RELATIVE IMPORTANCE ANALYSIS OF VARIABLES INFLUENCING CONSTRUCTION SITE LAYOUT PLANNING FOR SECURITY AND CRIME PREVENTION

Purpose: This paper investigated the variables influencing construction site layout planning for effective site security. Construction sites are fraught with security and crime risks. To secure the site decisions have to be made on the best layout option on the location of facilities, road network, and access and exit points. A proactive site layout planning can increase productivity, efficiency, security and profitability.

Design/methodology/approach: Survey research method was adopted for the study. Copies of questionnaire were administered on construction/site managers involved in various sizes of construction projects in Akwa Ibom State. A total of 15 variables identified in the literature were evaluated using relative importance index (RII). The analysis also involved the ranking of the values (highest to lowest) of the different variables according to the relative importance indices.

Findings: The results showed that grouped location of facilities, security evaluation, perimeter control measures, access control, positioning of objects for clear lines-of-sight and strategic lighting are the most important variables (ranks 1 – 6 respectively) in construction site layout planning for security and crime prevention.

Research limitations/Implications: The paucity literature on site layout planning for security was a limitation to the study. To overcome this, the study combined variables from Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) with site layout planning variables to produce a set of variables for site layout planning for security and crime prevention.

Originality/value: The paper concluded that security and the efficiency and effectiveness of labour and materials management for optimum productivity could be compromise by wrong location and placement of materials laydown areas, plant and equipment, offices and storage facilities and poor access to materials and work areas. It recommended the use of rule-based design checking system to assist human judgement on decision making by designers and construction managers.