Mohamed Abdel-Wahab

Trends of productivity growth in the construction industry across Europe, US and Japan

Productivity is a key driver for economic growth and prosperity in any country. The pursuit of productivity growth requires an understanding of the factors affecting productivity. The trend of productivity growth, along with the possible factors underlying such growth across Europe, the US and Japan, is thus examined. In particular, there is a focus on comparing the productivity performance of the construction sector to that of other industries. Using the recently released EU KLEMS 1 database, 2 a growth accounting framework was adopted to assess the contribution of the following factors to productivity growth (during 1971–2005): capital, labour quality and total factor productivity (TFP). It was found that there is a general slowdown in labour productivity growth in total industries including construction across major OECD countries, with the exception of the UK. The differences in labour productivity growth between construction and total industries can be largely explained by construction’s poor TFP performance. With the exception of the UK, TFP negatively contributed to labour productivity growth in the period 1990–2005, suggesting that the industry has become less efficient in combining the factors of production. That phenomenon seems to be consistent across all selected countries and warrants further investigation. Indeed a better understanding of the factors underlying productivity growth in OECD countries is a prerequisite for effective intervention of policy makers to support sustained productivity growth.

Trends of skills and productivity in the UK construction industry

Purpose – UK government policy has emphasised the role of skills development and training as a means of improving productivity performance across all sectors of the economy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the appropriateness of this policy within the context of the construction industry, in light of the recently published statistics.Design/methodology/approach – A trend analysis of construction productivity (measured by Gross Value Added/worker) and skills indicators (qualification attainment and training) was conducted over the period 1995‐2006.Findings – There is inconsistency in the industrys productivity performance, despite the overall increase in qualification attainment levels and participation rates in training over the same period. However, the year‐on‐year change in the participation rate of training was not consistently associated with an improvement in productivity performance.Originality/value – It is argued that the effective utilisation of skills rather than mere increase in the su...

Musculoskeletal disorders in construction: A review and a novel system for activity tracking with body area network

Human body motions have been analysed for decades with a view on enhancing occupational well-being and performance of workers. On-going progresses in miniaturised wearable sensors are set to revolutionise biomechanical analysis by providing accurate and real-time quantitative motion data. The construction industry has a poor record of occupational health, in particular with regard to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). In this article, we therefore focus on the study of human body motions that could cause WMSDs in construction-related activities. We first present an in-depth review of existing assessment frameworks used in practice for the evaluation of human body motion. Subsequently different methods for measuring working postures and motions are reviewed and compared, pointing out the technological developments, limitations and gaps; Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) are particularly investigated. Finally, we introduce a new system to detect and characterise unsafe postures of construction workers based on the measurement of motion data from wearable wireless IMUs integrated in a body area network. The potential of this system is demonstrated through experiments conducts in a laboratory as well as in a college with actual construction trade trainees.

Rethinking Apprenticeship Training in the British Construction Industry.

The British government continued intervention to support apprenticeship training across the economy has been notable in recent years. The construction industry is the only sector to retain a levy/grant scheme (that supports training including apprenticeships) since 1964, yet it still faces the problem of skills shortages. This article thus reviews the issues pertaining to apprenticeship training in the construction industry, namely: nature of the industry, demand/supply and employer engagement. It is argued that continued over-reliance on construction employers to offer work placement opportunities does not present a plausible way forward for supporting apprenticeship training given the deeply entrenched poor training culture in the industry. Policymakers thus need to move away from an elusive concept of employer engagement and consider alternative means for the provision of apprenticeship training. Exploring the application of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), in particular workplace simulation, in addition to the active engagement of experienced workers and trade unions, presents possible alternatives for supporting apprenticeship training. Unless policymakers are prepared to consider alternative ideas for apprenticeship training the construction industry is likely to continue experiencing skills shortages that can potentially impede its future development.

Measuring the Construction Industry’s Productivity Performance: Critique of International Productivity Comparisons at Industry Level

AbstractThe authors review work on international comparisons of construction productivity performance by providing an in-depth critique of the existing literature and highlighting the existing methodological challenges. Using studies and data on the United Kingdom’s relative construction productivity performance as an exemplar, it is suggested that any investigation of international productivity differences in construction at the industry level is highly problematic because these productivity estimates do not compare like for like. Data definitions and coverage differ substantially across countries. In addition, deflators and exchange rates used to convert output into a common currency are unreliable. While the new standard industrial classifications 2007 could provide a better basis of cross-country productivity comparisons and further research on deflators, conversion rates, labor inputs, and capital stock estimates could improve the robustness of international comparisons, there are conceptual limitati...

Robust 6-DOF immersive navigation using commodity hardware

In this paper we present a novel visual-inertial 6-DOF localization approach that can be directly integrated in a wearable immersive system for simulation and training. In this context, while CAVE environments typically require complex and expensive set-up, our approach relies on visual and inertial information provided by commodity hardware, i.e. a consumer monocular camera and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). We propose a novel robust pipeline based on state-of-the-art image-based localization and sensor fusion approaches. A loosely-coupled sensor fusion approach, which makes use of robust orientation information from the IMU, is employed to cope with failures in visual tracking (e.g. due to camera fast motion) in order to limit motion jitters. Fast and smooth re-localization is also provided to track position following visual tracking outage and guarantee continued operation. The 6-DOF information is then used to render consistently VR contents on a stereoscopic HMD. The proposed system, demonstrated in the context of Construction, runs at 30 fps on a standard PC and requires a very limited set-up for its intended application.

A review of the case of a Levy‐Grant Scheme (LGS) in the UK construction industry

A Levy‐Grant Scheme (LGS) has existed in the UK construction industry since 1964 to provide financial support for companies undertaking training activities. Despite the support of the LGS for various training activities, notably apprenticeships, the construction industry continues to suffer from both labour shortages and an under‐investment in training activity when compared to other sectors in the economy. This situation raises the question as to whether a LGS is an effective means for supporting training activity. This paper thus presents an in‐depth review of the case for and against a UK construction LGS. It is argued that the LGS on its own is insufficient to alleviate labour shortages and poor participation levels in training. Moreover, if the LGS is to continue enjoying the support of employers it is important that levy payers (in particular) see the value of the scheme as integral to their business activities and do not regard it as a mere tax. The demonstration of the real value of the LGS becomes imperative when considering the current economic climate where companies are working with tighter budgets.

Towards a Cyber-Physical Gaming System for Training in the Construction and Engineering Industry

Introducing serious gaming systems (SGS) has the potential to enhance trainee experience and performance across the construction industry and its supply chain, such as mechanical engineering services. SGS as an ‘enabler’ in architectural engineering has received limited research in its role to assess and enhance the performance of its workforce. In a personnel high-risk environment, improving training standards to eliminate or reduce health and safety risks, in addition to providing an understanding of workers’ ergonomics, ensures sustainability of both the project and its workforce.This paper presents an activity tracking and feedback system that captures the physical activity of a construction worker climbing a ladder. Climbing is captured with a 3D motion capture system and processed in real-time to identify potential areas of underperformance. A simple and representative scoring method was established as a reporting method (game statistics) for giving feedback about the correctness of the activity. It can nonetheless be tuned to characterise and adjust to various complexity levels in-line with the required training standards. Furthermore, the motion data and feedback information are fed into a virtual gaming environment enabling the real-time visualisation of the trainee’s motion and experiential learning of the performance through visual and audio feedback. The gaming concepts are employed here with multiple purposes, particularly for accelerating and facilitating the learning process of the trainee. In addition to the 3D motion capturing system, this paper outlines and tests a proposed serious cyber-physical gaming system that incorporates wearable technologies that has the potential to support both construction training and practice.Copyright

A Conceptual Framework for the Evaluation of Fuel-Cell Energy Systems in the Uk Built Environment

Energy-efficient buildings can reduce human impact on the environment. Energy efficiency is not only concerned with generating more energy using fewer resources, nor reducing energy usage, but also it is about harnessing natural resources, such as wind and sun, to produce energy. The UK government is thus promoting the adoption of renewable energy in buildings. The Fuel-Cell Energy Systems (FCES), which utilizes hydrogen from renewable sources (green hydrogen), is a prominent technology yet with little application in the UK built environment. FCESs can help in addressing the problem of intermittent supplies of renewable energy by allowing for energy storage, which could act as a buffer to meet the variability in user-demand thereby maintaining energy security. Thus, the aim of this article is to explore the application of FCES in the UK built environment by drawing on the scant literature as well as discussion with industry experts. With the recent implementation of FCESs in Scotland, the development of guidelines for evaluation of the FCES is timely. A conceptual framework for the evaluation of FCES is thus outlined in this article, which could be piloted in Scotland (and possibly elsewhere). It is argued that such framework provides a holistic and structured approach for establishing the efficacy of FCES, which is crucial for informing its wider adoption in the future and in particular when it comes to the Return-on-Investment, especially from the perspective of funders and the local community.

Stonemasonry skills development: Two case studies of historic buildings in Scotland

Purpose – Scotland’s built heritage (pre-1919 building stock) is exhibiting varying levels of disrepair, in particular for stonemasonry works, despite the government’s on-going efforts for promoting higher standards of repair and maintenance (R & M) of historic buildings. The purpose of this paper is to examine the problems associated with the R & M of historic buildings. Design/methodology/approach – Two case studies (Projects A and B) exhibiting critical disrepair are reported. Site surveying was carried-out on both projects, to identify site features and R & M problems along with proposed solutions drawing on the lead author’s extensive industry experience as a stonemasonry consultant. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals involved in each project to elicit views on the challenges faced. Additionally, three industry experts were interviewed to provide a wider perspective of the R & M challenges facing historic buildings. Findings – Neglect and poor practice resulted in both...