Design hazard identification and the link to site experience

The training, development and routes to charteredship of building design engineers have undergone a major transformation in recent years. Additionally, the duration and quality of site experience being gained by designers is reducing. While accident causation is often complex, previous research shows a potential link between design and construction accidents. The effectiveness of the UK’s Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations is being questioned, and designers regularly do not recognise the impact they can make on site safety. A newly developed hazard perception test was used to determine if students and design practitioners are able to identify hazards in designs and to establish if site experience impacts hazard identification. The results of the tests show an association between the ability to identify and mitigate hazards and possession of site experience. The results provide empirical evidence that supports previous anecdotal evidence. The results also question if the design engineers of today are suitably equipped to fulfil the designer’s responsibilities under the CDM Regulations

Comparison of rapid load pile testing of driven and CFA piles installed in high OCR clay

AbstractThe current analysis of rapid load tests (RLT) such as Statnamic is normally based upon empirical correlations with static pile tests in similar soils. In certain soil types, such as clays, the number of case studies used to develop analysis and allow selection of appropriate rate effect correction are limited. Due to these limitations, no distinction is made in the selection of correction factors between pile type and pile installation techniques. In clay soils it is well known that driven piles may have a significantly enhanced capacity over cast in situ piles of similar cross-section. To test the effect of pile installation techniques on RLT analysis, RLT testing and static testing were undertaken on precast driven concrete piles and cast in situ CFA piles installed in high plasticity London Clay. The results show that the installation technique does not appear to affect the magnitude of the rate effects, provided modifications are made to the analysis to account for the previously reported differences in static capacity between different installation techniques. Based upon the findings, it is suggested that a distinction should be made in RLT analysis between pile type and installation techniques, and for existing analysis techniques, further case studies based on rate correction parameters are required, especially in clay soils

A field trial of a reusable, hollow, cast-in-situ pile

This paper describes the concept and field testing of a hollow, cast-in-situ, rotary bored pile foundation 1200 mm diameter and 30 m deep. The aim of the foundation is to allow large-diameter piles to be constructed using less concrete than in an equivalent conventional solid pile, and with a view to allowing reuse at a later date. Reuse is made possible because the hollow core of the pile allows access for inspection after demolition of an existing structure. The new piles may also allow modification to enhance load capacity by augering through the base and extending their length. In addition, the piles are better suited than conventional piles for use as ‘energy piles' to allow environmentally friendly heating and cooling. The geotechnical performance of the hollow test pile was comparable with that of a conventional solid pile constructed during the same trial. Details of construction are given, including lessons learned

Stakeholders' role in improving Ghana's construction safety

Health and safety (H&S) management has traditionally been the responsibility of the contractor. Most often, contractors are blamed for the accidents and other ill health that occur on their construction sites. H&S performance is, however, enhanced when there is effective collaboration between those involved in the construction process. This paper therefore explores the role of stakeholders in promoting construction H&S in Ghana through public works procurement. The four main stakeholders identified and evaluated in this study are the government, the client (employer), the contractor and the employee(s). Seven interviewees (comprising procurement managers, consultants and quantity surveyors) from public institutions in Ghana participated in the research. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and were thematically analysed. Results indicate a conflict in the perceived functions and relation of these stakeholders in the construction process. To address the constraint to improving construction H&S, certain recommendations are offered. These include the identification of specific individuals responsible for supervision and employee training, the development of H&S policies by the government and contracts that clearly outline the contractual obligations of all parties involved. Additionally, the specific roles and involvements of other stakeholders in the procurement process in improving construction H&S are also outlined

Choosing project risk management techniques. A theoretical framework

The pressure for increasing quality while reducing time and costs places particular emphasis on managing risk in projects. To this end, several models and techniques have been developed in literature and applied in practice, so that there is a strong need for clarifying when and how each of them should be used. At the same time, knowledge about risk management is becoming of paramount importance to effectively deal with the complexity of projects. However, communication and knowledge creation are not easy tasks, especially when dealing with uncertainty, because decision-making is often fragmented and a comprehensive perspective on the goals, opportunities, and threats of a project is missing. With the purpose of providing guidelines for the selection of risk techniques taking into account the most relevant aspects characterising the managerial and operational scenario of a project, a theoretical framework to classify these techniques is proposed. Based on a literature review of the criteria to categorise risk techniques, three dimensions are defined: the phase of the risk management process, the phase of the project life cycle, and the corporate maturity towards risk. The taxonomy is then applied to a wide selection of risk techniques according to their documented applications. This work helps to integrate the risk management and the knowledge management processes. Future research efforts will be directed towards refining the framework and testing it in multiple industrie

Critical materials for infrastructure: local vs global properties

Introducing new technologies into infrastructure (wind turbines, electric vehicles, low-carbon materials and so on) often demands materials that are ‘critical’; their supply is likely to be disrupted owing to limited reserves, geopolitical instability, environmental issues and/or increasing demand. Non-critical materials may become critical if introduced into infrastructure, owing to its gigatonne scale. This potentially poses significant risk to the development of low-carbon infrastructure. Analysis of this risk has previously overlooked the relationship between the ‘local properties’ that determine the selection of a technology and the overall vulnerability of the system, a global property. Treating materials or components as elements having fixed properties overlooks optima within the local–global variable space that could be exploited to minimise vulnerability while maximising performance. In this study, a framework for such analysis is presented along with a preliminary measure of relative materials criticality by way of a case study (a wind turbine generator). Although introduction of critical materials (in this case, rare earth metals) enhances technical performance by up to an order of magnitude, the associated increase in criticality may be two or three orders of magnitude. Analysis at the materials and component levels produces different results; design decisions should be based on analysis at several levels