Strategies for the implementation of continuing professional development for SMEs in construction

The Victorian government (in Australia) intends to mandate that all registered building practitioners (RBP) undertake a minimum level of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as part of the registration process. The introduction of CPD increases the travel costs for construction practitioners; due to the necessity to undertake a minimum level of training. This places an increased burden on construction companies' especially small regional-based firms that are not in a position of financial strength. This research is based on study of training needs of 73 construction companies in Victoria, Australia. The results show that training costs are being unequally weighted towards small regional-based firms; suggesting that the location of the company is a major contributing factor to their ability to meet registration requirements. Regional companies have comparatively high costs for training compared to metropolitan-based firms. Company location is a limiting factor that impacts on the ability of regional firms to implement training programs. This research investigates the notion that increasing registration requirements will improve outcomes for all participants.

Benchmarking the implementation of continuing professional development in the Victorian construction industry

In the state of Victoria, the state government has taken a leadership position on the potential benefit of introducing voluntary continuing professional development (CPD) for registered building practitioners (RBPs) in the construction industry. Benefits are believed to accrue to the Victorian community through a more highly skilled and managed SME construction sector, improved quality buildings with fewer defects and greater efficiencies gained by a reduction in industry internal and external operating costs. This research has identified appropriate industry and community benchmarks to enable a quantification of the costs and benefits that result from this policy. These benchmarks will enable the policymaking body of Victoria, the Building Commission (BC) to evaluate the effects of the implementation of its policy and contribute to informing the debate about the merits and possible drawbacks of such a policy in the construction industry in Victoria.

The proposed Victorian CPD policy will affect a whole industry sector. This pioneering policy approach is already being viewed as a touchstone for other jurisdictions in Australia and abroad. Consequently, this research project is considered by our industry partner to be pivotal in the leadership position that they are taking in Victoria. This investigation is being conducted by the research team under the auspices, guidance and with the cooperation of the Building Commission (BC) and the Building Practitioners Board (BPB) of Victoria. This policy research evaluation is necessary to assess the proposed implementation of CPD in the Victorian construction industry. The identification and creation of agreed and significant industry benchmarks are crucial to evaluating this policy initiative. These benchmarks will serve as independent yardsticks for assessing the impact of the new policy and are described and discussed in this paper.

Cost and time overruns in commercial construction projects : an Australian study

Cost and schedule are two of most important performance indicators of construction projects. Cost escalation and time overruns are typically associated with poor management practices. Cost overruns and delays have huge impacts on construction projects in relation to the costs of a project, the reputation of the parties involved, and the satisfaction of the final product. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the causes of cost and time overruns so that mitigation measures can be set in place. A group of industry professionals in South Australia were surveyed on their perceptions of the factors contributing towards the cost and time overruns in commercial construction projects. The results showed that timeliness of decision making is ranked as the top factor contributing towards delays whereas problems with design is perceived as most influential to the cost overruns. In addition, the questionnaire survey found that different parties, i.e. clients, contractors and consultants have different perceptions on the impacts of these factors. Similarly, the structural frame stage was considered the most critical stage for controlling the time and cost performance during the construction process. Implications are discussed.

Households' perceptions on sustainable home behaviour and improvements in Australia

The consumption of energy in the residential building is a major contributor to Australia's stationary energy greenhouse gas emissions. With the aim of investigating the householders' motivations and perspectives on sustainable home improvements, this study, by using an online survey instrument, collected more than 500 sets of questionnaire data from households in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Through statistical analysis of the data collected, this research has found that construction cost and government incentive were considered as major influence factors on achieving energy efficient residential building development, and the lower bills from reduced energy and water consumption were considered as the most important benefits from the households' perspectives. The research also found that although many households exhibited a high level of awareness or had implemented some sustainability improvements, the total number of potential improvements scored poorly. A suggestion, based on these research findings, is that the government should promote the reasons and benefits for sustainability home improvements that are identified in this research paper, and try to reduce material costs and improve government incentives.

TMI for urban resilience : measuring and mapping long-term climate change effects on soil moisture

The effect of climate change on the shallow expansive foundation conditions of resident dwellings is costing several hundred billion dollars worldwide. The design and costs of constructing or repairing residential footings is greatly influenced by the degree of ground movement, which is driven by the magnitude of change in soil moisture. The impacts of climate change on urban infrastructure are expected to include accelerated degradation of materials and foundations of buildings and facilities, increased ground movement, changes in ground water affecting the chemical structure of foundations, and fatigue of structures from extreme storm events. Previous research found that residential houses that were built less than five years ago have suffered major cracks and other damage caused by slab movement after record rainfall. The Thornthwaite Moisture Index (TMI) categorises climate on the basis of rainfall, temperature, potential evapotranspiration and the water holding capacity of the soil. Originally TMI was mainly used to map soil moisture conditions for agriculture but soon became a method to predict pavement and foundation changes. Few researchers have developed TMI maps for Australia, but generally, their accuracy is low or unknown, and their use is limited. The aims of this paper are: (1) To produce accurate maps of TMI for the state of Victoria for 100 years (1913 to 2012) in 20 year periods using long-term historical climatic data and advanced spatial statistics methods in GIS, and (2) Analyse the spatial and temporal changes of TMI in Victoria. Preliminary results suggest that a better understanding of climate change through long-term TMI mapping can assist urban planning and guide construction regulations towards the development of cities which are more resilient.

Cost planning and control : case study of design economics for constructability and prefabrication construction

Cost management includes planning and control, and constructability1 and prefabrication construction are two main design economics factors for early cost planning decision. Despite the fact that constructability and prefabrication have been considered in design and cost planning, there is no guarantee if the intention meets the expectation. This requires on-going control during construction stage. In fact, prefabrication construction has been encouraged for some years, application is not always positive. One of the reasons is its constructability. This paper investigates the appropriate research methodology to determine how design for prefabrication and constructability will contribute to cost planning through control and review during construction stage. Through a study of an Australian residential project using prefabrication in structural concrete, internal partitioning and internal fit-out, this research concludes that case study is a viable choice. Prefabrication construction does provide a positive impact on the major project objectives: time, cost and quality. Cost reduction is due to saving in time related preliminaries as a direct result of time reduction of onsite activities whilst quality is ensured due to better control of prefabricated components inside the factories. However, it can only be achieved after considering constructability: suitable materials choice, design for available skills, use of available plant, and clear communication. The keys are through plan at design phase and control in construction stage.

Lessons learned practices in the UAE construction industry

The failure of learning from our mistakes or those of others, has generated unnecessary waste of time and costs, in the construction industry, due to its project based, fragmented and unstable nature. Lessons Learned, as an important way of improving projects performance, is analyzed in this study, with the aim to explore the current practice of Lessons Learned in the UAE construction industry. A literature review has revealed what “Lessons Learned” is under different contexts, and focused on various factors influencing a Lessons Learned Programme. The research method of a series of structured interviews, followed by an on line questionnaire, is adopted in this study. It was found that although the concept of Lessons Learned is quite familiar by most of professionals in the project management in the UAE construction industry, Lessons Learned practice is mainly performed in an informal way (individually or ad hoc). As for barriers for Lessons Learned practice, Culture factors, such as “Afraid to be blamed for mistakes” and “lack of learning culture” (1st and 2nd rank) influence significantly in Lessons Learned practice. It is also found that a formal lessons learned programme does exist in some organizations. However, with the lack of a dedicated Lessons Learned repository and Lessons Learnt system, Lessons Learned has yet a long way to reach its potential.

The impact of a suicide prevention strategy on reducing the economic cost of suicide in the New South Wales construction industry

BACKGROUND: Little research has been conducted into the cost and prevention of self-harm in the workplace. AIMS: To quantify the economic cost of self-harm and suicide among New South Wales (NSW) construction industry (CI) workers and to examine the potential economic impact of implementing Mates in Construction (MIC). METHOD: Direct and indirect costs were estimated. Effectiveness was measured using the relative risk ratio (RRR). In Queensland (QLD), relative suicide risks were estimated for 5-year periods before and after the commencement of MIC. For NSW, the difference between the expected (i.e., using NSW pre-MIC [2008-2012] suicide risk) and counterfactual suicide cases (i.e., applying QLD RRR) provided an estimate of potential suicide cases averted in the post-MIC period (2013-2017). Results were adjusted using the average uptake (i.e., 9.4%) of MIC activities in QLD. Economic savings from averted cases were compared with the cost of implementing MIC. RESULTS: The cost of self-harm and suicide in the NSW CI was AU $527 million in 2010. MIC could potentially avert 0.4 suicides, 1.01 full incapacity cases, and 4.92 short absences, generating annual savings of AU $3.66 million. For every AU $1 invested, the economic return is approximately AU $4.6. CONCLUSION: MIC represents a positive economic investment in workplace safety.

Residential schools in a first-year undergraduate engineering programme

BACKGROUND OR CONTEXT: For over 20 years, Deakin University has delivered an accredited undergraduate engineering course by means of distance education. Prior to 2004, off-campus students were not required to attend classes in person on campus. The course was designed so that the off campus students were able to undertake all study and assessment tasks remotely from the university campus. Offering accredited domestic undergraduate engineering courses via distance education has been seen as an important strategy for helping to provide graduate domestically educated engineers to meet Australia’s current and future needs. From 2000 the Australian accreditation management system for professional engineers, as managed by Engineers Australia, has increased its scrutiny of accredited domestic undergraduate engineering courses that were provided in distance-education mode. This led to a series of policies and recommendations for Australian universities that offer accredited engineering courses in distance-education mode: one of the recommendations was that off campus
enrolled engineering students should periodically attend some campus-based activities throughout the course. During the 2004 accreditation review of engineering courses at Deakin University, the
accreditation panel requested that mandatory campus-based activities be incorporated into the accredited undergraduate engineering course. Specifically the request was that Deakin mandate that all off-campus students enrolled in an accredited undergraduate engineering course provided by university attend in person a residential school at least once during every year of equivalent full-time study load. The accreditation panel suggested a program model for the residential school component of the course as developed by the University of Southern Queensland.
PURPOSE OR GOAL: This paper describes the development of the mandatory residential school component of accredited distance education undergraduate engineering courses at Deakin University with
a particular focus on how the residential school program is implemented at level 1 (first-year full-time equivalent level) of the courses.
APPROACH: To be compliant with accreditation requirements, since 2005 Deakin has conducted residential schools for off-campus students at its Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus. Initially the schools were conducted annually over two-weeks during the first semester, and have transitioned to the current mode where the residential school is conducted as a one week programme in each of the trimesters. During these schools, activities are organised around the respective engineering-course units undertaken by students during the trimester.
DISCUSSION: The minimum requirements for the on-campus components of distance-education-mode accredited engineering courses were developed by Engineers Australia in consultation with members of the Washington Accord (International Education Alliance) and at the time of development, generated considerable debate (Palmer, 2005, 2008). The intended purpose of residential schools was for off-campus enrolled students to have reasonable exposure to a typical “on-the-campus” student experience periodically throughout the course. Elements considered suitable and worthwhile for inclusion in residential school programs included:
• in person engagement with their academic lecturers,
• presentations and interaction with guest speakers from industry,
• industry-based site visits,
• engagement in sole and group-based learning and assessment activities on campus, and
• social interaction with other students.
RECOMMENDATIONS/IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSION: We have found that advantages to the students who attends a residential school include completing real practical work without the need to assemble their own materials at home, and social engagement with staff and students. Off-campus students leave the residential school with a sense of belonging to a “community”, “one of many doing the same and not the only one”. They have the opportunity to share their often significant professional experience with the generally younger and less experienced on-campus student colleagues. Through this interaction between on-campus and off-campus students, the on-campus students benefit as much as the off-campus students. The disadvantages to the off-campus students is the requirement to travel to Geelong for an extended time, which costs the students both money and time away from work and family. From our experience, we recommend to other institutions starting residential schools of their own that they exploit the mandatory on-campus-presence requirement to enhance learning outcomes, well publicised timetables be available to students before trimester begins (certainly before census date), a standardised academic week during trimester be set for all residential schools, encourage student feedback on the program, and apply a practice of uniformity and consistency in how the programme is managed, especially mandated student attendance. Our residential schools for off-campus-mode students have been running for over 10 years. We have found that the educational and social advantages to the student outweigh the disadvantages.

Cost-analysis of teledentistry in residential aged care facilities

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this research was to conduct a cost-analysis, from a public healthcare perspective, comparing the cost and benefits of face-to-face patient examination assessments conducted by a dentist at a residential aged care facility (RACF) situated in rural areas of the Australian state of Victoria, with two teledentistry approaches utilizing virtual oral examination.

METHODS: The costs associated with implementing and operating the teledentistry approach were identified and measured using 2014 prices in Australian dollars. Costs were measured as direct intervention costs and programme costs. A population of 100 RACF residents was used as a basis to estimate the cost of oral examination and treatment plan development for the traditional face-to-face model vs. two teledentistry models: an asynchronous review and treatment plan preparation; and real-time communication with a remotely located oral health professional.

RESULTS: It was estimated that if 100 residents received an asynchronous oral health assessment and treatment plan, the net cost from a healthcare perspective would be AU$32.35 (AU$27.19-AU$38.49) per resident. The total cost of the conventional face-to-face examinations by a dentist would be AU$36.59 ($30.67-AU$42.98) per resident using realistic assumptions. Meanwhile, the total cost of real-time remote oral examination would be AU$41.28 (AU$34.30-AU$48.87) per resident.

DISCUSSION: Teledental asynchronous patient assessments were the lowest cost service model. Access to oral health professionals is generally low in RACFs; however, the real-time consultation could potentially achieve better outcomes due to two-way communication between the nurse and a remote oral health professional via health promotion/disease prevention delivered in conjunction with the oral examination.

Barriers to implementing reverse logistics in South Australian construction organisations

Purpose - This paper aims to present a survey of the perceptions of the barriers to implementing reverse logistics (RL) practices in South Australian (SA) construction organisations. Despite the extensive research on forward logistics and RL, there is a paucity of studies that examine the barriers to implementing RL particularly within the Australian construction industry. This study builds on the ongoing research being undertaken by the authors, entitled “Designing for reverse logistics (DfRL) within the building life cycle: practices, drivers and barriers”, which is examining the best practices and drivers that could be used as a “road map” for developing appropriate solutions for the successful implementation of RL. Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected by utilising a triangulated data collection approach, a literature review and 49 questionnaires. The review of the literature identified 16 barriers to implementing RL. The quantitative survey data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics with correlation analysis to examine the relationships between different pairs of variables comprising RL’s critical barriers. Findings - The following barriers were indicated as most significant: lack of incorporation of salvaged materials by designers; regulation restrictions to usage of recovered materials and components; potential legal liabilities; higher costs; and longer-time association with deconstructing buildings. The least ranked barriers were mostly drawn from the operational and industrial categories as being: organisational lack of support for deconstruction due to incompatible design; lack of organisational support for deconstructing buildings due to higher health and safety risks; and inadequate skills and experience for deconstruction (operational). The industrial barrier was related to “higher costs of salvaged materials in comparison to virgin products”. Research limitations/implications - First, the reported findings are focussed on one study that used questionnaire surveys within the construction industry; therefore, the results may not be generalisable to other contexts. Further, studies should be conducted and extended to other industrial sectors beyond the construction industry. Second, the quantitative study (n 49) used a smaller sample, and the survey items were based on the review of the literature. Practical implications - The identified barriers could be used as a “road map” for the development of appropriate solutions for the successful implementation of RL, and to improve the environment-related decision-making processes of contractors. Originality/value - This study makes a contribution to the body of knowledge on the subject of RL within a previously unexplored SA context. In addition, the study provides some insights on the contributory effects of the barriers to the implementation of RL. It is the first work undertaken to determine the barriers to the adoption of RL within the SA construction industry.

A qualitative examination of major barriers in implementation of reverse logistics within the South Australian construction sector

Despite extensive research on the benefits of reverse logistics (RL), it has yet to become commonplace in the construction industry. Furthermore, the uptake and number of studies on RL remains very limited within the Australian context and particularly related to the construction industry. This paper is aimed at filling that knowledge gap by employing an exploratory approach to examine the critical barriers faced by South Australian construction organizations in implementing RL practices. Semi-structured interviews and a ranking approach facilitated the treatment of qualitative data through quantitative coding using cloud-based applications. The research identified 12 barriers to RL implementation, four of them very significant according to the responses of the interviewees: the regulatory environment, additional costs involved, lack of recognition in the construction supply chain, and extra effort required. The study also explored their inter-relationships through the Co-occurrence Index. The study proposes some remedial measures for RL implementation in South Australia based on the barriers identified.

A survey of the factors affecting the productivity of construction projects in Iran

The intense competition between the Iranian construction companies has led them to take all appropriate measures to decrease the costs as much as possible. Hence, due to the pivotal role of human resources in construction projects cost, a major part of Iranian construction companies seek their profitability and survival in maximizing the productivity of their operatives. Because of the widespread belief among contractors about the low productivity of daily workers and operatives with basic salary, they commit a major part of their projects activities to sub-contractors. Deployment of sub-contractors by construction firms has become largely conventional in country's construction projects. The aims of this paper is defined as determining the factors and grounds affecting sub-contractors productivity and evaluate their overall negative side effects on project productivity via a structured questionnaire. A total of 31 factors selected and were divided into 7 broad categories. The perceptions of companies managers were asked about the level of effect brought about by the mentioned factors and groups upon productivity on a time based criterion. The analysis indicated that the most important grounds affecting sub-contractors productivity in descending order include: Materials/Tools, Construction technology and method, Planning, Supervision system, Reworks, Weather, and Jobsite condition. Project managers should focus on the identified major grounds and relevant factors in order to improve productivity as long as they commit construction activities to sub-contractors. © 2012 Copyright Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) Press Technika.