Managing Critical Factors Causing Delays in Public Construction Projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This thesis examines factors contributing to delays in public construction projects in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the implications of applying project management knowledge, tools, and techniques in addressing the problem. Using a triangulation research approach, this study identifies factors influencing public construction delays in KSA and current knowledge of PM concepts for minimising construction delays. Based on the results from qualitative and quantitative studies undertaken, a framework for minimising delays was developed

Guidelines of Using Project Management Tools and Techniques to Mitigate Factors Causing Delays in Public Construction Projects in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Delays can be considered a common problem within public and private construction projects around the world but the problem is endemic in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) where massive public funds are lost every year as a result. Delays may have significant negative impact not only to the KSA public construction projects but also on its economic and social status. Although several studies have examined the factors influencing delays in public construction projects in KSA, little attention has been paid to how project management tools and methods have made any impact to the incidence of project delays. This paper aims to develop the mapping and the guidelines using the principles of Project Management, after reviewing the critical factors for delays in public construction projects in the KSA. A careful attention was given to investigate the critical factors that are causing delays in building projects within public sector in KSA and the current practices of project management applications in order to develop guidelines to effectively mitigate construction delays in KSA. This review paper reports the top critical factors associated with delays in construction projects in KSA. It also identify project management tools and techniques that if implemented properly have the potentials to address the main factors contributing to the occurrence of delays. Following this, a new guideline to utilize Project Management tools and techniques in addressing the identified delay factors is also provided here with the view to help practitioners to minimize the potentials of construction delays in the KSA public projects

Firearm injuries in rural Saudi Arabia: incidence, patterns, management, and cost

Abstract Background A retrospective study from 2013 to 2017 was conducted to evaluate the incidence of small firearms and air gun injuries, social demographics of victims, severity of injuries, patterns, length of stay, and cost of hospitalization in highly populated central rural Al Kharj region of Saudi Arabia. Results In total, the study included 102 cases. The incidence of firearms and air gun injuries in Al Kharj region was 3.13/100,000. Most of the victims were young-aged males (98 cases; 96.1%). The males were absolute majority with the rate of males to females 23.5:1. There were no fatal injuries in this study and no suicides. Majority of the cases were accidents or usage of firearms as toys. The most common site of entry was the lower limb (44 cases; 43.1%), the abdomen (20 cases; 19.6%), and the upper limbs (16 cases, 15.7%). Handguns were the cause of injuries in 66 cases (64.7%) and air guns in 36 cases (35.3%) respectively. The median Injury Severity Score was 15. The total length of stay due to injuries over the study period was 514 days and was estimated for the local economy downfall of 285,000 Sadi Riyals as a cost of hospitalization. Twenty-six (25.4%) patients had to be readmitted to the hospital due to various complications. Thirty-seven (36.3%) patients had long-term disability. The mean length of stay in the hospital was 5 days (range = 1–9 days). The length of stay was positively correlated with Injury Severity Score, and significant increase was identified when the patients had ISS more than 20 (p < 0.04). Conclusion The results from this study support the current tight gun law regulations in Saudi Arabia, which aims to reduce the number of firearm-related morbidity and mortality in the society. There is a necessity for better education in Saudi Arabian communities in relation to firearms and their use in order to reduce the number of firearm accidents and related injuries