Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 82 in total

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  1. Grismer LL, Wood PL, Anuar S, Davis HR, Cobos AJ, Murdoch ML
    Zootaxa, 2016 Jan 04;4061(1):1-17.
    PMID: 27395475 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4061.1.1
    A new species of Bent-toed Gecko, Cyrtodactylus gunungsenyumensis sp. nov. of the sworderi complex, is described from Hutan Lipur Gunung Senyum, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia and is differentiated from all other species in the sworderi complex by having a unique combination of characters including a maximum SVL of 74.7 mm; low, rounded, weakly keeled, body tubercles; 34-40 paravertebral tubercles; weak ventrolateral body fold lacking tubercles; 38-41 ventral scales; an abrupt transition between the posterior and ventral femoral scales; 20-23 subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe; enlarged femoral scales; no femoral or precloacal pores; no precloacal groove; wide caudal bands; and an evenly banded dorsal pattern. Cyrtodactylus gunungsenyumensis sp. nov. is a scansorial, karst forest-adapted specialist endemic to the karst ecosystem surrounding Gunung Senyum and occurs on the vertical walls of the limestone towers as well as the branches, trunks, and leaves of the vegetation in the associated karst forest. Cyrtodactylus gunungsenyumensis sp. nov. is the seventh species of karst forest-adapted Cyrtodactylus and the sixteenth endemic species of karst ecosystem reptile discovered in Peninsular Malaysia in the last seven years from only 12 different karst forests. This is a clear indication that many species remain to be discovered in the approximately 558 isolated karst ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia not yet surveyed. These data continue to underscore the importance of karst ecosystems as reservoirs of biodiversity and microendemism and that they constitute an important component of Peninsular Malaysia's natural heritage and should be protected from the quarrying interests of foreign industrial companies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  2. Rahman MN, Rani MR, Rohani JM
    Work, 2012;43(4):507-14.
    PMID: 22927603 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-1404
    The aim of this study was to investigate the work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among workers in wall plastering jobs within the construction industry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
  3. Islam R, Nazifa TH, Yuniarto A, Shanawaz Uddin ASM, Salmiati S, Shahid S
    Waste Manag, 2019 Jul 15;95:10-21.
    PMID: 31351595 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.05.049
    Associated with the continuing increase of construction activities such as infrastructure projects, commercial buildings and housing programs, Bangladesh has been experiencing a rapid increase of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Till now, the generation rate of C&D waste has not been well understood or not explicitly documented in Bangladesh. This study aims to provide an approach to estimate C&D waste generation using waste generation rates (WGR) through regression analysis. Furthermore, analyses the economic benefit of recycling C&D waste. The results revealed that WGR 63.74 kg/m2 and 1615 kg/m2 for construction and demolition activities respectively. Approximately, in financial year (FY) 2016, 1.28 million tons (0.149 construction and 1.139 demolition) waste were generated in Dhaka city, of which the three largest proportions were concrete (60%), brick/block (21%) and mortar (9%). After collection they were dumped in either landfills or unauthorized places. Therefore, it can be summarized as: waste is a resource in wrong place. The results of this study indicate that rapid urbanization of Dhaka city would likely experience the peak in the generation of C&D waste. This paper thus designates that C&D waste recycling is an entrepreneurial activity worth venturing into and an opportunity for extracting economic and environmental benefits from waste. The research findings also show that recycling of concrete and brick waste can add economic value of around 44.96 million USD. In addition, recycling of C&D waste leads to important reductions in CO2 emissions, energy use, natural resources and illegal landfills. Therefore, the findings of WGR and economic values provide valuable quantitative information for the future C&D waste management exercises of various stakeholders such as government, industry and academy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
  4. Mah CM, Fujiwara T, Ho CS
    Waste Manag Res, 2016 Dec;34(12):1224-1230.
    PMID: 27637272
    Construction and demolition waste continues to sharply increase in step with the economic growth of less developed countries. Though the construction industry is large, it is composed of small firms with individual waste management practices, often leading to the deleterious environmental outcomes. Quantifying construction and demolition waste generation allows policy makers and stakeholders to understand the true internal and external costs of construction, providing a necessary foundation for waste management planning that may overcome deleterious environmental outcomes and may be both economically and environmentally optimal. This study offers a theoretical method for estimating the construction and demolition project waste generation rate by utilising available data, including waste disposal truck size and number, and waste volume and composition. This method is proposed as a less burdensome and more broadly applicable alternative, in contrast to waste estimation by on-site hand sorting and weighing. The developed method is applied to 11 projects across Malaysia as the case study. This study quantifies waste generation rate and illustrates the construction method in influencing the waste generation rate, estimating that the conventional construction method has a waste generation rate of 9.88 t 100 m(-2), the mixed-construction method has a waste generation rate of 3.29 t 100 m(-2), and demolition projects have a waste generation rate of 104.28 t 100 m(-2).
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry/methods*; Construction Industry/statistics & numerical data*
  5. Umar UA, Shafiq N, Isa MH
    Waste Manag Res, 2018 Dec;36(12):1157-1165.
    PMID: 30114979 DOI: 10.1177/0734242X18790359
    The construction sector is among the fastest growing sectors in Malaysia; it consumes a vast amount of natural resources and produces a massive volume of construction and demolition waste. The waste is collected in a decentralised manner by sub-contracted companies. It is challenging to obtain reliable information on the amount of construction waste generated, because it is hard to determine its exact quantity and composition. Therefore, this study proposes a quantitative construction waste estimation model for residential buildings according to available data collected from the Construction Industry Development Board, Malaysia. In the development of this model, a theoretical investigation of the construction procedure and the construction waste generation process was conducted. The waste generated rate was determined as 25.79 kg m-2 for new residential constructions, which translates into about 553,406 t of anticipated waste annually.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
  6. Aggelis DG, Alver N, Chai HK
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:435238.
    PMID: 24701167 DOI: 10.1155/2014/435238
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry/standards*; Construction Industry/trends
  7. Leong TK, Zakuan N, Mat Saman MZ, Ariff MS, Tan CS
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:591361.
    PMID: 24701182 DOI: 10.1155/2014/591361
    This paper proposed seven existing and new performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of quality management system (QMS) maintenance and practices in construction industry. This research is carried out with a questionnaire based on QMS variables which are extracted from literature review and project performance indicators which are established from project management's theory. Data collected was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The findings indicate that client satisfaction and time variance have positive and significant relationship with QMS while other project performance indicators do not show significant results. Further studies can use the same project performance indicators to study the effectiveness of QMS in different sampling area to improve the generalizability of the findings.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
  8. Ibrahim MR, Katman HY, Karim MR, Koting S, Mashaan NS
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:240786.
    PMID: 24574875 DOI: 10.1155/2014/240786
    The main objective of this paper is to investigate the relations of rubber size, rubber content, and binder content in determination of optimum binder content for open graded friction course (OGFC). Mix gradation type B as specified in Specification for Porous Asphalt produced by the Road Engineering Association of Malaysia (REAM) was used in this study. Marshall specimens were prepared with four different sizes of rubber, namely, 20 mesh size [0.841 mm], 40 mesh [0.42 mm], 80 mesh [0.177 mm], and 100 mesh [0.149 mm] with different concentrations of rubberised bitumen (4%, 8%, and 12%) and different percentages of binder content (4%-7%). The appropriate optimum binder content is then selected according to the results of the air voids, binder draindown, and abrasion loss test. Test results found that crumb rubber particle size can affect the optimum binder content for OGFC.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry/methods*
  9. Memon AH, Rahman IA
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:165158.
    PMID: 24693227 DOI: 10.1155/2014/165158
    This study uncovered inhibiting factors to cost performance in large construction projects of Malaysia. Questionnaire survey was conducted among clients and consultants involved in large construction projects. In the questionnaire, a total of 35 inhibiting factors grouped in 7 categories were presented to the respondents for rating significant level of each factor. A total of 300 questionnaire forms were distributed. Only 144 completed sets were received and analysed using advanced multivariate statistical software of Structural Equation Modelling (SmartPLS v2). The analysis involved three iteration processes where several of the factors were deleted in order to make the model acceptable. The result of the analysis found that R(2) value of the model is 0.422 which indicates that the developed model has a substantial impact on cost performance. Based on the final form of the model, contractor's site management category is the most prominent in exhibiting effect on cost performance of large construction projects. This finding is validated using advanced techniques of power analysis. This vigorous multivariate analysis has explicitly found the significant category which consists of several causative factors to poor cost performance in large construction projects. This will benefit all parties involved in construction projects for controlling cost overrun.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry/economics*; Construction Industry/statistics & numerical data*
  10. Chang, Kok Yung, Kwan, Wai Hoe, Kua, Hui Bun
    Scientific Research Journal, 2018;15(1):75-83.
    MyJurnal
    The massive growth of construction industry especially in the developing countries results in extensive quarrying activities which ultimately would lead to the depletion of natural resources. Apart from extensive extraction of the natural granite from the earth for concrete production, marble production industry is also majorly contributing to the quarrying activities. In addition, high volume of waste is generated by the marble production industry as 70% of marble is wasted during the production such as quarrying, cutting, processing and others which is environmental unfriendly. In a way to achieve sustainable construction, the present study is to utilise the waste marble in replacing the coarse aggregate in concrete production. The engineering performance including workability, compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and chloride penetration were analysed. The raw waste marble obtained from the industry were crushed and sieved into maximum size 20 mm and used to replace the coarse aggregate at the level of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% respectively. Results show that 60% of the replacement level has yield to optimum result by achieving the highest compressive strength and UPV at approximate 5% higher than the control. Meanwhile, the effect on chloride penetration resistance is more significant, i.e. approximate 19% better than the control. However, increasing the replacement level of waste marble has no significant effect on workability, although an increasing trend was observed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  11. Yahaghi J
    Sci Eng Ethics, 2018 02;24(1):331-332.
    PMID: 28155096 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-017-9871-9
    The durability of buildings which depends on the nature of the supervisory system used in their construction is an important feature of the construction industry. This article tries to draw the readers' attention to the effect of untrained and unprofessional building supervisors and their unethical performance on the durability of buildings.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry/education; Construction Industry/ethics*
  12. Yahaghi J, Sorooshian S
    Sci Eng Ethics, 2018 04;24(2):819-820.
    PMID: 28281150 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-017-9892-4
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  13. Muhammad Aslam, Payam Shafigh, Mohd Zamin Jumaat
    Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:667-675.
    The benefits of using structural lightweight concrete in construction industry, particularly in high rise buildings, over normal weight concrete are numerous. The main method of producing structural lightweight concrete is the use of lightweight aggregates instead of ordinary aggregates in concrete. Due to the limited resources for natural and artificial lightweight aggregates, the alternative sources for lightweight aggregates should be discovered from industrial wastes. Oil palm shell (OPS) and oil-palm-boiler clinker (OPBC) are two solid wastes from palm oil industry and are available in abundance in tropical regimes. The use of just OPS as coarse lightweight aggregate in concrete mixture has some drawbacks for concrete. The aim of this study was to investigate engineering properties of a lightweight concrete containing both of these aggregates. For this purpose, in this study, 50% (by volume) of OPS was replaced with OPBC in an OPS lightweight concrete. The test results showed that when OPS was substituted with OPBC, significant improvement was observed in the compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strengths. In addition, initial and final water absorption as well as drying shrinkage strain of blended coarse lightweight aggregate concrete were significantly less than OPS concrete.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  14. Tanveer Ahmed Khan, Mohd Raihan Taha, Ali Asghar Firoozi, Ali Akbar Firoozi
    Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:1269-1267.
    Environmental concerns have significantly influenced the construction industry regarding the identification and use of environmentally sustainable construction materials. In this context, enzymes (organic materials) have been introduced recently for ground improvement projects such as pavements and embankments. The present experimental study was carried out in order to evaluate the compressive strength of a sedimentary residual soil treated with three different types of enzymes, as assessed through a California bearing ratio (CBR) test. Controlled untreated and treated soil samples containing four dosages (the recommended dose and two, five and 10 times the recommended dose) were prepared, sealed and cured for four months. Following the curing period, samples were soaked in water for four days before the CBR tests were administered. These tests showed no improvement in the soil is compressive strength; in other words, samples prepared even at higher dosages did not exhibit any improvement. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy tests were carried out on three enzymes in order to study the functional groups present in them. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) tests were executed for untreated and treated soil samples to determine if any chemical reaction took place between the soil and the enzymes. Neither of the tests (XRD nor FESEM) revealed any change. In fact, the XRD patterns and FESEM images for untreated and treated soil samples were indistinguishable.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  15. Mohd Jamil Abdul Wahab, Noor Azrieda Abd Rashid, Salmiah Ujang, Choon LS
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1139-1147.
    Timber scaffold boards have been widely utilised in the offshore construction industry. However, technical specifications
    and inspection procedure for the application of scaffold boards from a wood material were inadequate. In the development
    of the standard requirements, evaluation of actual engineering practices could indicate the level of workplace safety. A
    study was conducted to identify risk and safety measures concerning the use of timber scaffold boards in construction.
    This article discusses on the occupational risks and ergonomics issues of the scaffolding application based on the physical
    and mechanical conditions of tropical timber scaffold boards extracted from offshore oil and gas rigs. The boards were
    exposed to a seasonal climate of East Coast monsoon of South China Sea between November and February. The scaffolding
    application extended up to 20 m directly above the ocean surface and some boards were completely immersed below
    the ocean surface particularly during elevated tidal waves. Some of the boards were installed as the on-deck platforms.
    Forty scaffold boards fabricated from tropical timber species were evaluated. Physical characteristics of the boards
    were described by natural and man-made factors. A three-point bending test was conducted to determine the maximum
    load capacity of each board and the mode of fracture was evaluated. Timber identification test was conducted to identify
    the groups of the timber being used. The microscopic observation confirmed the presence of hyphae which indicated the
    biological deterioration has happened in some of the boards. Occupational risks were summarised based on the results
    of the physical and mechanical assessments
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  16. Adeleke AQ, Bahaudin AY, Kamaruddeen AM, Bamgbade JA, Salimon MG, Khan MWA, et al.
    Saf Health Work, 2018 Mar;9(1):115-124.
    PMID: 30363069 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2017.05.004
    Background: Substantial empirical research has shown conflicting results regarding the influence of organizational external factors on construction risk management, suggesting the necessity to introduce a moderator into the study. The present research confirmed whether rules and regulations matter on the relationships between organizational external factors and construction risk management.

    Methods: Based on discouragement and organizational control theory, this research examined the effects of organizational external factors and rules and regulations on construction risk management among 238 employees operating in construction companies in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria. A personally administered questionnaire was used to acquire the data. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

    Results: A significant positive relationship between organizational external factors and construction risk management was asserted. This study also found a significant positive relationship between rules and regulations and construction risk management. As anticipated, rules and regulations were found to moderate the relationship between organizational external factors and construction risk management, with a significant positive result. Similarly, a significant interaction effect was also found between rules and regulations and organizational external factors. Implications of the research from a Nigerian point of view have also been discussed.

    Conclusion: Political, economy, and technology factors helped the construction companies to reduce the chance of risk occurrence during the construction activities. Rules and regulations also helped to lessen the rate of accidents involving construction workers as well as the duration of the projects. Similarly, the influence of the organizational external factors with rules and regulations on construction risk management has proven that most of the construction companies that implement the aforementioned factors have the chance to deliver their projects within the stipulated time, cost, and qualities, which can be used as a yardstick to measure a good project.

    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  17. Dehdasht G, Ferwati MS, Zin RM, Abidin NZ
    PLoS One, 2020;15(2):e0228746.
    PMID: 32023306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228746
    Successful implementation of the lean concept as a sustainable approach in the construction industry requires the identification of critical drivers in lean construction. Despite this significance, the number of in-depth studies toward understanding the considerable drivers of lean construction implementation is quite limited. There is also a shortage of methodologies for identifying key drivers. To address these challenges, this paper presents a list of all essential drivers within three aspects of sustainability (social, economic, and environmental) and proposes a novel methodology to rank the drivers and identify the key drivers for successful and sustainable lean construction implementation. In this regard, the entropy weighted Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was employed in this research. Subsequently, an empirical study was conducted within the Malaysian construction industry to demonstrate the proposed method. Moreover, sensitivity analysis and comparison with the existing method were engaged to validate the stability and accuracy of the achieved results. The significant results obtained in this study are as follows: presenting, verifying and ranking of 63 important drivers; identifying 22 key drivers; proposing an MCDM model of key drivers. The outcomes show that the proposed method in this study is an effective and accurate tool that could help managers make better decisions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
  18. Heng PP, Mohd Yusoff H, Hod R
    PLoS One, 2024;19(2):e0287892.
    PMID: 38324557 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287892
    The construction industry is recognized as one of the most hazardous industries globally due to the dynamic on site activities and labour-intensive characteristics. The construction tasks are physically and cognitively demanding therefore the construction workers are prone to work fatigue which compromises safety performance. The evaluation of fit for duty, or fitness for work (FFW) aims to determine if workers are at risk of adverse impacts of ill-health, injury or accidents. This systematic review aimed to critically summarize up-to-date measures and evaluation tools that were employed to monitor work fitness or fatigue specifically among construction workers. Adhering with the PRISMA protocol, three databases were searched from the inception to 2022, with a total combination of 37 keywords, concluding to the selection of 20 relevant articles. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used as the guide for the study appraisal. A total of 20 articles were reviewed, published from 2008-2022. Majority of the studies employed experimental design. The review identified the subjective evaluation scales and objective measurement tool. The subjective self-response questionnaires can be categorized into single dimension or multidimension covering both physical and mental fitness; whereas the objective measurement tool can be categorized into physiological metrics, physical and cognitive performance measure. The available scientific evidence has raised the relevant issues for on-site practicality and potentially guide the formulation of evidence-based guidelines for the FFW assessment in the construction industry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
  19. Lian, Oh Chai, Wee, Lee Siong, Mohd Asha’ari Masrom, Hua, Goh Ching
    MyJurnal
    Recently, there has been great interest on the applicability of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) as a new ecological construction material that can be sustainable in a gradually expanding construction industry. This paper reports the structural performance particularly on shear behaviour of high strength reinforced recycled concrete beams. Compressive cube strength of the tested beams ranged from 65-74 MPa at the age of 28-days. The experimental program compared conventional concrete mix with concrete mix having substitution of 25% recycled concrete aggregates of grade 25-30 MPa. In this study, three 150 mm x 200 mm x 1200 mm simply supported rectangular concrete beams in each mix were tested under a four-point bending static load with various shear span to effective depth ratios (a/d = 1.0, 1.5, 2.0). Subsequently, the shear behavior of the beams was investigated through studies of load-deflection responses, effect of a/d ratios and crack patterns. The test results reported that the substitution of 25% recycled concrete coarse aggregates barely affects the shear capacity of the high strength reinforced concrete beams with a/d of 1.5 onwards. Finally, experimental results were compared using existing design codes by ACI 318, Eurocode-2 and AS3600 which lie on the safe side.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
  20. Noorzaei, J., Wong, J.N., Thanoon, W.A., Jaafar, M.S.
    MyJurnal
    Precast concrete technology forms an important part in the drive towards a full implementation of the Industrialized Building System (IBS). The IBS requires building components and their dimensions to be standardized, and preferably cast off site. Slabs are major structural elements in buildings, other than beams and columns. Standardized and optimized slabs can significantly enhance the building industries in achieving the full implementation of the IBS. Nevertheless, this requires computer techniques to achieve standardized and optimized slabs which can satisfy all building design requirements, including the standards of architectural and structural design standards. This study proposed a computer technique which analysed and designed five different types of slabs which will satisfy all the requirements in design. The most commonly used slabs included in this study were the solid one way, solid two way, ribbed, voided and composite slabs. The computer techniques enable the design of the most optimized sections for any of the slab types under any loading and span conditions. The computer technique also provides details for the reinforcements required for the slabs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry
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