CENTRE OF STUDIES FOR QUANTITY SURVEYING

FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING, & SURVEYING

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (QSM 514)
SESSION: SEPT 2017 - JAN 2018

COURSE : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

COURSE CODE : QSM 514
SUBMISSION DATE : 6TH NOVEMBER 2017
LECTURERS NAME : DR SITI NORASNIZA AHMAD SEKAK

NAME : WAN HAZIQ AZRI BIN WAN MAHAZIR

MATRIX NUMBER : 2017488748
GROUP : AP224 3G

Task 1

Define the
Research
research
objectives
problem

Conduct
Research design
literature review

Data collection Data analysis

Drawing
conclusions and
preparing a
report

Define the research problem

The research process starts with a problem discovery (equivalent to identifying broad
problem area) through the use of an exploratory research technique or a combination of
several techniques, namely, secondary data, pilot study, experience survey and case study
(Mahmud, 2008). Choose a topic to make research to find out the problems and the solution
to the problems. A researcher problem is a question that researcher wants to answer or a
problem that a researcher wants to solve (Kumar, 2008). Formulating the research problem
begins during the first step of the research process. Based on the chosen topic, identify some
issue or main unanswered questions. Selection of research problem depends on several
factors such as researchers knowledge, skills, interest, expertise, motivation & creativity with
respect to the subject of inquiry. A good characteristic of a good research problem is it should
address a gap in knowledge. It should also be significant enough to contribute to the existing
body of research. A research problem that could lead to a further research also is part of the
characteristics.
Research of objectives

Research objectives are the goals to be achieved by conducting research. Different

type of objectives leads to different types of research design. The objectives of the study
should be clearly stated and specific in nature. Each sub objective should delineate only one
issue. Use action-oriented verbs such as to determine, to find out, and to ascertain in
formulating specific objectives, which should numerically listed. For quantitative study, this
section includes a statement for both of the studys main and specific objectives. The main
objectives of the study whereas the specific objectives identify the specific issues proposed to
examine. While in qualitative studies, the statement of the objectives is not precise as in
quantitative studies. In qualitative study, just mention an overall objective of the study as the
aim to explore as much as possible.

Conduct literature review

A literature review is defined as an evaluative report of information found in the

literature related to the selected area of study. The review should describe, summarize,
evaluate and clarify this literature. In this section, the literature review is of central importance
as its serves two main functions. The first one is it acquaints the available literature in the area
of study, thereby broadening researcher knowledge base. The other function is it provides the
information on the methods and procedures other people have used in similar situations and
tells what works and what does not. The aspects that cover in the literature review are an
overview of the main area under study, a historical perspective pertinent to the study area,
philosophical or ideological issues relating to the topic, trends in term of prevalence (if
appropriate), major theories (if any), the main issues, problems and advances in the subject
area under study, important theoretical and practical issues relating to the central problem
under study and lastly is the main findings relating to the main issues (Kumar, 2008).

Research design

A research design is a master plan that specifies the methods and procedures for
collecting and analysing the needed information. A research design provides a framework or
plan of action for the research. Objectives of the study determined during the early stages of
research are included in the design to ensure that the information collected is appropriate for
solving the problem (Kumar, 2005). The researcher also must determine the sources of
information, the design technique such as survey or experiment, the sampling method and the
schedule and the cost of research.
Data collection

Data collection is the process of gathering or collecting information. The gathering of

the data may range from a simple observation at one location to a grandiose survey of
multinational corporations at sites in different parts of the world. The method selected will
largely determine how the data are collected. There many devices used to collect the data
such as questionnaires, standardized tests, observational forms and laboratory notes and
instruments calibration logs.

Data analysis

Data analysis is the application of reasoning to understand the data that have been
gathered. In its simplest form, analysis may involve determining consistent patterns and
summarizing the relevant details revealed in the investigation. This section is often an arduous
section to write. Make it easier to write, read and understand the data analysis by using sample
charts and tables featuring data.

Drawing conclusions and preparing a report

One of the most important jobs that a researcher performs is communicating the
research results. This is the final stage of the research project. The conclusions and report
preparation stage consists of interpreting the research results and describing the implications.
These conclusions should fulfil the deliverables promised in the research proposal (Wallman,
2001). In addition, it is important that the researcher consider the varying abilities of people to
understand the research results.

Task 2

1. Factors affecting safety and health amongst workers in construction site

2. The usage of solar cooling to save the energy in a building
3. Equilibrium price modelling of an affordable housing in Malaysia
 Task 3 (a)

Author's Problem statements / Aim Objectives Methodology Findings

surname (year) Issues

1 Teizer (2016) Even voluntarily reported To investigate the critical To achieve such Right-time vs real-time The current state and
safety performance time window for pro-active automation and leveraging construction safety and development of existing
statistics by industry construction accident information that becomes health identifies three innovative initiatives in the
leaders that are assessed prevention and response. available at the right time major focus areas to aid in occupational construction
annually by the vs. real time the development of a safety and health domain
Construction Industry strategic, as opposed to are identi ed. A framework
Institute CII (2015) show tactical, response. for right-time vs real-time
that the real impact of Occupational safety and construction safety and
safety best practices health by design, real-time health presents the speci c
which can be much stricter safety and health focus on automated safety
than existing federal or monitoring and alerts and and health data gathering,
state safety rules education, training and analysis and reporting to
regulations hardly leads feedback leveraging state- achieve better safety
to further decreases in of-the-art technology performance. The
recordable incident rates. provide meaningful developed roadmap for
A valid question remains: predictive, quantitative and right-time vs real-time
how can the goal of zero qualitative measures to safety and health is nally
accidents in construction identify, correlate and tested in selected
and in any other eliminate hazards before application scenarios of
hazardous workplace workers get injured or high concern in the
environments be incidents cause collateral construction industry.
achieved? damage.
 Task 3 (a)
Author's Problem statements /
surname (year) Issues
2 Khosravi et al. Construction industry
(2015) continues to rank among
the most hazardous
occupation/industries due
to the unique nature of
activities involved and the
repetitiveness of several
field behaviours with rapid
economic development
and industrialization.
Within the construction
industry, the risk of a
fatality is 5 times higher
than manufacturing.
Occupational injuries and
fatalities within the
construction industry have
been associated with
considerable financial cost.
It has been estimated that
such injuries cost over 10
billion USD per year.
Aim Objectives Methodology
To investigate the To identify effective In this work, results and
empirical factors interventions on findings from 56 related
influencing unsafe construction sites previous studies were
behaviours and accidents investigated. These
on construction sites studies were categorized
based on their design,
type, methods of data
collection, analytical
methods, variables, and
key findings. A qualitative
content analysis procedure
was used to extract
variables, themes, and
factors. In addition, all
studies were reviewed to
determine the quality rating
and to evaluate the
strength of provided
evidence.
Findings
The content analysis
identified 8 main
categories are society,
organization, project
management, supervision,
contactor, site condition,
work group and individual
characteristics. The review
high-lighted the importance
of more distal factors that
may contribute to reducing
the likelihood of unsafe
behaviours and accidents
through the promotion of
site condition and
individual features (as
proximal factors)
 Task 3 (a)

Author's Problem statements / Aim Objectives Methodology Findings

surname (year) Issues

3 Mohammadfam Construction industry is
et al. (2016) still one of the most risk-
posing industries in the
world. According to the
statistics published by the
Health and Safety
Executive (HSE-UK), the
rate of fatal injuries in
construction sites was at
least two times higher than
in manufacturing industries
between 1980 and 2013.
Based on the National
Safety Council reports, in
comparison with other
industries, the highest
number of deaths was
reported in construction
sites.
To investigate the To identify the best The effectiveness of a new There is a significant
relationship between the possible ways to enhance incentive system was relationship between the
new incentive system and the safely-related assessed. One year after new incentive system and
the safety performance performance of employees the implementation of this the safety performance of
new incentive system, frontline employees. The
behavioural changes of new incentive system had
employees with respect to a greater positive impact in
seven types of activities the first 6 months since its
were observed implementation. In the long
term, however, safety
performance experienced
a gradual reduction.
 Task 3 (a)
Author's Problem statements /
surname (year) Issues
4 Mohammad & Fatality rates at
Hadikusumo workplaces in the
(2017) construction industry are
high compared to other
industries. International
statistics show that the
majority of fatal accidents
occur in the construction
industry (Aksorn and
Hadikusumo, 2007;
Mohamed, 2002; Sawacha
et al., 1999; Tam et al.,
2004). Similarly in Malysia,
184 fatality cases were
inspected by the
Department of
Occupational Safety and
Health (DOSH) among all
industries, according to
occupational accident
statistics in 2014. The
highest number, 72
fatalities, representing
almost 40% of total cases,
was recorded in the
construction industry
(DOSH, 2014). The
construction industry in
Malaysia is still incapable
of effectively tackling
Aim Objectives Methodology
To investigate the To identify the most This study was conducted
relationship between significant intervention- by distributing a
safety intervention related safety practices, questionnaire survey to
practices and workers which are to be the focus construction companies.
safety behaviour in handling safety The survey was randomly
management distributed, with a total of
198 responses received.
Exploratory factor analysis
(EFA) was conducted to
confirm three safety
intervention constructs.
Structural equation
modelling (SEM) was
performed to identify the
most significant
intervention-related safety
practices, which are to be
focus in handling safety
management.
Findings
Technical intervention has
a positive influence by
management and human
intervention. By focusing
on the technical
intervention with five
important safety practices
that are workplace safety
inspection, personal
protective equipment
(PPE) programmes, safety
equipment availability and
maintenance, safe work
practices and safety
permits, an improvement in
workers safety behaviour
can be achieved.
 Task 3 (a)
Author's Problem statements /
surname (year) Issues
5 Ismail et al. Construction is a complex
(2011) activity where various
stake-holders are present
working under constant
challenge by demands of
the job. Mehta and Agnew
(2010) indicated that each
job will have several of its
safety and risk factors,
requiring quality and safety
management systems to
be established. Several
risk factors including
organizational structure,
communication, clear
instructions, safety culture,
codes and standards,
training, leadership and
responsibility have been
suggested to have
influence on the general
safety at workplace
Aim Objectives Methodology
To investigate the To determine the most The study involved a self-
relationship between the influential factor administered three-part
influential safety factors contributing to the success questionnaire among the
and the level of awareness of a safety management workers and interviews
on matters concerning system as perceived by with the industry expert
safety the workers involved in brick-laying,
concreting and in related
assorted trades. Part A of
the questionnaire
concerned personal
particulars, part B involved
training and experience
and part C was based on
28 industry-accepted
safety factor elements
Findings
It was observed that the
most probable top priority
factor was the Personal
Factor with awareness as
the most probable priority
sub-factor. Other top
influential sub-factors as
perceived by the workers
were good communication
and positive groups. Safety
awareness and good
communication were the
results of strong
management support.
Task 3 (b)

Construction is a high hazard industry that comprises a wide range of activities

involving construction, alteration, and repair. Today, many owners take safety very seriously
and demand from contractors or subcontractors and slowly from the entire supply chain in
construction to provide excellent track records and safety management on their jobsites.
The commitment from management team plays a big role to provide safety practice to improve
safety performance of the workers (Teizer, 2016). Several risk factors including organizational
structure, communication, clear instructions, safety culture, codes and standards, training,
leadership and responsibility have been suggested to have influence on the general safety at
the workplace. (Ismail, et al., 2011). On the one hand, these employees are familiar with their
workplaces, the equipment, and machinery that they utilize; they are also supposed to be the
first persons who will recognize new hazards and potentially troublesome issues.
(Mohammadfam, et al., 2014). They are the ones who are most likely to be harmed if
something goes wrong and keen to find out suitable ways to protect themselves against
hazards. Therefore, health and safety management amongst workers in construction site is
important to be aware of.

There are reasons on why the incidents keep occurring in the construction site. One
of the factor that lead to accidents on site is individual characteristics. The characteristics
include attitude and motivation, age and experience, drug abuse, unintended acts, intended
acts, competency and ability, and psychological distress. Among all the investigated individual
characteristics, safety attitude and motivation, and age and experience showed moderate
evidence of positive association with unsafe behaviors and accidents (Khosravi, et al., 2014).
Workers are usually left unexposed to the safety requirement on sites. People who have
experience working in construction industry have a higher awareness compared to people
who have no experience in construction industry. The skill and knowledge applied by the
workers also related to the accidents on the construction site. Educating and training
construction workers for safety is required off and on jobsites, but largely undertaken through
frontal teaching and instruction of hazards. (Teizer, 2016). The green card system can help
to monitor the workers behaviour. According to this method, workers recorded and reported
their points about unsafe work conditions, near misses, minor accidents, and also their
proposed solutions on a single card and dropped it into the available boxes in their workplace.
(Mohammadfam, et al., 2014). Thus, essential training and a good merit system may be used
to shape the workers behaviour.

Next, resource factor which includes hardware and software are also one of the factor
that rise the accident rates. Themes such as unsafe condition, hazardous operation, unsafe
equipment, and bad weather had moderate evidence of positive association with unsafe
behaviors and accidents (Khosravi, et al., 2014). Construction workers need to be exposed to
the equipments and the operations on site. Safety equipment, personal protective equipment
(PPE) and any special requirements of the industry have to be adequately developed and
provided (Ismail, et al., 2011). First Aid equipment, hazardous equipment, fail-safe system,
and all other resource must be in place. PPE is equipment that will protect the user against
health or safety risks at work. It can include items such as safety helmets, gloves, eye
protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses. It also includes
respiratory protective equipment (RPE). Better design and application of equipment and
personal protective equipment (PPE) could contribute to higher equality of work. All of these
safety practices have been included in the technical level because they are more related to
the intervention of workers through the equipment, the environment, or systems. (Mohammad
& Hadikusumo, 2016). Therefore, one question that needs to be addressed is what factors are
behind the unsafe conditions of a construction site.

The last factor to be discussed is management factor. The Management Factor

includes leadership, vision, direction, statement of objectives, commitment, supervision,
safety analysis, and prevention planning (Ismail, et al., 2011). Safety leadership and safety
behaviour lead to a good communication and good at giving instruction and lead to a safety
behaviour among the construction workers. Safety leadership, management commitment and
support, management style, safety communication, competency, and review and feedback,
had high evidence of negative association with unsafe behaviors and accidents (Khosravi, et
al., 2014). The effectiveness of safety management systems that are performed in real
practice should be assessed by auditing. A safety audit provides managers with clear
information about the overall status of safety management performance (Mohammad &
Hadikusumo, 2016). Hence, it becomes easier to determine whether the current safety
programmes are effective. Without reviewing and implementing safety programmes, we will
be unable to create a safety culture for a long-term and/or short-term safety climate.

In conclusion, the fatality rate at workplaces in the Malaysian construction industry is

high. There have been tremendous efforts to strive towards zero accidents. Most safety
management research findings indicate that management commitment is the vital key
(Mohammad & Hadikusumo, 2016). Technologies in a reach of fingertips have been
developed which could help with this problem. New concepts to solve these problems will
likely need to use an interdisciplinary approach and utilise or adapt various tools from sensing,
data fusion, machine learning, behavioural factors and VR research (Teizer, 2016). Besides,
personal protective equipment also plays a major role in saving the construction workers life.
It is the most basic protection that can be provided even the other factors plays unaffectively.
It has been seen for many years in construction projects that employees do not use PPE,
despite the fact that most employers make it available for them (Mohammadfam, et al., 2014).
There must be a stop in the fatality rates during construction before construction be regarded
as killing.

Task 3 (c)

1. Research on construction companies considers that all the safety practices

implemented are under one roof as a safety management system (Teo and Ling, 2006;
Chan et al., 2004; Robson et al., 2007).
2. Ramli et al. (2014) conduct research on the industrial safety management of Malaysian
multi- national firms.
3. In this research, it is assumed that the quality of intervention is constant, following the
research by Shakioye and Haight (2010).
4. As Geller (2001, 2005) states, the research question refers to developing a guideline
for use by safety personnel in determining the appropriate safety behaviour
interventions for safety controls.
5. Thus, a research model based on management, technical, and human safety
intervention (Neal et al., 2000) affecting safety behaviour has been developed; the
research model by Robson et al. (2001) and Shakioye and Haight (2010) indicates that
technical and human safety intervention is influenced by management safety
intervention.
Task 4

1. Mahmud, Z., 2008. Handbook of Research Methodology. A simplified Version ed.
Shah Alam: University Publication Centre (UPENA), UiTM.

2. Kumar, C. R., 2008. Research Methodology. Kuala Lumpur: APH Publishing
Corporation.

3. Kumar, R., 2005. Research Methodology: A step-by-step guide for Beginners. 2nd
Edition ed. Kuala Lumpur: Sage Publications.

4. Wallman, N., 2001. your research project: a step-by-step guide for the first time
researcher. 1st Edition ed. s.l.:Sage Publications Ltd.

5. Ismail, Z., Doostdar, S. & Harun, Z., 2011. Factors influencing the implementation of
a safety management system for construction sites. Safety Science, Volume 50, pp.
418-423.

6. Mohammad, M. Z. & Hadikusumo, B. H., 2016. Structural equation model of
integrated safety intervention practices affecting the safety behaviour of workers in
the construction industry. Safety Science, October, Volume 98, pp. 124-135.

7. Khosravi, Y. et al., 2014. Factors Influencing Unsafe Behaviors and Accidents on
Construction Sites: A Review. International Journal of Occupational Safety and
Ergonomics, 20(1), pp. 111-125.

8. Teizer, J., 2016. Right-time vs real-time pro-active construction safety and health
system architecture. Construction Innovation, 16(3), pp. 253-280.

9. Mohammadfam, I. et al., 2014. Surprising Incentive: An Instrument for Promoting
Safety Performance of Construction Employees. Safety and Health at Work, Volume
6, pp. 227-232.