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Current research on mental health in the construction industry is fragmented, making it difficult to obtain a complete picture of young construction workers’ mental health conditions. This situation adversely affects research progress, mental health-care planning and resource allocation. To address this challenge, the purpose of this paper was to identify the themes of mental health conditions among young construction workers and their prevalence by geographical location.

The scoping review was conducted using meta-aggregation, guided by the CoCoPop (condition [mental health], context [construction industry] and population [construction workers 35 years old and younger]) and PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews) frameworks.

A total of 327 studies were retrieved, and 14 studies published between 1993 and 2022 met the inclusion criteria. The authors identified 13 mental health conditions and categorized them under nine themes. Mood disorders, anxiety disorders and substance-related disorders constituted the most researched themes. Studies predominantly focused on young male workers in the Global North. The prevalence estimates reported in most of the studies were above the respective country’s prevalence.

This review extends previous studies by focusing specifically on the themes of mental health conditions and giving attention to young construction workers whose health needs remain a global priority. The study emphasizes the need to give research attention to lesser-studied aspects of mental health, such as positive mental health. The need to focus on female construction workers and on homogenous sub-groups of young workers is also emphasized. The findings can guide future systematic reviews on the identified thematic areas and help to plan the development of interventions.

Promoting positive mental health is increasingly being encouraged as the focus of research and policies on the mental health of construction personnel. Most measures of mental health, however, typically use negative indicators such as depression and anxiety and are not specifically developed for the construction workforce, especially those with a Global South background. These limitations have made it challenging to measure construction personnel’s positive mental health. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to develop a scale for measuring the positive mental health of construction personnel with a Global South background.

Guided by Keyes’ two-continua model of mental health, the study objectives were addressed through a mixed-methods study using the case of Ghana. Qualitative data collected from eight key stakeholder groups using 16 interviews and two rounds of focus group discussions were analysed thematically. Quantitative data were obtained through a survey of 425 construction personnel and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis.

Thematic analysis revealed a four-dimensional structure of positive mental health, namely, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual. Confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis of the results indicated good instrument validity and reliability.

Existing measures of positive mental health are based on a three-dimensional model, i.e. emotional, social and psychological well-being. By including spiritual well-being, this study proposes a four-dimensional measurement model as a more comprehensive and promising measure to use in surveys of positive mental health among the construction workforce, especially those with a Global South background, and to develop suitable interventions for them.

The purpose of this study is to explore the motivations of governments for adopting unsolicited proposals for public–private partnership (PPP) project implementation.

A comprehensive review of literature was conducted to derive a list of motivations for adopting unsolicited PPPs. Subsequently, an empirical questionnaire survey was conducted with international PPP experts. Inter-rater agreement analysis, mean significance index and independent two-sample t-test were used for data analysis.

Results reveal four very critical motivations for governments’ interest in unsolicited PPPs; these include: “enhanced private sector innovation and creativity in PPPs”; “lack of public sector capacity to identify, prioritise and procure projects”; “lack of private investors’/developers’ interest in projects at remote areas”; and “rapid implementation of PPP projects”. Further analysis shows that developing and developed countries view the significance of three motivations differently.

The major limitation lies in the fact that this study only focused on the general motivations/rationale for using unsolicited PPP proposals and did not thoroughly examine and consider the inherent property of motivations (i.e. push and pull theories). Therefore, future studies should explore the “pull and push” motivations for adopting unsolicited PPPs within a specific country or region.

The research outputs inform international private developers of the key expectations of governments/public departments when submitting unsolicited PPP proposals for consideration by the public sector. Furthermore, the outputs will enable governments/public departments and private proponents to derive performance objectives and standards for unsolicited PPP projects.

The purpose of this research is to identify the conditions under which the internal environment of small construction firms makes them either develop or adopt an innovation.

The research described in this paper adopted a qualitative case study approach. The data were obtained from multiple sources such as face-to-face semi-structured interviews with company representatives and from project reports.

The study identified that firms’ decision to either adopt or develop an innovation is determined by a complex interaction between their internal environment and 12 different conditions. Some of the findings contrast widespread perceptions in broader literature on innovation development and adoption in small construction firms.

The study focused only on firms from two regions in Ghana. Additionally, adopting a purely qualitative approach meant that the quantitative impacts of the different factors were not presented.

The results can inform the decisions of agencies and persons wishing to invest their resources in innovation activities of small construction firms. It can also inform the policy debate and directions of government and industry associations looking to create innovation-friendly environments in the small business sector.

This research provides a better understanding of innovation development and adoption by small construction firms. Given that there is little previous research on innovation by small construction firms, especially in developing economies, the paper complements existing studies that generally focus on much larger firms and developed economies.

This paper aims to assess the perception of the Ghanaian construction industry of the performance of entry‐level building technology graduates. Also, other non‐technical skills or attributes expected from building technology graduates are to be compared with the actual proficiency of the graduates.

The findings in this paper are based on a series of interviews and structured questionnaire survey of randomly selected contractors and consultants in the Ghanaian construction industry.

The overall performance of the graduates was considered acceptable by the construction industry. However, much more needed to be done in “coordination” and “scheduling” of site activities by graduates who work as site managers, and in “coordination of site activities” and “issuance of site instructions” for those who work as project managers for contractors. There was a considerable gap between the expectations of the construction industry practitioners and the actual proficiency of building technology graduates in “initiative and creativity”, “practical building knowledge”, “ability to define and solve problems”, and other equally important attributes. The graduates, however, met the expectations of contractors in “computer literacy”, “communication skills”, and “interpersonal skills”, and consultants in “computer literacy” and “leadership capability”.

The results of the study enable entry‐level graduates to realize their deficiencies for continual improvement, and the training institution to develop training curricula responsive to the needs of the industry.

Even though results from this study generally show a disparity in the expected and actual proficiency levels of building technology graduates, as frequently reported in the literature, it provides a new insight into this problem by providing evidence to the effect that the problem is only manifest in some specific non‐technical skill requirements.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the likelihood of occurrence and degree of impact of the risk factors on construction projects within the Ghanaian construction industry.

A survey of randomly selected samples yielded responses from 34 contractors, 46 consultants, and 23 clients or owners (private and public) within the Ghanaian construction industry. Literature review is used to identify 25 relevant risk variables which were grouped into ten composite factors and then incorporated into the design of the survey instrument. Survey response data were subjected to descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA), and subsequently the exposure rating levels were determined, which enabled the categorisation of the probability‐impact scores in low, medium and high levels.

Results of this study indicate a disparity of the ranking of the degree of occurrence and impact among the groups. There was a statistical difference at the p<0.05 level significant for five out of 25 risk factors occurrences as follows: “construction methods”, “inflation”, “weather condition”, “ground conditions and contaminant conditions” and “poor communication amongst project team” and only one for the degree of impact scores for “price fluctuation”. Based on the composite risk factors, the financial and economic factors were found to be the most likely to occur and have the most impact on projects, whereas legal risk factor was found to be a low weighted risk, as it had the least likelihood to occur and the least impact score. The post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test also indicated differences between the contractor and clients in the ranking of construction methods risk variable, but no significant differences between contractors/consultants and clients/consultants.

Geographically, only respondents from construction organisations in the Greater Accra Region were considered, which limits generalization of the findings. The research did not also distinguish foreign from local contractors in the classification, as literature has shown that the perception of the degree of impact and likelihood of occurrence of risk analysis could also vary according to the degree of ownership.

The paper makes a contribution by exploring the degree of risk occurrence and its impact on construction projects within a developing economy and much lesser studied context. The paper provides insights on the perception of risk among construction professions in Ghana and it also provides some insights on the current levels of risk for foreign contractors wishing to operate in Ghana.

COVID-19 came as a surprise to the global economy and devastated many sectors worldwide, including the construction sector. Small construction firms are believed to be an engine of growth in many developing countries, including Ghana; thus, their survival cannot be trivialized. This study explored the impact of the COVID-19 on the businesses of the small confirms in Ghana.

A qualitative research approach was adopted for this study. Open-ended interview questions were distributed via email to 45 small construction firms (D3K3 and D4K4) purposefully selected. Thematic contents analysis was used to analyze 30 interview questions received.

This study has revealed that the COVID-19 has severely affected small construction firms in Ghana. Small construction firms are struggling in their finances; their cash flow/payments for work done are severely affected; they cannot secure contracts and management site efficiently. Their worker's productivity level has dwindled, which has subsequently escalated their project cost and completion time. These effects identified are significantly affecting the survival of these small construction firms.

The study included small construction operating in the Central, Western and Greater Accra regions of Ghana during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the findings may be applicable to construction sites outside these regions.

The implication is the COVID-19 pandemic hugely impacts the small construction firm's business operations. Therefore, they must be mindful of the new norm (COVID-19) and institute strategies to help them overcome the challenges and sustain their businesses.

The study gives insight into the effects of the COVID-19 on the businesses of small construction firms in Ghana and proposes strategies that they must implement to overcome their challenges and sustain their businesses.

The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of research into the levels of awareness, usage and benefits of risk assessment and management practices (RAMP) within the construction industry in Ghana.

The study was conducted through a structured questionnaire administered to 103 construction professionals practising with construction client (private and public), consultant and contractor organisations within the Ghanaian construction industry. The results were analysed to establish the current levels of awareness, usage and perceived benefits of risk management practices. Survey response data were subjected to descriptive statistics; subsequently, ANOVA and other non-parametric tests were used to examine the differences in the levels of agreement of the perceived benefits.

This study illustrates that although the majority of the respondents are aware of RAMP, some professionals found the process not to be formal. Relative to the benefits, there was a disparity in the ranking of agreement scores on two of the eight benefits among the respondents in relation to “product to the required quality” and “reduction in contract claims”. However, they all agreed on “improved team morale” as the most important benefits.

The research limitation of the study is that the cross-sectional data made it difficult to generalise the findings. Geographically, only respondents from construction organisations in the Greater Accra Region were considered. However, it is recommended that future work on RAMP be extended to cover all the regions of the country.

The findings of the study provide practical for organisations to measure the benefits and capture the awareness of risk management practices through the provision of a framework based on an index and scoring method. This can be used by senior management in assessing the current benefit levels within projects “internal benchmarking” and has potential for external benchmarking purposes. Furthermore, through education and training, both formal and informal process including more information and provision of expertise within RAMP could enhance the levels of awareness.

Little is known about the current levels of awareness, usage and benefits of risk management among Ghanaian construction organisations, and this study provides some insights and deepening our understanding on the uptake and perceived benefits of RAMP among construction professions in Ghana. These findings may help construction practitioners in having an increased awareness of risk management practices, and this can further lead to a higher uptake and usage resulting in reaping the advocated benefits of the implementing risk management practices such as achievement of project objectives of time, cost and quality, as well as enhanced decision-making processes.

The aim of the paper is to examine the challenges to the pricing of construction projects in the Ghanaian industry. This remains a persistent problem among construction stakeholders because price is the basis for which offers are made. Project stakeholders are always faced with challenges relating to effective and efficient pricing system making it difficult to achieve value for money.

Research data were collected through a questionnaire survey involving quantity surveyors in the Ghanaian construction industry. Data collected were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis which helped to reduce the factors into six components. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was further carried out to explore whether these six observed variables would form a latent variable called challenges to pricing of construction projects.

The paper highlighted six underlying challenges which were cost-related, managerial-related, quality-related, variation of works, poor understanding of the terms of contract and time-related. Strong and significant relationships were found between all six of the observed variables. A CFA confirmed that they formed a latent variable the authors called challenges to pricing of construction projects.

The findings clearly can serve as a reference for both developed and developing countries in the quest for finding an antidote to pricing challenges. In addition, use of CFA improves measurement of the constructs and thus enhances understanding of the underlying components of a construct and their individual relationship with pricing. The paper is particularly useful for policy making and industry regulation because it identifies some of the factors that need attention.

This paper presents an exceptional contribution to the construction management literature by concentrating on the factors that challenge effective and efficient pricing system in the construction industry.

Conflict between project parties is among the major risk factors in public–private partnership (PPP) in developing countries that has, in extreme cases, led to the failure or distress of many PPP projects. This paper aims to explore conflict prevention measures for PPPs in developing countries using Ghana as a case study.

From a comprehensive review of literature, a list of conflict prevention measures was derived; further, a questionnaire survey was conducted with PPP experts from Ghana. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance test, range normalization method and factor analysis were used for data analysis.

Results show four significant conflict prevention measures for PPPs in developing countries, they include extensive stakeholder consultation in decision makings, clear goals and mutual benefit objectives, clarity of roles and responsibilities of parties and transparent appeal procedures. Using the factor analysis technique, the prevention measures are grouped into three unrelated categories, they are efficient communication structure and risk assessments, transparency and openness and proficient service delivery.

The research findings inform policymakers and local practitioners of the strategic measures and procedures needed to minimize the occurrence of conflicts in PPPs in developing countries.