Abdussalam Shibani

Health and safety influence on the construction project performance in United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The traditional performance measurements of time cost and quality are no longer the only benchmarks for construction projects. In recent years there is an additional target of health and safety requirements challenging construction performance to plan more thoroughly. Wherever reliable records are available, construction is found to be one of the most dangerous safety criteria. Efforts have been made to address this problem but the results have been far from satisfactory as construction accidents continue to dominate. Despite the programs implemented by government authorities and measures introduced by companies themselves the number of construction accidents still remains alarmingly high. The principal aim of this research is to determine the importance of integrating and improving health and safety standards within construction project management in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to investigate the extent health and safety influencethe construction project performance. Therefore, in the developing countries the construction industry continues to lag behind most other industries particularly as a consequence of inadequate organisational issues. From this perspective this research explores the approved methods adopted in the UK in order to improve the existing code of practice in the UAE thus introduce the foundations on which appropriate health and safety systems may be built. An overview of the published materials and the updated legislation were undertaken. To achieve the objectives of the study a questionnaire and interviews were carefully designed where 350 copies were distributed to construction industry companies in the UAE. Interview sessions have been also conducted to meet the first objective of the project which is to determine the health and safety currently applied on construction sites.The overall result of this research denotes that some safety managers were more concerned about cost than health and safety and in the UAE there is still a lack of preventive measures for reduction of occupational safety and illness on construction sites.

Implementation of total quality management in the Libyan construction industry

Delivering quality projects is a real challenge for the construction sector in Libya. However, there is little information for developing quality improvement initiatives in construction companies. The aim is to present the main factors influencing the implementation of quality management systems in Libyan construction industry (LCI) through a review of relevant literature, and identify the most important factors based on a survey of managers working in construction companies in Tripoli. Of 200 hundred questionnaires distributed, 130 were fully completed giving a response rate of 65%. Among these respondents, 63% were government-related organisations, and the rest were from private sector. The data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA), which helps interpretation of data. The analysis identified five reliable and valid quality management constructs namely top management commitment, communication, teamwork, employee empowerment and involvement, and work environment and culture. These will help to focus areas for improving quality in construction projects.

An Empirical Investigation of Total Quality Management in Libya: A Proposed Guideline of Implementation

Rapid socio-economic and technological changes have urged the implementation of new approaches to procure construction projects. Total Quality Management (TQM) is one of the approaches that contribute towards ensuring that projects are being delivered to the stakeholder requirements. This study identifies critical success factors (CSFs) that affect the implementation of TQM in the Libyan Construction Industry (LCI) and develops guidelines which help companies implement and maintain quality management systems. To achieve these aims, the research employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. Based on a thorough review of literature, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 200 managers. Data from 130 completed questionnaires were then analysed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which reveals the internal structure of the data in a way that explains the dimensions of TQM implementation in LCI. The results identify five reliable and valid TQM dimensions, namely organisation management, communication to improve quality, training and development, employee involvement and recognition, and culture. Supported by relevant literature and interviews with a number of managers, they provide the basis for developing the guideline for successful implementation of TQM in Libyan construction companies.

Analysis of Traffic accident severity on Great Britain Roadways and junctions

Safety and accident issues are considered one of most important problem of the world. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that are more significant than other factors. The study collected STATS19 accident data from the UK data service over the year 2011 to 2013. Two separate analyses have been done for roadways and for junctions of Great Britain. Depending on characteristics of data and outcome variables, different statistical models have been used in previous researches. These are: type of vehicle, gender of driver, age of driver, time of day, day of week, season of year, speed limit, light condition and weather condition. First, a preliminary analysis has been conducted by frequency distribution. Finally a multivariate analysis has been done by developing two models for roadways and for junctions. One variable shows no difference in probability on severity. Detected significant factors are: motor cycle, male driver, elderly driver age above 60 years, midnight and early morning, non-built-up areas with speed limit >40 mph, darkness without lighting, fine weather.

The Impact of Managers’ Leadership Skills on Construction Project Performance in Dubai

Dubai represents an icon in terms of development within the United Arab Emirates and Middle East in various fields; especially infrastructure, real estate, and tourism. The construction sector has witnessed a qualitative leap in terms of jobs requirements and type of production expected from people working in Dubai. Therefore, construction organisations are now looking for experienced professionals with effective leadership and management skills rather than technical experience; which is also important. Therapid development within the construction field has raised vast interest in the leadership aspect, and has encouraged organisations to seek effective methods to increase their chances of thriving within the Dubai market. The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of project managers’ leadership skills on the construction project’s performance in Dubai. A descriptive and an explorative mixed approach were used in this research to investigate practical experiences of professionals working within the industry. A questionnaire was conducted amongst employees of two reputed construction organisations to demonstrate their views in regards to leadership skills. A semistructured open-ended interview was also conducted with four senior project managers working for the Dubai construction field to identify the key elements of effective leaders and clarify the impact of leadership. The results revealed that leadership skills are a major factor that differentiates between effective leaders and managers. Moreover, any deficiency in technical skills can be recovered by developing effective leadership skills. Cultural awareness of any member working within the Dubai construction industry proposed to be a key factor in facilitating success. Also, effective leadership is highly attached to peoples’ life and the quality of relations developed by the leader. In summary, there are different opinions about effective leadership and the convergence point among these opinions is people oriented and accommodated with the surrounding environment as a key factor for success.