Jackson, P (1987) The anatomy of constructional failures. PhD thesis, Heriot-Watt University, UK.
Abstract
This thesis assesses failures in the construction industry. Failure is defined as having occurred when construction does not fulfil the reasonable expectations of anyone influenced by the construction. This definition includes collapse, excessive cost and wasteful use of raw materials. Construction differs from most industrial activities in a number of important respects: (a) It is carried out in all parts of the world, in all climatic conditions, under the influence of all political and religious persuasions, and in conjunction with all levels of economic activty. (b) Its role of providing shelter, water supply and waste disposal is long established. (c) Many of its works are designed and built as individual projects, thus limiting the scope for mass production. An outline of the demand for construction work is followed by a description of typical defects and failures. Defects and failures are expensive to rectify, relative to the cost of initial construction, and many cause loss of life. Defects and failures are common despite better training and education. It is concluded that most defects and failures could be minimised, and often prevented, by improvements in the use of existing knowledge, personnel and materials.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | education; failure; personnel; training; waste disposal; water supply |
| Index terms: | personnel, water supply, waste disposal, climatic condition, construction work, construction industry |
| Subjects: | management, environmental engineering, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, climate science, operations management |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Human Resources, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here