Impact of Weather Conditions on Construction Workers Productivity A Study of Selected Construction Sites in Jos, Plateau State

Abstract

The objective is to determine worker’s productivity output during wet and dry weather. The area of study was Jos. One hundred and ninety-six (196) operatives were sampled through stratified sampling techniques in twenty-five (25) selected construction sites. Trade operations selected were limited to manual excavation, blockwork and plastering operations. The operatives were observed on-site on a daily basis throughout the research period. A watch and thermometer were employed to measure the time taken daily to execute a given task at a specific site temperature. The study deployed descriptive statistics such as histogram, frequency curve and percentages; and inferential statistics such as regression standardized residual for data analysis, to evaluate the extent to which weather affect worker’s productivity. The results show a 58% productivity difference between minimum and maximum output for manual excavation, it shows a 56.3% productivity difference for blockwork during dry weather and a 61% productivity difference for plastering operation during wet weather. Therefore, it was concluded that dry weather increases the output of workers for blockwork and plaster operations while its output reduces during wet weather, and wet weather increases workers’ productivity for manual excavation during wet weather, but reduces during hot weather. Therefore, this research recommends that weather effect on workers’ productivity should be adopted by contractors and construction professionals when planning any project. In addition, construction activity should start early, especially during dry weather for maximum output to be achieved before intense heat set in, also overall coats and helmet should be made available in cases of wet weather condition.