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Evaluation of weather-productivity models of construction labour for tropics

Anas Al-Refaie (Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Ali Alashwal (School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia)
Zulkiflee Abdul-Samad (Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Hafez Salleh (Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Ahmed Elshafie (Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Built Environment Project and Asset Management

ISSN: 2044-124X

Article publication date: 16 September 2022

Issue publication date: 2 February 2023

172

Abstract

Purpose

Weather is one of the main factors affecting labour productivity. Existing weather-productivity models focussed on hot and cold climates paying less attention to the tropics. Many tropical countries are expected to be the most areas affected by accelerated climate change and global warming, which may have a severe impact on labour health and productivity. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the existing models can be used to predict labour productivity based on weather conditions in the tropics.

Design/methodology/approach

Five models are identified from the literature for evaluation. Using real labour productivity data of a high-rise building project in Malaysia, the actual productivity rate was compared with predicted productivity rates generated using the five models. The predicted productivity rates were generated using weather variables collected from an adjusting weather station to the project.

Findings

Compared with other models evaluated in this paper, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was found to be the best model to predict productivity based on the case study data. However, the result shows only a 57% accuracy level of the USACE model indicating the need to develop a new model for the tropics for more accurate prediction.

Originality/value

The result of this study is perhaps the first to apply meteorological variables to predict productivity rates and validate them using actual productivity data in the tropics. This study is the first step to developing a more accurate productivity model, which will be useful for project planning and more accurate productivity rate estimation.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: This research was funded by the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (Award Number: FRGS/1/2018/TK06/UM/1 (FP100-2018A)).

Citation

Al-Refaie, A., Alashwal, A., Abdul-Samad, Z., Salleh, H. and Elshafie, A. (2023), "Evaluation of weather-productivity models of construction labour for tropics", Built Environment Project and Asset Management, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 238-252. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-03-2022-0040

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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