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In a bid to optimize jobsite safety, wearable sensing devices (WSDs) are slowly emerging as a class of viable tools with strong potential to improve safety measurement and monitoring. While some industries have successfully utilized WSDs, such as smart personal protective equipment (PPE), to track data related to health, fitness, or even location, the construction industry has been relatively slow in implementing WSDs. Although some progress is expected, construction management research is yet to provide clear evidence of the impact of WSDs on vital project and organizational performance metrics such as safety and productivity. To fill this gap, the present study established the first WSD success model using multiple complementary frameworks and theories. The success model comprises individual adoption factors that influence individual WSD use and highlights implementation success indicators needed to evaluate adoption success. It was tested using survey questionnaires retrieved from 415 users of WSDs in the United States. Test results indicate the success model was a good fit. Moreover, findings suggest a strong positive relationship between the use of WSDs and individual performance, and project performance. This hybrid model provided critical insights on the impact of WSDs on workers' performance, project metrics, as well as essential information for supporting the increased adoption of WSDs. It is believed that this framework will also guide construction practitioners in the effective integration of WSDs into their work processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the boom of innovative technologies, information technologies in construction are getting enough attention, whereas construction technology implementation remains an undiscovered area. This paper explores the process of construction technology implementation, including the main activities, assessment criteria, and the mechanism through which it influences future technology purchase decisions. To achieve this purpose, 98 experienced practitioners from Australia and the United States were interviewed, and the process used by customers during technology adoption decisions was extracted in the form of thematic analysis. This paper presents an original framework including the key subprocesses of technology implementation describing the activities of customers and vendors, including operation commencement, maintenance set up, and assessment. In addition, the findings show that customers assess the implementation based on assessment criteria, including down time, interpersonal relationship, and technology operation quality. Comparison between the United States and Australia showed that rapport with the vendor is more important in large markets, whereas lead time and disposal are more important in remote markets. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge by validating a framework that incorporates both customer and vendor activities into a unique framework of three subprocesses. As for manufacturers, they can increase their competitive advantage by ensuring that their equipment has minimized downtime through swift provision of spare parts and maintenance information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Kyoto Protocol, many governments of the world have been trying to increase access to environmentally friendly energy. In this context, the U.S. government has reiterated the Administration's position that nuclear is an important part of its energy portfolio. However, because there has been a lull in new nuclear power plants constructed in the U.S. for over 30 years, the U.S. nuclear construction industry not only lacks experience in nuclear construction but also in the development of construction technologies for nuclear plants. This paper introduces the analysis of technologies adopted in constructing recent nuclear construction projects, and surveys the perceptions of U.S. nuclear experts on those technologies to develop a rubric for identifying established, emerging, and opportunity technologies for the U.S. nuclear construction industry. It is expected that this paper will provide a guideline for developing technologies, which can successfully deliver future nuclear power plants in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs seven input-output tables in the comparative study of long-term changes in new and maintenance and repair (M&R) construction technology in the US from 1947 to 1982. The 1982 table was made available in 1991. Input-output analysis is used to show the differences between direct and total input requirements of the two subsectors. Significant differences are reported in terms of backward linkage indicators and output multipliers, as well as direct and total requirements from the key industries supplying the two construction subsectors. As the share of M&R construction in total construction continues to increase, these differences in technology employed by the two subsectors will have an important effect on the national economy as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the input-output tables compiled since World War II in four advanced industrial countries — United States, Japan, Italy, and Finland — to analyse the role of construction in their economies. Several questions are discussed: How does the construction sector interact with other sectors of the economy? How does this interaction change over time? How does it differ from country to country? The paper first briefly introduces the input-output data and the indicators used for comparative analysis. For reasons of space, the historical values of these indicators are presented only in graphical form. Next, the paper compares the construction sector in the four countries in terms of their shares in gross national product and national income, direct and total backward and forward linkage indicators, and direct and total inputs from manufacturing and service sectors. Special attention is paid to changes in construction technology, that is, changes in the relative shares of manufacturing and service sectors in the input profile of the construction sector. For reasons of space again, the emphasis is placed on international comparisons, rather than on intersectoral comparisons. Finally, the main findings and directions for future research are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]