BUILDING SURVEYING
December 21, 2020
A Questionnaire Highlighting the Significance of Project Management
December 21, 2020
Learning about resource utilization means understanding how we can use things efficiently and not waste them. It's like figuring out the smartest ways to maximise what we have.
Optimizing resource use involves maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of available assets to achieve desired goals.
Introduction
The present report describes the site manager’s analysis of various construction operations. A site manager is a person who is responsible for the completion of a building or structural project.
Review about the Responsibilities of Site Manager of Project
His major responsibilities include commercial understanding of the project, reasonable cost estimates, time-saving and dealing with the stakeholders. In the preceding section, some aspects of construction operation are described.
Material & Activity Schedule
Usually, selection, as well as procurement of the materials, is based on the previous experience of the company. It is worthy to note that the availability of the material is linked with the duration of the activity for which it is being purchased. Therefore material anticipation in accordance with the activity planning is a very important task, and it is essential to ensure the availability of the material besides activity execution.
Following is a simple schedule for material that would help to avoid delays in the project.
Building Material and activity | Product -Name | Manufacturing body | Acquiescence with Applicable Building Guidelines & Codes of Practice | Details of Test or Assessment Report | Remarks/ Observations | ||||
| Accreditation body name | Report no. | Date of assessment report | Validity date | ||||||
| Activity (A): cement, slabs etc | |||||||||
| Activity (B): steel for the structure | |||||||||
This will be extracted and integrated with the primary site activity schedule as given below;
| Intended tasks | Week 1-2 | Week 3-6 | Week 7-8 | |
| Activity (A): Foundation works | ||||
| Related tasks breakdown of activity (A) | ||||
| Activity (B) Structural works | ||||
| Related tasks breakdown of activity (B) | ||||
Use of Building Material
Besides preparing a schedule for building materials against activities, another important concern is the usage of building materials (Cooke, 2011). It has been estimated that construction consumes 30-50% of raw materials, so it is significantly important to make effective use of building material that is environment friendly. Usually, there are three Phases of Building Materials usage, which are illustrated through the following diagram:
Figure 1: Phases of Building material
Following are some criteria which will strategies the use of building material in this project. All of these contribute to the sustainability of the environment, so all of them could be accommodated in this project.
- Pollution Prevention
- Waste Reduction
- Recycled materials
- Reducing energy utilisation
- Utilizations of natural-materials
- Construction-Waste reductions
- Treating waste and Conserve
- Avoiding the use of toxic materials
- Renewable-Energy utilisation and Reusability
- Recyclability enhancements
- Biodegradability factor consideration
Daily Report Sheets
It is an imperative job responsibility of the site manager to keep and update daily reports that could be rotated among on-site and offsite persons actively involved in the construction process, as these reports are helpful to make construction processes successful. Following are some reports that could be created and maintained.
1. Daily Record Keeping
It would be mandatory to keep documented evidence for daily work to ensure the quality of construction, which helps remove any activity hurting construction.
2. Daily Construction Report
Detailing containing a brief of daily construction activities along with supporting inspection data sheets will be produced.
3. Inspection and Testing Report Forms
Report forms related to inspections and tests will be produced against each activity completion and materials imports. The layout for these forms is based on the test or inspection type.
4. Record Drawings
Draft of record drawings that are required to submit to the construction manager will be timely prepared for approvals, and effort will be made to use state of the art systems such as BIM to integrate the record drawings with other project data
5. Control of Quality Records
Quality assurance record accuracy and maintenance of copies of all quality-related documentation will be maintained electronically as well as on paper.
Quality standards
Quality is the major concern of all stakeholders. Quality assurance (QA) is a process of activities to ensure that all entities fulfil the quality requirements. QA activities inspire stakeholders that everything is going fine and according to the quality requirements. Basically, quality control deals with the examination of a product, service, or process for specific levels of quality. The major objective is to eliminate those tools or services that do not satisfy quality control standards. If something goes wrong with the quality control process, then production could be ceased partially (Moufaddal, 2005)
Following are major concerns for controlling quality which will be much emphasised in this project
- Human resource management and training
- Materials and activity management
- Management of construction machinery and equipment
- Control of construction methods
- Environmental control
Needs of Site Occupiers
Site occupiers are those people who are affected by the construction process. Obviously, they have some imperative concerns when a site is used for construction. Following are some basic needs of site occupiers (Niemi, 2010), which will be accommodated in this project
- Noise
- Air Quality
- Contaminated Land
- Waste, Materials Handling, and Storage
- Water
- Sustainability and Preservation
- Light Pollution
Identify and Obtain the Plant
In construction, getting a suitable plant of appropriate size is a challenging task, so it is duty of the site manager to be familiar with types and plant sizes. The construction plant will be obtained as per the design of the project and in accordance with the procurement/finance contract or method.
Monitor Plant and Tool Use
Routine inspections in a construction project involve regular checks to make sure everything is being built correctly and safely. They help identify and fix any issues early to ensure the project stays on track.
Routine Inspection
It is essential that employers should recognise all identifiable hazards arising from the plant, including the transport, installation, production, hiring, use, repair, maintenance, storage or disposal of the plant. Risk assessment of plants and other tools is also required before starting work.
Following actions (Vázquez and Carpena-Ruiz, 2005) will be incorporated into this project;
- Identify suitable rollover protective structures
- Undertaking testing, repair and maintenance, along with periodic servicing
- Relevant legislation implications
Moreover, the following additional checks will also enhance the quality standard during this project;
- Daily checks: the general condition of the plant and tools
- Regular checks: inspection of plant and tools by a competent person
Work Within a Short-Term Program
Short-term planning provides a way to understand those critical aspects of site management crucial for production. Short-term planning accelerates management to do the following tasks (Cooke, 2011); hence the following will be undertaken in this project;
- Making decisions about processes and prioritise the task that is imperative for the progress with respect to contract
- Regulate the position with respect to labour, plant material and project information, including drawing specifications and instruction
- Assessing the performance standards, which are workmanship and quality given that have an influence on the project execution
Identify Health and Safety Hazards
In a construction project, health and safety hazards refer to situations or conditions that can harm workers or the public. These hazards include things like slippery surfaces, falling objects, and dangerous machinery, which need to be managed to prevent accidents and injuries.
1. Safety Hazards
Review the safety hazards listed below.
Plant Security
Security of the construction plan has always been a challenge for the company because it is one of the most complicated aspects of construction projects. Therefore, well-planned security schemes are extremely needed.
General Site Security & Fire Safety
It is essential to execute fire safety standards such that there is a minimum possibility of neglecting any standards.
Malicious Damage
There are plenty of chances that the incendiary’s deliberate intention could cause a fire. Therefore, it is worthy of reviewing the security arrangement because circumstances change often. The fire risk assessment will be added to the risk assessment plan.
2. Health Hazards
Working at Height
In mobility construction, there are more chances to work on height. Safety awareness training will be provided for employers who intend to work in high locations.
Moving Objects
Construction sites are equipped with moving objects, including lifting equipment, shifting heavy loads and supply vehicles, which are always threatening human life. Risk analyses will be undertaken for all such objects, and risk mitigation measures will be taken
Slips, Trips, & Falls
Extreme care of holes, uneven lands, and working at height will be as per the required safety standards
Noise
Extreme noise can cause permanent hearing problems that can lead to severe accidents. A noise risk assessment plan will be implemented to mitigate the impacts of noise on the construction site.
Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome
It is a well-known disease in those workers who have been working in poor safety conditions. To avoid this, specific mitigation measures will be undertaken in response to the risk analyses.
Collapse
Probably if it occurs due to malfunctioning of the building components or any other reason, it will be mitigated through standard operational practices
Respiratory Diseases
Construction sites can produce dust and toxic, hazardous materials, which cause lungs problem. (Alcumus Group, 2014). Proper control measures will be undertaken to avoid any such hazard
Organise Attendance
It is significantly important that attendance management should be part of the contract document. Attendance of contractor/subcontractors will be managed through smart cards, which the human resource responsible (or site foreman) for the project will be provided.
Implementation of Cost Control Systems
From the literature reviewed, it was observed that the success of a construction project much depends on the controlling cost for input components, including human resources, materials, machinery and money (Hendrickson 1998). It is imperative to ensure that the following four input components are well managed in this project so that cost is controlled as per the requirements (Mohamed, 2015)
- Materials
- Plant
- Labor
- Time-Cost Relationship
Following are the cost Control Techniques to be utilised in this
- Work planning and the materials imported as per the plan
- Periodic inspection of work and inspection of completed activities
- Project budget analyses after every activity
- Periodic Site meetings
- Record keeping Reports drafting
- Periodic evaluation of the overall project
Conclusion
As the Site manager, it is extremely important to analyse construction operations, highlight mal-functioning, and optimise all the construction processes. This report describes operational work that is essential in the construction of buildings. Overall, the present report provided the fundamental aspects of construction projects and how these will be managed.
References
Alcumus Group, (2014). Health & Safety Risks In Construction - | Alcumus Group. [online] Available at: http://www.alcumusgroup.com/top-10-health-safety-risks-in-construction/ [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016].
Adedeji, Y. and Taiwo, A. (2012). Sustainable Building Finishes Use of Renewable Standardized Wood-Based Material in Nigeria. AMR, 587, pp.134-138.
Cooke, B. (2011). Construction practice. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Designingbuildings.co.uk, (2016). Attendance for construction - Designing Buildings Wiki. [online] Available at: http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Attendance_for_construction [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016].
Iso.org, (2016). ISO - International Organization for Standardization. [online] Available at: http://www.iso.org [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016].
Moufaddal, W. (2005). Use of Satellite Imagery as Environmental Impact Assessment Tool: A case Study from the Nw Egyptian Red Sea Coastal Zone. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 107(1-3), pp.427-452.
Mohamed Hafez, S. (2015). Optimal Techniques for Cost Reduction and Control in Construction Sites. JHRM, 3(3), p.17.
Misronet.com, (2016). Construction Plant Acquisition & Finance. [online] Available at: http://www.misronet.com/construction-plant.htm#Hire_Purchase [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016].
Niemi, J. and Lindholm, A. (2010). Methods for evaluating office occupiers' needs and preferences. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 12(1), pp.33-46.
Vázquez, S. and Carpena-Ruiz, R. (2005). Use of perlite in cadmium plant studies: an approach to polluted soil conditions. J. Environ. Monit., 7(12), p.1355.
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