Productivity of Concrete Placement by Dumpers in Nigeria

<p>The impressive economic growth rate of Nigeria is weakened by towering poverty statistics attributable to low productivity on construction sites. While in-situ concreting operations are important to the construction industry, labour productivity is often crudely estimated or lumped together irrespective of placement method. This research aims at investigating the effects of site productivity factors in the most prevalent mechanized concrete placement method in Nigeria with a view to optimizing its usage. To achieve this objective, data involving 26 concrete pours extracted from a total observation of 167 concrete pours on Lagos building construction sites were analyzed using the multiple regression method. The results which were subjected to optimization analysis using the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet package indicated that major productivity increases could be achieved with efficient scheduling of dumper concreting operations. Further research into the effects of other productivity factors using simulation modeling is recommended to establish optimal situations for a wide range of operating conditions that can be used to provide estimating and planning information for planning engineers on construction sites.