Labour productivity improvements in construction projects: factors related to site amenities and labour welfare provisions

© Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate, CRIOCM 2017.All right reserved. The construction projects are usually labour intensive and consequently, manpower is an important factor which drives productivity and governs or controls most of the other resources in a construction project. Labour productivity has a significant influence on project performance. Although considerable research has been devoted to identification of various factors affecting labour productivity, rather less attention has been paid to the factors related to site amenities and labour welfare schemes. The present study was conducted to identify various productivity factors which directly affect the morale and well-being of construction labour force. A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst site engineers and foremen to evaluate 38 attributes. A total of 151 completed questionnaires were received and analysed further to reveal that the top five attributes affecting the labour productivity are: hazardous jobs without proper safety considerations, unavailability of safe drinking water, inadequate lighting arrangements, lack of accommodation/labour camps, and low daily wages. Using the factor analysis, the identified attributes were categorized into 8 factors: health and medical provisions, site services, labour camp facilities, hygiene and sanitation, leave and benefits, social welfare and employment policies, remuneration, and accommodation. It is believed that the finding of this paper will provide useful insights into various site amenities which affect the labour productivity in construction projects, especially in developing countries such as India.