Spatial factors contributing to worker time management at construction sites

Abstract

Construction delays often create cost and quality issues in time intensive urban projects. Even though, many researchers have attempted to find the factors that contribute to these delays, sufficient attention has not been paid to spatial factors and their contribution to the time management of construction workers. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the management of spatial factors that influence the time management of workers at construction sites. A multi-method qualitative research approach was used in the study. Semi-structured interviews and case studies were used for data collection. The empirical data collected from the interviews and case studies were analysed using manual content analysis. Spatial factors that contribute to the time management of workers at construction sites, the type of contribution they make, and the strategies that can be adopted to manage them were identified through a literature review and a set of interviews. The influence that the identified strategies exert on the time management of construction workers was determined through the interviews and the findings of the interviews were verified through the case studies. The study findings indicated the importance of introducing spatial factor management to the construction industry. Properly enforcing regulations, increasing the awareness about spatial factors, and conducting studies on spatial factor management will solve construction delays because they can increase the efficiency of construction workers. Studies that have been conducted on spatial factor management are scarce. This study can be used as a benchmark for in-depth research studies in the area.