- Ghana
Maxwell F Antwi-Afari
Aston University, Civil Engineering, Faculty Member
Gated communities are the most popular residential pattern in the urban areas of China. However, along with the increasing population density in urban areas, this pattern may have negative influences on people’s daily lives, such as... more
Gated communities are the most popular residential pattern in the urban areas of China. However, along with the increasing population density in urban areas, this pattern may have negative influences on people’s daily lives, such as traffic jams. To avoid the negative influences, the government has encouraged residents to open their gated communities; however, few positive actions have been taken. With this background, this study aims to explore the key factors in residents’ willingness to open their gated communities. To start with, a total of 26 potential factors were identified based on a comprehensive literature review. Then, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to collect empirical data. Furthermore, logistic regression was employed to analyze the collected data. Based on the derived results, it was revealed that concerns are different between male and female residents. Male residents regarded “community safety” and “property management” as having a significant impact o...
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A B S T R A C T Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) represent major health issues for construction workers yet risk factors associated with repetitive lifting tasks remain unexplored. This study evaluates the effects of lifting... more
A B S T R A C T Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) represent major health issues for construction workers yet risk factors associated with repetitive lifting tasks remain unexplored. This study evaluates the effects of lifting weights and postures on spinal biomechanics (i.e. muscle activity and muscle fatigue) during a simulated repetitive lifting task undertaken within a strictly controlled laboratory experimental environment. Twenty healthy male participants performed simulated repetitive lifting tasks with three different lifting weights using either a stoop (n = 10) or a squat (n = 10) lifting posture until subjective fatigue (a point in time at which the participant cannot continue lifting further). Spinal biomechanics during repetitive lifting tasks were measured by surface electromyography (sEMG). Results revealed that (1) increased lifting weights significantly increased sEMG activity and muscle fatigue of the biceps brachii (BB), brachioradialis (BR), lumbar erector spinae (LES), and medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles but not the rectus femoris (RF) muscle; (2) sEMG activity and muscle fatigue rate of the LES muscle were higher than all other muscles; (3) a significant difference of sEMG activity of the RF and MG muscles was observed between lifting postures, however no significant difference of muscle fatigue was apparent (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that risk factors such as lifting weights, repetitions and lifting postures may alleviate the risk of developing WMSDs. However, future research is required to investigate the effectiveness of using ergonomic interventions (such as using team lifting and adjustable lift equipment) in reducing WMSDs risks in construction workers. This work represents the first laboratory-based simulated testing conducted to investigate work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) primarily caused by repetitive lifting tasks and manual handling. Cumulatively, the results and ensuing discussion offer insight into how these risks can be measured and mitigated.
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Purpose-Work-related low back disorders (LBDs) are prevalent among rebar workers although their causes remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to examine the self-reported discomfort and spinal biomechanics (muscle activity and... more
Purpose-Work-related low back disorders (LBDs) are prevalent among rebar workers although their causes remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to examine the self-reported discomfort and spinal biomechanics (muscle activity and spinal kinematics) experienced by rebar workers. Design/methodology/approach-In all, 20 healthy male participants performed simulated repetitive rebar lifting tasks with three different lifting weights, using either a stoop (n = 10) or a squat (n = 10) lifting posture, until subjective fatigue was reached. During these tasks, trunk muscle activity and spinal kinematics were recorded using surface electromyography and motion sensors, respectively. Findings-A mixed-model, repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that an increase in lifting weight significantly increased lower back muscle activity at L3 level but decreased fatigue and time to fatigue (endurance time) (p < 0.05). Lifting postures had no significant effect on spinal biomechanics (p < 0.05). Test results revealed that lifting different weights causes disproportional loading upon muscles, which shortens the time to reach working endurance and increases the risk of developing LBDs among rebar workers.
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Due to the decline in functional capability, older adults are more likely to encounter excessively demanding environmental conditions (that result in stress and/or mobility limitation) than the average person. Current efforts to detect... more
Due to the decline in functional capability, older adults are more likely to encounter excessively demanding environmental conditions (that result in stress and/or mobility limitation) than the average person. Current efforts to detect such environmental conditions are inefficient and are not person-centered. This study presents a more efficient and person-centered approach that involves using wearable sensors to collect continuous bodily responses (i.e., electroencephalography, photoplethysmography, electrodermal activity, and gait) and location data from older adults to detect demanding environmental conditions. Computationally, this study developed a Random Forest algorithm—considering the informativeness of the bodily response—and a hot spot analysis-based approach to identify environmental locations with high demand. The approach was tested on data collected from 10 older adults during an outdoor environmental walk. The findings demonstrate that the proposed approach can detect...
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PurposeSince construction workers often need to carry various types of loads in their daily routine, they are at risk of sustaining musculoskeletal injuries. Additionally, carrying a load during walking may disturb their walking balance... more
PurposeSince construction workers often need to carry various types of loads in their daily routine, they are at risk of sustaining musculoskeletal injuries. Additionally, carrying a load during walking may disturb their walking balance and lead to fall injuries among construction workers. Different load carrying techniques may also cause different extents of physical exertion. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of different load-carrying techniques on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological parameters in asymptomatic individuals on both stable and unstable surfaces.Design/methodology/approachFifteen asymptomatic male participants (mean age: 31.5 ± 2.6 years) walked along an 8-m walkway on flat and foam surfaces with and without a load thrice using three different techniques (e.g. load carriage on the head, on the dominant shoulder, and in both hands). Temporal gait parameters (e.g. gait speed, cadence, and double support time), gait symmetry ...
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Research Interests:
The construction sector is recognized as one of the most dangerous industries in the world. The situation is worsening in Iraq, as a result of a lack of attention to safety in the building industry and the poor implementation of safety... more
The construction sector is recognized as one of the most dangerous industries in the world. The situation is worsening in Iraq, as a result of a lack of attention to safety in the building industry and the poor implementation of safety programs. This research aims to identify the critical safety factors (CSFs) of safety program implementation in the Iraqi construction industry. The CSFs were first identified from a review of literature before being verified by construction practitioners, using semi-structured interviews. A questionnaire, based on the verified CSFs, was distributed to construction practitioners in Iraq. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to analyze the quantitative data, and the results show that the CSFs can be categorized into four constructs: worker involvement, safety prevention and control system, safety arrangement, and management commitment. Following that, partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was executed to establish the conne...
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Purpose Work-related low back disorders (LBDs) are prevalent among rebar workers although their causes remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to examine the self-reported discomfort and spinal biomechanics (muscle activity and... more
Purpose Work-related low back disorders (LBDs) are prevalent among rebar workers although their causes remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to examine the self-reported discomfort and spinal biomechanics (muscle activity and spinal kinematics) experienced by rebar workers. Design/methodology/approach In all, 20 healthy male participants performed simulated repetitive rebar lifting tasks with three different lifting weights, using either a stoop (n = 10) or a squat (n = 10) lifting posture, until subjective fatigue was reached. During these tasks, trunk muscle activity and spinal kinematics were recorded using surface electromyography and motion sensors, respectively. Findings A mixed-model, repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that an increase in lifting weight significantly increased lower back muscle activity at L3 level but decreased fatigue and time to fatigue (endurance time) (p < 0.05). Lifting postures had no significant effect on spinal biomechanics (...
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Research Interests:
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PurposeAlthough individual studies have reported high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) among construction workers, no systematic review has summarized their prevalence rates. Accordingly, this systematic review/meta-analysis... more
PurposeAlthough individual studies have reported high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) among construction workers, no systematic review has summarized their prevalence rates. Accordingly, this systematic review/meta-analysis aimed to synthesize MSS prevalence in different construction trades, gender and age groups, which may help develop specific ergonomic interventions.MethodsNine databases were searched for articles related to the research objective. Two reviewers independently screened citations, extracted information and conducted quality assessment of the included studies. Meta-analyses were conducted on clinical and statistical homogenous data.ResultsThirty-five out of 1130 potential citations were included reporting diverse types of period prevalence and case definitions. Only the 1-year prevalence rates of MSS (defined as at least one episode of pain/MSS in the last year) at nine anatomical regions had sufficient homogeneous data for meta-analysis. Specifically, ...
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Construction management can be regarded as a complex and dynamic system. In recent years, system dynamics (SD) has been widely applied to solve the complex and dynamic problems in the construction management. However, there is a lack of a... more
Construction management can be regarded as a complex and dynamic system. In recent years, system dynamics (SD) has been widely applied to solve the complex and dynamic problems in the construction management. However, there is a lack of a scientometric analysis to investigate SD applications in construction management from an objective perspective. To fill out this research gap, this study retrieved a total of 222 relevant articles from the Scopus database. Then, VOSviewer was employed to analyze the collected literature from five aspects (i.e., co-authorship, published journals, co-occurring keywords, article citations, and regions). Based on the analysis results, four mainstream research themes were identified and discussed, including “risk management”, “waste management”, “energy management”, and “construction productivity”. In addition, future research directions, such as “construction risk allocation in PPP projects”, “evaluating the economic feasibility of construction waste l...
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Cardiorespiratory (e.g., heart rate and breathing rate) and thermoregulatory (e.g., local skin temperature and electrodermal activity) responses are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. To cope with increased physical workload,... more
Cardiorespiratory (e.g., heart rate and breathing rate) and thermoregulatory (e.g., local skin temperature and electrodermal activity) responses are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. To cope with increased physical workload, the sympathetic system upregulates its activity to generate greater sympathetic responses (i.e., increased heart rate and respiratory rate). Therefore, physiological measures may have the potential to evaluate changes in physical condition (including fatigue) during functional tasks. This study aimed to quantify physical fatigue using wearable cardiorespiratory and thermoregulatory sensors during a simulated construction task. Twenty-five healthy individuals (mean age, 31.8 ± 1.8 years) were recruited. Participants were instructed to perform 30 min of a simulated manual material handling task in a laboratory. The experimental setup comprised a station A, a 10-metre walking platform, and a station B. Each participant was asked to pick up a 15 kg ergon...
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As a game-changing technology with significant environmental, economic, and social benefits, prefabricated technology has attracted attention and has been increasingly adopted in the construction industry. Although multitudinous studies... more
As a game-changing technology with significant environmental, economic, and social benefits, prefabricated technology has attracted attention and has been increasingly adopted in the construction industry. Although multitudinous studies have investigated various aspects of prefabrication in construction, a thorough review of its current development state that synthesized environmental, economic, and social sustainability dimensions remains overdue. Therefore, this study aims to fill this research gap by constructing a systematic framework, analyzing the research status quos, and providing recommendations for future research. This study first conducted a holistic review of 768 references with NVivo. A research foci framework that represented the body of knowledge in prefabrication in construction was developed with five levels, which were advantages, hindrances, stakeholders, promotion policies, and strategy spectrum. Following the framework, the in-depth analyses from the perspectiv...
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Safety risk identification throughout deep excavation construction is an information-intensive task, involving construction information scattered in project planning documentation and dynamic information obtained from different field... more
Safety risk identification throughout deep excavation construction is an information-intensive task, involving construction information scattered in project planning documentation and dynamic information obtained from different field sensors. However, inefficient information integration and exchange have been an important obstacle to the development of automatic safety risk identification in actual applications. This research aims to achieve the requirements for information integration and exchange by developing a semantic industry foundation classes (IFC) data model based on a central database of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in dynamic deep excavation process. Construction information required for risk identification in dynamic deep excavation is analyzed. The relationships among construction information are identified based on the semantic IFC data model, involved relationships (i.e., logical relationships and constraints among risk events, risk factors, construction parame...
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The construction sector is recognized as one of the most dangerous industries in the world. The situation is worsening in Iraq, as a result of a lack of attention to safety in the building industry and the poor implementation of safety... more
The construction sector is recognized as one of the most dangerous industries in the world. The situation is worsening in Iraq, as a result of a lack of attention to safety in the building industry and the poor implementation of safety programs. This research aims to identify the critical safety factors (CSFs) of safety program implementation in the Iraqi construction industry. The CSFs were first identified from a review of literature before being verified by construction practitioners, using semi-structured interviews. A questionnaire, based on the verified CSFs, was distributed to construction practitioners in Iraq. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to analyze the quantitative data, and the results show that the CSFs can be categorized into four constructs: worker involvement, safety prevention and control system, safety arrangement, and management commitment. Following that, partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was executed to establish the conne...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Education is the mainstay of the development of any nation; and in developing countries it has become the backbone of human resource development, ensuring effective growth of the economy; however, its corresponding infrastructure... more
ABSTRACT Education is the mainstay of the development of any nation; and in developing countries it has become the backbone of human resource development, ensuring effective growth of the economy; however, its corresponding infrastructure development is lacking. Governments around the globe are finding it difficult to provide the needed infrastructure. Arguably, infrastructure development has become a benchmark for the measurement of the level of growth of the economy of developed and developing countries. Consequently, this study aimed to explore the financing mechanisms, challenges and strategies for educational infrastructural development in tertiary education in Ghana. The study adopted the quantitative paradigm to gather data from educationists, finance officers and students. Data generated from the survey was analysed, using descriptive statistics. Findings from the analysis indicated public private partnerships such as build-operate-transfer, build-own-operate, management contracts, service contracts, leases, traditional design-build and turnkey operations are among various options for which educational infrastructure development can be administered. This article suggests that the need to adopt these forms of finance approaches to cater for the growing population is desirable for effective management and administration of tertiary educational infrastructure in developing countries.
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PurposeConstruction workers are frequently exposed to safety hazards on sites. Wearable sensing systems (e.g. wearable inertial measurement units (WIMUs), wearable insole pressure system (WIPS)) have been used to collect workers' gait... more
PurposeConstruction workers are frequently exposed to safety hazards on sites. Wearable sensing systems (e.g. wearable inertial measurement units (WIMUs), wearable insole pressure system (WIPS)) have been used to collect workers' gait patterns for distinguishing safety hazards. However, the performance of measuring WIPS-based gait parameters for identifying safety hazards as compared to a reference system (i.e. WIMUs) has not been studied. Therefore, this study examined the validity and reliability of measuring WIPS-based gait parameters as compared to WIMU-based gait parameters for distinguishing safety hazards in construction.Design/methodology/approachFive fall-risk events were conducted in a laboratory setting, and the performance of the proposed approach was assessed by calculating the mean difference (MD), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), root mean square error (RMSE) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of five gait parameters.Find...