With construction taking place in a factory setting, the risk falling from heights after slipping on an icy service is greatly reduced through prefabrication.
Referring to a building where any sections are constructed off-site and assembled on-site, a prefab can only be described as modular if the primary components are built off-site. In 2011, 98% of all contractors surveyed, used some form of prefabrication during construction. Modularization continues to become more popular with benefits including a reduction in costs and time spent, but most importantly the creation of a safer working environment.
When 100s of professionals were surveyed online in 2011, 58% of workers already involved in modular construction said safety was the main reason for its’ importance. Some interesting examples are given, recognizing how prefabrication can prevent accidents occurring as a result of one of the Fatal Four. For example, as 90% of the building may already have been constructed off-site, a lot more on-site work can now take place at ground level. Falling from heights remains the number one cause of death in construction.
The chance of being struck by or caught in between objects will also be reduced if the required vehicles, machinery and construction equipment is not all stored on the same site. With less people working in an environment that is not overcrowded, more oxygen and a cooler temperature are other safety benefits that are always important to remember.
Some of the other benefits of prefabrication mentioned, include the amount of time and money that can be saved if weather conditions have made on-site construction unsafe. Also, the on-site procedures such as excavation and drainage that can still take place on-site while the building is being constructed off-site.
Including case-studies, some of the main subjects focused on in this eBook, are:
- How prefabrication and modularization can improve workforce safety
- The prevention of the ‘fatal four’ through offsite construction
- The other benefits of offsite construction, saving time and money.