Master of Science in Construction Project Managementhttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/422024-03-28T14:21:32Z2024-03-28T14:21:32ZWorkforce management, safety, healthcare and welfare strategies in construction sites in the context of COVID - 19 pandemicNiroshana UWANhttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/214612023-10-13T02:29:30Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZWorkforce management, safety, healthcare and welfare strategies in construction sites in the context of COVID - 19 pandemic
Niroshana UWAN
As the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 (Coronavirus 2019)
outbreak as a pandemic, many countries have declared national lockdown in 2020. This
unexpected lock down situation has mainly restricted the movement of people and
performance of services. Finally, it has resulted in a full shutdown of the business sector
and other industries globally. The construction industry in Sri Lanka is considered a
significant sector of the national economy with no exception. Government of Sri Lanka
(GOSL) declared an island wide lockdown for 52 days completely due to the COVID19
pandemic and all the construction projects across the country were shutdown
accordingly.
Therefore, the effect of COVID-19 on the construction industry in Sri Lanka will be
investigated and analyzed through this research study. The impact for certain areas in
the construction sector has been determined and analyzed using the feedback from
experts in the industry. For the research study, the effect has been classified into
different sectors which include workforce management, health and safety practices,
welfare facilities and preparation for emergency and pandemic situations in
construction sites. The study was carried out through a questionnaire survey which
confirmed that the lockdown of construction sites had a high impact on the site
activities, construction methods, management processes, safety and healthcare
practices. The findings of this study will help to understand the consequences of a
sudden occurrence of pandemic situations in the future and raise awareness in the
industry. In addition to that, the outcome will help the project managers to plan for the
worst-case scenario during the design and planning stages of construction projects.
It has been considered that Sri Lanka is one of the most vulnerable countries in the
world because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Financial System of Sri Lanka is mainly
dependent on the foreign investment and trade. Therefore, both direct and indirect
impact to the economy and other sectors can be expected including the construction
industry. As the COVID-19 pandemic has started to continue since December 2019,
lockdowns have been imposed around the globe several times. This has changed the
day-to-day physical activities to online activities everywhere. However, it is impossible
to perform some activities remotely. For instance, construction activities are not
possible to carry out virtually. In addition to that, in Sri Lanka, it is not practical to maintain social distancing in construction industry as this sector is totally dependent on
the manpower. Construction sites had been disturbed by their material supply chains
and workforce due to the lockdown situations and various quarantine procedures.
Therefore, COVID-19 pandemic has highly disrupted the construction industry in Sri
Lanka. As the construction sector contributes a significant amount to the economy of
Sri Lanka, it is essential to continue the construction activities according to the health
and safety measures while reducing the spread of COVID-19. This research study has
found that the workforce has been reduced by 30% to 90% in the construction sector
due to the spread of Covid-19. This implies that construction project managers have to
forecast and plan the future construction activities considering adequate health and
safety measures for workers at construction sites and dormitories while maintaining
minimum chances of spreading COVID-19 virus.
This research study is based on the primary data collected from the officials who are
from the top management and middle management levels in various construction
projects in Sri Lanka through an online questionnaire survey. The outcomes of this
study have indicated that there is a significant effect to the construction industry of Sri
Lanka due to COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, effective policies and procedures should
be utilized to mitigate the consequence of the Pandemic in the construction industry in
Sri Lanka.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZHuman skill factors that affect on digital transformation of the construction industry in Sri LankaJayasingha SHVDhttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/214602023-10-13T02:29:29Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZHuman skill factors that affect on digital transformation of the construction industry in Sri Lanka
Jayasingha SHVD
The world is leading to an Industrial revolution by automating and integrating novel
construction technologies for efficient decision-making. However, the local Construction
industry lacks to adopt state-of-the-art digital transformation techniques due to the lack of
awareness, technical know-how, and a higher capital cost of those technologies. Literature
reveals numerous research studies in this area have sufficient frameworks worldwide to
improve human digital skill factors. However, there is a lack of information on improving
human digital skill factors in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, developing a comprehensive
guideline to expedite the construction industry digitalization process in Sri Lanka is essential.
Available competencies and frameworks were identified using a Literature review. Required
competency levels were categorized according to the complexity of the task, autonomy, and
cognitive domain from Level 0 to Level 4 (No skill to Expert Level). For the ease of the data
collection, the workforce was divided into 4 categories: Senior Management,
Engineers/Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Storekeepers. /TO. A questionnaire survey was
conducted with the help of industry experts for the local Construction Industry regarding
digital transformation techniques, training, and consultation programs.
According to the analysis, 94% of respondents believe the construction industry needs to
upskill its digital skills. In Sri Lanka, digital technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual
Reality, Three-Dimensional Printing, Drones, Robotics, and the Internet of Things are
relatively less than developed countries. Only 28% of the responders are experienced in
Building Information Modelling (BIM) applications, while 53% are involved in productivity
and planning apps, Communication and Document management systems and Enterprise
Resource Planning. Moreover, it’s found that Senior Management and Middle Management
need a higher digital skill competency level (Level 3) while the technical officer level needs a
comparatively lower level of competency (Level 2). Senior management's active involvement
is critical for the successful digital transformation process. This research's findings benefited
the public and Private sectors in their construction digitalization process.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZDeveloping a correlation between indoor air quality and sick building syndrome in apartment buildingsAlwis PHhttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/216052023-10-18T22:00:46Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZDeveloping a correlation between indoor air quality and sick building syndrome in apartment buildings
Alwis PH
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is currently a widely discussed topic all around the
world since most of the population spend majority of their time indoors. However in
Sri Lanka, there is less discussion on SBS. Among the contributory factors for SBS,
polluted air plays a leading role while aggravating the situation with poor ventilation.
In order to assess the magnitude of SBS prevail in Apartment buildings in Sri Lanka,
a field study was carried out placing the focus on Total Volatile Organic Compounds
(TVOC) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations. A series of measurements were
taken on selected Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) parameters in a sample of apartment
buildings located close to a main highway. The IAQ monitoring was coupled with a
questionnaire survey on SBS symptoms, building operational practices and other
related parameters. The results of the study revealed that IAQ parameters could
correlate with SBS symptoms at different significant levels. Moreover, poor
ventilation had been identified as a prominent contributory factor for substandard air
quality which in turn would result several SBS symptoms. The results of this research
will be benefited to Engineers, Architects, Developers, and general public.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZSignificance of contractor's internal team collaborative practices to manage construction project delays during implimentation stageDhammika ACPCPhttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/216212023-10-19T21:48:55Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZSignificance of contractor's internal team collaborative practices to manage construction project delays during implimentation stage
Dhammika ACPCP
Completion of projects on time is one of the major challenge faced by the construction
industry. There are many studies conducted on construction project delays focusing on
causes and effects of delays and mitigation measures, etc. Initial literature survey has
been highlighted that Internal Team Collaboration
In order to achieve the objectives a pre-survey was done by reviewing literatures,
gathering industry expertise ideas and incorporating researcher’s experience in the
industry for conducting pilot questionnaire design. Subsequently, final questionnaire
survey was conducted with industry experts comprised of engineers, managers and
executives who directly involve in large scale construction projects representing
client/consultant and contractor organizations. Questionnaire forms were emailed and
hand delivered to eighty
The results of the analysis from overall perspective revealed that these four major
categories related to ITC practices; planning & scheduling, construction management,
contract administration and document management are equally contributed to
contractual management of construction project delays but high attention should be paid
on document management practices. And also project manager has a major role to act
as a focal point for making ITC process successful during implementation. Moreover,
the researcher has identified the barriers to internal team collaborative approach and the
methods and techniques that can be implemented to enhance the ITC process at project
implementation stage in order to reduce and manage project delays.
2022-01-01T00:00:00Z