Abstract:
The construction industry has been cited to have a multiplier effect in the
performance of any economy. It is necessary to make the industry more efficient and
effective in terms of better utilization of resources and the most important resource
includes labour among others. Lack of archival information on labour productivity in
Kenya has made planning and production estimation on construction sites difficult.
The overall objective of the study was to establish the significant factors that affect
labour productivity on construction sites. Ranking the factors that affect construction
site labour productivity; assessing factors of labour productivity in the key trades of
construction process; and evaluating management factors that can enhance site
labour productivity would produce planning and estimating data that assist site
labour productivity. The prioritization of the factors which affect productivity in
labour intensive construction would be used as guide to onsite labour management.
The research design used in this study was the survey methodology. 140 contractors
from categories NCA4, NCA5, NCA6 and NCA7 were targeted for sampling. These
categories of contractors were chosen because of their capacity to execute medium
size construction projects and they are the ones who are mostly involved in labour
intensive construction. The survey achieved a 70.72% rate of return. Questionnaires
and interview schedules were used to collect data for the study using stratified
sampling procedure. The results were presented in tables and pie chart diagrams. The
findings indicate that lack of training, work planning and scheduling were the factors
which were ranked highly as affecting labour productivity. These factors can be
improved through skills training, work planning and scheduling. Further, monitoring
work during implementation was found to be a key management strategy for it
improves site labour productivity. The study recommends that policy makers should
enhance project scheduling techniques and put in place strategic management
structure that can enhance labour productivity. Further, NCA should come out with a
rule on archival records so that construction works can have reference back-ups.
Key words: Construction industry, Construction sites, Labour productivity, Factors
of productivity, NCA.
