scholarly journals Weather-Related Construction Delays in a Changing Climate: A Systematic State-of-the-Art Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2861
Author(s):  
Steven J. Schuldt ◽  
Mathew R. Nicholson ◽  
Yaquarri A. Adams ◽  
Justin D. Delorit
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Organizational Capacity ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Adverse Weather

Adverse weather delays forty-five percent of construction projects worldwide, costing project owners and contractors billions of dollars in additional expenses and lost revenue each year. Additionally, changes in climate are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of weather conditions that cause these construction delays. Researchers have investigated the effect of weather on several aspects of construction. Still, no previous study comprehensively (1) identifies and quantifies the risks weather imposes on construction projects, (2) categorizes modeling and simulation approaches developed, and (3) summarizes mitigation strategies and adaptation techniques to provide best management practices for the construction industry. This paper accomplishes these goals through a systematic state-of-the-art review of 3207 articles published between 1972 and October 2020. This review identified extreme temperatures, precipitation, and high winds as the most impactful weather conditions on construction. Despite the prevalence of climate-focused delay studies, existing research fails to account for future climate in the modeling and identification of delay mitigation strategies. Accordingly, planners and project managers can use this research to identify weather-vulnerable activities, account for changing climate in projects, and build administrative or organizational capacity to assist in mitigating weather delays in construction. The cumulative contribution of this review will enable sustainable construction scheduling that is robust to a changing climate.

Aerial forest herbicide application: Comparative assessment of risk mitigation strategies in Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (02) ◽  
pp. 176-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Thompson ◽  
Jeff Leach ◽  
Martin Noel ◽  
Sonya Odsen ◽  
Milo Mihajlovich
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Health ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Comparative Assessment ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Herbicide Application ◽  
Risk Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Herbicide Use

Herbicide use in forest management is subject to controversy due to potential risks to human and environmental health. Provinces with substantial forest herbicide use are the focus of this comparative assessment of risk mitigation strategies for aerial application of forestry herbicides. This paper explores risk mitigation procedures surrounding treatment prescriptions, herbicide planning and permitting, and operational treatment, against a background of legislative and regulatory requirements. The three major-use provinces have similarly high levels of risk mitigation, including detailed herbicide application plan requirements, use of electronic guidance systems, buffering of environmental sensitivities, pre-spray reconnaissance flights and post-spray auditing. Notable differences include standardizing use of rotary-wing aircraft, use of low-drift nozzles, the rigor applied to aircraft calibration and use of block monitors for detailed meteorological monitoring. These techniques are generally unique to Alberta and are considered best management practices. The routine use of validated aerial dispersal and expert decision support systems (e.g., AgDisp, SprayAdvisor) is recommended, as it could provide significant added value to generic and spatially explicit risk mitigation with multiple applications. It is the opinion of the authors that aerial herbicide applications as performed in all three major-use jurisdictions are highly protective of human and environmental health.

scholarly journals Methane Emissions from Ruminants in Australia: Mitigation Potential and Applicability of Mitigation Strategies

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 951
Author(s):  
John L. Black ◽  
Thomas M. Davison ◽  
Ilona Box
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Potential ◽  
Methane Mitigation

Anthropomorphic greenhouse gases are raising the temperature of the earth and threatening ecosystems. Since 1950 atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased 28%, while methane has increased 70%. Methane, over the first 20 years after release, has 80-times more warming potential as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Enteric methane from microbial fermentation of plant material by ruminants contributes 30% of methane released into the atmosphere, which is more than any other single source. Numerous strategies were reviewed to quantify their methane mitigation potential, their impact on animal productivity and their likelihood of adoption. The supplements, 3-nitrooxypropanol and the seaweed, Asparagopsis, reduced methane emissions by 40+% and 90%, respectively, with increases in animal productivity and small effects on animal health or product quality. Manipulation of the rumen microbial population can potentially provide intergenerational reduction in methane emissions, if treated animals remain isolated. Genetic selection, vaccination, grape marc, nitrate or biochar reduced methane emissions by 10% or less. Best management practices and cattle browsing legumes, Desmanthus or Leucaena species, result in small levels of methane mitigation and improved animal productivity. Feeding large amounts daily of ground wheat reduced methane emissions by around 35% in dairy cows but was not sustained over time.

scholarly journals Maximizing Construction of Timber Kit Homes Using Telescopic Crane to Improve Efficiency and Safety: A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10238
Author(s):  
Kenneth Lawani ◽  
Chioma Okoro ◽  
Michael Tong ◽  
Billy Hare
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Balanced Score Card ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Adverse Weather Conditions ◽  
Score Card ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Adverse Weather

The challenges of improving efficiency and safety is a daunting task as workers are squeezed with an ever-dwindling resource pool and yet expected to deliver construction projects at optimum capacity. Improving efficiency and safety using telescopic cranes for the construction of Off-Site Manufacturing (OSM) timber kit homes is a viable option for the speedy delivery of new homes. An action research evaluated the maximization of the build and process efficiency and safety using a crane to erect wall panels, floors, and roofs. Data collection through direct observation assessed the labor uptime and downtime, including crane usage. A balanced score card was used by management for strategic organizational decision-making regarding the crane erection. The use of the crane reduced workplace manual handling of OSM panels, minimized the exposure of operatives to work at height risks, and eliminated alterations to scaffolds. However, the manual loading of thermal-insulated plasterboards to floor decks impacted the process efficiency and speed of installing the fixtures and increased the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. High labor downtimes were associated with the adverse weather conditions, which slowed the efficiency of the workforce during construction. The management’s inability to adequately plan the work program further hindered aspects of lifting operations and the speed and number of houses built.

scholarly journals Modeling the Impact of Spatial Correlations of Road Failures on Travel Times during Adverse Weather Conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (7) ◽  
pp. 157-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wisinee Wisetjindawat ◽  
R. Eddie Wilson ◽  
Seth Bullock ◽  
Alonso Espinosa Mireles de Villafranca
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Rainfall Intensity ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Travel Time Reliability ◽  
Spatial Correlations ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
The Impact

Traveling in extreme adverse weather involves a high risk of travel delay and traffic accidents. There is a need to assess the impact of extreme weather on transport infrastructure and to find suitable mitigation strategies to alleviate the associated undesirable outcomes. Previous work in vulnerability studies applied either a constant failure probability or an assumed probabilistic distribution. Such assumptions ignored many factors causing the occurrence of road failure, especially that infrastructure components tend to fail interdependently. Based on empirical data of road failures and rainfall intensity during a typhoon, this study develops a statistical model, incorporating spatial correlations among the segments of road infrastructure, and uses it to evaluate the impact of the typhoon on travel time reliability. Mixed-effects logistic regression as well as rare-events logistic regression are applied to understand the factors involved in road failures and the spatial correlations of the failed segments. The analysis suggested that, in addition to the rainfall intensity, the road geometry, including elevation, land slope, and distance from the nearest river, were important factors in the failure. In addition, there is a significant correlation of failures within watersheds. This model gives an insight into the characteristics of road failures and their associated travel risks, which is useful for authorities to find proper mitigations to reduce the adverse effects in future disasters.

scholarly journals Activity Patterns of Bats During the Fall and Spring Along Ridgelines in the Central Appalachians

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Muthersbaugh ◽  
W. Mark Ford ◽  
Karen E. Powers ◽  
Alexander Silvis
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Sample Period ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
Bat Activity ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Wind Potential

Abstract Many central Appalachian ridges offer high wind potential, making them attractive to future wind-energy development. Understanding seasonal and hourly activity patterns of migratory bat species may help to reduce fatalities at wind-energy facilities and provide guidance for the development of best management practices for bats. To examine hourly migratory bat activity patterns in the fall and spring in Virginia in an exploratory fashion with a suite of general temporal, environmental, and weather variables, we acoustically monitored bat activity on five ridgelines and side slopes from early September through mid-November 2015 and 2016 and from early March through late April 2016 and 2017. On ridges, bat activity decreased through the autumn sample period, but was more variable through the spring sample period. In autumn, migratory bat activity had largely ceased by mid-November. Activity patterns were species specific in both autumn and spring sample periods. Generally, migratory bat activity was negatively associated with hourly wind speeds but positively associated with ambient temperatures. These data provide further evidence that operational mitigation strategies at wind-energy facilities could help protect migratory bat species in the Appalachians; substantially slowing or locking wind turbine blade spin during periods of low wind speeds, often below where electricity is generated, and warm ambient temperatures may minimize mortality during periods of high bat activity.

scholarly journals Vehicle Detection under Adverse Weather from Roadside LiDAR Data

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 3433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianqing Wu ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
Yuan Tian ◽  
Rendong Pi ◽  
Rui Yue
Keyword(s):  
Data Processing ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Current Data ◽  
The State ◽  
Lidar Data ◽  
Traffic Data Collection ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Processing Algorithms ◽  
Data Processing Algorithms

Roadside light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is an emerging traffic data collection device and has recently been deployed in different transportation areas. The current data processing algorithms for roadside LiDAR are usually developed assuming normal weather conditions. Adverse weather conditions, such as windy and snowy conditions, could be challenges for data processing. This paper examines the performance of the state-of-the-art data processing algorithms developed for roadside LiDAR under adverse weather and then composed an improved background filtering and object clustering method in order to process the roadside LiDAR data, which was proven to perform better under windy and snowy weather. The testing results showed that the accuracy of the background filtering and point clustering was greatly improved compared to the state-of-the-art methods. With this new approach, vehicles can be identified with relatively high accuracy under windy and snowy weather.

TOWARDS DIGITIZING THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: STATE OF THE ART OF CONSTRUCTION 4.0

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Aslam Hossain ◽  
Abid Nadeem
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Productivity Improvement ◽  
New Research

Having a significant economic impact in country's GDP and being a major workforce, construction industry is yet characterized by low production rate, low technological advancement, minimum automation and robotic usage, and so on. With the visionary idea of Industry 4.0 that focuses on digitization of the value chain of a product and improving productivity through a variety of technologies and automated manufacturing environment, this research aims to develop a framework to adopt Construction 4.0 within a construction company. Current state of the art of the technologies in construction associated with the notion of Industry 4.0 (e.g., Building Information Modelling, virtual reality, augmented reality, Drone, etc.) is explored through extensive literature studies. The proposed framework incorporates current technological advancement related to construction industry, legislative requirements, barriers, enterprise transformation requirements and so on. Construction 4.0 would make a great impact in construction industry through improved value chain of construction projects, productivity improvement, and safe and sustainable construction. Indeed, the proposed framework would contribute to the advancement of new knowledge in the worlds' construction companies and provide potentials of new research focuses.

Risk assessment and ranking in the developing countries’ construction industry: the case of Jordan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad T. Hatamleh ◽  
Gary P. Moynihan ◽  
Robert G. Batson ◽  
Ammar Alzarrad ◽  
Olugbenro Ogunrinde
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Mixed Approach

PurposeRisk impedes the success of construction projects in developing countries due to planning in an unpredictable and poorly resourced environment. Hence, the literature suggests that practitioners are not fully aware of how important the risk identification process is. Some of the prior studies identified risks in developing countries without highlighting how they can be beneficial to the practitioners in the industry. Therefore, this study highlights this process and identifies the key risks that affect the Jordanian construction industry.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed approach, two rounds of face-to-face interviews that were conducted in Jordan among 12 experts followed by a questionnaire randomly distributed to 122 practitioners. This study utilized the relative importance index, coefficient of variation, and Mann–Whitney (U) to analyze the data. Also, the factor analysis technique was used to identify and regroup the risk factors to further understand the correlation among the risks.FindingsThe result revealed an agreement among contractors’ and consultants’ responses toward allocating risks. Furthermore, several risks can be traced back to the project communication management process, highlighting a deficiency in the process. Also, four-factor groups were established, the first group includes the risk of defective design, late decisions making by other project participants and poor coordination with the subcontractor. The second group has only the risk of corruption, including bribery at sites. The third group includes stakeholders’ financial instability and inadequate distribution of responsibilities and risks. The fourth group includes adverse weather conditions and the use of illegal foreign labor.Originality/valueSome of the prior studies identified risks in developing countries without highlighting how they can be beneficial to the practitioners in the industry.

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