Construction project managers (CPMs) of contractors experience a great deal of stress. In this study, the authors used job burnout as a core indicator of the chronic psychological stress of CPMs. Based on the job demand-resource model, a theoretical framework was proposed to investigate the causal path of job burnout of CPMs, especially the role of organizational justice. A questionnaire with a presurvey was developed referencing various psychometric and organizational behavior scales. Then, in 2017, a survey was conducted throughout China through face-to-face interviews, e-mails, and an online questionnaire system. The validity of the measurement was tested with confirmatory factor analysis, and the hypothetical model was validated with structural equation modeling. Subsequently, 14 mediating effects and 2 moderating effects of organizational justice on job burnout were identified. The results showed that different organizational justice dimensions have different pathways in the causal chain of job burnout of CPMs. Temporal and spatial injustice was most prominent and led to exhaustion of CPMs. Through mediating paths, distributive justice had the most significant impact on the cynicism and low professional efficacy of CPMs, while procedural and interactional injustice resulted in their exhaustion. In addition, procedural and interactional justice buffered the impact of job stress on job burnout.

In recent years, prefabricated housing has become increasingly popular and widely promoted due to its potential to improve the construction environment, quality and productivity. To develop prefabricated housing and address housing challenges, the Chinese government is encouraging prefabricated public housing. Consequently, evaluating the environmental performance of prefabricated public housing to identify whether it is environmentally friendly and worthy of investment is urgently needed. This paper compares the costs and benefits of prefabricated public projects and traditional projects based on a questionnaire and field investigation. The paper introduces information from the collected questionnaires on the respondents and projects in Beijing; this information includes the prefabrication rate, technology application, barriers, and industrial performance. The paper also reports a cost-benefit analysis of the changing rates of construction costs and environmental benefits (energy consumption, water usage, construction waste, steel and concrete usage, dust and noise pollution) by using the ∆B/∆C ratio to show the efficiency of prefabricated housing. The results indicate that the ratio is 1.81, which exceeds 1; therefore, investment in prefabricated public housing is environmentally acceptable and efficient. This paper also discusses the efficiencies in different categories and structures with and without incentives. The results show that the costs are higher and the environmental benefits are efficient but not significant; thus, promoting prefabricated public housing is necessary.

Noise produced by construction activities has become the second most serious acoustic polluting element in China. To provide industry practitioners with a better understanding of the health risks of construction noise and to aid in creating environmentally friendly construction plans during early construction stages, we developed a quantitative model to assess the health impairment risks (HIA) associated with construction noise for individuals living adjacent to construction sites. This model classifies noise-induced health impairments into four categories: cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbance, and annoyance, and uses disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) as an indicator of damage. Furthermore, the value of a statistical life (VSL) is used to transform DALYs into a monetary value based on the affected demographic characteristics, thereby offering policy makers a reliable theoretical foundation for establishing reasonable standards to compensate residents suffering from construction noise. A practical earthwork project in Beijing is used as a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model. The results indicate that construction noise could bring significant health risks to the neighboring resident community, with an estimated 34.51 DALYs of health damage and 20.47 million yuan in social costs. In particular, people aged 45–54 are most vulnerable to construction noise, with the greatest health risks being caused by sleep disturbance.

Purpose: Although prefabricated construction (PC) technology has attracted considerable attention worldwide because of its significant role in the global fight against COVID-19, market-driven adoption is still limited. The mechanisms for PC technology adoption have yet to be defined, which inhibits its diffusion in the construction market. This study aims to reveal the intrinsic motivation and action mechanism for PC technology adoption.Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), the study integrates characteristics from the diffusion of innovation theory to propose a multifaceted model for explaining practitioners’ PC technology adoption behavior from technology, organization and environment contexts. The proposed theoretical model was empirically examined via a survey of 234 professionals in mainland China using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling technique.Findings: The outcomes indicated that relative advantage, corporate social responsibility and market demand are significantly positively related to practitioners’ perceived usefulness from PC technology. Regulatory support and trading partner support have noticeable positive effects on practitioners’ perceived ease of use from PC technology. Perceived ease of use is found to positively influence perceived usefulness, and both of them have a positive influence on the attitude toward adopting PC technology. Attitude is further confirmed as an important predictor of adoption intention, which would lead to actual PC technology adoption behavior.Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to explore industry perceptions toward PC technology adoption, providing valuable guidance for the effective diffusion of PC technology and laying a reliable foundation for research on other construction innovation adoption in post-COVID-19.