Skilled labour shortage is the shortfall of workforce in specific trades or shortage of workforce with requisite skills. The paper seeks to identify areas where there are skilled labour shortages in the building construction industry within the Central Region. A survey research approach was employed to get the study population that consisted of project managers, site engineers, site foremen and engineers working with contactors. Questionnaires were designed based on the research specific objectives and used as the main instrument for data collection. Findings from the study revealed that the shortage of skilled manpower was from painters and decorators, electricians and tile workers. Further findings showed that skilled labour shortage was caused by socio–economic conditions, external forces, job attractiveness, job characteristics, job satisfaction, industry limitations and personal factors. Employees should be encouraged to develop their trade competences and change their attitude to work, while employers should build their manpower base through training.
Objective: To determine the influence of the physico-chemical compositions of the different sources of water on the compressive strength of concrete. Materials and Methods: Seventy-two 150mm x 150mm concrete specimen were cast using six different sources of water and cured using the same water sources by immersion for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Each water sample was used to produce 12 specimen, three each for the four different ages. Concrete cubes were weighed using digital weighing machine before testing. Test for compressive strength was done using digital compressive test machine after which the Average Compressive Strength (ACS) of the three samples was determined. Results: The silt content of the fine aggregates used was within the recommended percentage specified by the IS part II 1963. The results obtained from the slump test classifies the concrete produced for the study as stiff or extremely dry. Though the Amissano and Aquarium water recorded some amount of slump, their slumps could still be described as no-slump and cannot be classified. The figures for the compacting factor test indicated low workability for the concrete produced for the test. It was only the concrete produced from the Kakum river water that had a medium workability. The sea water recorded the highest pH and was followed by the Kakumdo well water. The least pH was recorded by the Amissano well water. The total dissolved solid (TDS) of the Kakumdo well water and the sea water were far higher than the Ghana standards. On the other hand, the figures recorded by the Kakum water for chloride, total hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium hardness and electric conductivity were below what is prescribed by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL). The calcium hardness of the Kakumdo well water was (160mg/l) more than the standard. The Amissano well water specimen recorded the least ACS both at age 7 and 28. This was the lowest among all the samples produced from the various sources of water used for the experiment. The significant strength increase of the Amissano well water samples was recorded at age 14 and 21. The Kakumdo water specimen recorded the highest earliest strength of 20.339KN/mm2 and was followed by the Kakum river water. The samples from this source still recorded the highest at age 14 and 21. But at 28, it was overtaken by the Kakum river water samples with the Kakum river samples recording 26.439 KN/mm2 as against the 25.484 KN/mm2 registered by the Kakumdo well water samples. The Aquarium well water specimen recorded high strength at both age 7 and 28 than the Amissano well water specimen. Conclusion: The Aquarium water and Amissano well water were more acidic, meaning their pHs were lower than 6. This had significant influence on the ACS of the samples produced from them. This was evident in the case of the Amissano well water samples which recorded the lowest earliest strength of (12.173N/) among the six sources. The ACS difference recorded between the Aquarium and Amissano well water samples which were all acidic was 5.379KN/mm2. This means that higher the acidity of the water use for the production of concrete, the lower the ACS. The Amissano well water was 10 times more acidic than the Aquarium water and 20 times higher than the Kakum river water, pipe borne water and Kakumdo well water but 40 times higher than the sea water.
Government and public institutions procure diverse works, goods and services from different business organizations from time to time. These acquisitions are often perceived to be surrounded by corrupt practices and with this perception in mind, people have little or no trust in public institutions and public procurement processes. The paper seeks to identif y the different forms of corrupt procurement practices to assist in the redefinition of the term. The study was conducted in two regions, namely: the Greater Accra Region and the Central Region. A field survey conducted included 120 respondents made up of contractors, opinion leaders, press men, industry professionals from public institutions and donor agencies. The study concludes by redefining corrupt procurement practice as: "the direct or indirect offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of gifts or bribes, conspiracies among firms, or fraudulent practices that influence the procurement selection process or contract execution for personal gain."
The construction industry is known for its task-related risks and hazards contributing to occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The study sought to identify the impact of MSDs among concrete mixer operators and workers in the construction industry in the Central Region of Ghana. The population for the study was made up of 28 concrete mixer operators and 187 workers. Out of the 215 questionnaires administered, 206 questionnaires were returned which represented 95.8 % of the response rate. Descriptive statistics and Relative Importance Index (RII) were used for the data analysis. Findings show that most of the workers were young males and worked for a longer period a day. Force movement, repetition, awkward bending and fixed body postures were the major factors leading to the development of MSDs and contributed to frequent absenteeism and poor performance of workers. Further findings show that back pain, waist pain and shoulder pain were the major self-reported MSD complaints. Risk assessment should be conducted on all site hazards and ergonomic tools/equipment should be introduced to reduce the impact of MSDs on workers.
The rate of construction accidents in the Ghanaian construction industry is not encouraging. The study sought to identify the factors affecting the effective health and safety practices in the construction industry within the Cape Coast Metropolis. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the construction firms and ‘Yamane formula’ to arrive at the number of respondents (44) for the study. Structured questionnaires were distributed among site engineers, site supervisors, safety officers, quantity surveyors, foremen, chief masons and chief carpenters. Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the data analysis and results were presented in a form of descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings show that the level of health and safety practices within the Metropolis was high and the factors that affected the implementation of health and safety programmes were severe among the firms. Few of the company’s health and safety programmes were effective and this calls for the strengthenig of the construction sector policy by the ministries responsible for implementation.
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