Developing a tool to assess and enhance the workers’ understanding of lean concepts in construction.

Abstract

In order to reap the benefits of Lean Construction, construction companies should integrate, empower and enable all the personnel involved in the construction process whether on or off site. However, construction workers need to be trained about lean construction concepts and principles. The purpose of this paper is to develop a tool to assess and enhance the workers understanding of Lean concepts in construction. In this study, the lean construction concepts are categorized into eight main areas: planning and control, standardization, pull production, wastes, kaizen, site organization, quality and safety. A lean construction worker knowledge profile was formulated based on the aforementioned categories. This profile encompasses all the knowledge, information, and lean background that a construction worker should distinguish, utilize and harness on the construction site. This lean profile formed the basis for a survey done on different construction sites in Lebanon. It allowed us to understand the weaknesses of construction workers. Out of the eight categories, construction workers lacked the required acquaintance in pull production and wastes. As a result, training exercises and games are recommended to instill lean construction concepts in the everyday behavior, practice and job performance of construction workers.