Abstract

The effect of the use of illicit drug substance abuse by artisans on construction sites cannot be underestimated. Therefore, this study assessed the cost of on-site construction waste (CW) generated by artisans involved in alcohol, substance and drug abuse (AASA) across 6 building trades (carpentry, masonry, plumbing, tiling, iron bending, and electrical wiring installation) in Adamawa and Taraba States located in the north eastern part of Nigeria. Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) method was employed to estimate the proportion of AASA in each building trade in eight building sites in each state. Descriptive statistics (frequency) was employed to analyse data on costs of CW generation by AASA on sites. Chi square and ANOVA were used to test hypotheses. Results revealed that the counts of AASA do not depend on the sites or trades; the cost estimate of CW generation is significantly different across trades. Carpenters had the highest total cost value of CW generation representing 36.99% from both states, followed by masons (30.97%) and iron benders (12.11%). The least estimate of CW was generated by tilers (9.83%). It is recommended that site managers and contractors should educate their workers on the cost repercussions of substance abuse on construction waste like financial waste, poor and more rework.

Key Words: Construction waste, Costs, Substance abuse, AASA