Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the likelihood of occurrence and degree of impact of the risk factors on construction projects within the Ghanaian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach -A survey of randomly selected samples yielded responses from 34 contractors, 46 consultants, and 23 clients or owners (private and public) within the Ghanaian construction industry. Literature review is used to identify 25 relevant risk variables which were grouped into ten composite factors and then incorporated into the design of the survey instrument. Survey response data were subjected to descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA), and subsequently the exposure rating levels were determined, which enabled the categorisation of the probability-impact scores in low, medium and high levels.Findings -Results of this study indicate a disparity of the ranking of the degree of occurrence and impact among the groups. There was a statistical difference at the p , 0.05 level significant for five out of 25 risk factors occurrences as follows: "construction methods", "inflation", "weather condition", "ground conditions and contaminant conditions" and "poor communication amongst project team" and only one for the degree of impact scores for "price fluctuation". Based on the composite risk factors, the financial and economic factors were found to be the most likely to occur and have the most impact on projects, whereas legal risk factor was found to be a low weighted risk, as it had the least likelihood to occur and the least impact score. The post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test also indicated differences between the contractor and clients in the ranking of construction methods risk variable, but no significant differences between contractors/consultants and clients/consultants. Research limitations/implications -Geographically, only respondents from construction organisations in the Greater Accra Region were considered, which limits generalization of the findings. The research did not also distinguish foreign from local contractors in the classification, as literature has shown that the perception of the degree of impact and likelihood of occurrence of risk analysis could also vary according to the degree of ownership. Originality/value -The paper makes a contribution by exploring the degree of risk occurrence and its impact on construction projects within a developing economy and much lesser studied context. The paper provides insights on the perception of risk among construction professions in Ghana and it also provides some insights on the current levels of risk for foreign contractors wishing to operate in Ghana.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of research into the levels of awareness, usage and benefits of risk assessment and management practices (RAMP) within the construction industry in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted through a structured questionnaire administered to 103 construction professionals practising with construction client (private and public), consultant and contractor organisations within the Ghanaian construction industry. The results were analysed to establish the current levels of awareness, usage and perceived benefits of risk management practices. Survey response data were subjected to descriptive statistics; subsequently, ANOVA and other non-parametric tests were used to examine the differences in the levels of agreement of the perceived benefits. Findings – This study illustrates that although the majority of the respondents are aware of RAMP, some professionals found the process not to be formal. Relative to the benefits, there was a disparity in the ranking of agreement scores on two of the eight benefits among the respondents in relation to “product to the required quality” and “reduction in contract claims”. However, they all agreed on “improved team morale” as the most important benefits. Research limitations/implications – The research limitation of the study is that the cross-sectional data made it difficult to generalise the findings. Geographically, only respondents from construction organisations in the Greater Accra Region were considered. However, it is recommended that future work on RAMP be extended to cover all the regions of the country. Practical implications – The findings of the study provide practical for organisations to measure the benefits and capture the awareness of risk management practices through the provision of a framework based on an index and scoring method. This can be used by senior management in assessing the current benefit levels within projects “internal benchmarking” and has potential for external benchmarking purposes. Furthermore, through education and training, both formal and informal process including more information and provision of expertise within RAMP could enhance the levels of awareness. Originality/value – Little is known about the current levels of awareness, usage and benefits of risk management among Ghanaian construction organisations, and this study provides some insights and deepening our understanding on the uptake and perceived benefits of RAMP among construction professions in Ghana. These findings may help construction practitioners in having an increased awareness of risk management practices, and this can further lead to a higher uptake and usage resulting in reaping the advocated benefits of the implementing risk management practices such as achievement of project objectives of time, cost and quality, as well as enhanced decision-making processes.

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PurposeTotal organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and other physicochemical parameters of the Birim River, which serves for drinking and domestic purposes for rural mining communities, were analysed to assess the suitability of water quality for human consumption.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 40 samples were collected from 20 sampling sites during the rainy season from July to September and the dry season from December to February in addition to two repeat samples and two blank samples. Samples were analysed for physiochemical parameters and the results were compared with World Health Organisation standards (WHO).FindingsData obtained for both rainy and dry seasons indicated TOC ranged from 1.1 to 7.3 mg/L and DOC 1–7.2 mg/L; pH, 5.6–8.63; temperature, 23.3–29.3°C; turbidity, <1.00–869NTU; apparent colour, <2.5–600 mg/L Pt-Co; true colour <2.5–150 mg/L Pt-Co; alkalinity, 27.8–80.4 mg/L; total suspended solids, <1.00–998 mg/L; electrical conductivity, 82–184 µS/cm; and bicarbonate, 33.9–98.1 mg/L. Particulate organic carbon (POC) was constituted between 1 and 10% of the TOC. Values for pH, turbidity, total suspended solids, and true colour indicated contamination of the river. p -value of <0.05 between seasons for the physicochemical parameters also suggests that the water is polluted.Practical implicationsWater from the Birim River is unsuitable for human consumption and may constitute a serious health risk to the consumers.Originality/valueThe paper yields immense value to inhabitant of communities using surface water affected by mining activities, policy makers in sustainability. It warns of the unsuitability of water from the Birim River for human consumption due to the potential health risk to consumers.