Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Learning From Incidents To Reduce The Risk Of Drowning In Swimming Pools: Implementation Of Experience-Based Feedback Regarding Near-Misses In Four Public Facilities In France, Élie Vignac, Pascal Lebihain, Bastien Soulé

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The prevention of sports accidents must rely on a detailed knowledge of accident circumstances and risk factors. Today, very few studies have investigated in depth non-fatal drowning incidents that have occurred in public swimming pools (PSP). Learning from incidents seems likely to advance the knowledge of accident scenarios. This research study aimed to capture minor incidents that might identify safety lessons and preventive measures. Incidents of minor and major aquatic events were collected from four PSPs that had hosted 700,000 bathers per year. About 800 incidents and 300 aquatic rescues performed by lifeguards were recorded within a time frame of …

The Impact Of Project Delivery Methods On Dispute Occurrence In Public Highway Projects, Samaneh Nasrollahi, Ghada M. Gad, Alan Atalah

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

The construction industry is a complex and competitive industry in which different participants with different expertise, talents, and levels of knowledge work together to achieve their objectives and complete a project. Sine different participants with different interest involve in a construction project, therefore, conflicts arise and become inevitable. Conflicts in projects will cause an adversarial environment which result to disputes. Hence, if conflicts are not well managed and resolved in a timely manner, they quickly turn into disputes, which prevent the successful completion of the construction project, in terms of cost and time, and increasing the potential for poor project …

Cost Effective Manhole To Pipe Connection, Utkarsh Shekhar

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

The manhole to the pipe connection is an important part of the sewer system. Any problem in the seal connecting the manhole to the pipe results into either inflow of ground water into the sewer system or outflow into the surrounding environment. The inflow of ground water on one hand increases the volume of wastewater being sent to the wastewater plant and on the other hand, the outflow leads to the contamination of the surrounding soil. Hence, the durability and longevity of the manhole to the pipe connection is crucial.

The manhole to the pipe connection generally fails due to …

Developed Pipe Bursting Specifications Using High Density Poly Ethylene (Hdpe), Manoj Mohanraj

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

Pipe bursting is a trenchless method for replacing old deteriorated or under sized pipe by fracturing or splitting. Earlier published pipe bursting specifications do not completely cover the current state of the art and without proper allocation of risks. Specifications are set of written instructions given by the owner to the contractor. The developed Pipe Bursting specification with HDPE will help the owners, contractor, and engineers to carry out a successful burst timely and economically. In this research study, sixteen specifications from various sources were collected. Various agreements and disagreements among these specifications were identified, analyzed, and considered while developing …

An Introduction To Environmental Value Engineering (Eve) And The Eve Assessment Of Horizontal Directional Drilling (Hdd) Versus Open-Cut Construction, Lameck Mairura Onsarigo, Alan Atalah, Wilfred Harold Roudebush

Alan Atalah

The wastewater collection and water distribution systems in the United States are deteriorating at an alarming rate. The ever-growing need for rehabilitation and replacement of these systems led to the birth of a research program by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Innovation and Research for Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century, which focused on addressing the water infrastructure needs. There is a need to responsively manage energy and environmental resources, which calls for the use of evaluation tools to compare competing alternatives with a view of adopting the most environmental friendly alternative. This paper gives an overview of the …

Analysis Of Horizontal Directional Drilling Construction Risks Using The Probability-Impact Model: A Contractor’S Perspective., Lameck Onsarigo, Simon Asinor Adamtey, Alan Atalah

Alan Atalah

All projects are subject to risks that have both a direct and indirect effect on the project cost and time. The risks vary from project to project because of the unique nature of each project. It is important for the project management team to include risk management as an integral part of their project planning and execution. Risk management strategies should be incorporated in every phase of an HDD project to ensure that the project meets the required quality and safety standards, and that the project delivery is within cost and schedule. This paper takes a look at Horizontal Directional …

Cypress Construction Inc.: Scheduling And Estimating Quandaries For Small Scale Residential Builds, Thamar Alsayyar

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

This study evaluates the particular scheduling and estimating challenges faced by Cypress Construction Incorporated, a small, privately owned residential construction company based in Baltimore, Maryland. The study, via the usage of primary data collection in the form of personal interviews and site observations, determines the nature of the scheduling and estimating functions conducted by Cypress Construction Inc.’s owner This data is then analyzed to ascertain why the scheduling and estimating functions of Cypress Construction Inc. are unique to the firm and are in need of amelioration. Furthermore, the study includes a literature review to compare the experiences of Cypress Construction …

Improving Enrollment In The Construction Management Graduate Program Through Students’ Perspectives, Mouloud Messaoudi

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

Low enrollment and the decrease in graduation and retention rates are challenges facing the growth of the Master’s in Technology Management – Construction Management (MTM-CM) program at BGSU. In addition, the competition between the universities to enroll and retain more in-state, out-of-state, and international students is aggressive. There is a need for a revaluation for the MTM-CM program in order to attract more students in the future. This study is a necessary step to know what the MTM-CM students think about the product delivered to them at BGSU. There was no prior study investigating the satisfaction level of the construction …

Impact Of Prevailing Wages On The Cost Among The Various Construction Trades, Alan Atalah

Construction Management Faculty Publications

In 1997, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 102 which established the Ohio School Facilities Commission as a separate agency to oversee the rebuilding projects of the public schools in Ohio. The bill also exempted the construction contractors from paying prevailing wages on these projects on the hypothesis that this exemption would lower the construction cost. The purpose of this study is to investigate this hypothesis through the statistical analysis of 8,093 bids received from the years 2000 through 2007 for the schools’ construction. Union contractors who paid their workers union wages and non-union contractors who did not pay prevailing …

Comparison Of Personality Traits Among Estimators, Project Managers, And The Population, Alan Atalah

Construction Management Faculty Publications

The intuitive hypothesis that Construction Management Professionals (CMP) must have a high level of people skills implies that they should be different than the population at large in terms of people skills. In addition, estimators do not deal with as many people as project managers; therefore, they may not have/need as high of people skills as project managers. This paper tests these hypotheses through the analysis of 47 personality traits of 102 experienced applicants for construction management positions and compares this analysis to the traits of the overall population. The analysis suggested that (1) CMP were significantly different from the …

Design And Construction Cost Of A Water Line Underneath I-75 In Bowling Green, Ohio, V. Goduto, Alan Atalah

Construction Management Faculty Publications

The City of Bowling Green, OH operates a water distribution system that delivers high quality water. The system operates optimally in a grid system; larger, “trunk water mains,” are installed in a grid pattern on the outer limits of the system with smaller lines branching from the larger lines. Almost all the residential, industrial, and commercial areas in Bowling Green were originally limited to the west side of I-75. However over the past few decades, these areas grew on the east side of I-75. Two 24” water mains crossed underneath I-75 at the central and south part of the city …

Case History Of Microtunneling Through A Very Soft Soil Condition, Alan Atalah

Construction Management Faculty Publications

Waikiki Public Bath Force Main Replacement Project consists of 1,037 m of 400 mm force main that carries the wastewater from the Public Bath pump station to a gravity sewer on the Kuhio Avenue. This force main transports wastewater underneath Kalakaua Ave, very close to some of the most expensive real state in the world. This area is the heart of Waikiki beach, and it is full of beach resorts, five star hotels, shopping, etc. The soil strata can be described as 2.50 to 3.00 m deep of beach sand on top of half a meter of a very hard …

Current State Of Wireless Information Technology In The Construction Industry In Ohio, Alan Atalah, Aaron Seymour

Construction Management Faculty Publications

Construction projects are increasingly getting complex and fragmented in nature, yet contractors persistently face shortened project durations and reduced budgets. Timely delivery of accurate and reliable information among all project participants is critical and important because information is the foundation upon which decisions are made and projects are estimated, planned, monitored, and controlled. Recent developments in technology promise to introduce efficiencies that were not previously available to the industry. This study seeks to identify the current state of wireless information technology through the analysis of quantitative data from a web-based survey that represents the views of the respondents on the …

Comparison Of Union And Non-Union Bids On Ohio School Facilities Commission Construction Projects, Alan Atalah

Construction Management Faculty Publications

In 1997, the Ohio senate passed Senate Bill 102 which established the Ohio School Facilities Commission as a separate agency to oversee the rebuilding projects of the public schools in Ohio. To lower the construction cost, the bill exempted construction contractors from paying prevailing wages on these projects based on the hypothesis that this exemption would save the Ohio tax payer 10.7%. Many other studies concluded that these savings would range from 1.5 to 26%. The purpose of this research was to investigate this hypothesis through the statistical analysis of 8093 bids received for the schools’ construction from the years …

The Current State Of Wireless Information Technology Among Employers Of Bowling Green State University Construction Management Students, Aaron Seymour

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

Successful implementation of wireless technology in the construction industry has the potential to streamline the building process and improve the service that is delivered to the owners of projects. A need exists for improving access and transfer of digital communication and documentation, regardless of the time or location. Recent developing trends in technology promise to introduce efficiencies that were not previously available within the industry. This study seeks to identify the current state of wireless information technology among employers of Bowling Green State University Construction Management students. The research design analyzed quantitative data from a web-based survey that presented results …

A Model Of Housing Design And Neighborhood Planning In Abuja - Nigeria, Ekanem Amba

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

The need for shelter is one of the most important necessities for mankind after sustenance. Over the years, the term ‘shelter’ has undergone series of modification either in shape, space, location or the materials used in constructing them but one thing remains the same; the need for a roof over one’s head is as vital to survival as time in itself.

A Carbon Dioxide Comparison Of Open Cut And Pipe Bursting, Akshay Joshi

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

This study focuses on the environmental aspect of the underground utility construction methods namely open-cut and pipe-bursting. The research is aimed at determining the CO2 emission due to the use of construction machinery as well as the excess CO2 emission due to the obstruction to traffic during the construction process. A Gravity sewer project in Bowling Green, OH was used as a case study. Open- cut method was implemented on this project and for the purpose of this research the pipe-bursting method was simulated. A 5100 feet long, 8 inches diameter pipeline was considered at a depth of 10 feet …

Environmental Value Engineering (Eve) Comparison Of A Usgbc Leadership In Energy And Environmental Design (Leed) Window System And Non-Leed Window System, Simon A. Adamtey

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

ABSTRACT

The need to explore environmentally friendly materials to avoid the depletion of the nonrenewable resources is very significant. The human race has been heavily dependent on nonrenewable resources since the industrial revolution. The rate of consumption of these resources is higher than the rate at which these resources replenish themselves since it has been established that most of these resources take millions of years to replenish. A critical look into the future reveals that there is a looming resource crisis since these resources are being depleted.

Fossil fuel combustion is linked to the increase in CO₂ in the …

Environmental Value Engineering Assessment Of Horizontal Directional Drilling And Open Cut, Lameck Onsarigo

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

There has been a growing concern over the rate of deterioration of wastewater collection and water distribution systems in the United States. The ever-growing need for rehabilitation and replacement of these systems has led to the birth of a research program by the United States Environmental Protection Agency focused on addressing the water infrastructure needs. This program-Innovation and Research for Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century-lays emphasis on research focused on system rehabilitation. There is a marked change in the way that the public view the environmental needs with ‘green’ becoming ‘the new gold’. Man has been blamed, and rightfully …

Ground Vibration Associated With Pipe Bursting, Alan Atalah, Paul Hadala, Ray Sterling

Construction Management Faculty Publications

Pipe bursting is a trenchless pipe replacement technique that offers advantages of low cost, reduced surface disturbance, and the ability to replace an old pipe with a new pipe of equal or larger diameter and capacity. Concerns about the use of the method have centered principally on the ground movements and vibrations produced by the technique - particularly when existing pipe is being replaced by a larger diameter pipe- and also on any damage experienced by the replacement pipe as it is being pulled into the ground. These concerns motivated the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) to conduct a research project …

Determining United States Construction Management Aspects To Be Introduced To Construction Management Education In China, Jun Liu

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

The following study describes the current status of China's Construction Industry, highlights its educational system, and identifies the main constraints that restrain the construction industry from assuming a more effective and efficient role in China's impressive economic development.

This study outlines the problems existing in China's construction educational system. Through analyzing United States construction management education, and comparing it with China's construction education, the advantages of the United States construction management education are determined, and recommendations are made to improve China's construction education.

Estimating The Required Jacking Force, Alan Atalah, David Bennett, Tom Iseley

Construction Management Faculty Publications

The process of estimating the required jacking force to jack a pipe through the ground was, and still is, an art requiring much experience and good judgement. Many factors and risks affect the determination of the jacking force. This paper is an attempt to use civil engineering techniques to rationalize and compare methods for estimating the required jacking force. Four of these methods are summarized and used to estimate the jacking loads on a job completed in Staten Island, New York. The actual and predicted results are compared.

The frictional resistance values estimated based on Terzaghi 1 s silo theory …