Citation

Edmonds GA. Proc. IRCOBI 1975; 3: 105-124.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1975, International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In an effort to develop and implement labor-intensive methods, the feasibility of using such methods was assessed in 4 case studies in Iran, Thailand, Nepal and the Philippines. The study in Iran applied the concept of Social-Cost Benefit Analysis to the evaluation of technical choice in road construction. The study in Thailand was an attempt to make a cost comparison, using accounting prices, of alternative methods of constructing gravel roads, while the Nepal study was more concerned with the organization, management and choice of technique on 5 major road projects built with the aid of 5 donor governments. These studies all indicate the viability of labor-intensive methods in road construction. Attention is called to a Manual on the Planning of Labor- Intensive Road Construction which provides a framework within which labor- intensive techniques can be equitably assessed both from a technological and economic standpoint. The manual also describes the organization and management of labor-intensive projects, an inventory of such techniques, detailed methods of data collection and the role of design in the choice of technique.