A typical construction site is a lot different than the average office workspace. For one, workers are primarily working outside, which creates all sorts of organizational hurdles since there may not be a morning agenda email blast. Add in expensive tools and equipment, contract and temporary workers, tight deadlines, material expenditures, and potential workplace injuries, and it’s easy to see why organization on a worksite isn’t always that simple.
An unorganized construction site leads to inefficient work processes and a higher likelihood of dangerous accidents. An example of this could be a crew that does not have a specific area for where they put back tools once they are done using them. Instead, workers just set down the tool and move on to their next task.
That may not seem like a big deal, but problems arise when the lack of organizational standards goes across a whole crew. Maybe someone trips on a loose hammer and scrapes their elbow, which certainly isn’t a big deal, or maybe they step on a discarded nail gun and puncture their foot and sue your company. It may not be as serious, either, like if a wheelbarrow is misplaced and the crew has to spend time looking for it when they could have been working.
Even the seemingly small organizational error of leaving a tool on the floor can result in slower workflow or a workers’ compensation headache down the road.
With all that in mind, consider these four organizational tips for construction sites.
Bluetooth Equipment Tracking
Losing heavy equipment on a worksite is no fun. This problem typically happens with working in remote areas, and when it does happen it can be a real pain in the backside. If a project is stalled because of a lost bulldozer, then you better find it because that land won’t flatten itself.
Bluetooth equipment tracking sets come with several key fob-sized beacons and are linked to the server by a gateway device or a smartphone app. It can also be used for valuable tools like jackhammers, concrete saws, and power generators.
Once the main Bluetooth equipment tracking device comes in range of the beacons, it receives the machine’s up-to-date position data so you can quickly find it. Bluetooth equipment tracking generally does not provide the exact location of a machine, but many services share latitude, longitude, and date information so it is easy to locate.
Daily Meetings
Make sure your crew knows exactly what they need to do each day. A great way to do this is with morning and end-of-day meetings.
Gather everyone up in the morning and communicate what the goals are for the day so everyone is on the same page and assign specific tasks to certain workers. It is also a good opportunity to remind the crew about particular points of emphasis and safety concerns.
End-of-day meetings can be used to review how the day went and discuss the crew’s level of progress on the job. If the crew did not reach their goals that day, it can be used as an opportunity to talk about what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future. Either way, end-of-day meetings are a good way to regroup and focus on the next day’s goals.
Use Inventory Check Sheets
One reason why construction site can be disorganized is when workers don’t know exactly what is in stock and what is not. Inventory check sheets help keep everyone on the same page for what is and isn’t available.
Workers can use these sheets to record every possible tool, component, or equipment that is accounted for when they leave a jobsite. Project managers can also highlight which tools are used for specific jobs when creating the check sheets.
The crew that leaves confident that everything they need is in their vehicle will spend less time looking for those items later on and more time being productive.
Schedule Regular Clean-Ups
It’s hard to stay organized if things aren’t getting cleaned up on a regular basis. A great way to solve this issue is by regularly scheduling cleanups so debris and excess materials don’t get in the way and slow down progress.
Leaving construction waste to sit around on the jobsite can be a safety hazard as well. You don’t want a worker to leave early for the day because they accidentally banged their knee on an unused piece of lumber sticking out of a pile of junk.
Limit how often the construction site is completely messy by having your crew conduct daily or weekly cleanups. If that does not work for your crew, many construction sites use waste removal services to clear out an area, which could be something worth investing in.
Conclusion
Pretty much every business thrives with more organization and construction is no different. With high material costs and a changing labor force, thorough organizational processes can lead to more profitability on the margins and ensure a safer overall work environment.
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