Analysis of construction site injuries in Palestine

Construction sites are considered dangerous places. A large number of people die on them every year. Many site injuries result from people falling from structures like roofs and scaffolds, or being hit by falling objects. Many others are caused by the misuse of mechanical plant and site transport, including hoists (Frayer, 1995). There is nearly always keen competition for new contracts and site personnel are often under pressure to work to tight time and cost constraints. It is hardly surprising that safety is often neglected. In spite of the low attention often given to construction sites injuries in many countries, the statistics continue to be alarming. For instance, fatal accidental injury rates in the United Kingdom and Japan are reported to be four times higher in the construction industry, when compared to the manufacturing industry (Bentil, 1990). Construction is often classified as a high-risk industry because it has historically been plagued with much higher and unacceptable injury rates when compared to other industries. In the United States, the incidence rate of accidents in the construction industry is reported to be twice that of the industrial average. According to the National Safety Council, there are an estimated 2,200 deaths and 220,000 disabling injuries each year (National Safety Council, 1987)

Benchmarking masonry labor productivity

Purpose – Labor productivity is one of the most important factors that affect the physical progress of any construction project. In order to improve labor productivity, site production should be measured on a regular basis, and then compared to acceptable standard benchmarks. The objective of this paper is to measure masonry labor productivity in Gaza Strip, Palestine, using a consistent benchmarking approach. Design/methodology/approach – Production data were collected from nine different construction projects located in Gaza. For each project, values for baseline productivity, disruption index, performance index and project management index were calculated. Findings – Based on the nine targeted projects, the baseline productivity of masonry works in Gaza seems to range from 0.29 to 0.80 work-hours per square meter. Calculated values were utilized to develop a correlation between two project benchmarks (i

Factors affecting labour productivity in building projects in the Gaza Strip

Productivity remains an intriguing subject and a dominant issue in the construction sector, promising cost savings and efficient usage of resources. Productivity is one of the most important issues in both developed and developing countries. The developed countries are aware of the importance of economic growth and social welfare. The developing countries which face unemployment problems, inflation and resource scarcity seek to utilise resources and in such a way to achieve economic growth and improve citizens’ lives. Productivity is an issue of particular importance to projects located within the Gaza Strip, as it is considered a newly‐developed area, and a huge number of projects have been planned for the near future. The aim of this research is to identify factors affecting labour productivity within building projects, and to rank these factors according to their relative importance from a contractor's viewpoint

MATERIAL WASTAGE ON CONSTRUCTION SITES IN THE GAZA STRIP

The Construction sector is one of the main contributors to the Palestinian economy and it is vital for necessary infrastructure development. The sector contributes up to 16 per cent of the GDP, employs approximately 22 per cent of the workforce and absorb up to 34 per cent of international donor programs. Waste has been considered to be a major problem in the Palestinian construction industry, and very little research has been conducted in this area in Palestine. The objective of this paper is to identify and rank the causes of material wastage in construction sites in the Gaza Strip. The research approach adopted in this study was questionnaire survey. Eighty valid questionnaires have been studied and analyzed. The results indicated that the main causes of material wastage are: poor performance leading to rework due to poor concrete placement, using longer steel bars than required, using low quality timbers, re

Safety performance of subcontractors in the Palestinian construction industry

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

Perception of contracing parties on construction safety in the Gaza Strip, Palestine

The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries in developing countries. Understanding the safety climate or culture of a workplace, the perceptions and attitudes of the workforce are important factors in assessing safety needs. The construction industry in Palestine, by its inherent nature, is susceptible to potentially dangerous conditions that affect the safety of all personnel working in construction projects. This paper reports, based on a questionnaire survey, the perception of owners, consultants, and contractors towards safety in constructions in the Gaza Strip. The results showed that, most of the participants in the survey had accidents in their construction projects. The findings indicated that, the main causes of fatalities and injuries are falling from heights, dropped objects and materials, and being caught under excavations. Carelessness of workers, lack of safety knowledge, and lack of safety training are the main three reasons that contributed to the increase rate of accidents among construction workers in the Gaza Strip. Therefore, contractors should prepare safety training programs which help personnel to carry out various accidents accidents preventive activities effectively. Training material should discuss the costs of accidents, the influence of good safety performance, and should stress the safety objectives of the company, the relevant laws and legislation, and contractual relationships with clients regarding safety matters

ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries

This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of "big data" (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA's activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Barriers to the application of sustainable construction concepts in Palestine

The state of the environment is a matter of growing current concern. It is a concern based on the observation that degradation of the environment is already affecting the quality of life of people throughout the world. The objective of sustainable development is to try to anticipate unfavorable changes and to moderate the project parameters to try to avoid unwanted consequences. Construction has to deliver its products with less environmental impact, ie it has to become more sustainable. The necessity of fostering economic and social development while preserving the environment has led to the redefinition of the traditional objectives of development through the concept of sustainable development, as a guide to design environmentally compatible economic development strategies. There is a pressure on the construction industry to deliver buildings with ever increasing standards of performance, constantly