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1 – 10 of over 3000
Article
Publication date: 30 October 2018

Anuoluwapo Ajayi, Lukumon Oyedele, Juan Manuel Davila Delgado, Lukman Akanbi, Muhammad Bilal, Olugbenga Akinade and Oladimeji Olawale

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the use of the big data technologies for health and safety risks analytics in the power infrastructure domain with large data sets of…

2112

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the use of the big data technologies for health and safety risks analytics in the power infrastructure domain with large data sets of health and safety risks, which are usually sparse and noisy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study focuses on using the big data frameworks for designing a robust architecture for handling and analysing (exploratory and predictive analytics) accidents in power infrastructure. The designed architecture is based on a well coherent health risk analytics lifecycle. A prototype of the architecture interfaced various technology artefacts was implemented in the Java language to predict the likelihoods of health hazards occurrence. A preliminary evaluation of the proposed architecture was carried out with a subset of an objective data, obtained from a leading UK power infrastructure company offering a broad range of power infrastructure services.

Findings

The proposed architecture was able to identify relevant variables and improve preliminary prediction accuracies and explanatory capacities. It has also enabled conclusions to be drawn regarding the causes of health risks. The results represent a significant improvement in terms of managing information on construction accidents, particularly in power infrastructure domain.

Originality/value

This study carries out a comprehensive literature review to advance the health and safety risk management in construction. It also highlights the inability of the conventional technologies in handling unstructured and incomplete data set for real-time analytics processing. The study proposes a technique in big data technology for finding complex patterns and establishing the statistical cohesion of hidden patterns for optimal future decision making.

Details

World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-5945

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 June 2012

Nayanthara De Silva and P.L.I. Wimalaratne

This study attempts to identify a simple and efficient framework to be implemented in the Sri Lankan construction industry to inculcate a “safe and healthy” working environment…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study attempts to identify a simple and efficient framework to be implemented in the Sri Lankan construction industry to inculcate a “safe and healthy” working environment for its workforce.

Design/methodology/approach

The occupational safety and health (OSH) management strategies that could be implemented in the construction sites were identified through a comprehensive literature survey and a pilot survey. A questionnaire survey was carried out among the safety and health (S&H) experts to explore the most effective OSH management strategies and thereafter to derive OSH mechanisms to promote the safer and healthy environment in the construction sites. Success of these mechanisms in the local industry was analyzed and was subsequently used to develop the OSH management framework.

Findings

A total of 35 significant OSH management strategies, unsafe and unhealthy factors as risk factors for fatal and non‐fatal situations were identified. A further ten OSH management mechanisms were established as adequate safety supervision, site environment, controlling the workers' safe and healthy behaviour, centralized OSH management unit, resources and insurance policies, management commitment, supportive devices, OSH documentation, OSH education and awareness, and OSH committee. Further, these ten mechanisms were used to establish the OSH framework to be implemented in Sri Lankan construction sites.

Originality/value

OSH management in the Sri Lankan construction industry can be enhanced by implementing the proposed OSH management framework.

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2021

Sunan Babar Khan, David G. Proverbs and Hong Xiao

Health and safety in small construction firms is often neglected by owners leading to poor health and safety performance and unacceptably high fatality and injury rates. A body of…

1193

Abstract

Purpose

Health and safety in small construction firms is often neglected by owners leading to poor health and safety performance and unacceptably high fatality and injury rates. A body of knowledge has established significant links between the motivational behaviours of operatives towards health and safety. Motivation is also considered as a key tool for improving operative productivity as when operatives experience safe worksites, they can carry out their work in a more productive manner. The purpose of this research is to develop a framework to examine the motivational factors that affect operative health and safety in small construction firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A critical review and synthesis of the body of knowledge incorporating motivational theory, health and safety literature and the factors which characterise small firms, is used to develop the framework.

Findings

Key components of the framework include the presence of intrinsic and extrinsic components, appropriate health and safety policies and procedures, the type of work environment, the operatives (i.e. attitude, experience and training) as well as the presence of appropriate management and supervision. The study revealed that operatives in small firms are less likely to be extrinsically motivated due to the absence of training, management commitment, policies and the wider working environment

Research limitations/implications

Failure of motivational support can result in increased danger and risk in exposing operatives to injury in the small firm environment. In this context, the damage caused to operative's health and safety in small construction firms is dependent mainly on the extrinsic factors.

Practical implications

The framework provides a basis for improving our understanding of how to motivate operatives to act safely and will help to improve the health and safety performance of small firms. It is therefore vital to emphasise enhancement efforts on these extrinsic strategies in the small firms' environment especially in the initial stages of the project (or activity), so that the health and safety of operatives in small firms can be improved.

Originality/value

This study proposes a contribution in developing an understanding of the motivational factors and their influence on the health and safety of operatives in small construction firms. The study revealed that operatives in small firms are less likely to be extrinsically motivated and have only intrinsically motivated elements in their workplace. The study proposes an indirect link between the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that affect motivation.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 May 2019

Patrick Manu, Anush Poghosyan, Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu, Lamine Mahdjoubi, Alistair Gibb, Michael Behm and Olugbenga O. Akinade

Against the backdrop of the contribution of design to the occurrence of occupational injuries and illnesses in construction, design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) is…

Abstract

Purpose

Against the backdrop of the contribution of design to the occurrence of occupational injuries and illnesses in construction, design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) is increasingly becoming prominent in the construction sector. To ensure that design interventions are safe for construction workers to build and maintain, design firms need to have the appropriate organisational capability in respect of DfOSH. However, empirical insight regarding the attributes that constitute DfOSH organisational capability is lacking. The purpose of this paper, which trailblases the subject of DfOSH organisational capability in construction, is to address two key questions: what organisational attributes determine DfOSH capability? What is the relative priority of the capability attributes?

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed three iterations of expert focus group discussion and a subsequent three-round Delphi technique accompanied by the application of voting analytic hierarchy process.

Findings

The study revealed 18 capability attributes nested within six categories, namely: competence (the competence of organisation’s design staff); strategy (the consideration of DfOSH in organisation’s vision as well as the top management commitment); corporate experience (organisation’s experience in implementing DfOSH on projects); systems (systems, processes and procedures required for implementing DfOSH); infrastructure (physical, and information and communication technology resources); and collaboration (inter- and intra-organisational collaboration to implement DfOSH on projects). Whilst these categories and their nested attributes carry varying weights of importance, collectively, the competence-related attributes are the most important, followed by strategy.

Originality/value

The findings should enable design firms and other key industry stakeholders (such as the clients who appoint them) to understand designers’ DfOSH capability better. Additionally, design firms should be able to prioritise efforts/investment to enhance their DfOSH capability.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 26 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2010

Mikael Holmgren Caicedo and Maria Mårtensson

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the idea of health statements is constructed and on what assumptions it rests.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the idea of health statements is constructed and on what assumptions it rests.

Design/methodology/approach

Published health statements from the Swedish municipality of Umeå are analysed in terms of the rhetoric of the arguments that are presented. This is done in order to identify the assumptions the arguments rest on.

Findings

Although no empirical proof is provided, the arguments presented in the health statements of Umeå municipality follow a logic that goes from success factors to good results via employee health and satisfaction as a proxy of internal quality of work that in turn is assumed to create good quality of service. The construction of that logic is concomitantly the production and reproduction of a moral system of values that rest on the ambiguousness and implicitness.

Originality/value

A discussion about the assumptions expressed in Umeå municipality's health statements, how they are constructed to make the management accounting of employee health work and the construction of morals that is implicit in that system.

Details

Journal of Human Resource Costing & Accounting, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1401-338X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 January 2023

Andrew Ebekozien, Clinton Aigbavboa and Mohamad Shaharudin Samsurijan

Housing provision and the neighbourhood's safety are significant social sustainability concerns. If structural issues are not well checked, housing provision and the…

1694

Abstract

Purpose

Housing provision and the neighbourhood's safety are significant social sustainability concerns. If structural issues are not well checked, housing provision and the neighbourhood's safety may become threatened, especially in Lagos State, Nigeria. Thus, this study aims to investigate the perceived root cause of collapsed buildings at the construction stage using two case studies, its effect on social sustainability aspects and suggested measures to mitigate future happening and enhance achieving social sustainability aspects goals.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers collected data from Nigeria's built environment experts and eyewitnesses/employees of selected cases of collapsed buildings. The study adopted a phenomenology type of qualitative research design and analysed collated data via thematic analysis and achieved saturation. The analysed data created three themes.

Findings

Results reveal that inadequate heavy equipment and personnel incapacitated relevant government agencies are responsible for handling emergency and rescue during building projects collapse. Preliminary findings show developers' greed and systematic failures as the root cause of Nigeria's building project collapse (BPC). It categorised the root causes into three groups (developer's related-cause, design team related-cause and government entities related-cause). The study suggested measures to mitigate future happening. The emerged measures were grouped into a penalty, regulatory, byelaw act, technical and safety measures.

Originality/value

This study contributes to curbing the threat to social sustainability of housing provision in cities. It reveals the underlying perceived root cause of collapsed buildings in Nigeria's building industry. Also, it suggested feasible measures to mitigate BPC. These measures may be modified and adopted by other developing countries facing similar challenges.

Details

Property Management, vol. 41 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2013

Rajnish Kumar, Arup Mitra and Mayumi Murayama

Child labour in several low‐income households is rather pursued for gaining experience and at times for meagre incomes, which are possibly spent on household food expenditure. The…

Abstract

Purpose

Child labour in several low‐income households is rather pursued for gaining experience and at times for meagre incomes, which are possibly spent on household food expenditure. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the incidence of child labour and identifies the factors which explain participation of the children in the labour market. It also focuses on some of the outcomes of labour market participation of the children.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the primary survey of the slum households in four Indian cities this paper applies certain quantitative techniques to estimate child labour and the factors that explain their participation in the labour market.

Findings

Though the contribution made by the child labour to the overall well‐being does not turn out to be substantial, without child labour these households would have been much worse off than the households which can afford not to have child labour. The probability of working is higher for a male child compared to a girl child. This is because the girl children are often engaged in household activities and even when they are engaged in income earning jobs they are shown as helpers. Parents' income as such may not be having a positive impact on child's education.

Originality/value

The study is based on a primary survey. It employs certain indirect methods to arrive at a more realistic estimate of the incidence of child labour. Besides, it focuses on the quantitative methods to identify the factors that explain child labour. Finally the policy implications are brought out.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 40 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2002

Albert H.C. Tsang

The contemporary business environment has raised the strategic importance of the maintenance function in organizations which have significant investment in physical assets. Four…

16402

Abstract

The contemporary business environment has raised the strategic importance of the maintenance function in organizations which have significant investment in physical assets. Four strategic dimensions of maintenance management are identified, namely service‐delivery options, organization and work structuring, maintenance methodology and support systems. The alternatives available are reviewed: the guidelines for selection of these alternatives, the key decision areas in each of the four dimensions, as well as the critical success factors for the transformation process are discussed. The two factors that permeate in these strategic dimensions are human factors and information flow; the latter can be made more efficient by embracing the e‐maintenance model.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 December 2007

Thomas J. Zagenczyk, Audrey J. Murrell and Ray Gibney

The aim of this article is to examine how office designs influence social capital or the value inherent in relationships. More specifically, this article attempts to better…

1681

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this article is to examine how office designs influence social capital or the value inherent in relationships. More specifically, this article attempts to better understand the level to which the value of social capital accrues, either to the individual or to the group.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors review theoretical and empirical research on the physical work environment and social capital to develop propositions that relate the effects of open office environments on the development of group‐ and individual‐level social capital.

Findings

It is argued that an open‐office environment, defined as an office design that attempts to maximize functional communication among organization members by removing physical barriers that hinder the flow of work and communications, can positively affect the development of social capital within an organization. Specifically, it is suggested that open office designs will foster the development of group‐level social capital (i.e. social capital that benefits the group, the result of network closure) but reduce individual‐level social capital (i.e. social capital that benefits individuals who connect otherwise unconnected groups in the network, or structural holes).

Practical implications

By effectively managing the physical work environment, organizations can better control and/or influence the frequency and nature of interactions between employees, which may result in desirable outcomes for both the organization and employees.

Originality/value

The article integrates two streams of literature – social capital and physical work environment – and will be of interest to researchers in both literature groups. In addition, office managers and designers can benefit from the discussion in an effort to foster group level social capital.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2023

Ajith Venugopal, Sridhar Nerur, Mahmut Yasar and Abdul A. Rasheed

This study aims to examine how chief executive officer's (CEO) personality traits influence the corporate sustainability performance (CSP) of firms. The paper also examines the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how chief executive officer's (CEO) personality traits influence the corporate sustainability performance (CSP) of firms. The paper also examines the moderating effect of board power on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a linguistic tool (IBM's Watson Personality Insight Service), the authors measured the personality traits of 229 CEOs from 176 firms from 2009 to 2018. Firm-level CSP are obtained from the Sustainalytics database. The hypotheses are tested using multiple regression analysis. The robustness of the results of the study is confirmed by addressing endogeneity concerns and by validating the measurement of CEO personality traits using Personality Recognizer, an alternative linguistic tool.

Findings

The results show that CEO personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism are significant predictors of CSP. The paper also identifies board power as a contingent factor that influences the suggested relationships.

Originality/value

Using upper echelon theory and cybernetic big five theory, this paper identifies CEO personality traits as important antecedents of corporate sustainability performance and adds to the micro-foundations of corporate sustainability literature. To the authors’ understanding, this is the first study that examines the influence of CEO personality on CSP using a comprehensive trait framework. The paper also demonstrates the usefulness of text-analytic tools to measure CEO personality traits, thereby contributing to the progress of upper echelon theory.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 61 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 3000