Adoption of Integrated Management System (IMS) by Construction Firms in Pakistan
Rohan Masood1, Babar Mujtaba2, Muhammad Ali Khan3, Tariq Ali4
1Rohan Masood, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan.
2Babar Mujtaba, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan.
3Muhammad Ali Khan, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan.
4Tariq Ali, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan.
Manuscript received on May 29, 2014. | Revised Manuscript received on June 05, 2014. | Manuscript published on June 30, 2014. | PP: 342-347 | Volume-3, Issue-5, June 2014. | Retrieval Number: E3250063514/2013©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Construction firms faced multi-faceted challenges to adopt standards due to unique operations in comparison with manufacturing firms having repetitive processes. Management systems (quality, environment and safety & health) in firms helps in development of standardized procedures and operations which are beneficial to get high performance on construction sites. Integrated Management system (IMS) is based on management system related to quality, environment and safety, which enhance the performance of firms and projects as well. This study aims to investigate the adoption and implementation of IMS in construction firms of Pakistan. Firms’ websites visited for evidence of ISO certifications and then online questionnaire survey was conducted for availability and status of ISO standards; level of implementation, alignment and integration; internal and external barriers in adoption of IMS. Results showed that adoption of IMS is very low among construction firms but firms having all certifications have effective IMS; level of implementation gradually decrease from top to low category of firms; for implementation internal barriers were found as lack of skill and training, lack of awareness and requirement of high effort; external barriers were inexperience consultants; insufficient driver and benefits and high cost of certification; external barriers are more significant than internal barriers. International standards certifications should be considered by engineering councils for registrations and should be legitimate by government through national and international bodies. These standards should also be considered during contractor procurement. Contracting firms should embed international standards in to organization management system to get maximum benefits and training of these systems should be essential part of employee growth.
Keywords: Integrated management system (IMS), International standards, Construction firms, Pakistan.