ACTA TECHNICA CORVINIENSIS - Bulletin of Engineering

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ACTA TECHNICA CORVINIENSIS – BULLETIN of ENGINEERINGand loads, preventing water leakage, improvingspecifications and improving design clarity,details, and layout. The Oxford Dictionary ofCurrent English (1984) defines defects as ‘lack ofsomething essential, imperfection, shortcoming,failing. A defect is defined in ISO 8402 as thenon-fulfillment of intended usage requirements.It means lacking and not meeting the requiredstandard. A defect is present when there is adifference the required standard and the actualdelivered standard. The concept of Zero defectsare performance to agreed specification (Eaton,1996; Al-Mahade et al., 2008). It literally means100% error free. Is it attainable, or is it goodenough to achieve a certain percentage ofacceptable defects? The zero defects conceptbecame popular when Crosby a quality managerdeveloped a concept based on his beliefs thatproduct should be defect-free when delivered tothe customer (Harrington, 1998). This conceptwas neither a technique nor a methodology; itembodied an attitude that Crosby sought toinstill in every individual. It focused on anindividual’s commitment to always meet theengineering specification. Defects may appearas a building is constructed or after an elementof work is completed. In most standard forms ofbuildings contractors, there are usuallyprovisions that require rectification of defects bythe contractor at his own costs. The defectsLiability Period (DLP) is a period of a number ofmonths s stated in the contract, commencingfrom the day a project is certified practicallycompleted and handed over to the client (Sikan,2001). Defects in construction can result in verylarge costs. Even with minor defects; theoperations of a quality may be impaired,resulting in increased costs and delays.Generally construction industry players believethat to achieve zero defects in construction isnot possible. However it must be highlighted thatthe concept of zero defects in not only aboutachieving zero effects as an absolute goal, butalso generating a different attitude towardswork. It is about looking at projects from acustomer’s point of view and catering for theirneeds. It is about getting the work right the firsttime and delivering the project on time (Costain,1998). Application of the zero defects concept inconstruction is relatively new, especially inLibya. It is a subject of discussion in manyforums and researchers overseas and is beingimplemented to a certain extent in other parts ofthe world, especially in western countries andsome Asian countries like Malaysia andSingapore. However, defects occur eitherbecause of poor design or low qualityworkmanship or because the building was notconstructed according to the design or becauseit has been subjected to factors not followed forin the design. These causes may operate singlyor in combination and result in defects indicatedby changes in composition of materials in theconstruction itself; in the size, shape or weight ofmaterials or parts of a building; or simply inappearance. One of the many approaches thathave been devised to reduce this problem ofdefects in newly completed buildings is theintroduction of the zero defects concept. Thisconcept, which is generally synonymous withthe manufacturing industry has become thesubject of discussions in many forums, and hasrecorded laudable results in selecteddemonstration projects overseas. Therefore, theobjective of this study is to identify the level ofawareness of local industry players towards zerodefects in Libyan construction, to find out theperception of local industry players towards zerodefects. To study on the perception of localindustry players in achieving zero. This study isexploratory and analytical in nature. Thepurpose is purely to provide some conclusiveevidence on the construction defects in Libya.RESEARCH PROBLEMThere are huge amount of standards and codesavailable internationally. However, each isdesigned specifically to overcome regionalproblems. There are some common problemsfrom construction defects in homes andcondominiums. As home buyer, it is the bestinterest to at least be aware of the potentialconstruction defects that can occur in a home ora condominium (Steven, 2005). There are somecommon construction defect lists Al-Mahade etal., 2008. However, the following are descriptionsof some common problems arising from someconstructions defects in homes andcondominiums in Libya (GPC, 2006; Al-Mahadeet al., 2008): (i) Construction defects could be theresult of improper design or installationdeficiencies; and (ii) Construction defects couldbe due to substandard construction strategies,faulty workmanship inside and outside house,1062010/Fascicule 2/AprilJune /Tome III
ACTA TECHNICA CORVINIENSIS – BULLETIN of ENGINEERINGbad building materials, poor drainage systems orimproper soil analysis and preparation.RESEARCH METHODOLOGYAll the date and information was collected frombasically two sources. The first data sources arefrom published book, articles and journals, andinternet websites. Secondly, primary date to beanalyzed was collected from field researches,which are through questionnaires. Thequestionnaires were administrated over a periodof two (20 weeks and another two (2) weekswere used to collect and key in the data. Thisquestionnaire was distributed to 40 respondents,consisting of client’s developers, consultants andcontractors. The questionnaires were deliveredpersonally, sent out by fax and e-mailed to therespondents. From 40 questionnaires distributed,32 (80%) returned with completed answers. Datawas coded and transferred to the computer andanalyzed using the Statistical Package for SocialSciences (SPSS). The testing methods used wereDescriptive statistics.RESULTS ANALYSISFrom the responses gathered, it can be clearlyfigured out that the majority of respondentsagreed that the local construction industry isplagued with defective works, especially in lowcost and medium cost houses. Seventy ninepercent had answered 'yes' whist only theremaining 21% answered in the negative. Thiscorresponds with the increasing number ofcomplaints received by the Ministry of Housingand Local Government for the past severalyears. When questioned about what are the mostcommon defects often encountered in newlycompleted building? It resealed from that themost defects are cracks (70.7%) followed bydefects related to structural defects (14.6%) whiledefects related to water intrusion/damp andother defects were least selected (Table 1).However, cracks in building may appear inmany forms. Most cracks such as hairline cracksare not dangerous the appearance of a building.However, there are wide gaping cracks whichare not only eyesores, but also pose a danger toinhabitants.Thirty one and seven percent from therespondents selected poor workmanship as themajor cause of defects (Table 2). All therespondents grouping also indicated a largemajority for poor workmanship.Table 1. Illustrate the most common defects incompleted building in LibyaType of defersPercentagesCracks29 (70.7%)Defect related to waterintrusion / damp4 (9.8%)Detachment2(4.9%)Structural defects6 (14.6%)Table 2. What are the common causes oftenencounteredType of causesPercentagesPoor workmanship13 (31.7%)Poor supervision19 (46.3%)Inappropriate design /selection of materials7 (17.1%)Substandard materials2 (4.9%)The responded were also asked about theirsatisfaction with the overall quality of completedbuildings by their organization. However, themajority (43.8%) stated they were sometimessatisfied while the remaining 34.4% were satisfiedyes (Table 3).Table 3. Overall quality of completed buildings by theorganizations in LibyaType of causesYesSometimesMost of the timeNeverPercentages and Frequencies11 (26.8%)18 (43.9%)11 (26.8%)1 (2.4%)When asked whether the implementation ofquality programmes can help to reduce defectsin construction end products, 84.4% hadanswered 'yes', whilst only the remaining 15.6%answered in the negative. However, as results, itis clearly observed that a huge number of therespondents gave positive answers. Awarenessabout the zero defects concept in construction isnot relatively high because 44 % had answered'yes', whilst only the remaining 56% answerednegatively. When questioned ''are you aware ofthe zero defects house construction programmelaunched by the Ministry of Housing and LocalGovernment. The results of the survey showedthat the awareness of the clients. 54% hadanswered, ‘Yes’, whilst only the remaining 46 %answered in the negative. On the other hand,when we questioned '' Are you aware of theconstruction industry standard. Fifty six percentof the respondents were aware of these systemsfrom their responses to the above mentionedquestion. The respondents 80% surveyed2010/Fascicule 2/AprilJune /Tome III 107
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