(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014)
Irizarry, Javier; Zolfagharian, Samaneh; Ressang, Aziruddin; Nourbakhsh, Mehdi; Gheisari, Masoud
in particular residential building construction. This paper aims at proposing an Automated
Safety-Planning Plug-in (ASPP) for project scheduling software applications, to mitigate the
occurrence of construction accidents. To achieve this aim, frequency and severity of the
common construction safety hazards in residential buildings were investigated by distributing
a questionnaire to safety managers and construction managers in Malaysia. A total of 106
completed responses were received. Then, risk level associated to each hazard was calculated
based on the relevant risk matrix. The ASPP extracts current construction activities from any
computer based schedule (Microsoft Project® in this paper) and identifies their risks level as
well as safety regulations and hazards related to each activity as a report. A case study is
used to investigate the reliability and usability of the ASPP. The ASPP was found to be
efficient and helpful for rigorously complying with safety regulations and control potential
hazards. The practical implication of this study is to improve construction safety by
promoting the project managers’ awareness of safety hazards and associated risks as well as
essential safety indicators provided through a comprehensive report.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012)
Nourbakhsh, Mehdi; Zin, Rosli Mohamad; Irizarry, Javier; Zolfagharian, Sameneh; Gheisari, Masoud
Purpose:
This paper presents the results of a study aimed at investigating the information requirements for broad use
mobile applications for construction projects. It also presents the results of usability testing of a mobile
application prototype for improving information management in construction projects.
Design/methodology/approach:
To achieve the research objectives, the information required to properly design the mobile application was
collected by distributing an online questionnaire among construction professionals. Then a server-based
application prototype was developed based on enterprise content management concepts. The mobile application
was tested in a laboratory by setting a group of construction management postgraduate students who had
experience on working in construction industry.
Finding:
This study determines and ranks the critical on-site information artifacts, considered highly important from the
perspective of clients, consultants, and contractors. The study also illustrates the development of a mobile
application prototype and results of a usability test. The test results demonstrate that the application is well
designed, user friendly, and meets user requirements.
Practical implications:
The results of this study are useful for developing a functional mobile application to manage on-site information
in construction projects.
Originality/value:
The paper makes an original contribution of investigating information requirements of a mobile application for
on-site information management.