PROBLEM ON SITE CONSTRUCTION

1. Delay in Construction Industry

In the case study of our researches, we found out that the most common and frequent
problem in large construction projects is the delay in project delivery or completion.
Construction delay refers to the time overrun in completion or delivery of project beyond the
data on which parties agreed or project completion data specified. Whether the large construction
projects are simple or complex, in Malaysia we mostly see the construction delays. It is difficult
to analyze the delays, because there are many activities in the construction project. Moreover,
many noteworthy causes of delays such as: weather conditions, shortages of resources, shortage
of materials and equipment, financial difficulties faced by clients and contractors, poor contract
management and much more.

Table 1. Causes of delay in construction industry

Main Causes of Delay in Construction Industry

According to Mohd Azlan bin
According to our knowledge about the
No Athman, Project Manager of
Kesumas Project
Kesumas Sdn Bhd
1 Poor supervision and management Finance and payments
2 Unpredictable site conditions Poor handling of contract
3 Slow decisions Shortages of materials and equipment
4 Variations by client Inaccurate estimations
5 Variations of work Fluctuations in prices

According to Mohd Azlan bin Athman, Project Manager of Kesumas Sdn Bhd, the most
important causes of delay in construction industry are poor supervision and management,
unpredictable site conditions, slow decisions, variations by client, and variations of work.
Solution of the problem about Delay in Construction Industry

The following points can be applied by all parties in order to minimize and control delays in
construction projects:

Owner: should give special attention to the following factors:

Pay progress payment to the contractor on time because it impairs the contractor ability to
nance the work.
Minimize change orders during construction to avoid delays.
Avoid delay in reviewing and approving of design documents than the anticipated.
Check for resources and capabilities, before awarding the contract to the lowest bidder.

Contractors: should consider the following factors:

Shortage and low productivity of labor: enough number of labors should be assigned and
be motivated to improve productivity.
Financial and cash ow problems: contractor should manage his nancial resources and
plan cash ow by utilizing progress payment.
Planning and scheduling: they are continuing processes during construction and match
with the resources and time to develop the work to avoid cost overrun and disputes.
Site management and supervision: administrative and technical sta should be assigned
as soon as project is awarded to make arrangements to achieve completion within
specied time with the required quality, and estimated cost.

Consultants: should look to the following points:

Reviewing and approving design documents: any delay caused by the consultant engineer
in checking, reviewing and approving the design submittals prior to construction phase,
could delay the progress of the work;
Inexibility: Consultants should be exible in evaluating contractor works.
Compromising between the cost and high quality should be considered.
Finally, Architect engineer should focus on the following issues:

Producing design documents on time: A/E should set a schedule to complete design
documents on time, other-wise result in a delay of work completion.
Mistakes and discrepancies in design documents: They are common reasons for redoing
designs and drawings and may take a long time to make necessary corrections.

2. Water table typically rises at the site construction

The water table typically rises at the site construction on Prima, Klebang2 project due to
the location of site near to the sea. Just as the level in the rivers, ponds and lakes rise, the ground
water table rises. As more and more water filters down into the ground, the level of the ground
water table rises. Moreover area land of Klebang2 was dumped by the state government of
Melaka for housing purpose.

High water tables are not a big issue until the dig a hole for a foundation or a trench for
utilities. When the works dig down near the level of the table, water will fill the bottom of new
excavation. This creates two big problems relating to safety and quality.

First, when water enters an excavation it has a tendency to destabilize the sides of the
hole and cause cave-ins. Not only does this create more work for the company digging the hole,
but it also creates a dangerous condition for any workers down inside. There are typically no
workers in the house foundation excavation while digging, but they will eventually arrive to
install footing and foundation forms.

Cave-ins can also cause damage to occur to form work and drainage systems. If the hole
caves in while the foundation is in process, the dirt can crush forms, tools, and pipe. As a
mentioned above, each time a cave-in occurs, the dirt will need to be removed to resume work.
This can get costly when a backhoe and operator cost.

The other problem with water entering your foundation excavation relates to quality. If
the excavation is forming up the footings sure the area must be as dry as possible. The issue with
water under the footing forms for foundation involves the possible contamination of the concrete
mixture. Water and dirt create mud. If the mud gets mixed in with the concrete as it is placed, it
can lead to the weakening of the footings.

The other problem with water under the footing forms involves the possibility of
settlement after the hole dries out. Some soil types expand when mixed with water. If your
footings are poured on top of the expanded wet material, your footings may settle when the water
goes away. This can lead to future foundation problems.