APPRAISING THE PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF WORK IN SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED CONSTRUCTION FIRM WITH A VIEW OF REDUCING BUILDING FAILURES AND HAZARDS ON BUILDING PROJECTS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background to the study

Considering millions of Naira spent on construction work by both the private and government agencies, the daily technology development in small and medium size construction firms, it is therefore necessary to examine the way of appraising and improving the productivity and quality of work in order to reduce the failure of buildings in our environment.

A lot of project are found not capable of withstanding the load impose and dead due to the lack of appropriate tools, instrument and materials.

According to Butter 1981, productivity can be defined as the ratio between output and input. He further stated that productivity is reaching the highest level of performance with the least expenditure of resources.

Mali 1978 defined productivity as the measure of how well resources are brought together in organisations and utilised for accomplishing a set of results.

Calvert 1993 also defined productivity as the ratio between output and input, that is the ratio of the amount produced output to the amount of all resources used in the course of production input. Resources used in the construction industry include land, materials, plants and equipments and man power. The input in most cases is a combination of all the four variables.

A variety of external and internal factors, influences productivity. Productivity reflects a variety of factors acting together to increase the value of output faster than the cost of input. Productivity can assist the construction firm to meet the everincreasing competition and this would improve the working conditions of the operatives. The cooperation of the employees is important and they must be assured that rising productivity would lead to higher earnings.

Inputs and improvement of the productivity of work to the building, and construction. Industry is the work of all the professionals associated with it Architects, Builders, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Estate Surveyors, Town Planners, land Surveyors, etc. So, all the professionals listed above have to make the industry a virile one that will make this nation proud. The sky is wide enough for all birds to fly; as such we need to recognise and respect the potentials of each other and to develop them amicably together.

The quality of work and construction industry will develop to an enviable standard and the management skills of our indigenous contractors will also improve tremendously if they can make use of the professionals readily available to them to help plan and manage the businesses.

1.2 Definition of Terms

Productivity: Butter 1981 Define it as the ratio between output and input. Riggs and Felix 1983 and Bain 1982 defined productivity as a measure of how well resources are combined and utilised to accomplish specific, desirable result.

Quality: According to A. Adeleye and U.Okoro, quality is excellence, merit value etc in reference to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, quality is the standard of something when it is compared to other things like it. In another form, quality is an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone.

Appraising: Exercising or involving careful evaluations

1.3 Aims and objectives

This project is aimed at highlighting:

1. The major parties or professionals involved in the construction industry and how they affect the quality and productivity of work

2. To evaluate the factors affecting productivity on construction site

3. Various ways in which site productivity could be improved.

4. To determine probable some ways in which building failure and hazards in our environment will be reduced

1.4 Need for study

There is need to embark on the appraising the productivity and quality of work in small and medium size construction firms to reduce building failures and the associated hazards. This is to enlighten all the concerned parties in project development namely the professionals, contractors, and the clients on the importance and necessity of proper planning before the commencement of any construction work so as to enhance the improvement of productivity of work.

1.5 Scope of study

The research work shall consist of the factors that affect site productivity, the efficiency of the methods of site productivity and other methods of productivity.

The research work shall be limited to concepts of site production techniques within construction industries in Nigeria. emphasize shall be laid on how to make methods of site productivity effective in order to enhance or maximize the profit of the contractor and to bring about reduction in collapse of buildings in our society.

1.6 Limitations of the Study

a. Due to the time and money constraints in travelling from Ede to various professionals especially in the cities whereby there is greater number of collapsing buildings. E.g. Lagos and Porthacourt, this research will be restricted to Osun and Oyo state only.

b. The time limit for the compilation of data is another major constraints

Thereafter, the research work shall be limited as stated above.

1.7 Method of Study

This study was based majorly on two sources of information

1. The theoretical review of past literature publications, such as journals, on cost control. Also the web was visited

2. Collection of data through administration of distributed questionnaires and series of interview were made with the relevant professionals.