Traffic controls for construction and maintenance worksites: a research reference report. Volume I - project report. Final report.

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

Highway advisory radio in construction areas. Final report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Evaluation of traffic control plans at reconstruction sites. Final report.

Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation, Transportation Planning Division, Austin

Effects of taper length on traffic operations in construction zones.

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Research, Washington, D.C.

Traffic safety in construction zones. Final report.

New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department, Santa Fe

Crash tests of construction zone traffic barriers. Second interim report.

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Research, Washington, D.C.

Traffic controls for construction and maintenance work zones. Volume I - office function.

Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.

Traffic controls for construction and maintenance work zones. Volume II - field function.

Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.

Accident and speed studies in construction zones. Final report.

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

Planejando com lean construction: diretrizes para implementação da construção enxuta em obras

Nowadays lives up in an era of tight credit caused by the global financial crisis, as occurred in the past, it is the responsibility of various sectors and segments of society find ways to reinvent itself. In this context, Lean Construction presents itself as a strong alternative production management for companies in the construction segment. Arising out of lean thinking that originated in Japan in the postwar period and has spread around the world in times of extreme scarcity with the oil crisis. In practice the Lean Construction is a philosophy that seeks to improve the process of production management, maximizing the value of the flow from the customer's perspective through the elimination of losses. And thrives in environments and cultures that consider the scarcity of resources like something natural, applying both the macroeconomic crisis as in times of prosperity. The Planning and Production Control - PCP presents itself as a fundamental building block for companies to protect themselves in the face of economic fluctuations, seeking for their survival and success in the competitive market. Motivated by the lack of discussion of the topic in the local academy, and for the identification of 93.33% of construction companies that do not make use of methodological tools for PCP in the state, this dissertation aims to study and propose the implementation of lean construction in methodology of planning projects implemented on construction sites. This characterized the management system, of the production of a construction company, pointing out the main causes of ineffectiveness related to consequent low performance of one of his ventures. In sequence, the PCP was implemented with the use of tools to serve the principles of lean construction. This being monitored through indicators that provided managers managerial view of process of actions control and production of protective mechanisms. All implementation guidelines and application of this management model, were exposed in a simplified way, practical and efficient, in order to break the resistance of new practices and old paradigms in the industry.

Report : wireless data throughput testing on a mobile device using WiFi and GPRS

This project report presents the results of a study on wireless communication data transfer rates for a mobile device running a custombuilt construction defect reporting application. The study measured the time taken to transmit data about a construction defect, which included digital imagery and text, in order to assess the feasibility of transferring various types and sizes of data and the ICT-supported construction management applications that could be developed as a consequence. Data transfer rates over GPRS through the Telstra network and WiFi over a private network were compared. Based on the data size and data transfer time, the rate of transfer was calculated to determine the actual data transmission speeds at which the information was being sent using the wireless mobile communication protocols. The report finds that the transmission speeds vary considerably when using GPRS and can be significantly slower than what is advertised by mobile network providers. While WiFi is much faster than GPRS, the limited range of WiFi limits the protocol to residential-scale construction sites.

Report : enabling team collaboration with pervasive and mobile computing : a review of existing mobile computing technologies

The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in construction industry has been recognised widely by some practitioners and researchers for the last several years. During the 1990s the international construction industry started using with the increasing confidence information and communication technology. The use of e-mail became usual and web-sites were established for marketing purposes. Intranets and extranets were also established to facilitate communication within companies and throughout their branches. One of the important applications of the ICT in construction industry was the use of mobile computing devices to achieve better communication and data transmission between construction sites and offices.

Safety effectiveness indicators project workbook

The Safety Effectiveness Indicators (SEI) Project has used extensive research to determine what safety effectiveness measures can be developed by industry, for industry use to improve its safety performance. These indicators can measure how effectively the 13 safety management tasks1 (SMTs) selected for this workbook are undertaken. Currently, positive performance indicators (PPIs) are only able to measure the number of activities undertaken. They do not provide information on whether each activity is being undertaken effectively, and therefore do not provide data which can be used by industry to target areas of focus and improvement. The initial workbook contained six SMTs, and was piloted on various construction sites during August 2008. The workbook was refined through feedback from the pilot, and 13 SMTs were used in a field trial during the months of October, November and December 2008. The project team also carried out 12 focus groups in Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne during April, May and June 2008, and developed an initial format of this workbook through these groups and team workshops. Simplification of the language was a recurring theme, and we have attempted to do this throughout the project. The challenge has been to ensure we keep the descriptions short, to the point and relevant to all companies, without making them too specific. The majority of the construction industry participants also requested an alteration to the scale used, so a ‘Yes’/‘No’/’Not applicable’ format is used in this workbook. This workbook, based on industry feedback, is for use on site by various construction companies and contains 13 SMTs. However, you are invited to personalise the SEI tools to better suit your individual company and workplaces.

A crash avoidance framework for heavy equipment control systems using 3D imaging sensors

This paper presents a preliminary crash avoidance framework for heavy equipment control systems. Safe equipment operation is a major concern on construction sites since fatal on-site injuries are an industry-wide problem. The proposed framework has potential for effecting active safety for equipment operation. The framework contains algorithms for spatial modeling, object tracking, and path planning. Beyond generating spatial models in fractions of seconds, these algorithms can successfully track objects in an environment and produce a collision-free 3D motion trajectory for equipment.

Labouring for leisure? Achieving work-life balance through compressed working weeks

Flexible work practices spreading work times across the entire week have reduced the time to engage in leisure activities and for some have compounded the problem of a lack of defined break between work weeks. This study examines time spent outside of the workplace through a multiple case study of working time and leisure in the construction industry. A framework of synchronous leisure is used to examine the interplay of work and non-work arrangements. The effects of changing work arrangements to deliver a longer break between working weeks and the consequent impact on leisure activities are analysed. Interviews and focus groups across four construction sites revealed that while leisure is important to relieve fatigue and overwork, a work schedule allowing a long break between working weeks, specifically on a weekend, enables workers to achieve synchronous time, particularly with family, and improves work-life balance satisfaction. It was found that a well-defined break across a weekend also offers the opportunity to synchronize schedules with others to spend time away on short breaks.