Site activities
The use of steel enables the construction of buildings to be undertaken safely and rapidly with minimal waste and minimal impact on local communities. Click on the following for more information:
Consideration and respect for local communities
As-built cost and construction programme are key drivers in traditional construction.
Fast, reliable and predictable construction programmes save money and reduce local impacts associated with construction work.
Recent research has confirmed the speed and cost benefits of used steel as the structural frame in commercial buildings.
Off-site manufacture provides higher quality products that require less ‘snagging’ on site, leading to savings in both time and cost.
Off-site manufacture is not delayed by inclement weather unlike site construction work. Therefore by reducing the duration of site working, the risk of weather-related delays is minimised.
All steel products from sections to sandwich panels and modules are manufactured off-site.
Just-in-time deliveries of steel construction products reduces or even eliminates the need for on-site storage of products and materials. Not only does this improve site logistics but also reduces the risk of damage to products stored on site.
Rapid steel construction is achieved without sacrificing quality. Precision, off-site manufacture under factory-controlled conditions ensures that product quality is maintained and defects are minimised.
Steel construction is inherently safe. Steel construction products are manufactured under factory-controlled conditions that are inherently safer than working conditions on the construction site. Furthermore, steel construction products are manufactured using automated or semi-automated processes that are far safer than manual site operations.
On the construction site, steel products are quickly and simply erected. This limits the time that construction workers are exposed to the most common accident risks from trips and falls, falling objects and vehicle accidents.
Modern steel composite construction in which the steel deck acts as permanent formwork to the concrete is inherently safe. The steel floor decking provides a safe working platform for workers on that floor and protects workers below from falling objects.
Over-specification, damage to materials and components, off-cuts and defects cause significant wastage of materials on construction sites.
Off-site manufactured steel construction products are high quality products. They are delivered to the construction site to the correct dimensions and there is negligible site waste from steel products.
Most construction materials are relatively inert and therefore there is not a significant risk of pollution arising from most construction activities.
The construction industry is however responsible for a significant number of surface and ground water pollution incidents in the UK. Many of these incidents result from the use of cementitous materials in various ‘wet trade’ applications. Steel construction systems can reduce or eliminate the need for wet trades.
Building projects can have significant social and environmental impacts on neighbours to the construction site, particularly in congested urban areas. These ‘local impacts’ include noise, dust, surface water pollution and traffic congestion. The severity of these impacts is a function both of the form of construction and the duration of the project.
Steel construction has many attributes that lessen the impact on local communities:
- Steel construction is fast – minimising the duration of construction activities
- Steel construction is dry and dust-free
- Off-site manufacture – lessening the duration of construction and snagging activities
- Steel construction is relatively quiet
- Deliveries to site are fewer than for other forms of construction and can be made outside normal waking hours – lessening the impact on local traffic
Off-site manufacture is more efficient, faster and safer than site construction. All steel construction products are manufactured off-site.
Products manufactured off-site are of high quality with few defects. Off-site manufacture generates less waste and any waste generated is easily collected, segregated and recycled.
Off-site working also has social benefits over site working. A permanent and stable factory workforce benefits the local economy and encourages local community relationships. Furthermore, staff development is encouraged and staff retention improved.
According to 'Rethinking Construction', optimised use of off-site production will contribute significantly to most of the primary aims set out by the Egan report: decreasing construction time by 10 per cent, increasing predictability on project completions by 20 per cent, reducing defects by 20 per cent and increasing productivity by 10 per cent.
