Which Are the Wastes of Construction?

In the Toyota Production System, the seven wastes presented by Ohno have provided
understanding on the foundations of production management and guidance for action
for more than half a century. This list has been widely used also when the Toyota
Production System and its derivatives, like lean production, have been adapted and
diffused into other industries, such as construction. However, the seven wastes
originate from a mass production context and do not cover, for example, the design
stage of a productive endeavour, as it is commonly found in construction.
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of waste in
construction as well as to explore the potential of creating a list of wastes particularly
for this type of production. Such a list would be instrumental in creating awareness
on the major waste types occurring in construction, as well as mobilizing action
towards stemming, reducing and eliminating them. The discussion is structured by
analyzing the sufficiency of the classical seven wastes from a construction viewpoint
and by exploring alternative wastes in cases where the classical list is not found
adequate. It is anticipated that this preparatory discussion will propel the next stage of
research towards producing a list of wastes specifically for construction.