David N. Sillars

Designer, Contractor, and Owner Views on the Topic of Design for Construction Worker Safety

The construction industry is one of the largest and most dangerous industries in the US, where in 2009 the industry accounted for 834 deaths; more than any other industry. The incidence rate of 9.9 deaths per 100,000 workers puts the construction industry in fourth place behind the Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing/Hunting, Transportation/Warehousing, and Mining sectors (BLS 2011). The cause of a large number of these construction deaths can be attributed to factors that are distant from the construction site. A European study has shown that 60% of fatal accidents in construction are caused by decisions made “upstream” from the construction site (European Foundation 1991). Similarly, an Australian study showed that 63% of fatalities and injuries are attributed to a lack of planning and design decisions (NSW Workcover 2001), while in the US, Behm found that 42% of construction site fatalities can be linked to design (Behm 2005). With such overwhelming evidence, foreign governments have initiated efforts to make designers aware of the impact of their decisions and design choices. These efforts include new legislation and improved guidelines (EEC 1992; NSW Workcover 2001) that aim to reduce the construction hazards linked to design. In the US, designers are mostly unaware of the concept of Design for Construction Worker Safety (DCWS), or even that their design decisions can affect the safety of the construction workforce. Professional organizations regularly resist change and refuse to even consider participating in the DCWS concept that would eventually assist in the improvement of construction site working conditions (Toole 2011). The research presented in this paper represents the results gathered from a survey of the opinions of the primary construction industry participants (owners, designers, and contractors) on the topic of DCWS. The population of the survey was obtained from four different groups. Contractors who responded to the survey were randomly selected from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) directory. Designers were randomly selected from two sources: the American Institute of Architects (AIA) directory and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) directory. To represent owner organizations, the researchers chose to include university representatives who participate in the construction of

Development of Decision Model for Selection of Appropriate Timely Delivery Techniques for Highway Projects

On-time project performance is an important goal at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT); pressure from two key constituents—the state legislature and trucking interests—creates an even stronger focus on this goal. Currently, statistics indicate that less than 50% of ODOT projects are completed within their originally contracted time of performance. Further, project delay causes uncertainty about exactly when traffic delays may occur on a given stretch of highway and makes it difficult to alert the public of these delays far in advance. The primary umbrella method used to ensure on-time performance in standard ODOT contracting is liquidated damages. Often this amount is difficult to determine, so the assessment value is usually a matter of some judgment. In practice, liquidated damages is not seen as an effective incentive and is thus rarely assessed. Other contracting and management methods that focus on encouraging on-time performance have been identified but are used sporadically. Implementation of a system that creates better awareness of alternative schedule delivery methods and that provides a consistent method for choosing among these methods would improve ODOTs schedule performance. Results are discussed of a research project (ODOT SPR-646) designed to enable development of a tool to assist in selection among various available alternative methods for ensuring timely project delivery, given a specific project profile, by using a selection model that is stable and scalable.

Framework Model for Determining Incentive and Disincentive Amounts

To create schedule focus during construction of public highways, monetary incentives and disincentives (I/Ds) are often offered to highway contractors. An appropriate I/D amount meets two conditions. First, the I/D amount needs to be greater than or equal to the contractors cost of acceleration (CA) plus appropriate profit, the lower bound. Second, the I/D amount must be less than or equal to the road user cost (RUC) of the construction delay, the upper bound. RUCs are commonly calculated by most departments of transportation. Less understood is calculation of the lower bound; no practical methodology has emerged in previous studies. To determine a lower bound, a component analysis of the contractors costs for the focus portion of work is necessary. The effect of acceleration may then be summed to establish the raw CA and then increased with appropriate incentive profit and compared against RUCs. Contractor pricing details are hidden and vary widely, so a methodology for estimating such details would be helpful. A method is proposed for establishing the I/D lower bound that is practical, repeatable, and auditable, and that may be customized for each project. Further, a framework is established for future refinement of factors affecting contractor pricing.

Joint Ventures in the A/E/C Industry—Use and Success Factors

Joint venturing characteristics and patterns found through survey-based research, conducted of the top 400 constructors and the top 400 architects (as defined by ENR) within the United States, are presented in this paper. The respondents provided information regarding their experience with project-based joint ventures, including their evaluation of success, operational characteristics, and other related factors. As change occurs in construction technology, as geographic, business and communications barriers are removed, and as project sizes increase, firms may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage when trying to secure projects. Project-based joint ventures are often used in the construction industry to assemble an organization that meets a clients project needs and matches or exceeds the capacities of competitors. The joint venture provides the means for a firm to quickly add resource, political, technical, or other required strengths that will increase project acquisition. Limited study has been undertaken in the construction industry to evaluate this partnering phenomenon. The few industry-related studies have primarily used case study techniques and have focused on large, international joint ventures and firms. However, many joint ventures are formed on small- and medium-sized projects within the United States in addition to the international joint ventures reported. Further, due to the narrow focus of earlier studies, patterns of joint venturing across industries or across service providers are not evaluated. The survey results provide evidence of varied success among joint venture projects, and indicate which industry segments use joint ventures most frequently and which find these experiences worthwhile. Further, patterns are developed which show partnering frequency among varying sizes and types of firms. Importantly, the highly experienced respondents--mostly executive or senior managersdivulged factors they found most important in joint venture success. These anecdotes are categorized and coded to form a list of important success concepts. The resulting list provides managers with a practical operations checklist to steer future joint venture formation and operation.

Field Investigation of Success Factors of Fish Passageways in Oregon

This paper discusses the results of a field investigation of 19 fish passageways constructed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The intent of these passageways is to avoid significant disruption to the habitats required for a healthy life cycle for fish and other aquatic organisms. The field investigation of physical factors that may correlate with successful passageways may provide insight into more reliable and sustainable solutions to the problem of constructing highway crossings over natural waterways. The investigation is part of a larger study of whether construction practices may be additional factors that result in success. The researchers collected measurement information, including slopes, channel configurations, crossing structure characteristics, and streambed soil characteristics. The sites were judged on the basis of their suitability as fish passageways; for analytical purposes, a success factor was created and used to rate each site on the basis of the field observations. The physical metrics of the sites were correlated against the success index and other important fish passageway factors, and the results are presented. Important findings include a relationship between downstream slope and scour as well as an assessment that subsurface flow may be related to factors—perhaps construction techniques—other than the configuration of the channel.