A new multi-criteria decision making method for the selection of construction contractors using interval valued fuzzy set.

OBJECTIVE: This article introduces a novel approach called Digital Weighted Multi Criteria Decision Making (DWMCDM) that employs interval valued fuzzy sets to select the best contractor for building projects. The contractor is chosen based on the pre-qualification and bid evaluation phases. In the first phase, the distance between the actual and required skills of the significant criteria is determined, and it is then converted into digital weighted distances to identify the maximum number of criteria related to the specific project of each contractor. The second step ranks the best contractor based on the bid price and digital weighted distances. RESULTS: The suggested technique integrates the pre-qualification and bid review phases to address project award delays and other restrictions. Finally, a real-world application is addressed to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach to any type of interval valued fuzzy inputs.

Integrated and effective management of muck waste under the platform governance mode for a circular economy.

As an inevitable part of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, muck has a dreadful environmental impact due its inadequate management by the traditional governance process. This paper therefore focuses on the management of muck generated from C&D waste by utilizing platform governance as an alternative process, which should more effectively contribute to China's circular economy. The study explores the feasibility of providing such a platform governance mode by using Petri net to compare the traditional governance process and platform governance process for the management of muck trucks, and by using Nanjing's muck smart supervision platform as a case study to assess the effectiveness of the platform governance mode. Results from Petri net simulation modeling reveal that the platform governance mode is more effective than the traditional mode, and from the case study it is found that the success of Nanjing's muck waste management can be attributed to the platform governance mode. The platform management approach can therefore contribute to the sustainability of muck waste governance, and is suitable as an integrated and effective management mode for current practices of muck waste management and resource recovery in China. The main finding from the study is that the platform governance mode significantly improves the efficiency of muck waste management as compared with the traditional governance mode and can therefore provide greater economic and environmental benefits as part of a circular economy.

Near-miss accidents data analysis and knowledge dissemination in water construction projects in Oman.

The strategic role of near-miss data in safety management is undeniably vital. This data provides early warnings of potential accidents, thus serving as a proactive tool for recognizing weak points in safety management and preventing disasters. Reinforcing this premise, an investigation was launched to delve into the classification and analysis of near-miss accident data, aiming to augment safety prevention knowledge in the Nama Water Services (NWS) Company. The study engaged in comprehensive activities, including gathering near-miss reports, engaging with HSE personnel, formulating a standardized near-miss data form, and analyzing the collected data. Additionally, it proposed a structured guideline for identifying, analyzing, and classifying near-miss incidents, hinging on various parameters like types of hazards, operations, time of occurrence, and project segments. The findings highlighted that the construction projects involving pipelines and reservoirs experienced the most incidents, predominantly occurring during weekday mornings and afternoons. Major hazards included falls from scaffolds, falls within trenches, and lax housekeeping. Most notably, the operations most frequently associated with near-miss incidents were excavation, lifting, and loading. A deep dive into the root causes revealed that poor supervision, inadequacies in the safe work system, insufficient control measures, and inadequate training were the primary culprits. Furthermore, the study indicated that workers and equipment bore the brunt of these incidents.

Occupational safety risk analysis in construction sites based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process: A case study in a large construction project.

BACKGROUND: Construction projects are one of the most critical occupational sectors that experienced many challenges in occupational accidents and safety performance. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess safety risk in construction projects based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. METHODS: This study was conducted with 12 construction and occupational safety experts in one of the largest construction projects in Tehran-Iran in 2020. The process of this study included (1) risk identification, (2) measurement of risk parameters and sub-parameters, and (3) risk assessment based on a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Risk-forming parameters in this study included the probability and severity of the event. The probability of occurrence was estimated based on four sub-parameters of technical inspection, accident experience, detection probability, and human reliability. Sub-parameters of severity included human injury, cost imposition, tarnishing the organization's esteem, and impact on project timing and work stoppage. RESULTS: Twenty-eight identified hazards were examined in the studied construction project, including falling from a height (9-hazard), falling objects (2-hazard), electric shock (6-hazard), falling crane or load (6-hazard), elevator crashes (2-hazard), and soil fall (3-hazard). Safety risk assessment revealed that 27 risk sources were at the tolerable level and one risk source was unacceptable. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the risk levels in the studied construction project were tolerable and unacceptable. The obtained model in this study demonstrated that using parameters that determine the probability and severity of risk according to the nature of the working environments can be a practical step in risk evaluating and implementing control measures.

An Interwoven Psychological Syndrome of Job Burnout and Work Engagement in Construction Project Management Professionals Due to Work-Family Imbalance.

Most current studies on the mental health of construction project management professionals (CPMPs) are conducted from a negative psychological perspective, lacking a comprehensive understanding of the positive-negative interwoven mechanism. This study developed a positive-negative dual-process psychological model of CPMPs to explore the interwoven mechanisms among five variables: family-supportive supervisor behavior (FSSB), work-family conflict, work-family enrichment, job burnout, and work engagement. We conducted a large-scale questionnaire survey among Chinese CPMPs. A total of 656 questionnaires were returned; 446 were considered valid. The groups of CPMPs prone to occupational psychological problems were identified, which enhanced the targeted organizational management in the construction industry. The hypothetical model was verified with SEM. The results revealed that the effect of work-family enrichment was more significant than work-family conflict, which implies that the positive psychology process may play a more prominent role than the negative process. There was a significant correlation between FSSB and work-family conflict/ enrichment; but no direct correlation between FSSB and job burnout/work engagement. This implies that the improvement of the work-family relationship plays a full mediating role in improving CPMPs' occupational psychological health. This research provides a thorough understanding of CPMPs' interwoven occupational psychological problems and gives suggestions to enhance their occupational psychological health.

Safety Risk Estimation of Construction Project Based on Energy Transfer Model and System Dynamics: A Case Study of Collapse Accident in China.

Analyzing and understanding the occurrence and evolution mechanisms of construction accidents are important for construction safety management. This study proposed a hybrid approach of integrating the energy transfer model (ETM) and system dynamics (SD) theory to delineate the entire evolution stage of the construction accident. Specifically, the Fengcheng Power Plant construction platform collapse accident (FPCA) was taken as a practical case study. First, the ETM is applied to demonstrate the evolving nature of the accident. Then, the network of the accident-causing factors is constructed using the SD theory to analyze the dynamic change characteristics. The results indicate that the accident was caused by risk factors with complex interactions at the management level. An energy constraint failure occurred when the transfer of dangerous energy transpired at the physical entity level, inducing the event. The proposed approach can provide a useful reference for safety risk estimation and management in future major construction projects.

Developing a mechanism of construction project manager's emotional intelligence on project success: A grounded theory research based in China.

A project manager's emotional intelligence (EI) is essential to project success. However, the mechanism in this cause and effect remains a black box in extant literature. China is now the world's largest construction market, and figuring out the mechanism of construction project manager's (CPM's) EI on project success is meaningful for developing the global construction market. This study conducted an in-depth interview with 24 CPMs with more than 5-year experience in construction project management. The grounded theory was employed to profile the application of CPM's EI and to build the multilevel mechanism that explains the influence of CPM's EI on project success. The mechanism framework conforms to the existed input-process-output (IPO) theory. It consists of a team-level mechanism (including the positive team atmosphere, shared vision, and team cohesion) and an individual-level mechanism (i.e., organizational citizenship behavior directed at the organization, perceived supervisor support, trust in leader, and subordinate's psychological and emotional health). This study further proposed that the effect of this mechanism does not work immediately but develops with time passing. Implications for further research and project management practice are discussed in the end.

Responsible leadership and project citizenship behavior: A cross-level investigation.

Project citizenship behavior (PCB) has an important positive impact on project success. Researching how to promote PCB is an important issue in project management. Based on social learning theory and social cognitive theory, this paper adopted the method of questionnaire survey and hierarchical linear model (HLM) to analyze the collected data derived from the sample of Chinese construction enterprises and verified this hypothesis. The results show that responsible leadership has a significant positive effect on PCB, moral identity mediates this relationship, and collective moral sensitivity positively moderates this mediating effect. The findings of the study systematically and deeply reveal the intrinsic mechanism of the cross-level influence of responsible leadership on PCB, and provide new enlightenment for the practice of project management.

Construction Project Manager's Emotional Intelligence and Team Effectiveness: The Mediating Role of Team Cohesion and the Moderating Effect of Time.

The emotional intelligence of a construction project manager plays an essential role in project management, and recent developments in teamwork have increased the need to explore better ways to utilize teams and achieve effectiveness in the construction sector. However, research that holds the team-level perspective in emotional intelligence studies is lacking, and the mechanism of the construction project manager's emotional intelligence on team effectiveness remains unexplored. This knowledge gap is addressed by developing a model that illuminates how construction project manger's emotional intelligence can affect team effectiveness via the mediation of team cohesion and the moderation of project team duration. A questionnaire survey was utilized to gather information from construction project teams across 156 leader-member dyads in the Chinese construction industry. The results reveal that construction project manager's emotional intelligence is positively related to team effectiveness and the team cohesion mediates this cause and effect. Further, project team duration moderates the relationship between team cohesion and effectiveness. This study offers new insight into how project manager can better lead team members toward desired team outcomes from a team perspective and makes an explorative effort in investigating the "time" role in construction project management.

Performance Evaluation of Construction Sub-contractors using Ordinal Priority Approach.

The construction industry has been recognized as one of the crucial industries of a country. In large-scale public projects, it is frequently observed that the client, who serves the public, seeks the services of several sub-contractors (project outsourcing firms) to execute projects. It also seeks the consulting firms' services to monitor the progress and performance of these sub-contractors. However, performance evaluation of a large number of sub-contractors is not only a challenging phase but also a source of conflict and mistrust between the evaluators and evaluatees because of the subjectivity in the evaluation process. The current study classifies perceived organizational performance into two streams, arguing that the one involving the opinions from the independent evaluators is more objective than the self-evaluation one. The study also makes a pioneering attempt in post-qualification performance evaluation of sub-contractors through the Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA), a promising multi-attribute decision-making methodology. The deployment of the OPA allows the decision-makers to estimate the weights of the evaluation criteria, the sub-contractors to be evaluated, and the experts who evaluated them simultaneously. Thus, the methodology can minimize the causes of mistrust by uncovering unreliable experts and inappropriate criteria. Also, a novel Relative Performance Index (RPI) has been proposed to standardize the performance evaluation system. The results show that evaluation of the firms does not end at their evaluation as without evaluating the evaluators, such an evaluation is only partially effective.

Public work contract laws on project delivery systems and their nexus with project efficiency: evidence from Ethiopia.

Time, money, and quality are the three basic criteria for measuring construction project efficiency. The Ethiopian construction sector in general and public work projects, in particular, are believed to suffer from inefficiencies despite their quantitative growth in recent years. Previous researches have made attempts to explore factors determining the efficiency of the sector such as the low capacity of contractors (both financial and equipment, shortage of skilled human resource on technical, managerial, and entrepreneurial skills, etc…), the poor performances of the supply chain, inflation in the economy and so on. However, process and system-based challenges of the sector resulting from the existing legal frameworks governing the sector such as the modes of delivery of projects (modes of contracting) have not been a subject of extensive study. In this study, doctrinal and non-doctrinal legal research methods are employed to explore project delivery system(s) recognized in Ethiopia's public work contract laws and appraise their efficiency in terms of ensuring prompt completion of public construction projects. The doctrinal aspect of the research exposed that, despite an implied recognition of Design-Build (DB) and its variant forms of project delivery system, the country's public work contract laws set up Design-Bid-Build (DBB) as a default mode of contracting. Besides, the result from a survey questionnaire of 158 respondents which was computed by using Research Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate the Relative Importance Index (RII) of each mode of contracting corroborated by primary data derived from the completion and status report of 40 road and 9 building projects, shows that even though construction project time overrun (delay) often happens in both routes of contracting, the magnitude of such inefficiency is greater in public projects of DBB than DB delivery mode.

Identification and evaluation of occupational hazards during construction of a large construction project / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the occupational hazard factors and their critical control points in the process of construction of a large-scale construction project.METHODS: The engineering analysis, worksite survey occupational health and occupational hazard factor testing were conducted in a large-scale construction project, and the results were analyzed. RESULTS: During the process of construction of this large-scale construction project, there were many occupational hazard factors such as silicon dust, welding smoke, wood and other dusts, inorganic compounds of manganese, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, ozone, noise, high temperature, hand-transmitted vibration and ultraviolet irradiation, among them, silicon dust and noise were the most common ones. The over standard rates of exposure concentration of short term of total dust and respirable dust in the workplace were 68.2%(15/22) and 40.9%(9/22), and the over standard rates of exposure concentration of time weighted average were 54.5%(12/22) and 13.6%(3/22), respectively. The over standard rates of the noise intensity of area sampling and personal sampling in workplace were 69.2%(45/65) and 61.0%(25/41) respectively. The four hours energy equivalent frequency-weighted acceleration to vibration of three hand-transmitted vibration positions has been detected, and the result has surpassed the occupational exposure limit.The results of other occupational hazard factors such as high temperature, ultraviolet radiation, wood dust, welding smoke, other dust, manganese inorganic compounds, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen cyanide and ozone all met the occupational exposure limits. CONCLUSION: There are various occupational hazard factors in the process of construction of this large-scale construction project, among them, noise, dust and hand-transmitted vibration are the most prominent hazards.These hazards are the critical control points of this type of construction projects.

Analysis of radioactive occupational hazard evaluation results of some medical institution construction in Tianjin / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To evaluate the current status of radioactive occupational hazards in the construction of some medical institutions in Tianjin, discover existingproblems and deficiencies, and provide a technical basis for radiation protection management. Methods Based on the requirements of relevant regulations and standards, we comprehensivelyevaluated the results of the pre-evaluation and control effect evaluation of 81 radioactive occupational hazards in Tianjin. Results Among the 35 proposed protective measures for pre-evaluation of radiation occupational hazards constructionprojects, the lowest compliance rate is warning signs and personal protective equipment. Among the 46 construction projects of radioactive occupational hazard control evaluation, the pass rate of protective measures was between 73.9% and 100%, with the lowest pass rate for personal protective equipment. Besides, the pass rate of radiation protectionmanagement evaluation was 95.7% ～ 100%, with the lowest pass rate for the protection management system.The initial inspectionpass rateof the equipment quality control acceptancewas 98.6%, while the pass rate was 97.1% for the relevant workplace radiation protection during the initial inspection. Conclusion The pre-evaluation completion rate of radiological occupational hazard evaluation in Tianjin medical institution construction project, unilateral and area of construction room, workplace layout and zoning, ventilation, shielding measures, personal dose management and occupational health inspection all meet the requirements of regulations and standards. However, there are still some deficiencies in the personal protective equipment, warning signs and the radiation protection management system. Therefore, the regulatory department should further strengthen the evaluation of medical institutions, especially the key supervision and management of non-conformities.

A comparative analysis of safety management and safety performance in twelve construction projects.

INTRODUCTION: Safety management in construction is complicated due to the complex "nature" of the construction industry. The aim of this research was to identify safety management factors (e.g., risk management and site management), contextual factors (e.g., organisational complexity) and combinations of such factors connected to safety performance. METHOD: Twelve construction projects were selected to compare their safety management and safety performance. An analytical framework was developed based on previous research, regulations, and standards where each management factor was defined. We employed qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to produce case knowledge, compare the cases, and identify connections between the factors and safety performance. The material collected and analyzed included, for example, construction planning documents, reports from OHS-inspections, safety indicators, and interviews with project leaders and OHS experts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The research showed that: (a) the average score on 12 safety management factors was higher among projects with high safety performance compared to projects with low safety performance; (b) high safety performance can be achieved with both high and low construction complexity and organizational complexity, but these factors complicate coordination of actors and operations; (c) it is possible to achieve high safety performance despite relatively poor performance on many safety management factors; (d) eight safety management factors were found to be "necessary" for high safety performance, namely roles and responsibilities, project management, OHS management and integration, safety climate, learning, site management, staff management, and operative risk management. Site management, operative risk management, and staff management were the three factors most strongly connected to safety performance. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Construction stakeholders should understand that the ability to achieve high safety performance in construction projects is connected to key safety management factors, contextual factors, and combinations of such factors.

Social Stability Risk Assessment of Land Expropriation: Lessons from the Chinese Case.

Scholars have paid much attention to the problems existing in the land expropriation risk assessment system and the sound countermeasures from a qualitative perspective. Empirical research on land expropriation social stability risk assessment from the micro-level perspective is limited. This study analyzed the Chinese social stability risk assessment system of land expropriation though a case study of a land expropriation project in China. The current social stability risk assessment system of land expropriation, which includes the assessment purposes, principles, contents, methods, and results, was analyzed. We concluded with lessons and deficiencies from the current social stability risk assessment system. The research findings show that: (1) the current land expropriation risk assessment system mostly takes the land administration department as the main body of responsibility, identifies the risks by means of seminars, visits, letters, and visits, and takes the opinion of the masses or experts as the risk assessment result. (2) The current land expropriation risk assessment system should be standardized in terms of defining the risk assessment of land expropriation, improving the land expropriation risk assessment system and optimizing land expropriation assessment procedures. This paper provides a reference for the sustainable development of land use in rural and urban areas in China.

Study on the construction of general index system of talent construction project in Shanghai Health System / 中华医学科研管理杂志

Objective To formulate the evaluation criteria for micro-appraisal of comprehensive talents and macro-evaluation of projects.Methods A total of 425 articles were included in the meta-analysis of literature review;Delphi's panel that involved 20 experts,2 rounds of questionnaire surveys were conducted to construct indicators for comprehensive evaluation of talent construction projects;AHP was used to calculate the index weight coefficients for each category of indicators.Results The talent construction project evaluation system includes two sub-systems:micro-evaluation of talents and macro-evaluation of projects.Among them,the talent micro-evaluation system,which includes 12 evaluation indicators,carries out assessments in terms of basic qualities,academic accomplishments,and research achievements.the macro-evaluation system of the project,include a total of 15 evaluation indicators,is mainly assessed from the macro level of project operations-project structure,project process,project results.Conclusions From the perspective of the combination of micro (human resources) and macro (projects),to build a universal index for comprehensive evaluation of talent construction projects,both for the evaluation of the project,but also to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the training object.

Handling missing Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) values: Results from a cross-sectional long-term-care study.

BACKGROUND: Missing values are commonly encountered on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), particularly when administered to frail older people. This presents challenges for MMSE scoring in research settings. We sought to describe missingness in MMSEs administered in long-term-care facilities (LTCF) and to compare and contrast approaches to dealing with missing items. METHODS: As part of the Care and Construction project in Nova Scotia, Canada, LTCF residents completed an MMSE. Different methods of dealing with missing values (e.g., use of raw scores, raw scores/number of items attempted, scale-level multiple imputation [MI], and blended approaches) are compared to item-level MI. RESULTS: The MMSE was administered to 320 residents living in 23 LTCF. The sample was predominately female (73%), and 38% of participants were aged >85 years. At least one item was missing from 122 (38.2%) of the MMSEs. Data were not Missing Completely at Random (MCAR), χ2 (1110) = 1,351, p < 0.001. Using raw scores for those missing <6 items in combination with scale-level MI resulted in the regression coefficients and standard errors closest to item-level MI. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of missing items often suggest systematic problems, such as trouble with manual dexterity, literacy, or visual impairment. While these observations may be relatively easy to take into account in clinical settings, non-random missingness presents challenges for research and must be considered in statistical analyses. We present suggestions for dealing with missing MMSE data based on the extent of missingness and the goal of analyses.

Thought on construction and development of serum bank in Suzhou City / 上海预防医学

Objective ] With a view to promoting the development of medical science and biological medicine industry in Suzhou , a serum bank as part of Biobank project was initiated by city hall and led by Suzhou Health Bureau . [ Methods] The construction of the serum bank was concerned with 4 aspects: 1 ) house building , 2 ) equipment purchasing , 3 ) organization construction , and 4 ) the collecting, processing and preservation of blood sample and information . [Results] The work of house, equipment and organization met the demands of the project .We collected 60 980 blood samples , with 367 837 specimens produced and saved .The plan was completed in the predetermined time . [ Conclusion] We achieved the goal in the first term of the project which we promised to the government , and obtained some good experience from both the methods and working mode .However , we found some problems in op-eration which would be the foundation for further and future development .

Early filiform needle acupuncture for poststroke depression: a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of filiform needle acupuncture for poststroke depression, and to compare acupuncture with the therapeutic efficacy of antidepressant drugs. DATA RETRIEVAL: We retrieved data from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (1979-2012), Wanfang (1980-2012), VIP (1989-2012), Chinese Biomedical Literature (1975-2012), PubMed (1966-2012), Ovid Lww (-2012), and Cochrane Library (-2012) Database using the internet. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials on filiform needle acupuncture versus antidepressant drugs for treatment of poststroke depression were included. Moreover, the included articles scored at least 4 points on the Jadad scale. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: other acupuncture therapies as treatment group, not stroke-induced depression patients, score < 4 points, non-randomized controlled trials, or animal trials. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: These were the Hamilton Depression Scale scores, clinical effective rate, Self-Rating Depression Scale scores, Side Effect Rating Scale scores, and incidence of adverse reaction and events. RESULTS: A total of 17 randomized controlled clinical trials were included. Meta-analysis results displayed that after 4 weeks of treatment, clinical effective rate was better in patients treated with filiform needle acupuncture than those treated with simple antidepressant drugs [relative risk = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.21, P = 0.01]. At 6 weeks, clinical effective rate was similar between filiform needle acupuncture and antidepressant drug groups. At 2 weeks after filiform needle acupuncture, Hamilton Depression Scale (17 items) scores were lower than in the antidepressant drug group (mean difference = -2.34, 95%CI: -3.46 to -1.22, P < 0.000,1). At 4 weeks, Hamilton Depression Scale (24 items) scores were similar between filiform needle acupuncture and antidepressant drug groups. Self-Rating Depression Scale scores were lower in filiform needle acupuncture group than in the antidepressant drug group. Side Effect Rating Scale was used in only two articles, and no meta-analysis was conducted. Safety evaluation of the 17 articles showed that gastrointestinal tract reactions such as nausea and vomiting were very common in the antidepressant drug group. Incidence of adverse reaction and events was very low in the filiform needle acupuncture group. CONCLUSION: Early filiform needle acupuncture for poststroke depression can perfectly control depression. Filiform needle acupuncture is safe and reliable. Therapeutic effects of filiform needle acupuncture were better than those of antidepressant drugs.

Foreign Human Health Damage Assessment Systems of Construction Projects:a Research Advance Review / 环境与健康杂志

The implementation,operation and maintenance of building have huge impacts on environment and human health,however,the research about quantitative assessment of damage to human health for construction project still does not appear in China.Based on investigation in literatures about five LCA-based environmental impact assessment systems(EIA) systems,this paper concluded and compared the of health damage parts of the systems referred.Finally,some suggestions for establishing assessment systems of damage to human health especially in health damage indicators selection,characterization and weighting were proposed.