Identifying Pile Installation Risks Using Principal Component Analysis

Construction activities in Saudi Arabia have surged due to Vision 2030 programs, driving a widespread transformation. However, the pile construction sector still faces significant time and cost overruns, negatively impacting all stakeholders. Few studies have assessed the risks of pile installation by linking qualitative data on the time and cost of pile installation. This study aims to identify and investigate the critical risks affecting the timing and cost of pile construction projects in Saudi Arabia using principal component analysis (PCA). A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify the most common risk factors. Two questionnaire-based surveys were administered to construction experts to assess the likelihood of occurrence of each risk, which was classified into ten groups. Subsequently, for each group, PCA was applied to determine each component’s local risk coefficient and eigenvalues. Subsequently, the components and values of the groups were collected and utilized as input data to apply PCA at higher levels to compute the group coefficients. Finally, risk weights were computed and ranked. The main results revealed that construction and equipment risks were the two most significant groups. Alternatively, the risks in the insignificant group were external political and government risks. The three most significant risks were inefficient workers causing rework and waiting time, slow down and/or failure in logistics facilities, and inefficiency in pouring concrete. The study findings are expected to enhance decision-making capabilities by comprehensively understanding the factors influencing pile foundation projects, enabling effective scheduling and robust control measures.