Re-engineering through pre-assembly: client expectations and drivers

Pre-assembly is an important facet of the strategy to re-engineer construction. It can be categorized as: modular building; volumetric pre-assembly, non-volumetric pre-assembly and component manufacture/subassembly. This paper presents the results of an interview survey of major construction clients about their expectations from and drivers for pre-assembly on their projects. In particular, time, cost, quality and productivity benefits through minimization of on-site operations and duration, less congestion on site, improved health and safety along with greater and more predictable quality are identified. To get the best out of pre-assembly, clients acknowledge that they must be able to freeze the design early, provide reasonable lead times and provide time for presite prototyping. Clients' past experience has been mixed, with some citing tangible benefits, but others experiencing poor-quality products and a limited and disjointed supply chain - these mitigate against efforts to increase pre-assembly as part of the re-engineering mantra. Typically, clients accepted that suppliers should be involved early, but in practice many do not re-engineer the process and leave key decisions too late in the process to maximize benefits. More than half wanted to see an increase in the use of pre-assembly on their projects, but the supply chain must refocus to consider the client's perspective and capitalize on this opportunity. Whilst pre-assembly is not new and many have published on the subject, the perspective of clients has not been adequately covered. Pre-assembly may be well understood by manufacturers, contractors and even some designers, but unless the client decision-makers understand its benefits and limitations, then their misunderstandings and prejudices will continue to be a barrier to further development

Client drivers for construction projects: implications for standardisation

This paper presents the results from interviews of fifty-nine senior personnel from major construction clients. There are two main themes: client drivers for construction projects and their implications for standardisation of processes and components. The client sample is described and reasons for procuring construction projects are established along with the extent of their involvement in the construction process - and hence their ability to influence the outcomes. Their views on value for money, preconceptions of standardisation and their opinion on its future potential are explored. Many clients recognise the need to involve constructors and manufacturers early, although fewer actually achieve this. Misconceptions about standardisation exist, but many clients are recognising the benefits possible from standardisation. However, very few actually measure benefits and so are unable to truly evaluate success. There is a future for increased standardisation, but only if the industry recognises the unique aspects of each client and responds positively to meet those needs

W099: safety and health in construction: research roadmap report for consultation

This research road map for safety and health in construction outlines the conceptual framework of the domain along with a review of the state of the art and vision for the future, both for the industry and research community. This leads to a review of the research contribution and a development strategy and research agenda for 2020

Leading UK housebuilders’ utilisation of offsite modern methods of construction

In recent years the industry has been exhorted to increase its utilisation of offsite technologies, or ‘Modern Methods of Construction’, in order to address the under-supply and poor build quality of housing. Despite the well-rehearsed benefits of such technologies, the take-up within the industry has been slow. This paper reports on research which examined housebuilders’ practices and strategies regarding the use of offsite-Modern Methods of Construction (offsite-MMC). A questionnaire survey of the top 100 housebuilders in the UK and a series of interviews were used to reveal the extent to which such technologies are being utilised and the factors which impinge on their popularity. The findings suggest that current offsite-MMC usage in large housebuilders is low, but that the level is likely to increase, given the pressures to improve quality, time, cost, productivity and health and safety. The wider take-up of offsite-MMC is, however, inhibited by perceived higher capital costs, interfacing problems, long lead-in time, delayed planning process and current manufacturing capacity. Based on these findings, the paper provides a set of strategies for improving offsite-MMC practices amongst housebuilders. It is hoped that will help deliver an improvement of housing supply in the UK

Perspectives of UK housebuilders on the use of offsite modern methods of construction

Despite an increasing demand for housing and wider concerns over the need to improve performance, the industry seems to be reluctant to adopt offsite technologies. Many studies have attempted to scrutinize the barriers and seek ways forward, but the perspectives of housebuilders remain unclear. This research aims to investigate UK housebuilders’ views on the use of offsite Modern Methods of Construction (offsite-MMC). This was carried out through a combination of personal interviews and a questionnaire survey of the top 100 housebuilders by unit completion. Results suggest that the traditional drivers of time, cost, quality and productivity are still driving the industry in deciding whether to use offsite technologies. Nearly two thirds of the firms believed that there needs to be an increase in the take-up of such technologies. However, current barriers relate to a perceived higher capital cost, complex interfacing, long lead-in time and delayed planning process. Strategies recommended centred on changing peoples’ perceptions, improving procurement, providing better cost data, tackling planning and regulations, encouraging political levers and providing practical guidance. The suggestions present a model for encouraging the take-up of offsite-MMC in the future

Health and safety management in developing countries: a study of construction SMEs in Ghana

The construction industry plays a significant role in the economy of developing countries. The sector is, however, also one of the most hazardous with frequent accidents and health related problems. The purpose of this study is to examine the health and safety practices of construction small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Ghana with a view to improving the health and safety performance of the sector. A survey questionnaire was administered to owner/managers of SMEs, with a response rate of 32% of the sampling frame obtained. The findings reveal that few of the SMEs adopted proactive health and safety practices. However, health and safety practices identified as being particularly associated with firm characteristics were: accident investigation procedures; accident reporting procedures; use of health and safety posters; documentation of method statements; and, health and safety inductions. The paper brings to light the diversity of health and safety practices associated with different size categories of SMEs and constraints to improving health and safety. Based on the analysis, recommendations aimed at a positive change in the attitudes of owner/managers which takes into account size-related constraints are suggested for improving the health and safety performance of Ghanaian SMEs

Health and safety management within SMEs in developing countries: a study of contextual influences

Considerable attention has been focused on addressing construction health and safety risks in developed economies. Sadly, the same cannot be said of developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where accident figures are extremely high. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of the contextual environment within which Ghanaian construction Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) manage Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). A questionnaire survey was administered to construction SMEs to better understand the health and safety management practices and associated problems followed up by field interviews to explore key issues identified by the survey. The results of the study highlight the institutional structure for implementing OH&S standards, prevailing economic climate, and extended family culture as challenges to the management of OH&S. The study identifies low literacy levels, low socioeconomic status of workers, owner/managers’ ignorance of their OH&S responsibilities, commitment to extended family obligations, and ineffective OH&S administration as key factors limiting the capacity of construction SMEs to manage OH&S effectively. The study concludes that effective institutional structure and an enabling socioeconomic environment are needed to enhance the OH&S performance of SMEs and advocates for more proactive OH&S management that take into consideration the work cultures of SMEs

Design for safety implementation factors: a literature review

© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Decisions made during the design stage of construction works can significantly reduce the risk of occurrence of occupational accidents, injuries and illnesses. Moreover, it has been established that design is one of the major contributors of accidents and injuries. Design for safety (DfS) studies within construction have highlighted factors affecting the implementation of DfS, among which are designer attitude; DfS knowledge/awareness and education; availability of DfS tools, including guidance; client’s influence and motivation; and legislation. The purpose of this study is to carry out an in-depth literature review of DfS studies within construction to explore the extent to which existing DfS research has looked at the above-listed DfS implementation factors. Design/methodology/approach: A review of 164 journal articles related to DfS in construction (published from 1990 to 2017) within built environment, engineering and multidisciplinary safety journals was undertaken. Findings: The findings indicate that around 60 per cent of the journal articles reviewed address designer knowledge/awareness and education issues, about 27 per cent looked at DfS implementation tools to assist designers to undertake DfS, about 23 per cent studied client influence/motivation, about 16 per cent studied designers’ attitudes towards DfS implementation and approximately 16 per cent looked at the role of legislation in DfS implementation. The literature points that client influence/motivation and legislation are very influential DfS implementation factors despite a limited number of studies in these areas. Originality/value: Overall, the findings provide an indication of areas of DfS implementation, particularly client influence/motivation and legislation, where more research would be needed to promote DfS in construction to help mitigate the occurrence of accidents and injuries

Towards economic sustainability through adaptable buildings

The existing building stock in most countries does not meet the parameters of economic, social and environmental sustainability. Physical, functional, technological, economical, social and legal obsolescence are the principal factors driving the decommissioning, refurbishment, alteration and/or adaptation of a building. In the UK the Government promotes optimum use of the existing building stock through mixed use in urban centers and encourages conversion of redundant office and retail space into leisure, service and/or residential uses rather than demolition and renewal. There is therefore a growing need to design new buildings that are adaptable and flexible over their life span whilst at the same time improving user satisfaction. A constraint to the implementation of a policy of life span adaptability is the difficulty of understanding the economic considerations over long time scales. This paper investigates the issues surrounding the economics of the life span of adaptable buildings, and establishes a conceptual framework for their economic sustainability. The investigation is based on a case study of how the uses and function of the built environment and its supporting infrastructure have changed over a period of 100 years undertaken within a semi-rural Borough in England, UK. This case study includes a trend analysis identifying the life spans (of buildings), the evolving planning policies and associated social and cultural issues. A conceptual framework is developed and the economic impacts of the changes are evaluated through Whole Life Analysis. The validity and reliability of proposed framework is yet to be tested