Weather and labor productivity in construction: a literature review and taxonomy of studies

Refaie, Anas Moussa Al; Alashwal, Ali Mohammed; Abdul-Samad, Zulkiflee; Salleh, Hafez

doi:10.1108/ijppm-12-2019-0577

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Productivity enhancement has always been a top concern for any profit-driven corporation, as it indicates the efficacy with which the firm's resources are translated into profitable outputs, ensuring firm profitability (Robles et al, 2014). Improved resource utilisation, higher output commercial value, and higher-quality deliverables and components are all benefits of increased productivity (Refaie et al, 2021).…”

Section: Strategies To Cope With Covid-19 Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study of the impact of COVID-19 on construction workforce productivity in Malaysia

Tan

Abdul-Samad

2022

IJPPM

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PurposeThis paper aims to study the reaction of construction project managers in coping with workforce productivity challenges that arise from the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative research via questionnaires targeting the project managers from G7 contractor companies in Malaysia was carried out in the data collection process. In total, 182 responses have been analysed descriptively and inferentially using SPSS software.FindingsThe research discovers that most of the construction projects and their workforce productivity were adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the strategies adopted by project managers in Malaysia and the ranking of strategies based on their effectiveness were indicated.Originality/valueThe findings of this research have contributed to a new understanding of the construction workforce productivity during the COVID-19 era from the perspective of project managers in Malaysia. A guideline established from the ranking of strategies would be useful to ensure the survival of the industry in Malaysia aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Strategies To Cope With Covid-19 Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study of the impact of COVID-19 on construction workforce productivity in Malaysia

Tan

Abdul-Samad

2022

IJPPM

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“…interest in such environmental variables as weather, which is an important variable affecting productivity because construction firms are exposed to this condition directly (Al Refaie et al, 2020, Moohialdin et al, 2019, Al Refaie et al, 2021, Li et al, 2019. However, there have been no applications to date regarding the decomposition of the environmental productivity component, which is important for construction productivity to be modelled more accurately in heterogeneous production frontier settings.…”

Section: (Insert Table 1)mentioning

confidence: 99%

How technological, environmental and managerial performance contribute to the productivity change of Malaysian construction firms

Azman

Abdul-Samad²,

Lee³

et al. 2022

ECAM

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PurposeTotal factor productivity (TFP) change is an important driver of long-run economic growth in the construction sector. However, examining TFP alone is insufficient to identify the cause of TFP changes. Therefore, this paper employs the infrequently used Geometric Young Index (GYI) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to measure and decompose the TFP Index (TFPI) at the firm-level from 2009 to 2018 based on Malaysian construction firms' data.Design/methodology/approachTo improve the TFPI estimation, normally unobserved environmental variables were included in the GYI-TFPI model. These are the physical operation of the firm (inland versus marine operation) and regional locality (West Malaysia versus East Malaysia). Consequently, the complete components of TFPI (i.e. technological, environmental, managerial, and statistical noise) can be accurately decomposed.FindingsThe results reveal that TFP change is affected by technological stagnation and improvements in technical efficiency but a decline in scale-mix efficiency. Moreover, the effect of environmental efficiency on TFP is most profound. In this case, being a marine construction firm and operating in East Malaysia can reduce TFPI by up to 38%. The result, therefore, indicates the need for progressive policies to improve long-term productivity.Practical implicationsMonitoring and evaluating productivity change allows an informed decision to be made by managers/policy makers to improve firms' competitiveness. Incentives and policies to improve innovation, competition, training, removing unnecessary taxes and regulation on outputs (inputs) could enhance the technological, technical and scale-mix of resources. Furthermore, improving public infrastructure, particularly in East Malaysia could improve regionality locality in relation to the environmental index.Originality/valueThis study contributes to knowledge by demonstrating how TFP components can be completely modelled using an aggregator index with good axiomatic properties and SFA. In addition, this paper is the first to apply and include the GYI and environmental variables in modelling construction productivity, which is of crucial importance in formulating appropriate policies.

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“…It can cause heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion, muscle cramps, heatstroke, heat rashes, and neuropsychiatric disorders [3][4][5]. Reduced work performance caused by heat stress also increased the rate of human errors and accidents in the workplace [3,[6][7][8][9][10]. Moreover, the most dangerous consequence of overexposure to heat in the workplace is heatstroke, leading to death in more severe cases [3,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of body heat tolerance of workers in a simulated warm environment based on linear mixed model

et al. 2022

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Workers’ heat tolerance plays a crucial role in maintaining their health and performance in hot environments. This study aimed to empirically analyze the body heat tolerance of workers under a simulated warm environment. Twenty healthy male workers from the typical light metal industry (age: 23.15±2.45 years) were participated in the experimental study. Workers were exposed to two thermal environments (Ta = 22°C, RH = 35%, and Ta = 35°C, RH = 35%) in a simulated moderate workload in a climate-controlled room. The maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and body fat mass of workers were determined. The heat tolerance indicators were determined based on heart rate (HR) and ear temperature (ET) before and after each experiment. A linear mixed model was employed to analyze body heat tolerance indicators using the SPSS statistical package. All physiological responses significantly increased in the warm air condition compared to the thermoneutral condition. The HR and ET increased by an average of 14 bpm and 0.75°C, respectively (p<0.05). The mixed model could accurately predict heat tolerance indicators (r = 0.95 and r = 0.97) so that the VO2 max and body fat mass were identified as the main individual influential factors. The VO2 max showed significant correlation with urinary specific gravity (r = -0.55, p<0.05), HR (r = -0.59, p<0.05), and ET (r = -0.57, p<0.05) in warm environment. The model confirmed that physical fitness is critical in increasing heat tolerance in warm environments. It can be a helpful screening tool for properly selecting workers in occupational medical examinations for working in warm air conditions. It is proposed that workers’ regular exercise and lifestyle modifications can strengthen their heat tolerance.

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Weather and labor productivity in construction: a literature review and taxonomy of studies

Cited by 18 publications

References 65 publications

A study of the impact of COVID-19 on construction workforce productivity in Malaysia

A study of the impact of COVID-19 on construction workforce productivity in Malaysia

How technological, environmental and managerial performance contribute to the productivity change of Malaysian construction firms

Analysis of body heat tolerance of workers in a simulated warm environment based on linear mixed model

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