Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

The technical requirements and scope of concrete work on nuclear projects present significant engineering and construction challenges. These demands represent the extremes in many areas of construction operations. In meeting these challenges, engineering and construction forces have developed several innovations which can be beneficially applied to other types of construction. Innovative approaches in the general categories of engineering scope, construction input to engineering, work planning, special methods and techniques, and satisfaction of quality assurance requirements are given in this paper. The transfer of this technology to other segments of the construction industry will improve overall performance by avoiding the problem areas encountered on nuclear projects.

Failures, poor performance or low productivity during construction may force construction project managers to make critical decisions; these decisions must be made in a rational and time‐responsive manner. A new decision‐making methodology, crisis decision analysis, is introduced as an appropriate tool for aiding the project manager in these strategic judgements. Adoption of crisis decision analysis for an example tunnel construction problem where surface settlement exceeds allowable limits demonstrates the methodology's strengths as well as its applicability.

A model for the prediction of noise levels from highway construction operations has been developed under sponsorship of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Noise sources are geometrically represented as points, lines and areas, and noise barrier attenuation may also be analyzed. Built into the model and accompanying computer program is a data base for over fifty types of construction equipment and operations. Use of the interactive computer program is illustrated through an example problem. While use of the model is not required, FHWA regulations do mandate that highway construction noise be addressed during the development of Federal‐aid highway projects. The model and program may therefore be used by highway noise control engineers for environmental impact assessment and for design of noise abatement measures.

The National Science Foundation and the Construction Research Council of the American Society of Civil Engineers sponsored a workshop for leading academic researchers to discuss basic research needs in the construction industry. The workshop, held at The University of Michigan, dealt with issues within five primary categories: (1) Definition of basic research in construction engineering and management; (2) basic research needs in construction engineering management; (3) construction engineering analysis and design; (4) construction engineering uncertainty; and (5) construction engineering human resource management. The participants identified a list of items of a basic nature that require research to develop the theoretical underpinnings of construction practice. A summary of the list of research needs is reported in the paper.

The financial losses resulting from various incidents on typical building construction sites are reported. Field data was collected on three sites over a period of nine months. Incidents were recorded by three observers on a daily basis including data on the cause of the event, the direct losses incurred and the contractors involved. The 658 incidents reported were analyzed to determine the general characteristics of incidents, the level of field control possible and the incident costs. Overall losses on the individual sites are compared while combined results for all three projects are examined. Particular attention is paid to safety‐related incidents. Limitations of the monitoring program are discussed. The results indicate that downgrading incidents are responsible for a substantial loss on construction projects, however, the observations show that most losses could be eliminated through up‐graded on‐site management. Recommendations are made for reducing the losses by improving such management functions as planning, scheduling, follow‐up, equipment maintenance and problem documentation.

Compressed air tunneling, used extensively in the past to control ground water and provide face support, is often only given a brief look today because of its escalating cost. However, due to soil and ground‐water conditions, the only reasonable way to drive a particular tunnel may be to utilize compressed air. A somewhat complex procedure, the use of compressed air requires a number of precautions to be taken to assure the safety of the work force. Alternative methods or a combination of compressed air and dewatering should be evaluated on a cost‐benefit basis.

The introduction of inexpensive microcomputer hardware and innovative user‐oriented software packages has had a significant impact on the traditional data processing procedures of the construction industry. Copyrighted electronic spreadsheet packages such as VisiCalc and SuperCalc are now available to practically all microcomputer users. These spreadsheet packages provide construction contractors, owners and managers with a versatile management tool that can be applied to a wide range of construction‐related problems. The overall capabilities of spreadsheet packages are examined and specific applications of interest to the construction management community are presented.

The resident engineering scope has broadened on recent power plant projects. Providing the technical and administrative support necessary for plant construction is a key requirement for successful projects. The elements of this responsibility and the activities required are described. Critical activities by the resident engineering organization in each of the project phases are described. Three approaches to the structuring of this organization (field, area, and discipline) are presented and described. The importance and benefits of recognizing each of these tasks and providing adequate staffing are emphasized.

The financial consequences of the direct and indirect cost of construction accidents is large. Previous cost studies show that accidents add approximately 6.5% to the nation's construction expenditures. However, the data from the present investigation indicate there has been a reduction, during a 5 year interval (1976–1981), in the amount contractors perceive they spend for complying with OSHA rules and regulations. The decrease in terms of percentage of construction cost is from 2.8% to 1.4% for the ENR 400 firms and from 4.5% to 2.4% for the OCA (Ohio) contractors. The foregoing may be due, in part, to either a variation in OSHA enforcement methods, or a change in the standard operating procedures of contractors, or both reasons. Whatever the reason, contractors, both large and small, appear to have learned to cope with OSHA and feel that the associated rules and regulations are less of a monetary burden.

No validated model of worker motivation and performance exists for the construction industry. Reasons for this are examined. Such a model has been developed outside of construction. The model is presented and discussed. Research that is needed to develop and validate the model for use in the construction industry is discussed. The need for this research to be interdisciplinary in nature, to encompass construction researchers and industrial/organizational psychologists or organizational behaviorists, is analyzed.