFs were identified, including one suggested by professionals during a pre-test questionnaire survey. The analysis showed that the development of CI in China is pushed by macrodevelopment and pulled by the government and is also a self-driven process. The major driving factors for CI adoption in China are the transformation and upgrade of the conventional construction industry and the solution of development dilemmas. Our study also suggests that pilot programs are, currently, the most effective method to promote CI in China and to accumulate experience so to gain recognition by the society. This research is also of value for CI promotion in other developing countries. PMID:29510507

MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF GUYANA’S CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY USING A SET OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKING METRICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher J. Willis

2011-10-01

Full Text Available A study measuring the performance of Guyana’s construction industry using a set of project performance benchmarking metrics was recently completed. The underlying premise of the study was that the aggregated performance of construction projects provides a realistic assessment of the performance of the construction industry, on the basis that construction projects are the mechanism through which the construction industry creates its tangible products. The fact that an influential government agency acted as owner of the study was critical to the data collection phase. The best approach for collecting project performance data in Guyana involves the utilisation of a researcher or team of researchers mining electronic and hard copy project documents. This study analysed approximately 270 construction projects to obtain an indication of the performance of guyana’s construction industry. It was found that sea defence projects performed the worst, whereas health facility projects performed the best. The main implication of this is that sea defence projects are likely to be the least efficient and, given their critical nature, there is an argument for urgent performance improvement interventions.

Nuclear energy and civilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soentono, S.

1996-01-01

The role of energy is indeed very important since without it there will be no living-things in this world. A country's ability to cultivate energy determines the levels of her civilization and wealth. Sufficient energy supply is needed for economic growth, industrialization, and modernization. In a modern civilization, the prosperity and security of a country depends more on the capability of her people rather than the wealth of her natural resources. Energy supplies the wealth, prosperity and security, and sufficient reliable continuous supply of energy secures the sustainable development. The energy supply to sustain the development has to improve the quality of life covering also the quality of environment to support the ever increasing demand of human race civilization. Energy has a closer relationship with civilization in a modern society and will have to become even closer in the future more civilized and more modern society. The utilization of nuclear energy has, however, some problems and challenges, e.g. misleading information and understanding which need serious efforts for public information, public relation, and public acceptance, and possible deviation of nuclear materials for non-peaceful uses which needs serious efforts for technological and administrative barriers, precaution, prevention, safety, physical protection, safeguard, and transparency. These require cooperation among nuclear community. The cooperation should be more pronounced by heterogeneous growing Asian countries to reach harmony for mutual benefits toward better civilization. (J.P.N.)

Identification of Causes and Effects of Poor Communication in Construction Industry: A Theoretical Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaser Gamil

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Construction industry is characterized in nature as complex, fragmented, dynamic and involves many parties therefore effective communication is essential to overcome these challenges. Many researchers found that the industry faces major challenge to ensure effective and successful communication throughout the lifecycle of the project which therefore resulted to project failure. Poor communication in construction industry had been addressed in previous research studies; however, this paper presents and examines the identification of causes and effects which lead to poor communication. Further investigations on previous literature were conducted to extract the causes and effects which contributed to poor communication in construction industry. Similarity technique was applied to avoid duplications in the identified causes and effect of poor communication. Using the frequency technique, from the 33 causes of poor communication it was found that the most dominant cause is lack of effective communication. Whereas, out of 21 effects from poor communication, it was found that highly repeated effect is time overrun. These findings will serve a good platform for further investigation on the relevancy of causes and effects to the local construction practitioners.

Strategies for the safeguarding of civil rights in the age of plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narr, W.D.

1984-01-01

This contribution examines our age from the point of view of 'safeguarding' civil rights. The author discusses the concept of privacy and the conditions in industrial establishments which, in this context, are described as areas where the validity of civil rights is interrupted or diluted, and shows that the number of spheres of life where civil rights loose in validity are increasing, as e.g. research centres, and power generating industrial plants. The current concept of risk acceptance and security is discussed as well as the possibility and necessity to safeguard civil rights. The author concludes that security in the social meaning cannot be achieved by establishing a more or less rigid surveillance system. (orig./HSCH) [de

Labour Productivity in the New Zealand Construction Industry: A Thorough Investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Van Dai Tran

2011-03-01

The research found that while factors influencing inputs of labour productivity measure such as labour and material costs remained stable, factors impacting the corresponding outputs such as house and land prices, value of work in Non-residential and Infrastructure construction grew significantly between 1997 and 2007. Given the positive skewing effect of standard economic indicators (inflation etc on construction labour productivity figures, the relatively poor performance of construction is worrying for the industry. The paper concludes by demonstrating labour productivity in construction is significantly worse performing than previously suspected.

Procurement of non-incremental sustainable technology innovations : entrepreneurial firms supplying the New Zealand construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Staal, Anne; Tookey, John

Traditionally construction industries in New Zealand and abroad have a low track record for successful sustainable innovations. This has a negative impact on private and government spending, and on quality, society and the environment. This conceptual paper posits that the construction industry

Minerals yearbook: The mineral industry of Brazil. 1988 international review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ensminger, H.R.

1988-01-01

Brazil's gross domestic product (GDP) grew only slightly in 1988 to $277 billion at current prices. The growth rate was the smallest registered since 1983, when the rate was minus 2.8%. The economy's performance was strongly influenced by a 2% to 3% decrease in industrial production and civil construction. The mineral industry, however, countered the downward trend in the industrial sector and grew a modest 1.4%. Topics discussed in the report include the following: Government policies and programs; Production; Trade; Commodity review--Metals (Aluminum, Aluminia, and Bauxite, Columbium, Copper, Gold, Iron and Steel, Manganese, Tin, Titanium); Industrial Minerals (Gem stones, Phosphate rock, Quartz); Mineral fuels (Coal, Natural gas, Petroleum, Nuclear power); Nonmineral energy sources (Alcohol, Hydroelectric)

Concerns for Skills Shortages in the 21st Century: A Review into the Construction Industry, Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle Watson

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The Australian Construction Industry is now facing skills shortages in all trades. As an industry focused on the skill of its workforce, there is now concern the Australian standard in quality, workmanship, and productivity will inhibit both at national and international level.This research paper addresses the underlying, influential factors concerning skills shortages in the Australian construction industry. The influential factors addressed include funding, training statistics, employer expectations, financial limitations, Industrial Relations and immigration. Given the reference to skills shortages within the industry, and documented in related literature, if skills shortages are to continue to exist, their effect will impact upon the overall performance of construction companies throughout Australia.

Accidents in Malaysian construction industry: statistical data and court cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, Heap Yih; Low, Thuan Siang

2014-01-01

Safety and health issues remain critical to the construction industry due to its working environment and the complexity of working practises. This research attempts to adopt 2 research approaches using statistical data and court cases to address and identify the causes and behavior underlying construction safety and health issues in Malaysia. Factual data on the period of 2000-2009 were retrieved to identify the causes and agents that contributed to health issues. Moreover, court cases were tabulated and analyzed to identify legal patterns of parties involved in construction site accidents. Approaches of this research produced consistent results and highlighted a significant reduction in the rate of accidents per construction project in Malaysia.

Industrial complex in organizing the high-speed in-line construction of reactor compartments at the Balakovo NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maksakov, A.I.; Kovrigin, Yu.K.; Zhila, V.P.

1986-01-01

Qualitatively new technology of reactor compartment construction presupposing organizing of an industrial-mounting in-line complex is described. Maximum level of construction industrialization and noticeable reduction of construction duration are noted to be ensured by means of this technology

New technologies in Islamic countries. Power engineering, transport, oil industry, machinery construction, building construction and information technologies problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharipova, N.S.

1999-01-01

The published proceedings contain brief presentations concerning new technologies in power engineering, transport, oil industry, machinery construction, building construction and information technologies presented to the International scientific and technical conference: New technologies in Islamic countries, which was organized within frame work of 6 General Assembly of Federation of engineering Institutes of Islamic countries (FEIIC). (author)

Industrial experience with the construction of pressurized-water reactors in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leny, J.-C.

1983-01-01

Since 1969, the switch to light-water reactors as the basis of the French nuclear programme has led to the development of an industrial infrastructure for the manufacture of pressurized-water reactor equipment. Since the massive power plant construction programme was approved in 1974, an integrated PWR industry has been built up around and in conjunction with Framatome. The experience gathered relates to the series production of thirty-four 900 MW(e) units and eighteen 1300 MW(e) units, and it is unique. From the industrial point of view, the high rate of construction of identical equipment items has made it possible to streamline production and establish a fully integrated and complete team of constructors and sub-contractors supervised by a likewise highly integrated and comprehensive organization responsible for regulating quality. At the research and development level, the effort to improve knowledge of the product has gradually led to mastery of a French technology and to further developments proceeding therefrom. Standardized, repeated production has given rise to consistent quality, better component reliability and safer plant operation as well as reduced construction time and lower manufacturing costs. However, difficulties have inevitably had to be overcome with respect to the setting up of teams maintaining schedules and mastering the techniques used, and this has required time and money. The remarkable quality, reliability and safety of the products has led to export orders and to good co-operation with local industry in the importing countries. (author)

The important role of civil society groups in eco-innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Yan; Holgaard, Jette Egelund

2012-01-01

the role of civil society groups in eco-innovation by addressing the following research questions: Why is it necessary to stress that civil society groups are as important as university, industry and government in eco-innovation? What inspiration can “triple helix twins” and “quadruple helix” provide when...... groups are not only foundations for developing innovation – they can be actors themselves; the existence of semi-governmental organizations in the Chinese case company, which is categorized under the concept of NGOs, shows the limitations of the concept of civil society groups in exposing important......, as they are helpful not only to provide pressure and push industry onto a green track, but also as supporters and carriers of green business. Corporate social responsibility is proposed as a stepping-stone to engage civil society groups in broader eco-innovation activity. Originality/value – The paper starts...

How innovative New Zealand firms procure environmental innovations for the construction industry : a literature review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Staal, Anne; Tookey, John; Seadon, Jeff; Walhof, Gert; Mobach, Mark P.

2015-01-01

Construction industries in New Zealand and abroad have a low track record for successful sustainable innovations. This often has a negative impact on private and government spending, and on quality, society and the environment. This paper posits that the construction industry needs step-change (i.e.

Characterizing of steel used in the construction of civil works in Almeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senobua, A. J.; Garzon, E.; Ayuso, J.; Perez, F.; Caballero, A.

2003-01-01

Various tests have been conducted on the steel bars used in the construction of civil works in Almeria (Spain) during the period 18 January 2000-7May 2001, with the aim of mechanically characterizing the different types of steel (weldable; B400S, B500S and ductile weldable: B400SD) to determine whether there is a technical reason for the increase in the use of ductile weldable steel. For this, we have used a hydraulic machine to break by traction all the test samples that arrived to the laboratory, following the specifications of the UNE 7474-1:1992 and the UNE 7474-2:1992. The results indicate that only in 86% of the cases does the steel B400SD satisfy the limits specified by the UNE 36065:1999-EX, as opposed to 95 and 94% of the B400S and B500S steels. In addition the ductile weldable steel registered mean values lower than those of B400S. This findings disagrees with expectations set by the specifications. (Author) 6 refs

Review of Qualitative Approaches for the Construction Industry: Designing a Risk Management Toolbox

Science.gov (United States)

Spee, Ton; Gillen, Matt; Lentz, Thomas J.; Garrod, Andrew; Evans, Paul; Swuste, Paul

2011-01-01

Objectives This paper presents the framework and protocol design for a construction industry risk management toolbox. The construction industry needs a comprehensive, systematic approach to assess and control occupational risks. These risks span several professional health and safety disciplines, emphasized by multiple international occupational research agenda projects including: falls, electrocution, noise, silica, welding fumes, and musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, the International Social Security Association says, "whereas progress has been made in safety and health, the construction industry is still a high risk sector." Methods Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ about 80% of the world's construction workers. In recent years a strategy for qualitative occupational risk management, known as Control Banding (CB) has gained international attention as a simplified approach for reducing work-related risks. CB groups hazards into stratified risk 'bands', identifying commensurate controls to reduce the level of risk and promote worker health and safety. We review these qualitative solutions-based approaches and identify strengths and weaknesses toward designing a simplified CB 'toolbox' approach for use by SMEs in construction trades. Results This toolbox design proposal includes international input on multidisciplinary approaches for performing a qualitative risk assessment determining a risk 'band' for a given project. Risk bands are used to identify the appropriate level of training to oversee construction work, leading to commensurate and appropriate control methods to perform the work safely. Conclusion The Construction Toolbox presents a review-generated format to harness multiple solutions-based national programs and publications for controlling construction-related risks with simplified approaches across the occupational safety, health and hygiene professions. PMID:22953194

Review of qualitative approaches for the construction industry: designing a risk management toolbox.

Science.gov (United States)

Zalk, David M; Spee, Ton; Gillen, Matt; Lentz, Thomas J; Garrod, Andrew; Evans, Paul; Swuste, Paul

2011-06-01

This paper presents the framework and protocol design for a construction industry risk management toolbox. The construction industry needs a comprehensive, systematic approach to assess and control occupational risks. These risks span several professional health and safety disciplines, emphasized by multiple international occupational research agenda projects including: falls, electrocution, noise, silica, welding fumes, and musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, the International Social Security Association says, "whereas progress has been made in safety and health, the construction industry is still a high risk sector." Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ about 80% of the world's construction workers. In recent years a strategy for qualitative occupational risk management, known as Control Banding (CB) has gained international attention as a simplified approach for reducing work-related risks. CB groups hazards into stratified risk 'bands', identifying commensurate controls to reduce the level of risk and promote worker health and safety. We review these qualitative solutions-based approaches and identify strengths and weaknesses toward designing a simplified CB 'toolbox' approach for use by SMEs in construction trades. This toolbox design proposal includes international input on multidisciplinary approaches for performing a qualitative risk assessment determining a risk 'band' for a given project. Risk bands are used to identify the appropriate level of training to oversee construction work, leading to commensurate and appropriate control methods to perform the work safely. The Construction Toolbox presents a review-generated format to harness multiple solutions-based national programs and publications for controlling construction-related risks with simplified approaches across the occupational safety, health and hygiene professions.

Civils are “Sharp!”

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wall, K

2010-07-01

Full Text Available South Africa succeeded in hosting a successful 2010 FIFA world cup. It is, however a triumph of African civil engineering. All the stadia and associated works were completed on time, despite extremely tight design and construction schedules...

The Employer Perspective on Sustainable Employability in the Construction Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tonnon, Susanne C; van der Veen, Rozan; Westerman, Marjan J; Robroek, Suzan J W; van der Ploeg, Hidde P; Van Der Beek, Allard J.; Proper, Karin I.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the measures employers in the construction industry take to promote sustainable employability, the barriers and facilitators that influence implementation and employer needs. METHODS: Questionnaire among 499 employers and interviews with 17 employers. RESULTS: Employers

New technologies in Islamic countries. Power engineering, transport, oil industry, machinery construction, building construction and information technologies problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharipova, N.S.

1999-01-01

This issue contains papers, which reflect the most important achievements of new technologies in power engineering, transport, oil industry, machinery construction, building construction and information technologies presented to the International Scientific and Technical Conference: New technologies in Islamic countries, which was organized within frame work of 6 General Assembly of Federation of Engineering Institutes of Islamic Countries (FEIIC). (author)

Civil engineering challenge with nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, D.

1985-01-01

The civil engineer can help to solve the problems in disposing of nuclear waste in a deep geologic formation. The site for a nuclear waste repository must be carefully selected so that the geology provides the natural barrier between the waste and the accessible environment specified by the NRC and the EPA. This engineer is familiar with the needed structure and conditions of the host and surrounding rocks, and also the hydraulic mechanisms for limiting the migration of water in the rocks. To dispose of the nuclear waste underground requires stable and long-lasting shafts and tunnels such as civil engineers have designed and constructed for many other uses. The planning, design and construction of the ground surface facilities for a nuclear waste repository involves civil engineering in many ways. The transporation of heavy, metal shielded casks requires special attention to the system of highways and railroads accessing the repository. Structures for handling the shipping casks and transferring the waste onsite and into the deep geologic formation need special considerations. The structures must provide the NRC required containment, including hot cells for remote handling. Therefore, structural design strives for buildings, ventilation structures, shaft headframes, etc., to be earthquake and tornado-proof. These important design bases and considerations for the civil engineer working on a nuclear waste repository are discussed in this paper

Finding Political Opportunities: Civil Society, Industrial Power, and the Governance of Nanotechnology in the European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Lamprou

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The European Union encourages and institutionalizes participation by environmental, consumer, and labor organizations in the governance of nanotechnology. Interviews with leaders of the civil society organizations (CSOs show that they identified multiple problems with nanotechnology policy but had only limited success in gaining the changes that they sought. CSO leaders explain their lack of success as due to the overwhelming power of industry and the support of the European Commission for new industrial development, including nanotechnology. We analyze the perspectives of CSO leaders about their difficulties to develop the theory of the political opportunity structure in the situation of a highly scientized policy field with strong industrial monitoring. We suggest the need to extend the theory to pay more attention to the strategies that reformers can use to maneuver in and to open a relatively closed political opportunity structure. We argue that formal stakeholder engagement is not very effective and suggest instead the importance of the following: building coalitions with government actors, threatening or mobilizing grassroots mobilization, making the issue salient to the public, and pursuing the full range of institutional repertoires.

Risk identification in the infrastructure construction industry : a supply chain case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Achard, P.O.; Nucciarelli, A.; Rosato, R.; Svensson, G.

2008-01-01

The objective of this article is to describe the risk identification within a supply chain of an infrastructure construction project. This research is based on a case study of risk management within a supply chain in the infrastructure construction industry. Data have been collected from an

Big data in the construction industry: A review of present status, opportunities, and future trends

OpenAIRE

Bilal, M.; Oyedele, L.; Qadir, J.; Munir, K.; Ajayi, S. ed; Akinade, O.; Owolabi, H. A.; Alaka, H. A.; Pasha, M.

2016-01-01

The ability to process large amounts of data and to extract useful insights from data has revolutionised society. This phenomenon—dubbed as Big Data—has applications for a wide assortment of industries, including the construction industry. The construction industry already deals with large volumes of heterogeneous data; which is expected to increase exponentially as technologies such as sensor networks and the Internet of Things are commoditised. In this paper, we present a detailed survey of...

ROLE OF LAW IN CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES THROUGH NORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Endang Sutrisno

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The presence of law has become an absolute prerequisite that must exist in the dynamics of civil society. It is to achieve justice, certainty, and expediency, so the works of it will not be separated from such a noble mission. On the other side, the law is likely inseparable from the fields of meta-juridical, including economics. The expectations of the interference of law into economy, makes the existence of justice for the business players can be realized through the enacted product legislation. Regulations concerning investments and partnerships have the intent to build self-reliance and empowerment for small industry players so as to compete in the era of economic globalization. Laws employed as the instrument of social change to strengthen the capitalization of small industry and business empowerment through the training and development of small industries, as normatively mandated by law.

Implementation of Risk Management in Malaysian Construction Industry: Case Studies

OpenAIRE

Abdul-Rahman, Hamzah; Wang, Chen; Sheik Mohamad, Farhanim

2015-01-01

Construction industries are exposed to wide array of risks, such as financial, design, and contractual ones, which might have a direct impact on their performance toward achieving the desired objectives. Risk Management is a proactive decision-making process used to minimize and manage the risks in the most efficient and appropriate manner. However, most construction firms in Malaysia do not apply formal risk management in their projects. Thus, this study aims to identify the actual process o...

Complicating the Rhetoric: How Racial Construction Confounds Market-Based Reformers' Civil Rights Invocations

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Laura E.

2016-01-01

Reformers today maintain the use of civil rights rhetoric when advocating for policies that address educational inequity. While continuing the legacy of earlier civil rights activists, the leaders invoking this rhetoric and the educational platforms they promote differ greatly from previous decades. Not only does this new crop of reformers differ…

The impact of internationalization and diversification on construction industry performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Horta, Isabel M.; Kapelko, Magdalena; Oude Lansink, Alfons; Camanho, Ana S.

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the impact of internationalization and diversification strategies on the financial performance of construction industry companies. The results obtained can guide the design of strategies to pursue company growth and achieve competitive advantage. The evaluation of

Popularizing Geological Education among Civil Engineering Students

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiang-jun; Zhou, Ying

2012-01-01

The sustainable development of an economy and a society cannot be realized without the help of modern geoscience. Engineering geology knowledge is necessary on a civil engineering construction site to ensure the construction work goes smoothly. This paper first discusses the importance of geoscience, especially the study of engineering geology.…

Developing a Best-Evidence Pre-employment Medical Examination: An Example from the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Gouttebarge

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The Dutch construction industry has introduced a compulsory preemployment medical examination (PE-ME. Best-evidence contents related to specific job demands are, however, lacking and need to be gathered. After the identification of job demands and health problems in the construction industry (systematic literature search and expert meeting, specific job demands and related requirements were defined and instruments proposed. Finally, a work ability assessment was linked to the instruments' outcomes, resulting in the modular character of the developed PE-ME. Twenty-two specific job demands for all Dutch construction jobs were identified, including kneeling/squatting, working under time pressure, and exposure to hazardous substances. The next step was proposing self-report questions, screening questionnaires, clinical tests, and/or performance-based tests, leading to a work ability judgment. “Lifting/carrying” is described as an example. The new modular PE-ME enables a job-specific assessment of work ability to be made for more than 100 jobs in the Dutch construction industry.

Implementation of safety management systems in Hong Kong construction industry - A safety practitioner's perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Yiu, Nicole S N; Sze, N N; Chan, Daniel W M

2018-02-01

In the 1980s, the safety management system (SMS) was introduced in the construction industry to mitigate against workplaces hazards, reduce the risk of injuries, and minimize property damage. Also, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Management) Regulation was introduced on 24 November 1999 in Hong Kong to empower the mandatory implementation of a SMS in certain industries including building construction. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of the SMS in improving construction safety and identify the factors that influence its implementation in Hong Kong. A review of the current state-of-the-practice helped to establish the critical success factors (CSFs), benefits, and difficulties of implementing the SMS in the construction industry, while structured interviews were used to establish the key factors of the SMS implementation. Results of the state-of-the-practice review and structured interviews indicated that visible senior commitment, in terms of manpower and cost allocation, and competency of safety manager as key drivers for the SMS implementation. More so, reduced accident rates and accident costs, improved organization framework, and increased safety audit ratings were identified as core benefits of implementing the SMS. Meanwhile, factors such as insufficient resources, tight working schedule, and high labor turnover rate were the key challenges to the effective SMS implementation in Hong Kong. The findings of the study were consistent and indicative of the future development of safety management practice and the sustainable safety improvement of Hong Kong construction industry in the long run. Copyright © 2018 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Civil engineering in the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dexter-Smith, R.

1991-01-01

Civil Engineering has an important contribution to make at every stage of the nuclear fuel cycle, from the choice of site and conception of the design of a major power station or fuel plan, through modifications during modifications, during operation, to the final stages of designing and building waste management stores and repositories and the decommissioning of stations and plants. The conference papers published here -twenty four in total - cover many of these stages. All the papers are indexed separately. Two international papers are presented, one on French PWRs, the other on repository design. Four papers look at site investigations, four are concerned with earthquake engineering, four with structural analysis, three with quality assurance, three with design and four with in-service performance and decommissioning. (UK)

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTIVES AND BENEFITS ON ADOPTING QLASSIC – CIS 7: 2006 IN MALAYSIA CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenn Jhun Kam

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews on the building contractors motivating factors on adopting the newly imposed quality assurance initiative in Malaysia's construction industry. The quality assurance initiative named Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC - The Construction Industry Standard (CIS - CIS 7:2006. It is introduced by the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia (CIDB. This QLASSIC system consists of a building construction standard where all the contractors must follow the specification, if adopting this system in their construction project. Literature commonly categorized motivation factor into two types, which are internally and externally. Both types of motivation factors are put into study in related to the benefits on adopting the QLASSIC system. Further analysis will be done to determine the motives and benefits relationship behind the adoption of the QLASSIC system in the construction projects.

Construction fraud

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Graafland, J.J.; Liedekerke, L.; Dubbink, W.; van Liedekerke, L.; van Luijk, H.

2011-01-01

Due to the actions of a whistleblower The Netherlands was confronted with a massive case of construction fraud involving almost the entire construction sector. Price fixing, prior consulting, duplicate accounts, fictitious invoices and active corruption of civil servants were rampant practices. This

Driving Innovative Thinking in the New Zealand Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadali Noktehdan

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the relationship between innovation and productivity improvement in the construction industry. It is argued that this relationship is not well understood due to lack of in-depth understanding of innovation in construction. To overcome this obstacle, the authors present a multi-dimensional innovation classification system which aims at better defining and classifying what is meant by innovation in construction. The use of this classification system is demonstrated by applying it to a database of 500 innovations reported by the construction alliance, the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team. The results clearly demonstrate the diversity of types, degree of novelty and performance improvement benefits among construction innovations. Such diversity means that the impact of the reported innovations on productivity and performance are of different levels of significance. The classification system developed in this study can be used by construction organisations and alliances in the future to develop more detailed methods of calculating innovation performance indicators, based on the innovation type, novelty and benefits factors. By using this system, they can also put in place mechanisms to influence the types of innovation developed in their projects with the aim of maximising their productivity performance.

Sustainable Industrialization in the Building Industry: On the Road to Energy Efficient Construction Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wandahl, Søren; Ussing, Lene Faber

2013-01-01

Since the Brundtland report in 1987, sustainability has been an issue in all parts of the world, and the focus is increasing in these years. In the same period, the building industry has in the same period also been under heavy pressure to increase productivity in the same pace as other manufactu......Since the Brundtland report in 1987, sustainability has been an issue in all parts of the world, and the focus is increasing in these years. In the same period, the building industry has in the same period also been under heavy pressure to increase productivity in the same pace as other...... manufacturing industries. An important question, then, is how well these two highly relevant areas can go hand in hand. By means of comparing the main ideas and drivers behind sustainability and industrialization, respectively, common threads, possible synergies and evident barriers are put forward...... in this discussion paper. The main method is a review to track past merits in the two domains and to detect knowledge gaps that have research potential. A strategic research agenda focusing on energy-efficient construction management is outlined showing the need for future focus on combining industrialization...

THE PROSPECTS OF MANKIND IN CONDITIONS OF TECHNOGENIC CIVILIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana A. Yurikova

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Outline the range of problems which are illustrative of modern industrial civilization, reflect its controversial nature and humanity prospects in its conditions. Rapid development of scientific and technical progress gradually, from the late of 60s onwards of XX century become lead to problems realization which scientific and technical progress is generates, lead to understanding that without serious and careful monitoring of its development and necessary philosophical analysis of these problems, there is a danger of "post-human" world formation in future. Methodology. Author uses systemic and analytical research methods. Scientific novelty. Multifaceted approach to designation and analysis of problems was carried out, which faced by modern humanity in conditions of industrial civilization. Practical importance of this work is primarily in that it focuses on the need of speedy, serious and circumspect attention to those problems in future in order to avoid dangers that they hold for humanity. Besides, material which is presented in this article could be used in teaching of social and humanitarian courses. Conclusions. The findings can be summarized in following conceptual issues: scientific and technical progress is a major factor in development of modern industrial civilization. It is generated a large range of problem that requires an understanding of necessity for tight control of technology development. Spontaneous, non-circumspect it further development and use could gradually lead to "posthuman world”. Danger of such scenario must generate the need of more attention, discussion and analysis of already existing problems and take measures that will ensure the survival of humanity in conditions of modern industrial civilization.

Making the link: climate policy and the reform of the UK construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sorrell, Steve

2003-01-01

This paper explores the barriers to energy efficiency in the construction of non-domestic buildings in the UK. The source of the barriers is argued to lie in the organisation of the construction industry, including the linear design process, the reliance on cost-based competitive tendering and the incentives placed upon different actors. The consequences include oversizing of equipment, reduced quality, neglect of whole life costs and lack of integrated design. Each of these problems can usefully be interpreted using concepts from the new institutional economics. While the barriers are well known to construction industry specialists, they are relatively neglected in the academic literature on energy policy. Furthermore, conventional policy measures such as building regulations leave these barriers largely untouched. The UK construction industry is currently undergoing a series of reforms which aim to change the relationship between different actors and to achieve improvements in product quality and productivity. While these reforms have the potential to address many of the barriers, the reform agenda makes practically no reference to sustainability. This paper argues that climate policy objectives must be integrated into the reform agenda if the UK is to begin the transition to a low carbon built environment

Developing and Testing a Tool to Evaluate BIM Maturity : Sectoral Analysis in the Dutch Construction Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Siebelink, Sander; Voordijk, Johannes T.; Adriaanse, Arjen

2018-01-01

This study's objective was to evaluate the status of building information modelling (BIM) implementation within the Dutch construction industry by means of a developed BIM maturity tool that could be applied within the construction industry's various disciplines. Existing BIM maturity models tend to

Franco and José Antonio: Chief and Prophet of Spain. Construction of Charisma during the Civil War

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Luisa RICO GÓMEZ

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper examines how the person of the general Francisco Franco and of the Falangist leader Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera were transfigured symbolically by means of the construction and spread of its charismatic image into the speech, the rites and the liturgies of the ‘new State’ during the civil war into Spain from 1936 to 1939. The charismatic thing like carrier of an essence transcendente appeared in a dual way between the exaltation of Franco, the Caudillo, hero recognized as political chief for his warlike exploits, and the worship in memory of Jose Antonio, prophet dedicated to the death as redeeming sacrifice of Spain.

Challenges and achievements - Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramani, V.A.; Dhere, S.S.; Manoharan, V.; Subbaraman, P.

2010-01-01

Prototype fast breeder reactor presently under construction poses several challenges in materials, design and construction. The civil structure and equipment are of very large size and complex in nature. This paper presents the features of the design and construction of the PFBR excavation, raft, civil structure of the nuclear island connected buildings and reactor vault. This paper also brings out the details of the large size equipment of special stainless steel and handling structure for their lifting and placement inside the reactor vault. The paper is divided into three parts viz. introduction, challenges and achievements during construction of civil structures and erection of large size components. (author)

Development of a Framework for Attracting and Retaining Women in Construction Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.J. Adogbo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Previous research has indicated that women are significantly under-represented in the Nigerian construction industry and that female undergraduates face barriers that deter them from engaging in construction practice. This research examined the barriers faced by female undergraduates in the construction disciplines at Nigerian Universities. The research adopted the use of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. A total of 360 questionnaires were distributed, and 259 (71.94% were returned and used in the analysis. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 female students and 16 women across the professions of Architecture, Building, Civil Engineering and Quantity Surveying. The results revealed that the undergraduates perceived the construction practice to be synonymous with site activities and that family responsibility posed the greatest barrier to their participation. The strategies identified by the women in practice included active participation in the activity of professional bodies and seeking a mentor. It was concluded that female graduates can be attracted to the industry, but efforts need to be put in place to successfully implement the strategies identified by the professional women. A framework that addresses gender issues in attracting and retaining graduates in the construction practice was developed to help women plan their career in the industry.

Zero carbon homes: Perceptions from the UK construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heffernan, Emma; Pan, Wei; Liang, Xi; Wilde, Pieter de

2015-01-01

The take-up of the many voluntary energy efficiency standards which exist in the UK and internationally has been limited. As a result, governments have recognised the need to introduce mandatory schemes through legislation, e.g. from 2016 all new build homes in the UK will be required to achieve zero carbon in regulated energy consumption. However, as 2016 approaches, very few zero carbon homes are being delivered. This paper explores the drivers and barriers for zero carbon homebuilding. The perceptions of the wider construction industry were gathered through a series of semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in commissioning, designing, constructing and regulating housing. The results show that, whilst drivers for zero carbon homebuilding exist, the barriers are currently perceived to be greater than the drivers. The barriers are categorised into five groups: economic, skills and knowledge, industry, legislative and cultural. Mechanisms for policy and industry support for the delivery of zero carbon homes are identified to address these barriers. The research findings highlight the need for a clear and robust policy framework for the forthcoming standard. The Government and industry must prioritise raising public awareness of the need for and benefits of zero carbon homes to help develop market demand. - Highlights: • The strongest drivers were perceived to be in the legislative and economic themes. • More barriers were identified than drivers or potential support mechanisms. • Economic and skills and knowledge barriers were perceived as the most significant. • Uncertainty in zero carbon homes policy is a barrier to zero carbon homebuilding. • Proposed support mechanisms include zero carbon champions and self-build homes

Industrial applications of refrigeration. Utilizing industries; Applications industrielles du froid. Industries utilisatrices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marvillet, Ch. [Ecole Centrale de Lyon, 69 - Ecully (France); Groupement pour la Recherche sur les Echangeurs Thermiques, GRETh (France)

2001-10-01

Refrigeration is used in most of the industrial domains: food industry (conservation of the organoleptic properties and sanitary quality of products, control of fermentation, of juice concentration and of the dehydration of products), transformation industries (plastic industry, rubber industry, mechanical industry (fretting, hardening and surface treatment of materials, dehumidification of compressed air), liquefaction and purification of industrial gases and hydrocarbons, processing of wastes (removal of VOCs, purification of liquid effluents etc..), civil engineering (consolidation of soils, cooling of big concrete structures), leisure (skating rink, artificial snow). (J.S.)

Adoption of innovative production technologies in the road construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Habets, M.J.M.; van der Sijde, Peter; Voordijk, Johannes T.

2007-01-01

New procurement methods encourage the adoption of innovative production technologies. This triggers the need for entrepreneurship in the construction industry. The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the adoption processes of a particular set of new production technologies in the Dutch

Exploring the driving factors of construction industrialization development in China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xiahou, Xiaer; Yuan, Jingfeng; Liu, Y.; Tang, Yuchun; Li, Qiming

2018-01-01

Construction industrialization (CI) has been adopted worldwide because of its potential benefits. However, current research shows the incentives for adopting CI may differ in different regions. While the promotion of CI in China is still at the initial stage, a systematical analysis of the

A Distributed Object Model for CSCW in the Construction Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeuwen, van J.P.; Zee, van der A.; Maas, G.; Gassel, F.

2003-01-01

Information about products for the construction industry is increasingly often provided to designers in digital ways that enable them to apply the information directly in the design process. Digital product catalogues are provided using various media and formats and several initiatives are taken by

Modes and Experience of Green Mine Construction in Yunnan, China: Case Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Xianfeng; Huang, Qianrui; Yang, Shuran; Xu, Jun; Fan, Youcai; Xu, Gang; Yang, Jiaqing; Yuan, Jia; Qi, Wufu

2017-12-01

Yunnan is one of most important provinces with mineral resources and exploration in China. Meanwhile, Yunnan is Chinese ecological protective screen and try to be Pacesetter of ecological civilization. However, mining industry always disturbs ecological environment seriously. So green mine construction is inevitable and the best choice for Yunnan. In this paper, achievement of green mine construction in Yunnan was summarized. Then the paper takes two mines from Dahongshan and 4 mines from Yunnan Phosphate Chemical Group Co., Ltd (YPC for short) as case studies. Technological innovation in Dahongshan Fe Mine and Dahongshan Cu Mine guarantees their success of green mine construction. Land rehabilitation and harmonious community are highlights of 4 mines from YPC. These modes and experience could be referential to construct green mine.

El actor aglutinante: Nacionalismo y sociedad civil en Quebec.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Giori

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This article aims to reconstruct the history of civil society in Quebec (Canada to relate it with nationalism, the rise of the welfare state, trade unions, Catholic Church and civil society, the dynamic forces of society. Through in-depth interviews with key leaders, exploration of institutional archives and specific literature, we work with a particular case that, when compared to Catalonia, will allow us to evaluate the importance of civil society within nationalism. This actor is not usually considered as the central subject of researches and rarely token into account, unlike political parties, their leaders or intellectuals. Currently, in a context of crisis of the state and political parties, it has begun to be considered that civil society can be a key factor for its ability to produce alliances between sectors, build hegemony and dialogue directly with the population. The study is divided into four parts: 1 the development of the theoretical framework along with the construction of the object of study and the hypotheses; 2 an analysis about the importance of the involvement of civil society in the construction of the nationalist movement in Quebec; 3 a comparison with the Catalan case; and, 4 finally some conclusions.

The future of the French civil nuclear sector. Report synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

Considering the evolution of the French civil nuclear industry by 2030, this study examines its different dimensions: energy policy, safety and security of uranium supplies, nuclear competitiveness, environmental and safety issues, public acceptance, consequences of non proliferation international and French policies, industrial, human and research capacities, and so on. Thus, this report presents the actors involved in the French civil nuclear sector, gives an overview of the reactor market, highlights the main aspects of the fuel cycle and of the waste management, stresses the need of a new organisation for this sector to face the domestic as well as the international challenges. It discusses the possible ways for a wider financing and a higher competitiveness. It identifies new means for an ambitious civil nuclear policy. Fifteen recommendations are proposed

Three-dimensional numerical analysis of stress and deformation of surrounding soil in safety construction of metro station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fung, I W H; Wang, J A; Au, A S K; Zhou, Y F

2008-01-01

Utilizing underground spaces synthetically has become an important task in urban planning and civil engineering in this century. Due to the complexity and uncertainty of technical issues in underground construction and soil engineering, construction safety arouses a great concern in underground construction industry. This paper focused on construction of an underground metro station, numerical analyses are carried out to estimate the possible stresses and deformations of surrounding soil and underground structures under the worse loading conditions to assess the structural design and construction safety. Influences of pit excavation on existing tunnel and surrounding spaces are discussed and the stability of main structure of metro station will be analyzed

A review on the current issues and barriers of Industrialised Building System (IBS) adoption in Malaysia’s construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Amin, M. A. Mohd; Abas, N. H.; Shahidan, S.; Rahmat, M. H.; Suhaini, N. A.; Nagapan, S.; Rahim, R. Abdul

2017-11-01

Malaysia considers the construction industry as one of the main contributors to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, there are some unresolved issues arising from the ongoing and widespread adoption of the conventional method of construction such as the resultant fragmentation of the industry itself; delays in production and delivery time of unnecessary wastages and lack of sustainability practice. Malaysian Government has been continuously encouraging the industry to use, partly or if not wholly, the Industrialized Building System (IBS), which is considered to be an important part of sustainable construction initiative. IBS was introduced to Malaysia as the solution to issues related to dependencies of foreign workers, raising demand for affordable accommodations and improving image, quality and productivity of construction industry. However, the IBS adoption in Malaysia remains low. This paper presents the review of the current issues and barriers of IBS adoption in Malaysian construction industry.

The potential of bioash for utilization in road construction in eastern Croatia

Science.gov (United States)

Zagvozda, Martina; Dimter, Sanja; Rukavina, Tatjana

2017-12-01

In recent years usage of biomass as energy source has intensified in eastern Croatia. Newly built biomass power plants generate great amounts of bioash that is being disposed at landfills. Due to its favorable properties bioashes could be reused as alternative materials in road construction or road fundation. Therefore, research on application of bioashes in construction industry is being conducted at Faculty of Civil Engineering in Osijek. The main motivation behind this research, in a form of biomass and bioash production in eastern Croatia as well as international research on potential application of this types of bioashes, is show in this paper.

A retrospective analysis of noise-induced hearing loss in the Dutch construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leensen, M. C. J.; Van Duivenbooden, J. C.; Dreschler, W. A.

2011-01-01

Purpose Noise exposure is an important and highly prevalent occupational hazard in the construction industry. This study examines hearing threshold levels of a large population of Dutch construction workers and compares their hearing thresholds to those predicted by ISO-1999. Methods In this

Applying data mining techniques to explore factors contributing to occupational injuries in Taiwan's construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ching-Wu; Leu, Sou-Sen; Cheng, Ying-Mei; Wu, Tsung-Chih; Lin, Chen-Chung

2012-09-01

Construction accident research involves the systematic sorting, classification, and encoding of comprehensive databases of injuries and fatalities. The present study explores the causes and distribution of occupational accidents in the Taiwan construction industry by analyzing such a database using the data mining method known as classification and regression tree (CART). Utilizing a database of 1542 accident cases during the period 2000-2009, the study seeks to establish potential cause-and-effect relationships regarding serious occupational accidents in the industry. The results of this study show that the occurrence rules for falls and collapses in both public and private project construction industries serve as key factors to predict the occurrence of occupational injuries. The results of the study provide a framework for improving the safety practices and training programs that are essential to protecting construction workers from occasional or unexpected accidents. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Significance of Coordination for Industrialised Building System (IBS Precast Concrete in Construction Industry

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Fitri Othman Mohd Khairul

2017-01-01

Full Text Available IBS precast concrete is construction system which is meant to improve the conventional construction process. However IBS precast concrete projects are suffering from serious problems such as cost overrun, delays and less quality of the end product. The absence of coordination is perceived as the reason for this issue. The purpose of this paper is to review the significance of coordination for IBS precast concrete in the construction industry. It if found that the fragmentation which occurs in the construction industry requires continuity of coordination due to the construction activities are intertwined in nature. Coordination is designated to assist stakeholders in completing and complementing each other with the paramount focus of achieving the objective. Proper coordination is required in delivering the desired construction product at the ideal time, cost and quality. As for the findings, the significance of coordination for IBS precast concrete can be seen through the precast concrete construction phases which consist of planning; design; manufacturing; transportation and installation/construction. These phases are meant to complement construction process with the purpose to reduce issues of fragmentation and enhance IBS precast concrete project delivery.

Push an pull forces in the building and construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frings-Dresen, M. H. W.; Windhorst, Judith; Hoozemans, M. J M; Van Der Beek, Allard J.; Van der Molen, Henk F.

2000-01-01

Push and pull activities are increasing in the building and construction industry. These activities can be assumed as one of the risk factors for the development of low back and upper extremity complaints. For a risk evaluation, besides the frequency and the duration of the activities, information

[Risk factors associated with work-related accidents in the construction industry in the Valley of Mexico].

Science.gov (United States)

Sarmiento-Salinas, Rodrigo; López-Rojas, Pablo; Marín-Cotoñieto, Irma Araceli; Godínez-Rocha, Arturo; Haro-García, Luis; Salinas-Tovar, Santiago

2004-01-01

Our aim was to describe construction-industry, work-related accident prevalence in, associated factors in, and potential impact on affiliated workers of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS) in the Valley of Mexico. Prevalent cases in a retrospective case-control design. These include 385 construction-industry workers who were found to have construction work-related accidents in 2001. Controls comprised 385 active construction-industry workers without work-related accident background paired by gender, workplace, and worksite. Work-related accident prevalence in construction workers was 5.5%; most important risk factors and etiology fraction (Ef) included the following: age 16-20 years odds ratio, OR = 1.58, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.40-10.7, p = 0.001, Ef 0.36; eventual insurance, OR = 3.7, 95% CI, 2.16-26.45, p = 0.001), Ef, 0.72, and no training for job, OR = 5.3, 95% CI, 4.9-69.2, p = 0.01), Ef: 0.81. Variables not showing significance were included salary, work shift, and workday. Work-related accident prevalence maintains its preponderance in the Valley of Mexico construction industry; identified risk factors are potentially modifiable, among which job training acquires unquestionable relevance.

The construction industry has to focus on the Internet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lars Schiøtt; Balogh, Andre

1997-01-01

The construction industries needs to follow the developments on the computing scene is discussed. A proposal to separate information relevant for the building sector into three areas are described. Further it is described how this information can be accessed during new technology, especially...... the Internet. An "extra-net" on the Internet combined with an user friendly GUI is described as a possibility....

SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF SUBCONTRACTORS IN THE PALESTINIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adnan Enshassi

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Subcontractors perform most of the construction works and their effect on industry are apparent in different activities of construction. Therefore, subcontractors need more attention from government and contractors union. The aim of this paper is to identify, evaluate, and rank factors that influence safety performance of subcontractors in the Gaza Strip (Palestine according to their relative importance. The study concluded that reported accident rates will decrease among subcontractors and their workers if new workers are trained well in the work site and they are informed about dangerous places, and if a workable safety plan is well preplanned. The results also showed that reported accident rates increased among subcontractors when using old, unsafe equipment and due to the complexity or difficulty in the construction sites features. Owners and general contractors need to stipulate strict clauses for safety in the contract for improving safety record of subcontractors. Construction workers must receive proper job related safety and health training with a safety logbook. It is recommended that the subcontractors and workers should attend continuing safety programs on regular basis as part of their perquisite to work in construction sites.

Lung cancer risk among workers in the construction industry: results from two case–control studies in Montreal

OpenAIRE

Lacourt, Aude; Pintos, Javier; Lavoué, Jérôme; Richardson, Lesley; Siemiatycki, Jack

2015-01-01

Background Given the large number of workers in the construction industry, it is important to derive accurate and valid estimates of cancer risk, and in particular lung cancer risk. In most previous studies, risks among construction workers were compared with general populations including blue and white collar workers. The main objectives of this study were to assess whether construction workers experience excess lung cancer risk, and whether exposure to selected construction industry exposur...

An Approach for Measuring Reductions in Operations, Maintenance, and Energy Costs: Baseline Measures of Construction Industry Practices for the National Construction Goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Robert E.; Rennison, Roderick

The Construction and Building Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has established seven National Construction Goals for the construction industry and is developing baseline measures for current practices and progress with respect to each goal. This document provides a detailed set of baseline measures for the NSTC…

Sustainable Construction Industry in Cambodia: Awareness, Drivers and Barriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serdar Durdyev

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Although sustainability is of utmost importance, anecdotal evidence suggests that the concept is not adequately implemented in many developing countries. This paper investigates industry stakeholders’ awareness of the current state of, factors driving, and barriers hindering the adoption of sustainable construction (SC in Cambodia. Using an empirical questionnaire survey targeting local construction professionals, respondents were invited to rate their level of awareness, knowledge and understanding of SC, as well as to rate the level of importance of 31 drivers and 10 barriers identified from the seminal literature. The data set was subjected to the relative importance index method. The results suggest that the industry-wide adoption of SC practices is poor, which is believed to be due to a lack of awareness and knowledge, and reluctance to adopt new sustainable technologies. Furthermore, more efforts must be put into the selection of more durable materials for the extension of buildings’ lives and to minimize material consumption, as well as to develop energy-efficient buildings with minimal environmental impact and a healthy indoor environment, so that the ability of future generations to meet their own needs will not be compromised. The outcomes of this study have enriched knowledge about the current state of, drivers of, and barriers to sustainable construction in a typical developing economy. Although the outcomes of this study were a short scoping exercise, it has formed a significant base for future SC work within Cambodia.

Losses due to weather phenomena in the bituminous concrete construction industry in Wisconsin

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, H. A. J.

1973-01-01

The losses (costs) due to weather phenomena as they affect the bituminous concrete industry in Wisconsin were studied. The bituminous concrete industry's response to precipitation, in the form of rain, is identified through the use of a model, albeit crude, which identifies a typical industry decision-response mechanism. Using this mechanism, historical weather data and 1969 construction activity, dollar losses resulting from rain occurrences were developed.

A Review of the Case of a Levy-Grant Scheme (LGS) in the UK Construction Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Wahab, Mohamed; Dainty, Andrew; Ison, Stephen

2010-01-01

A Levy-Grant Scheme (LGS) has existed in the UK construction industry since 1964 to provide financial support for companies undertaking training activities. Despite the support of the LGS for various training activities, notably apprenticeships, the construction industry continues to suffer from both labour shortages and an under-investment in…

Performance measurement in the UK construction industry and its role in supporting the application of lean construction concepts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saad Sarhan

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Performance measurement has received substantial attention from researchers and the construction industry over the past two decades. This study sought to assess UK practitioners’ awareness of the importance of the use of appropriate performance measures and its role in supporting the application of Lean Construction (LC concepts. To enable the study to achieve its objectives, a review of a range of measurements developed to evaluate project performance including those devoted to support LC efforts was conducted. Consequently a questionnaire survey was developed and sent to 198 professionals in the UK construction industry as well as a small sample of academics with an interest in LC. Results indicated that although practitioners recognise the importance of the selection of non-financial performance measures, it has not been properly and widely implemented. The study identified the most common techniques used by UK construction organisations for performance measurement, and ranked a number of non-financial key performance indicators as significant. Some professed to have embraced the Last Planner System methodology as a means for performance measurement and organisational learning, while further questioning suggested otherwise. It was also suggested that substance thinking amongst professionals could be a significant hidden barrier that militates against the successful implementation of LC.

An overview of knowledge management (KM) issues for implementation in consultant firms in Malaysian construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Othman, Azlan; Ismail, Syuhaida; Yahya, Khairulzan

2017-12-01

In the past few years, there has been a growing interest in treating knowledge as a significant organisational resource. Thus, effective development and implementation of KM requires a foundation in several rich literatures. As a preparation for the competitive industrial nation, KM is an important countenance that should be the point of convergence for the industry players. This paper wishes to draw the attention on the current situation of KM practice, focusing on consultant firms in Malaysian construction industry. Questionnaires were distributed to about 200 respondents working in the industry, with the objective of appraising the KM implementation amongst consultant firms working in construction industry in Malaysia. This paper also gives the overview on KM definition, process, understanding and challenges in construction industry, besides the critical success factor of KM implementation. The literature is restricted on the recent KM study of 17 years research from 2000 to 2017. Finally, this paper proposes the conceptual ideas of relationship between KM process, KM understanding and KM challenges with critical success factor of KM implementation.

Portfolio management for investment projects in the construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kozlov Alexander

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Russian business community has realized the need for project/targeted programme management procedures; therefore, the demand for customized project-oriented management methods goes up. In the meantime, this demand is not supplied in full, and the supply is far from being efficient. Project management methodologies need further improvement, including development of portfolio management processes applicable to investment projects developed and implemented in the construction industry. The article considers General approaches to the formalization of the management of portfolios of investment–construction projects. For the main groups of processes portfolio management (“Formation and alignment”, “Monitoring and control” and “Support and development” deals with their constituent sub-processes. The proposed decomposition can be used for both portfolio construction and investment projects and also has an invariant character, which allows extending the proposed approaches to other system target–oriented and project–oriented management.

Fatal injuries in the United States construction industry involving cranes 1984-1994.

Science.gov (United States)

Suruda, A; Liu, D; Egger, M; Lillquist, D

1999-12-01

There is little published information concerning the epidemiology of injuries in the construction industry involving cranes other than for electrical injury from power line contact. For the 11-year period of 1984 through 1994, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated 502 deaths in 479 incidents involving cranes in the construction industry. Electrocution was the largest category, with 198 deaths (39%) reported. Other major categories were assembly/dismantling (58 deaths, 12%), boom buckling (41 deaths, 8%), crane upset/overturn (37 deaths, 7%), and rigging failure (36 deaths, 7%). The majority of the deaths during assembly/dismantling involved removal of the boom pins from lattice boom cranes. Only 34% of the construction firms employing the fatally injured workers had ever been inspected by OSHA. OSHA cited the employer for safety violations in 436 deaths (83%). Additional worker training, increased OSHA inspections, and crane inspection programs could prevent many crane-related deaths.

Modelo de la estructura administrativa para la fiscalización de obras civiles en Quito-Ecuador

OpenAIRE

Paredes Briones, Rafael Ignacio; Salas Gómez, Fabián Alfredo

2014-01-01

The audit of civil works is a consulting activity that demands the participation of professional civil engineering and architecture for the execution of civil works requires professional support in all areas of construction as well as laboratories for testing of materials used and complies with the technical specifications in construction contracts. Currently the foc does not have a management model for the efficient performance of its business, which is why this thesis focuses on proposin...

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2014 essentials

CERN Document Server

Chappell, Eric

2013-01-01

Quickly learn essential Civil 3D tools and techniques Get a thorough introduction to AutoCAD Civil 3D, the industry-leading engineering software used to design roads, highways, subdivisions, drainage and sewer systems, and more. This Autodesk Official Press book is a unique learning resource that features concise, straightforward explanations and real-world, hands-on exercises and tutorials. With compelling full-color screenshots and approachable exercises that demonstrate core features and functions, the book helps you gain understanding and confidence as you master this premiere

The implementation of clean development mechanism (CDM) in the construction and built environment industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mok, Ken L.; Han, Seung H.; Choi, Seokjin

2014-01-01

Greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities are the main contributors to global climate change, a problem that should not be ignored. Through the clean development mechanism (CDM) introduced under the Kyoto Protocol, developing countries are able to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits through a myriad of emission reduction projects. This study aims to explore the potential of implementing CDM projects in the construction and built environment (C and BE) industry, which has been criticized for not only consuming an enormous amount of resources, but also for contributing to adverse environmental health. In this research, we limit the boundary of the C and BE industry to include the planning, procurement, construction, occupation and refurbishment/demolition phases of a project's life cycle. Surveys and in-depth follow-up interviews with experts have generated useful insights pertaining to CDM potential and its adaptation into the C and BE industry. From this foundation, this paper evaluates the current obstacles to CDM and presents feasible suggestions to increase CDM projects related to the C and BE industry. - Highlights: • We review the development and limitation of CDM relates to the construction and built environment (C and BE) industry. • We obtain experts' opinions on the feasibility of CDM in the C and BE industry. • Validation, monitoring, verification and additionality of CDM projects are crucial. • Experts agreed that most of our suggestions are feasible in principle

A regulatory perspective of the role of construction in revitalizing the United States nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stello, V. Jr.

1983-01-01

Technical and managerial experience in nuclear power plant construction is presented from the perspective of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In the context of actions that would contribute to revitalizing the nuclear industry in the United States of America, greater effectiveness of utility management during construction is proposed. The reasons why management effectiveness is so important are developed beginning with summaries of defects that were built into several US plants under construction. The root causes of these significant defects were management failures. In terms of benefits, effective management is important because of its effects on nuclear safety, project construction costs, and future reliability of the plant after commissioning. Actions that would enhance good management include emphasizing the inseparable nature of production and quality, that quality cannot be inspected into a plant, and that a strong construction management staff and exchanges of experience and information are essential. Techniques that have been used successfully in construction management are discussed. NRC and industry initiatives are in progress to improve management responsibility and learning from experience. Projects include Owner's Certification, assessments of licensee performance, fostering good practices across the industry, and improving the NRC inspection programme. Revitalization will not be easy, but it is achievable. (author)

Feasibility Studies of Palm Oil Mill Waste Aggregates for the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jegathish Kanadasan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The agricultural industry in Malaysia has grown rapidly over the years. Palm oil clinker (POC is a byproduct obtained from the palm oil industry. Its lightweight properties allows for its utilization as an aggregate, while in powder form as a filler material in concrete. POC specimens obtained throughout each state in Malaysia were investigated to evaluate the physical, chemical, and microstructure characteristics. Variations between each state were determined and their possible contributory factors were assessed. POC were incorporated as a replacement material for aggregates and their engineering characteristics were ascertained. Almost 7% of density was reduced with the introduction of POC as aggregates. A sustainability assessment was made through greenhouse gas emission (GHG and cost factor analyses to determine the contribution of the addition of POC to the construction industry. Addition of POC helps to lower the GHG emission by 9.6% compared to control specimens. By channeling this waste into the construction industry, an efficient waste-management system can be promoted; thus, creating a cleaner environment. This study is also expected to offer some guides and directions for upcoming research works on the incorporation of POC.

Feasibility Studies of Palm Oil Mill Waste Aggregates for the Construction Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Kanadasan, Jegathish; Ahmad Fauzi, Auni Filzah; Abdul Razak, Hashim; Selliah, Paramananthan; Subramaniam, Vijaya; Yusoff, Sumiani

2015-01-01

The agricultural industry in Malaysia has grown rapidly over the years. Palm oil clinker (POC) is a byproduct obtained from the palm oil industry. Its lightweight properties allows for its utilization as an aggregate, while in powder form as a filler material in concrete. POC specimens obtained throughout each state in Malaysia were investigated to evaluate the physical, chemical, and microstructure characteristics. Variations between each state were determined and their possible contributory factors were assessed. POC were incorporated as a replacement material for aggregates and their engineering characteristics were ascertained. Almost 7% of density was reduced with the introduction of POC as aggregates. A sustainability assessment was made through greenhouse gas emission (GHG) and cost factor analyses to determine the contribution of the addition of POC to the construction industry. Addition of POC helps to lower the GHG emission by 9.6% compared to control specimens. By channeling this waste into the construction industry, an efficient waste-management system can be promoted; thus, creating a cleaner environment. This study is also expected to offer some guides and directions for upcoming research works on the incorporation of POC. PMID:28793579

Feasibility Studies of Palm Oil Mill Waste Aggregates for the Construction Industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanadasan, Jegathish; Fauzi, Auni Filzah Ahmad; Razak, Hashim Abdul; Selliah, Paramananthan; Subramaniam, Vijaya; Yusoff, Sumiani

2015-09-22

The agricultural industry in Malaysia has grown rapidly over the years. Palm oil clinker (POC) is a byproduct obtained from the palm oil industry. Its lightweight properties allows for its utilization as an aggregate, while in powder form as a filler material in concrete. POC specimens obtained throughout each state in Malaysia were investigated to evaluate the physical, chemical, and microstructure characteristics. Variations between each state were determined and their possible contributory factors were assessed. POC were incorporated as a replacement material for aggregates and their engineering characteristics were ascertained. Almost 7% of density was reduced with the introduction of POC as aggregates. A sustainability assessment was made through greenhouse gas emission (GHG) and cost factor analyses to determine the contribution of the addition of POC to the construction industry. Addition of POC helps to lower the GHG emission by 9.6% compared to control specimens. By channeling this waste into the construction industry, an efficient waste-management system can be promoted; thus, creating a cleaner environment. This study is also expected to offer some guides and directions for upcoming research works on the incorporation of POC.

Lung cancer risk among workers in the construction industry: results from two case-control studies in Montreal.

Science.gov (United States)

Lacourt, Aude; Pintos, Javier; Lavoué, Jérôme; Richardson, Lesley; Siemiatycki, Jack

2015-09-22

Given the large number of workers in the construction industry, it is important to derive accurate and valid estimates of cancer risk, and in particular lung cancer risk. In most previous studies, risks among construction workers were compared with general populations including blue and white collar workers. The main objectives of this study were to assess whether construction workers experience excess lung cancer risk, and whether exposure to selected construction industry exposures carries excess risks. We wished to address these objectives within the sub-population of blue collar workers. Two case-control studies were conducted in Montreal. Combined, they included 1593 lung cancer cases and 1427 controls, of whom 1304 cases and 1081 controls had been blue collar workers. Detailed lifetime job histories were obtained and translated by experts into histories of exposure to chemical agents. The two key analyses were to estimate odds ratio (OR) estimates of lung cancer risk: a) for all blue-collar construction workers compared with other blue-collar workers, and b) for construction workers exposed to each of 20 exposure agents found in the construction industry compared with construction workers unexposed to those agents. All analyses were conducted using unconditional logistic regression adjusted for socio-demographic factors and smoking history. The OR for all construction workers combined was 1.11 (95 % CI: 0.90-1.38), based on 381 blue collar construction workers. Analyses of specific exposures were hampered by small numbers and imprecise estimates. While none of 20 occupational agents examined was significantly associated with lung cancer, the following agents manifested non-significantly elevated ORs: asbestos, silica, Portland cement, soil dust, calcium oxide and calcium sulfate. Compared with other blue collar workers, there was only a slight increased risk of lung cancer for subjects who ever held an occupation in the construction industry. The analyses of

Political representation and civil organisations: new forms of mediation and the challenges for legitimacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrián Gurza Lavalle

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This article examines the new forms of political representation civil organisations are constructing in their relation with the State, and some of the possible consequences for the quality of democracy. There are no historical or theoretical established models of representation which enable one to explore how civil organisations, in the absence of the elections or formal membership, can construct their political representativeness. For this reason, political representation by civil organisations has received little attention despite its growing importance. Extensive fieldwork in São Paulo, Brazil, reveals that political representation by civil organisations is closely connected to the dynamics of institutions of representative democracy. Furthermore, it reveals that alongside notions of representation that are clearly irreconcilable with democratic standards, a new notion of representation is emerging among civil organisations which is specifically political and compatible with democracy.

Projects Delay Factors of Saudi Arabia Construction Industry Using PLS-SEM Path Modelling Approach

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Abdul Rahman Ismail

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the development of PLS-SEM Path Model of delay factors of Saudi Arabia construction industry focussing on Mecca City. The model was developed and assessed using SmartPLS v3.0 software and it consists of 37 factors/manifests in 7 groups/independent variables and one dependent variable which is delay of the construction projects. The model was rigorously assessed at measurement and structural components and the outcomes found that the model has achieved the required threshold values. At structural level of the model, among the seven groups, the client and consultant group has the highest impact on construction delay with path coefficient β-value of 0.452 and the project management and contract administration group is having the least impact to the construction delay with β-value of 0.016. The overall model has moderate explaining power ability with R2 value of 0.197 for Saudi Arabia construction industry representation. This model will able to assist practitioners in Mecca city to pay more attention in risk analysis for potential construction delay.

Fuzzy Sets Applications in Civil Engineering Basic Areas

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Latif Onur UĞUR

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings. This paper presents some Fuzzy Logic (FL applications in civil engeering discipline and shows the potential of facilities of FL in this area. The potential role of fuzzy sets in analysing system and human uncertainty is investigated in the paper. The main finding of this inquiry is FL applications used in different areas of civil engeering discipline with success. Once developed, the fuzzy logic models can be used for further monitoring activities, as a management tool.

Impact of individual resilience and safety climate on safety performance and psychological stress of construction workers: A case study of the Ontario construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuting; McCabe, Brenda; Hyatt, Douglas

2017-06-01

The construction industry has hit a plateau in terms of safety performance. Safety climate is regarded as a leading indicator of safety performance; however, relatively little safety climate research has been done in the Canadian construction industry. Safety climate may be geographically sensitive, thus it is necessary to examine how the construct of safety climate is defined and used to improve safety performance in different regions. On the other hand, more and more attention has been paid to job related stress in the construction industry. Previous research proposed that individual resilience may be associated with a better safety performance and may help employees manage stress. Unfortunately, few empirical research studies have examined this hypothesis. This paper aims to examine the role of safety climate and individual resilience in safety performance and job stress in the Canadian construction industry. The research was based on 837 surveys collected in Ontario between June 2015 and June 2016. Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were used to explore the impact of individual resilience and safety climate on physical safety outcomes and on psychological stress among construction workers. The results show that safety climate not only affected construction workers' safety performance but also indirectly affected their psychological stress. In addition, it was found that individual resilience had a direct negative impact on psychological stress but had no impact on physical safety outcomes. These findings highlight the roles of both organizational and individual factors in individual safety performance and in psychological well-being. Construction organizations need to not only monitor employees' safety performance, but also to assess their employees' psychological well-being. Promoting a positive safety climate together with developing training programs focusing on improving employees' psychological health - especially post-trauma psychological

Evolutionary, Unconscious Design Support for the Architectural, Engineering and Construction Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van de Ruitenbeek, H.K.M.

2012-01-01

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is a complex system in which carpenters, structural designers, architects, modellers, cost estimators, planners, politicians and many others act apart together in project-specific virtual enterprises. There is a large amount of actors, an

Responsability of nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadiz Deleito, J.C.

1985-01-01

Since the beginning of nuclear industry, civil responsibility with damages to the public health and properties was a critical problem, because the special conditions of this industry (nuclear accident, damages could be very high but probability of these events is very low). Legal precepts, universally accepted, in the first 60 years for all countries interested in nuclear energy are being revised, then 20 years of experience. The civil responsibility limited is being questioned and indemnities updated. (author)

Modeling injury rates as a function of industrialized versus on-site construction techniques

OpenAIRE

Rubio Romero, Juan Carlos; Suárez Cebador, Manuel; Abad Puente, Jesús

2014-01-01

It is often predicted that the industrialization of building activities will lead to a reduction of accident rates in the construction sector, particularly as a result of switching activities from building sites to factories. However, to date no scientific research has provided objective quantitative results to back up this claim. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how industrialization affects the accident rate in different industrialized building systems in Spain. Our results revealed tha...

Exploring Leadership Capability Team Leaders for Construction Industry in Malaysia: Training and Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Muda, W. H. N. Wan; Halim, F. Ab; Libunao, W. H.

2017-08-01

It has been said that the construction industry must unleash its potential as a source of wealth creation and provide opportunity for the betterment of quality of life. In ensuring the quality of workmanship at construction sites, supervisory skills of site supervisors need to be enhanced. It stressed out that to match business growth and excellence overseas, we must recognize and act on the importance of continuously developing niche expertise and capabilities. Undoubtedly, the role of research in determining the specific leadership skills and the needed core capabilities cannot be over-emphasized. In ensuring the quality of workmanship at construction sites, leadership skills especially supervisory skill for site supervisors need to be enhanced. In this study, quantitative research design with survey questionnaire was used to collect the data and simple random sampling was employed in selecting 248 respondents involving team leaders in construction industry from whole of Malaysia. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics; ANOVA in SPSS 21.0. Training and experience in leadership has been found to be significance to leadership capability of team leaders. The opinions from the respondents also indicated that they need the training of leadership and they had to enhance themselves to enable them to become better and more competitive leaders. The results of this assessment can pinpoint the areas needing improvement and therefore can be used as basis in designing and/or deciding development programmes. This study also found that generally the team leaders in construction industry needed more opportunities to expand their leadership capability to become the effective leaders in future.

3D printing cement based ink, and it’s application within the construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianchao Zhu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The 3D printing technology is the engine key of the third industrial revolution, after introduction of the automation in the eighteenth century and the concept of mass production in early of twentieth century. 3D printing technology now offers the magic solution to balance both the benefits, and overcome the major associated problem with the previous concept which was the need of repetition. The 3D printing technology has two main critical success factors: the printing machine and the printing material (ink. This paper focusses on cementitious-based materials and the ability to utilize the technology in the construction industry. The research took a qualitative approach based on previous literature reviews as well as in-house research results carried out by the authors’ employer Research and Development Center. The paper summarizes the approach towards to an appropriate mix design which can achieve the requirement of the printing process, and overcome the current constraints which are hindering the wide application of 3D print in construction industry. The authors believe that the research topic and result will have great impact on pushing the construction industry forward towards achieving the UAE Government’s strategy and target to achieve twenty-five percent (25% of the buildings in Dubai by the year of 2030 relying on the 3D printing methodology. The research also concluded that even though the technology is adding a great value to the construction industry, it must be remembered that the technology is still in its infancy, and further research is required to achieve even higher strength printing materials that would be workable in multi-story buildings without the need of additional steel reinforcement.

Transition in the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olyniec, J.H.

1985-01-01

Not long ago, nuclear energy was forecast to be the dominant force in the utility industry. An environmentally safe clean and inexpensive way to produce electricity would be welcomed by all. Civil engineering challenges on the leading edge of technology awaited the designer and constructor. As we now know, changes within the past 10 years have taken place that radically alter this outlook. Energy demand, thought to be ever increasing, was shocked by the rising costs. Plant construction delays, coupled with ever increasing regulatory requirements and higher interest rates, fueled the spiral or more cost. Economy of operation became overwhelmed by utility debt burden. Where is the nuclear utility industry now and what direction can we foresee. this symposium addresses the nuclear industry past, present, and future. The first session highlights some lessons learned from past experiences that must be applied in the future to be beneficial. Existing and future challenges are presented in the sessions on plant modifications and nuclear waste and decommissioning. The final session looks at the nuclear industry in transition from the perspectives of the different segments that make up the industry

Revaluering benchmarking - A topical theme for the construction industry

OpenAIRE

Rasmussen, Grane Mikael Gregaard

2011-01-01

Over the past decade, benchmarking has increasingly gained foothold in the construction industry. The predominant research, perceptions and uses of benchmarking are valued so strongly and uniformly, that what may seem valuable, is actually abstaining researchers and practitioners from studying and questioning the concept objectively. This paper addresses the underlying nature of benchmarking, and accounts for the importance of focusing attention on the sociological impacts benchmarking has in...

Brief consideration on the concept of testament in Romanian civil law

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Nicuşor CRĂCIUN

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The New Civil Code meets the requirements of legal professionals and improves the legal definition from the previous regulation. Although the New Civil Code retains the general background legalized by the old Civil Code, a welcome, pertinent, necessary and important evolution is to be noticed. There are certainly novelty elements in the content of the New Civil Code and a clear differentiation is drawn between testament and legacy, the two of them benefitting from dedicated texts within the New Civil Code. It is to be noticed that this new definition, filtering judiciously the criticisms and the previous doctrinary construction, succeeds in saving itself of criticism or necessary doctrinary addenda as it manages to comprise the essential.

Modeling the factors affecting unsafe behavior in the construction industry from safety supervisors' perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Khosravi, Yahya; Asilian-Mahabadi, Hassan; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim; Hassanzadeh-Rangi, Narmin; Bastani, Hamid; Khavanin, Ali; Mortazavi, Seyed Bagher

2014-01-01

There can be little doubt that the construction is the most hazardous industry in the worldwide. This study was designed to modeling the factors affecting unsafe behavior from the perspective of safety supervisors. The qualitative research was conducted to extract a conceptual model. A structural model was then developed based on a questionnaire survey (n=266) by two stage Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach. An excellent confirmed 12-factors structure explained about 62% of variances unsafe behavior in the construction industry. A good fit structural model indicated that safety climate factors were positively correlated with safety individual factors (Pconstruction workers' engagement in safe or unsafe behavior. In order to improve construction safety performance, more focus on the workplace condition is required.

Ecological Engineering and Civil Engineering works

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Bohemen, H.D.

2004-01-01

This thesis provides a survey of the research results of the relationship between on the one hand the construction, management and maintenance of civil engineering works, and on the other hand the environment, nature and landscape, with the main focus on motorways and coastal protection. The growing

Constructing Catalonia

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Bill Philips

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Catalonia, in common with other nations, has long been concerned with the question of identity and difference. Its problematic relationship with Spain has led to an emphasis on differentiating itself from its larger neighbour (if we are to accept, as most Spaniards do not, that Catalonia is not Spain, a situation complicated by the loss of the Spanish colonies of Cuba and The Philippines in 1898, and the Spanish Civil War and subsequent dictatorship from 1936 to 1976. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, the construction of a Catalan identity followed a similar route to that taken by other European nations such as England, Ireland and, indeed, Spain, including an emphasis on rural values, activities and the countryside, and the conversion of specifically local traditions into national past times. It is only in the last ten years or so that this model of Catalan identity has been recognised for what it is – a model constructed and encouraged for and by specific nationalist political interests. Ironically, Catalonia’s identity abroad has also been constructed and manipulated for political purposes, but from quite a different perspective. Orwell’s /Homage to Catalonia/ (1938 narrates an extremely blinkered version of the Spanish Civil War which has achieved iconic status as a result of cold war politics. Subsequent portrayals of the Spanish Civil War – Valentine Cunningham’s /The Penguin Book of Spanish Civil War Verse/ (ed., Penguin, 1980, or Ken Loach’s 1995 film /Land and Freedom/ base their arguments unquestioningly on /Homage to Catalonia/, perpetuating a view of the nation’s recent history that is both reductive and inaccurate

Building information modelling (BIM) after ten years: Malaysian construction players’ perception of BIM

Science.gov (United States)

Latiffi, A. Ahmad; Brahim, J.; Fathi, M. S.

2017-08-01

Building Information Modelling (BIM) concept has expanded widely in many countries for more than a decade with its role of improving current practices in construction projects. However, the understanding of BIM differs among construction players, depending on how construction players utilize the concept in their projects. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the understanding of BIM concept among construction players in the Malaysian construction industry. A literature review on BIM concept and semi-structured interviews with construction players in BIM such as client, civil and structural (C&S) engineer and mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineer, quantity surveyor (QS), contractor, facilities manager and BIM consultant have been conducted in order to achieve this study’s the aim. The results show that the understanding of BIM concept among the construction players is limited to BIM as a process and technology. It is important for the construction players to improve their understanding of BIM as it can be used to enhance performance and productivity of construction projects.

Applications of Statistics and Probability in Civil Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Faber, Michael Havbro

contains the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Applications of Statistics and Probability in Civil Engineering (ICASP11, Zürich, Switzerland, 1-4 August 2011). The book focuses not only on the more traditional technical issues, but also emphasizes the societal context...... and reliability in engineering; to professionals and engineers, including insurance and consulting companies working with natural hazards, design, operation and maintenance of civil engineering and industrial facilities; and to decision makers and professionals in the public sector, including nongovernmental...

Employers' Perception of Graduates with Entry-Level Technical Skills from Construction Industry Programs in Ghana and Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Acheampong, Philip

2013-01-01

The purpose of this comparative study was to identify the technical skills and abilities needed by prospective employees of construction industries in Ghana and Nigeria. Potential employees were defined here as recent graduates of construction industry programs with entry-level technical skills. The continuous growth in and expansion of these two…

Preparing for the Post-Industrial Age

OpenAIRE

Cairns, John

2008-01-01

The Industrial Age has been made possible by cheap, abundant fossil fuels, primarily petroleum and coal. The life expectancy of an industrial civilization is about 100 years. Some forecasts estimate the critical period of the current age to be from 1930 to approximately 2030. A key to this range is peak oil, which may occur in 2007. After peak oil, a terminal decline will occur in the industrial civilization because replacement or substitute energy sources are not as attractive as petroleum. ...

The Research of China's Civil Aviation Passenger Multi-Channel Service Technology Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Zhibing, Xue; Xinming, Wang

IATA is promoting Simplifying the Business. The traditional passenger services and business process, such as ticketing, airport counters, had a great influence. The airlines have the passenger service and convenience as the next product development requirements. With civil aviation industry and their company's products construction, the authors propose a solution of passenger multi-channel service product platform. The solution is to streamline the business as the breakthrough point, around the convenience of passengers travel services to travelers as the center, using the current mainstream and the latest IT technology to establish passenger service product platform. The solution will promote DCS e-ticketing business development and service channel diversity. In this paper, the research results have been applied in the product platform construction of the authors' company. The practice shows that through traditional business with the latest IT technologies, traditional passenger services into the emerging service model, passenger service product platform has strong advantages and characteristics. Based on the platform, various types of service products is growing rapidly.

Fostering of Innovative Talents Based on Disciplinary Construction: HRD Strategy of Chinese Nuclear Power Industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye Yuanwei

2014-01-01

Workforce challenge to nuclear power industry: • We are facing the aging workforce and talent loss since the tough time of nuclear power industry. • Professional workforce fostering in nuclear power industry always needs a long period of time. • Professional workforce fostering in nuclear power industry is a systematic and interdisciplinary work. Talents fostering in nuclear power industry: Major measures → national overall planning; engineering practice; knowledge management; disciplinary construction; cooperation and communication

Economic viability of demolition recycled wastes used during the construction of the subfloor of a building located in the east side of the city of São Paulo

OpenAIRE

Paschoalin Filho, João Alexandre; Storopoli, João Henrique; Duarte, Eric Brum Lima

2014-01-01

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/2236117013750The civil construction industry is responsible for a considerable environmental impact, whether the demand for natural raw materials or the generation of waste from its activities. The Resolution 307 of 5 July 2002 of the National Environmental Council classified construction and demolition wastes into different classes according to their physical characteristics, and forms to submit its disposal. This resolution highlights that construction waste can´t ...

Finding the right incentives; circular business models for the construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Brink, R.; Prins, M.; Straub, A.; Ploeger, H.D.

2017-01-01

After its launch, the circular economy gained popularity all over the world as the new sustainability paradigm. Despite its popularity there is little to no material to be found on the implementation of the circular economy in the construction industry. Through a mixed method methodology using

Studying Disabling Occupational Accidents in the Construction Industry During Two Years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Soltanzadeh

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background & Objectives : Idnetifying causes of occupational accidents is a key issue to prevent these accidents. The present study aimed to identify and analyze debilitating accidents in the construction industry during a two-year period ( 2010 - 2011 years . Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study. The study data included information about all debilitating accidents occurred within two years. Data collection was performed according to the accident report forms in construction sites. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 16. The level of significance was considered as P=0.05. Results: The mean age and job experience of injured people were 27.95±6.95 and 2.34±2.00 years, respectively. Most injuries to people were reported in hand (35.4%, legs (28.3% and back (20.4%. Most of accident types were respectively related to slipping and falling (26.1%, throwing objects (21.7%, falls (18.6%, abrasion (16.8% and clash (16.4%. Moreover, the main causes of accidents were related to lack of housekeeping (97.3%, lack of proper training (85.8%, lack of PPE (73.0%, unsafe acts (63.3%, unsafe conditions (32.3% and equipment (22.6%. Conclusion: Analyzing causes of disabling accidents in the construction industry showed that important factors in these accidents included lack of housekeeping, failure to provide proper training, lack of suitable PPE, unsafe acts, unsafe conditions and equipment for the construction jobs

A revisit on the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR in the Malaysian construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Suhaimi Mohd Danuri

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The current dispute resolution procedures available in the Malaysian construction industry are mainly litigation and arbitration. In addition, the alternative dispute resolutions (ADR, namely mediation and adjudication, have also been introduced as the other methods for resolving disputes. The objective of this study is to examine the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR available in the Malaysian construction industry. The aim of this paper is two-fold: to report the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR, and identify the attributes of successful implementation of both mechanisms based on the perceptions of the Malaysian construction industry players. From the jurisprudence point of view, this study looks into the law as it is, in relation to the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR, by showing how those findings can be used to explain why improvement is needed to promote a successful and well received dispute resolution and ADR, and what lessons can be learnt, towards the formulation of a more viable methods for the Malaysian construction industry. NVivo software has been used to manage and organise the complete interview transcripts and facilitate the data analysis process for this study. Literature review reveals a continuous development of dispute resolution and ADR in the Malaysian construction industry, while, globally the industry has not only embraced ADR but also spearheaded the development of innovative forms of dispute avoidance mechanism. The findings of interviews show that locally, apart from litigation, the common types of ADR are arbitration, mediation and ad hoc mechanism. The findings also lead to the discovery of the following attributes: faster, less procedural, cost effective and enforceable; regulation and government's support; professionalism and ethic; training; and facility, that may promote a successful implementation of dispute resolution and ADR in Malaysia.

Physical and Mechanical Characterization of Sugarcane Bagasse Particleboards for Civil Construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosane Battistelle

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the worldwide market of particleboard production, the use of alternative raw materials is increasing, due to high demand and lack of traditional raw material, despite efforts of reforestation. In Brazil, the main agricultural commodity is sugarcane due to the copious production of sugar and ethanol. In the state of São Paulo alone approximately 140 million tons of sugarcane bagasse are produced every year, from which around 70% is burned for energy production, not adding value to the residue and generating pollution to the environment; and the other 30% is sold for composting. The objective of this work is to add value to the sugarcane bagasse by using it as a raw material for particleboard production to be employed as flooring in the area of civil construction. To achieve this, the present research characterized the physical and mechanical characteristics of the particleboards with the following alternative raw materials: sugarcane bagasse and leaves of bamboo. Particleboards were produced to reach high density (0.8g/cm3 using the resin (bi-component polyurethane castor oil. Tests for abrasion, roughness and resistance to denting and wear (Janka hardness verified that the addition of leaves of bamboo in the mixtures, contrary to what was expected, did not confer a greater degree of resistance to the particleboards. Lastly, the results showed that sugarcane bagasse is a viable raw material alternative for the production of particleboards, intended to be used as products and flooring.

Recruitment criteria and attraction strategies for local trained labour in Malaysia’s construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Manap, N.; Noh, NH Mohd; Syahrom, N.

2017-12-01

Development in Malaysia is booming which can be witnessed by the various construction projects that currently in progress, especially in the state of Johor which has the highest value of construction work completed for the third quarter of 2016. This necessarily requires skilled labours in a high number especially among the locals since it has been reported that Malaysia’s construction industry is having problems related to the shortage of local skilled labour. In addition, the local workers have been reported unable to fulfil the demand of construction market. Hence, it caused the contractor to import foreign workers to meet the needs and requirement of labour market in construction sector. This study aims of two objectives; to determine the criteria set by the construction company in recruiting local skilled labour and to study the strategies that can attract local skilled labour to join construction industry. Questionnaire has been distributed to G7 contractor in the state of Johor in order to achieve the objectives of this study. Collected data was then evaluated and tested for its reliability using the SPSS 20.0 software before it can be analysed in order to obtain the mean value, frequencies and percentage. The outcome of this study indicates that the prospective employer prefers to work with man and they require young, experienced, knowledgeable and skilled workers in doing the job. Most of the strategies that have been selected are mainly related to money namely salary increment, bonus, allowance and overtime payment, apart from upgrading labours welfare and providing a better accommodation. This study can be a guideline to both skills institution and contractor to improve on what they are lacking in order to encourage the local trained skills labour to join the industry.

Causes of Fatal Accidents Involving Cranes in the Australian Construction Industry

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Ehsan Gharaie

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In ten years from 2004 to 2013, 359 workers died in the Australian construction industry because of work related causes. This paper investigates crane-related fatalities in order to find the upstream causation of such accidents. The National Coroners’ Information System (NCIS database was searched to identify fatal accidents in the construction industry involving the use of a crane.  The narrative description of the cases provided in the coroners’ findings and associated documents were content analysed to identify the contributing causal factors within the context of each case. The findings show that the most frequent crane-related accident types were those that were struck by load, and electrocution. The most prevalent immediate circumstance causes were layout of the site and restricted space. The two most commonly identified shaping factors were physical site constraints and design of construction process. Inadequate risk management system was identified as the main originating influence on the accidents. This paper demonstrates that a systemic causation model can provide considerable insight into how originating influences, shaping factors, and immediate circumstances combine to produce accidents. This information is extremely useful in informing the development of prevention strategies, particularly in the case of commonly occurring accident types.

A bilateral and multi-issue negotiation framework to support a supply chain of construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Schramm

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Any interaction involving individuals, whose objectives are conflicting with each other, may establish a negotiation process. In a negotiation, each party should develop his/her own strategy and, normally, a win-lose vision is frequently adopted. The main consequence of this behavior is a result, in which both parties lose, especially when the negotiation involves more than one aspect, such as negotiations resulting from purchases of material for construction industry, where aspects like price, quality and lead-time should be considered. Most of the negotiation involving construction industry adopts a win-lose vision; and, commonly, only the issue price is considered. The goal of this paper is to propose a framework to support negotiations between two parties (buyer and seller in the supply chain of construction industry. The combination of a win-win strategy with a multicriteria analysis produces a best compromise solution for both parties. A simulation of negotiation using realistic data is presented.

Market in Germany. Renewable energy and energy conservation in the German construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-02-01

This market survey for Germany is on the subject of renewable energy and energy efficient constructing and housing improvement. In order to meet sectoral or thematic information needs of Dutch exporting industries and investing companies, the EVD facilitates the realisation of up-to-date market surveys on promising markets in selected countries. The requested study is very relevant for the Dutch exporting industry, as the German building and construction market is of increasing importance to the Dutch building, installation and equipment building sector. Moreover the German market is a European innovator on renewable energy (RE) and energy efficient (EE) homes or even so-called 'passive' houses. The developments in the German market can guide the Dutch industry in the development of their export strategies. The main target groups for the market surveys are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands. Interesting groups among these SMEs are those enterprises that start their business on a foreign market [nl

Construction of overseas nuclear power plants for first time by Japanese industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, Tohru; Naruse, Yoshihiro; Yabuta, Hitoshi

2010-01-01

In response to the worldwide demand for stable energy supplies and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear power plant construction projects have been expanding on a global scale. Even in the United States, where no nuclear power plants have been constructed over the past 30 years, there are plans for the construction of more than 30 plants. Toshiba has been awarded a contract for a nuclear power plant construction project in the U.S., the first case of overseas nuclear power plant construction by Japanese industry. Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corporation (TANE), the first U.S. subsidiary in our nuclear business, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, is engaged in this globally prominent project, applying various technologies and know-how that we have cultivated over many years of experience in developing and constructing nuclear power plants in Japan and adapting them to U.S. business practices, laws, and regulations. (author)

Review of Solid Waste Management Practice, Handling and Planning in the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fiza Mohd Noh

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The building and construction industry is a major contributor to the source of national economy. However, inappropriate construction waste management lead to various problems such as illegal dumping along the roadsides, demolition waste and disposal of construction at landfills that Malaysia is facing serious shortage of landfill space and recently the issue has become more serious throughout the country, which these have caused major government sources and environmental issue. Solid waste management is one of the environmental issues which always been a concerned to most governments. In urban areas, 46% of the population in the statistics that shows the world population has reached six billion. In 1997, generation of the municipal solid waste was about 0.49 billion tons around the globe with an estimated annual growth rate of 3.2-4.5% in develop nations and 2-3% in developing countries. The characteristics of solid waste generated were changed due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization.

76 FR 70166 - Electrical Standards for Construction and General Industry; Extension of the Office of Management...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-10

...] Electrical Standards for Construction and General Industry; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget... contained in the Electrical Standards for Construction (29 CFR part 1926, Subpart K) and for General... maintenance of electric utilization equipment that prevent death and serious injuries among construction and...

Industrial Training of Construction Students: Perceptions of Training Organizations in Ghana

Science.gov (United States)

Ayarkwa, Joshua; Adinyira, Emmanuel; Osei-Asibey, Dickson

2012-01-01

Purpose: The industrial training component in a university's curricula adds tremendous value to a degree programme by enhancing the employable skills of graduates. The purpose of this paper is to assess the perception of organisations that have trained construction students from the Department of Building Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University…

Textual complexity of standard conditions used in the construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raufdeen Rameezdeen

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Clearly written communication aids the understanding of construction contracts, resulting in less disputation. Past research, using opinion surveys rather than objective criteria, shows that construction contracts lack clarity and standard forms have become complex over time. The study outlined in this paper uses three objective measures of clarity developed by linguists to establish the readability of construction contracts. In addition, thirty industry professionals participated in a Cloze Test which measured the level of comprehension of clauses concerning disputes. The study verifies that contract conditions are very difficult to read, with college level reading skills needed to comprehend half of the clauses. However, the hypothesis that standard forms have become complex over time was not supported by the study. The study establishes a linear relationship between readability and comprehension, proving the hypothesis that improved readability increases the comprehension of a contract clause. 

Textual complexity of standard conditions used in the construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raufdeen Rameezdeen

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Clearly written communication aids the understanding of construction contracts, resulting in less disputation. Past research, using opinion surveys rather than objective criteria, shows that construction contracts lack clarity and standard forms have become complex over time. The study outlined in this paper uses three objective measures of clarity developed by linguists to establish the readability of construction contracts. In addition, thirty industry professionals participated in a Cloze Test which measured the level of comprehension of clauses concerning disputes. The study verifies that contract conditions are very difficult to read, with college level reading skills needed to comprehend half of the clauses. However, the hypothesis that standard forms have become complex over time was not supported by the study. The study establishes a linear relationship between readability and comprehension, proving the hypothesis that improved readability increases the comprehension of a contract clause.

Asbestos Removal in the Construction Industry.

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

34AD " 0� 652 4;4 4., " K - ALUTJ. DANK JR. !I 𔃼 1| 91-10924 A REPORT PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE COMMITTEE OF THE DEPAInTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINERING...and cost effectively. It is a matter of knowing what the risks are and allocating the cost accordingly (26-15). 6.3.3 Government Federal and state

Determinants of epoxy allergy in the construction industry : a case-control study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spee, Ton; Timmerman, Johan G; Rühl, Reinhold; Kersting, Klaus; Heederik, Dick J J; Smit, Lidwien A M

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Workers exposed to epoxy products are at risk of developing allergic contact dermatitis. OBJECTIVES: To compare workers throughout the German construction industry with and without skin allergy to epoxy resins, hardeners, and/or reactive diluents, and to investigate which determinants

Training to NDT construction experts (ZFPBau). Developments in recent years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taffe, Alexander; Feistkorn, Sascha

2016-01-01

Classical destructive test methods are fixed part of industrial sectors for decades such as aerospace, automotive, railway and power plants. A high degree of standardization of procedures, and training in form of an ISO standard are present, but not in non-destructive testing of civil engineering (ZfPBau). Except for the rebound hammer NDT methods in civil engineering are not standardized. Also of personnel qualifications can be found in regulations very few requirements, although it is obvious that this is an indispensable prerequisite for the proper application of the procedures and reliable inspection results. In this contribution experiences with a presented training concept in which the construction inspector will trained to DIN 1076 in a two-day course. Here are the necessary conditions worked out, such as the creation of suitable test bodies or the definition of necessary course content for establishing training courses. [de

А construction of management of enterprises charges is in chemical industry

OpenAIRE

Gura, N.; Radchenko, K.

2010-01-01

In the article the essence and value of conception of "administrative account" are defined, the debatable questions of constructing of administrative account and its structure are considered. The methods of charge accounting are considered at the enterprises of chemical industry. The essence of introduction and usage of modern information technologies are stated.

A Strategic Approach for Supporting the Future of Civil Engineering Education in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Angelides, Demos C.; Loukogeorgaki, Eva

2005-01-01

A new strategic vision of the extensively debated European higher education is proposed with focus on civil engineering. Civil engineering education for the future is considered with relevance to potential world-wide trends and anticipated societal requirements and, therefore, required employee qualifications of the construction-related providers…

Pluridisciplinarity vs. interdisciplinarity in civil engineering education in seismic areas

OpenAIRE

Emil-Sever GEORGESCU

2012-01-01

Civil engineers are involved in building and maintaining a built environment that meets the sustainable development requirements. This environment is interdisciplinary in its nature, as it results from an interaction between different actors (architects, city planners, authorities, clients, civil engineers). Professional formation and training of engineers is a result of the didactic and technical efforts, which later will be reflected in the way constructions are being designed and built, so...

Construction Management of Electromechanical Engineering Project in Petrochemical Construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xi Tao

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Petrochemical industry as a basic industry, occupies a pivotal position in the national economy, with the continuous development of science and technology, electromechanical automation in the petrochemical industry has been widely used to save a lot of labor but also greatly improve the oil Chemical industry production efficiency. Therefore, in the construction of petrochemical industry, mechanical and electrical engineering as part of it. It plays a vital role. Petrochemical industry with the production of high temperature and high pressure and flammable and explosive gas, can strengthen the construction of mechanical and electrical engineering specialization and construction management of scientific, has become the relationship between the smooth development of mechanical and electrical engineering and engineering quality of the key, A direct impact on the petrochemical construction of the overall construction quality. To this end, it is necessary for the construction of petrochemical construction of electromechanical engineering construction management to promote the construction of mechanical and electrical engineering management level gradually increased. This article on the machine Electric engineering project construction management were discussed with a view to the petrochemical construction in the relevant aspects of the need to provide reference for reference.

Rapid construction of concrete pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Limbert, D.; Weatherseed, D.C.

1989-01-01

This paper opens with a general description of the concrete pressure vessel followed by a more detailed examination of the critical elements of the construction, including choice of methods and plant which were selected to ensure its rapid construction. The pressure vessel construction cannot be treated in isolation, because it is very closely linked with its surrounding structures - namely the reactor hall which surrounds it and the charge hall which tops it, as will be seen in the context of this paper. Rate of progress of construction is not entirely in the civil contractor's hands because so many of the operations affecting the civil works are of a mechanical nature, hence a very close liaison and understanding amongst all contractors concerned was of the utmost importance. (author)

Execution of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994 in the Construction Industry from Contractors’ Point of View

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awang H.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Construction is one of the highest contributing industries to occupational accidents by sector in Malaysia. Statistics have been drawn from year to year that show an increasing number of cases of accidents by industry sector. While it is impossible to completely eliminate all accidents, with a proper and effective safety and health policy or rules set by top management, especially contractors, the rate of accidents on construction sites can be reduced. The main objective of this study is to analyse the degree of application of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA 1994 in the construction industry and to identify the contributing factors leading to a lack of execution of OSHA 1994 on construction sites with a primary focus on contractors’ point of view. Five on-going construction projects in Perak were selected as case studies and site inspections were conducted. The results showed that none of the contractors have fully implemented the rules and regulations provided by the government. Within this report, some recommendations are made towards enhancing the safety and health issues on construction sites.

The Significance of Coordination for Industrialised Building System (IBS) Precast Concrete in Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

Fitri Othman Mohd Khairul; Wan Muhammad Wan Mohd Nurdden; Abd Hadi Nurulhudaya; Azman Mohd Azrai

2017-01-01

IBS precast concrete is construction system which is meant to improve the conventional construction process. However IBS precast concrete projects are suffering from serious problems such as cost overrun, delays and less quality of the end product. The absence of coordination is perceived as the reason for this issue. The purpose of this paper is to review the significance of coordination for IBS precast concrete in the construction industry. It if found that the fragmentation which occurs in...

Drivers for the effective management of HIV and AIDS in the South African construction industry--a Delphi study.

Science.gov (United States)

Harinarain, Nishani; Haupt, Theo Conrad

2014-09-01

Different industries manage the threats presented by HIV and AIDS in different ways. The construction industry is particularly vulnerable to the pandemic because of its large unskilled labour force, high labour turnover and the migratory nature of the workforce. The study reported on in this paper, the first of its kind in the South African construction industry, aimed to identify the important drivers needed for the effective management of HIV and AIDS and to understand their impact on the construction industry. The aim was achieved in two stages. The first stage involved an extensive literature review to determine the factors that drive corporate response in the management of HIV and AIDS in the South African construction sector. Six drivers, namely legal requirements, social pressures, business costs, voluntary regulation, visibility of the disease, and individuals within companies with a total of 87 items were identified. An iterative Delphi technique with a panel of experts was used to validate the factors identified in the literature review and formed the second stage of this research. The Delphi method was used as it provided a systematic approach to achieve consensus on the six drivers for effective management of HIV and AIDS management in the construction industry. An expert panel responded to three iterations of questionnaires to achieve consensus. The experts reached consensus on 56 items categorised under the 6 drivers. This study found that the legal driver was considered most important but only second in terms of impact. The second most important driver was the visibility of the disease and was regarded as the driver with the highest impact. Internal agents ranked third in terms of importance and impact. This study can be used for further research to assist the construction industry in helping fight HIV and AIDS.

Analysis of the causes and consequences of falls from scaffolding using the Polish construction industry as an example

Science.gov (United States)

Hoła, A.; Hoła, B.; Szóstak, M.

2017-10-01

The results of research published in many publications indicate that the scale of the problem of accidents at work in the construction industry is significant. Fatal and serious accidents, which in the construction industry are often a result of a fall from a height and associated with working on scaffolding, have a particularly strong impact on society. Systematic controls carried out on Polish construction sites indicate irregularities in the area of ensuring safety on scaffolding. As a result of conducted own studies, dozens of accidents caused by falls from scaffolding were selected from the total number of accidents at work in the construction industry and then analysed. The aim of the research was to identify the causes of these accidents and their consequences. The results of studies conducted in this area will be the content of the article.

Future of industry. Part 4. Sustainable entrepreneurship in the Dutch construction industry. Institutional context and strategic responses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein Woolthuis, R; De Boer, S.

2009-12-15

TNO developed a methodology to identify sector specific opportunities by examining bottlenecks and drivers for sustainable innovation. Research results are presented in 4 reports: the first report explores the highly innovative chemicals sector and how it deals with opportunities and bottlenecks in sustainable innovation. The second report examines the project driven construction industry and how entrepreneurs and incumbent firms develop strategies to deal with the bottlenecks of sustainable innovation. The third report extends the second report by highlighting the role of the incumbent firms in this process, and this (fourth) report deepens the second report by illuminating the strategies of entrepreneurs in the transition to sustainable construction.

Priority design parameters of industrialized optical fiber sensors in civil engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huaping; Jiang, Lizhong; Xiang, Ping

2018-03-01

Considering the mechanical effects and the different paths for transferring deformation, optical fiber sensors commonly used in civil engineering have been systematically classified. Based on the strain transfer theory, the relationship between the strain transfer coefficient and allowable testing error is established. The proposed relationship is regarded as the optimal control equation to obtain the optimal value of sensors that satisfy the requirement of measurement precision. Furthermore, specific optimization design methods and priority design parameters of the classified sensors are presented. This research indicates that (1) strain transfer theory-based optimization design method is much suitable for the sensor that depends on the interfacial shear stress to transfer the deformation; (2) the priority design parameters are bonded (sensing) length, interfacial bonded strength, elastic modulus and radius of protective layer and thickness of adhesive layer; (3) the optimization design of sensors with two anchor pieces at two ends is independent of strain transfer theory as the strain transfer coefficient can be conveniently calibrated by test, and this kind of sensors has no obvious priority design parameters. Improved calibration test is put forward to enhance the accuracy of the calibration coefficient of end-expanding sensors. By considering the practical state of sensors and the testing accuracy, comprehensive and systematic analyses on optical fiber sensors are provided from the perspective of mechanical actions, which could scientifically instruct the application design and calibration test of industrialized optical fiber sensors.

Regulating through leverage: Civil regulation in China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fürst, K.