Use of information and communication technologies by small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in building construction

Scholars usually agree that small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) active in construction are not very innovative when compared with large‐size construction enterprises. This is particularly evident in the case of adoption and diffusion of innovation associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although ICTs are powerful instruments for the rapid and broader diffusion of technical knowledge, few SMEs are fully able to exploit their benefits. There is little evidence of how SMEs perceive ICTs and of the extent to which these technologies are actually used in the construction industry. There is a relationship between organizational size and the use of ICTs within the SMEs in the building construction sector in Turkey. A set of ICT variables comprising the perception, investment, usage and the software preferences of SMEs were analysed by making use of the data collected in a survey of a randomly selected sample of 227 building construction firms in Turkey. In contrast to the common approaches that consider SMEs as part of a homogeneous set of firms with similar characteristics, this study seeks the differences in ICT‐related attitudes between SMEs of different sizes. Rather than using arbitrarily pre‐defined intervals to classify firms by size, cluster analysis was used in this study. Although what emerges as a whole is the common under‐utilization of ICTs by SMEs in building construction, ‘organizational size’ appears to explain some of the ICT‐related attitude differences within these SMEs. Policy makers can consider using the findings of this study as inputs in their activities, as these findings represent a generic overview of the diffusion of new technologies and can assist in identifying future research directions.     

建设工程业主对安全管理者激励模式的设计——基于双重委托代理理论

建设项目中,施工管理人员的安全管理效果直接影响着整个建设项目的生命财产安全,针对我国施工安全管理的现状,基于双重委托代理理论,构建了建设项目中包括业主、施工单位和施工管理者在内的双重代理多任务的委托代理激励模型,定量地研究了安全工作风险、业主的惩罚力度和安全工作绩效对管理者安全工作努力程度的影响。结果表明:风险规避的施工管理者,业主对安全绩效激励系数的增加以及增大的安全工作绩效系数都会促使其安全管理努力水平的增加,然而,安全管理努力水平会随着安全工作风险程度的增大而减小。业主可通过加大对施工管理者安全工作任务的激励系数来激励其更好地进行安全管理工作。研究结论对建设项目的安全管理具有一定的参考价值。     

建设单位安全经理工作压力研究

近年来,安全管理在建设工程管理中越来越受到重视,建设单位新设立“安全经理”岗位进行安全管理工作。由于安全管理作为贯穿施工全过程的管理工作、涉及内容多、工作责任大,并且新设立岗位缺乏相关经验,安全经理目前面临较大的工作压力。采用问卷调研的方法对建设单位安全经理工作压力大小及压力源进行调研,通过均值分析和配对样本t 检验,分别对岗位工作任务压力现状和不同生产阶段的工作压力来源进行了分析。结果表明:安全经理的工作压力主要来源于需要专业技能的日常安全管理工作,即重大危险源管理和安全检查;兼职安全经理的工作压力同时来源于安全管理工作和非安全管理工作,且二者压力值均处于较高水平;开工阶段、基坑阶段和主体施工阶段安全管理工作压力较大,其中钢管脚手架、起重机械、吊篮、危大工程的安全管理工作压力尤为突出。并为缓解建设单位安全经理工作压力提出了针对性建议。     

SightSafety: A hybrid information and communication technology system for reducing vehicle/pedestrian collisions

In recent years, a number of advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions have been developed to assist in the management of business processes and working environments. Mobile computing and wireless communication are two such technologies which have been adapted for use in hybrid systems that can monitor and manage industrial health, safety and welfare activities. Within the construction sector, plant and equipment operation has been shown to be one of the leading causes of accidents and injuries, not least because the sector has witnessed an exponential reliance upon mechanical resources. In an attempt to reduce vehicle accidents, this work reports upon a conceptual model that utilises advanced ICT solutions to produce an innovative and proactive health and safety management system entitled SightSafety. Using a combination of Global Positioning Systems (GPS), smart sensors and wireless networks, SightSafety can track operatives and plant, notify management and employees of pending danger and ultimately contribute to reducing accident rates. The system also provides reports on dangerous occurrences that have happened, thereby enabling managers to learn from any experiences acquired, or mistakes made, during the construction of a project.     

Constructing safety: investigating senior executive long-term incentive plans and safety objectives in the construction sector

In the private sector, incentive plans are one of the major means used by Boards of Directors to align the interests of senior management with organizational interests. However, research conducted in the energy and resources sector revealed a poor alignment between incentive plans and the need to have senior management focus on safety. The research discussed here examined long-term incentive plans (LTIPs) for senior executives in the construction sector to investigate whether these direct senior managers attention to long-term safety objectives and if they include any long-term safety indicators. Annual Reports of publicly listed companies in the Australian non-domestic construction sector were used as the major information source and subjected to content analysis. Despite a strong safety commitment expressed by all the companies, LTIPs were exclusively associated with financial indicators. Although safety indicators are included in Annual Reports, these only appear in short-term incentive plans, indicating that senior executives are not incentivized to align their long-term decision-making with long-term safety objectives. Findings from the research demonstrate that valid and meaningful safety indicators should be developed and included in LTIPs in order to better align the focus of senior management to include safety performance in the construction industry.     

施工项目安全生产管理措施浅议

目前施工项目安全生产管理还处于低的水平,安全状况十分严峻,建筑行业还存在许多影响安全生产的诸如规范化、制度化等方面的问题。必须采取对应的措施,加强建筑行业管理;在保证必要的安全投入的同时,提高施工管理人员、作业人员的整体素质;提高企业管理水平,最终改善施工项目安全生产状况,杜绝安全隐患,防止安全事故的发生。     

The relationship between integrated design and construction and safety on construction projects

The occurrence of accidents and injuries continues to be a major problem in construction worldwide. Even though accident statistics have been improving in most markets there are significant areas requiring further attention. The extent of integrated working between designers and constructors may be an instrumental factor. A comparison is undertaken of the accident performance of 55 large construction projects in the UK, with varying levels of design/construction integration as represented by procurement path. Although a statistical relationship between high levels of integration and low levels of accidents was weak, a follow‐up interview study provided strong support, suggesting that a lack of significance was related to the unreliability of the statistics available. The interview study also indicated reasons for this link. A key element in improved safety was seen to be better communications and a more positive relationship between designers and constructors. Further research into designing for safety for all procurement paths is recommended.     

SightSafety: A hybrid information and communication technology system for reducing vehicle/pedestrian collisions

In recent years, a number of advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions have been developed to assist in the management of business processes and working environments. Mobile computing and wireless communication are two such technologies which have been adapted for use in hybrid systems that can monitor and manage industrial health, safety and welfare activities. Within the construction sector, plant and equipment operation has been shown to be one of the leading causes of accidents and injuries, not least because the sector has witnessed an exponential reliance upon mechanical resources. In an attempt to reduce vehicle accidents, this work reports upon a conceptual model that utilises advanced ICT solutions to produce an innovative and proactive health and safety management system entitled SightSafety. Using a combination of Global Positioning Systems (GPS), smart sensors and wireless networks, SightSafety can track operatives and plant, notify management and employees of pending danger and ultimately contribute to reducing accident rates. The system also provides reports on dangerous occurrences that have happened, thereby enabling managers to learn from any experiences acquired, or mistakes made, during the construction of a project.     

浅析监理单位的安全责任

造成建设工程安全事故的原因是多方面的,建设单位、施工单位、设计单位和监理单位等都是工程建设的责任主体,但对于监理单位要不要对安全生产承担责任,在什么样的情况下承担责任,一直存在着争议.笔者明析了监理单位安全责任的法律依据,阐述了监理单位安全责任的具体内容,分析了涉及安全监理的刑事责任,提出了保障安全监理工作健康发展的建议.     

Bridge design with reserve and residual reliability constraints

System reliability is evolving as an important design method for selecting components and topology. It should be used to investigate the original intact structure behavior as well as providing sufficient reserve capacity under likely accident and damage scenarios. Highway bridges are an area of special concern since effort to optimize the cost of construction may not provide adequate redundant capacity. The paper describes an example in which a typical girder bridge structure is optimized (both size and girder spacing) to achieve target system performance. System reliability constraints are imposed on the behavior of the intact structure under highway loads. Also, residual system reliability constraints are imposed to control safety under specified accident scenarios corresponding to damage and “lost” members due to corrosion, fatigue, fire or accidental collisions. An optimal design framework for controlling safety under all these life cycle situations is thus provided.     

如何加强工业与民用建筑工程施工管理

对工业与民用建筑工程管理中存在的安全、管理制度、施工流程等问题进行了分析,提出了提高管理人员的素质、完善管理制度、加强安全管理等解决措施,以供工程管理人员参考借鉴。     

Current condition and future directions for lean construction in highways projects: A small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perspective

The aim of this study is to identify the parameters defining how Lean Construction (LC) is being implemented (current condition) and how LC can be further promoted (future direction) from a Small-Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) perspective. Although SMEs constitute the largest group in construction supply chains, LC, as an emerging phenomenon in civil construction project management, has been rarely investigated from an SMEs perspective. Also, overlooking the more macro factors like project governance and supply chain management, LC deployments have been mainly discussed from a production process perspective to date. After a review of the extant literature and 20 interviews with managers from the highways sector, a list of 31 current condition and 40 future direction statements were produced, classified under the delivery, process, training, project governance and supply chain related headings and used in a questionnaire survey with 110 responses. The current condition highlights problems like a short-term relations structure, competitive tendering mechanisms, fragmentation, problems in engaging with SMEs for LC, unstandardised LC techniques, and issues with convincing SMEs to deploy LC by demonstrating the business case on mutual benefits. Action items relating to the current project delivery structure were given the highest importance by the supply chain, alongside the LC training and project governance issues for the future of LC at highways SMEs. Additionally, a statistically significant correlation was identified among many future action items.     

Analyses of systems theory for construction accident prevention with specific reference to OSHA accident reports

To enhance workplace safety in the construction industry it is important to understand interrelationships among safety risk factors associated with construction accidents. This study incorporates the systems theory into Heinrich's domino theory to explore the interrelationships of risks and break the chain of accident causation. Through both empirical and statistical analyses of 9358 accidents which occurred in the U.S. construction industry between 2002 and 2011, the study investigates relationships between accidents and injury elements (e.g., injury type, part of body, injury severity) and the nature of construction injuries by accident type. The study then discusses relationships between accidents and risks, including worker behavior, injury source, and environmental condition, and identifies key risk factors and risk combinations causing accidents. The research outcomes will assist safety managers to prioritize risks according to the likelihood of accident occurrence and injury characteristics, and pay more attention to balancing significant risk relationships to prevent accidents and achieve safer working environments.     

基于LCB理论的建设方安全管理行为测评与提升

建筑业中建设方安全管理行为的重要性已经得到广泛认可，但现有研究大多集中在特定的安全管理实践上，缺乏对建设方安全管理行为的系统性、针对性提升。文章旨在基于施工安全LCB理论对建设方的不安全管理行为进行测评，通过安全领导力和安全文化的改善实现建设方安全管理行为的提升。首先，利用安全管理行为检查表对建设方安全管理行为作出测评，确定提升目标。然后，依据LCB理论和现场调研访谈确定引导、保障、约束、控制4类共16项干预行为。最后，持续测评以检测干预行为的提升效果。结果表明，建设方安全检查与整改、合作方管理、安全目标与考核、风险与应急管理四项安全管理行为得到显著提升。文章所述方法能帮助学界加深对建设方安全管理行为的理解，通过LCB理论对建设方安全管理行为进行测评提升能够得到理想的效果。     

土木工程施工安全知识共享的组织网络初探

土木工程施工安全事故频发的原因之一是从业人员在技术操作、安全防护等方面的知识缺陷。本文提出应重视人员之间的沟通和协作,建立一种组织内部人员、不同组织人员之间的施工安全知识共享网络。这种网络应将业主、设计、施工和监理单位的主要管理人员、工人等包括在内,理清人员之间的沟通关系、知识之间的关联,以及人员之间传递知识的路径。应用这种模型可以分析工程实践中的安全管理沟通、知识共享现状,发现不足并制定改进措施。这种从组织机制层面的探索,将有助于提高从业人员施工安全知识水平、改进施工安全管理,从而降低施工安全事故发生的概率。     

基于DEA的重庆建筑安全事故管理绩效分析

基于数据包络分析DEA的安全事故管理评价方法,不仅不需要事先设定评价指标权重,而且能够对投入冗余及产出不足进行定量分析.运用DEA模型对重庆直辖以来建筑业安全事故绩效进行评价分析,得出：重庆建筑业安全事故输入冗余量中事故发生起数的冗余度不高而死亡人数的冗余度相对较高,由此判断重庆建筑安全事故管理绩效有待提高.通过研究给出了建筑安全事故管理绩效一种定量评价方法,为评价建筑业安全事故绩效提供了新的方法和思路.     

Safety risk perception in construction companies in the Pacific Northwest of the USA

Unsafe worker actions contribute greatly to the frequency and severity of construction injuries. Recently, contractors have expressed concern with the high rate of injuries that occur when workers violate company safety policies. To enhance knowledge associated with this topic the following four objectives were targeted: (1) quantifying the current level of safety risk as perceived by construction workers; (2) quantifying the risk tolerance of workers and managers; (3) comparing the risk perceptions and tolerance of workers with managers; and (4) identifying factors that may affect one’s risk tolerance. Fifty‐one risk perceptions were gathered through interviews with managers and workers of nine different construction firms in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The results indicate that the level of current perceived risk is approximately five times higher than the tolerable risk value, workers are most dissatisfied with the frequency of high severity injuries, and there is a statistically significant difference in the risk tolerance between workers and managers. The findings presented can be used by project managers to increase awareness of risk tolerances, current areas where workers feel improvement is most needed, and for goal setting.     

论建筑项目安全文化建设

面对建筑项目安全伤亡事故比较严峻的形势,对建设项目安全文化的原则进行了分析,从培育建筑安全理念文化、安全行为文化、安全制度文化、项目安全环境文化和发挥业主安全文化带向作用方面提出了建设项目安全文化的对策。     

Perceptions of owners in German construction projects: congruence with project risk theory

The construction industry is a major user of formal project risk management practices, yet risk is often dealt with inadequately, which is a contributory factor to poor performance. Conceptual developments propose a holistic view of risk incorporating threats and opportunities and the management of uncertainty. To optimize a risk management process there needs to be a reflection of this holistic view in management practice. A key project participant is the owner and understanding the perceptions of project risk of construction owners is an important step in assessing the degree to which practices reflect theory. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 10 practitioners in German construction owner organizations to explore their perceptions of project risk. The results showed no common definition of project risk and a general belief that risk equated to threat. Some owners did manage opportunities and saw a link between threats and opportunities, yet this practice seemed more the result of experience than an awareness that it was an integral part of a theoretical risk management framework. Most owners perceived risk to encompass uncertainty and the sources of uncertainty perceived as most important were those linked to a longer timescale, such as the ability to let out buildings.