Influence of Sustainable Construction Practices on Labour Productivity in Building Projects in Abuja, Nigeria
Abstract
The relationship between sustainable construction and labour productivity is increasingly important in project delivery, yet the two concerns are often assessed separately in developing construction markets. This study examined the association between sustainable construction practices and perceived labour productivity in building projects in Abuja, Nigeria. Sustainable construction was operationalised through four measurable domains: environmental resource efficiency, sustainable site operations, workforce safety, and institutional and market support. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among registered builders, quantity surveyors, architects and civil engineers involved in building-project delivery. From an accessible population of 728 professionals, 258 respondents were proportionately allocated across the four professional strata, and 232 usable questionnaires were returned, representing an 89.9% response rate. Mean scores, ranking and simple linear regression were used for analysis. Improved site safety recorded the highest adoption (mean = 4.32), followed by waste reduction and management (mean = 4.18) and environmentally preferable materials (mean = 4.05). Poor site safety, inadequate training and unfavourable working conditions were the leading perceived productivity constraints. Sustainable construction practices were positively and significantly associated with labour productivity, R = .432, R² = .187, adjusted R² = .183, F(1, 230) = 52.84, p < .001. The model is interpreted as a gross predictive association rather than a causal effect because productivity was self-reported and project-level controls were unavailable. The findings support the integration of safety, training, waste control and worker welfare into production planning, while future research should verify the relationship using output-per-labour-hour records, broader occupational samples and multivariate or comparative designs.