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- ItemAssessment of Maintainability Consideration during Design and Construction Stages of Public Buildings in Abuja Metropolis(2019-06)Most buildings suffer from defects resulting from poor maintainability considerations at the design and construction stages. The apparent lack of maintainability considerations has often given rise to high cost of building maintenance during its operation. This study is therefore an attempt to assess the maintainability considerations in the design and construction stages of public buildings in Abuja metropolis. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and a structured questionnaire was used to elicit the perception of professionals working with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Abuja. The population was purposively targeted because of their direct involvement in the design and construction activities in the Metropolis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The study found that functionality of buildings, detailing of structural components and safety of building users are the most significant considerations to be made at all times in the design and construction of buildings. High life cycle cost of buildings, high rate of defects development, frequent maintenance work and high maintenance budget were found to be most prevalent consequences of ignoring maintainability issues in the design and construction of buildings in Abuja metropolis. The study recommends production of functional buildings by considering maintainability issues at the early stage of building development through synergy among the design team. Standard procedures and practices for the procurement of qualitative structures must also be upheld by all stakeholders in the built environment.
- ItemSAFETY & CODE OF PRACTICE IN CONSTRUCTION Assessing the Impact of Installation and Dismantling of Tower Cranes on Construction Site Safety(2019-09)The construction industry plays a central and significant role in the economy of any nation. One of the major reasons for ineffective project delivery in the Nigerian construction industry is the improper assessment of risk factors. Installation and dismantling of tower crane had been previously looked at as a general safety issue along with other factors affecting safety during tower crane usage until, recent research showed that about 69% of accidents related to tower cranes in Korea from 2001-2011, occur during installation and dismantling process. In view of this, this paper aimed at assessing impact of installation and dismantling of tower cranes on safely by determining the degree of impact with a view to establishing the most significant ones. This is why a well-structured questionnaire is designed to collect data with respect to the degree of impact using a 5 point Likert scale. Responses from the administered questionnaire and interactions was collated, interpreted and analysed by using descriptive statistics (mean) and results presented in tables. Results showed that fracture of a wire rope during dismantling had the highest degree of impact with a mean value of 4.63, workers (erectors, dismantlers) arc leaving the work often due to hard working condition had the lowest degree of impact with a mean value of 2.34. The research concluded that fracture of a wire rope during dismantling is a high risk factor affecting construction site safety during installation and dismantling of tower cranes. Adoption of a preventive maintenance strategy or routine check on the tower crane parts and components could help reduce the possibility of accidents occurrence on site and therefore improve safety.
- ItemDrivers and barriers to corporate social responsibility practices in nigerian construction industry(2019-09)Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is increasingly valued as one factor that contributes to business sustainable development. Construction activities attract hostility among local community and the general public due to its disruptive impact arising from activities such as; excavation and demolitkion The construction industry is plagued with an inconsiderate and uncaring attitude towards environmental, economic and social sustainable issues of the society despite the apparent need to adopt a sustainable approach. This paper aims to assess the drivers and barriers to the practice of CSR in Nigerian construction industry. A quantitative research approach was adopted. A questionnaire was designed and distributeed to construction industry professionals as respondents of the study. Descriptive statistical data analysis was employed and results were presented using tables. The study identified various drivers and barriers to CSR implementation. Government legislation and the need to maintain a cordial relationship with stakeholders were found to be the major drivers of CSR, with lack of time as the highest ranked barrier in the Nigerian construction industry. The findings of this study serves as an empirical evidence to the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility of Nigerian construction firms.
- ItemPotential of adopting a resilient safety culture toward improving the safety performance of construction organizations in Nigeria(2022)Purpose - Despite the efforts of organizations lo improve safety performance, shortfalls of the strategies have been reported in numerous studies around the globe. However, previous studies in countries with more organized construction sectors show that adopting a resilient safety culture by organizations has a tendency of improving safety performance. As safety culture is dynamic which differs with geographical context, the purpose of this paper is to achieve two objectives: testing the causal relationship between safety performance and resilience safely culture in the Nigerian construction environment; and determining the key components for ensuring the resilience of construction organizations with regards to safely. Design/methodology/approach - Quantitative research approach was used. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The population of the study comprises small and medium construction organizations predominantly across the Northern region in the Nigerian built environment. A total of 180 questionnaires were distributed to construction managers and safety managers in respective organizations to serve as respondents to the study. Partial least square - structural equation modeling (P'LS-SEM) was used to test the relationship between safety performance and resilience safety culture. While principal component analysis was used determining the key components for ensuring the resilience of construction organizations with regards to safety. Findings - Findings of this study revealed that resilient safety culture has a significantly strong positive relationship with safety performance. Safely hazard recognition and effective safety response altitude were identified as the key components for guaranteeing a resilient safety culture. Practical implications - With a view to achieve a consistently high safety performance, organizations have to acknowledge and anticipate unexpected hazardous events and provide I he necessary safely resources to manage them. Furthermore, there is also the need to create awareness on recognized safety concerns on safety hazards, coupled with a dynamic risk response altitude lo ensure consistent improvement in safety performance. Originality/value - This study presents an alternative to the slow and reactive safety culture of the Nigerian built environment. This study builds on existing literature, and the findings explore the
- ItemAN EVALUATION OF SAFETY RISK FACTORS DURING INSTALLATION AND DISMANTLING OF TOWER CRANES IN CONSTRUCTION SITES(2020-07)The construction industry plays a central and significant role in the economy of any nation. One of the major reasons for ineffective project delivery in the Nigerian construction industry is the improper assessment of risk factors. The industry however is currently facing a lot of challenges which include constant increase in the rate of accidents on construction sites which could be due to ineffective safety management as construction companies are usually interested in maximizing their profit in order to secure funds for new investments, and cover possible expenses associated with the occurrence of risk factors during construction. Installation and dismantling of tower crane had been previously looked at as a general safety issue until, recent research showed that about 69% of accidents related to tower cranes in Korea from 2001-2011, occur during installation and dismantling process. In view of this, this paper aimed at evaluating safety risk factors during installation and dismantling by determining their probability of occurrence and degree of impact with a view to establishing the most significant ones. This is why a well-structured questionnaire was designed to collect data with respect to their probability of occurrence and degree of impact using a 5 point Likert scale. Responses from the administered questionnaire and interactions were collated, interpreted and analysed using descriptive statistics (mean) and results presented in tables. Results showed that abrasion (wear and tear of components such as bolts, nuts, orpins) is the most probable factor with a mean value of 3.63. Fracture of a wire rope during dismantling had the highest degree of impact with a mean value of 4.63. The research concluded that fracture of a wire rope during dismantling and abrasion (wear and tear of components such as bolts, nuts, or pins) are highly affecting factor on safety during installation and dismantling. Adoption of a preventive maintenance strategy or routine check on the tower crane parts and components could help minimize the probability of occurrence and impact of the safety risk factors on site.