Prefabricated products include custom load-bearing walls, curtain walls, drywall shapes, and flooring.
Nearly every builder is experiencing at least a little coronavirus panic these days. Schedules and budgets are up in the air. No one knows how long this will last, who and what will be lost, or what life will look like on the other side.
Because construction serves fundamental purposes like creating structures we depend on and jobs we need to survive, the show must go on. But how? Here's some advice from one company who is setting the bar and staying ahead of the curve.
The Evolution of Prefab
The construction industry has seen an explosion of advances since the dawn of the 21st Century. Incorporating machines and robotics, creating stronger, lighter materials, and even simple things like streamlining communication processes have made planning and assembling buildings quicker and easier than ever.
While it's true that some contractors were slow to adopt prefab in the early days, current innovation has allowed it to keep up with and even surpass the usability of conventional building. The prefab of today reduces waste and worker hours and increases safety and productivity without compromising quality.
The 3D modeling program known as Building Information Modeling (BIM) is used for a highly controlled and efficient fabrication process that flows seamlessly from digital design, to steel stud manufacturing, to final assembly. Prefabricated products include custom load-bearing walls, curtain walls, drywall shapes, and flooring.
The Timeless Benefits of Prefab
Because each construction project is unique, the hurdles that cause project delays tend to vary. Factors such as sequencing of work, worker availability, site conditions and time constraints can all be alleviated with prefab by accomplishing much of the work off-site. This means the owner can occupy the building faster to start generating revenue.
Having less worker hours on-site also limits liability. In terms of insurance, this is a big win for owner-controlled insurance programs (OCIPs), which obviously subject the owner to most of the liability. It's also an advantage for contractor-controlled insurance programs (CCIPs) because the worker hours don't get counted against the program. Less worker hours also means less accidents and injuries.
In other words, prefab helps to mitigate a host of concerns.
"You don't have to deal with the weather," said Curt Johnson, director of business development of Bucks County, Pennsylvania-based Klover Prefab. "You don't have to deal with waiting for other trades. It helps control some of those things, as much as construction can be controlled."
COVID-19's Effect on Construction Safety
Klover is one of many manufacturing and construction companies adapting to a new world. The coronavirus has changed the way we work and play, but most striking is the way it's changing construction safety, the company said.
"None of us ever thought we would see such a thing [Coronavirus Pandemic] in our lifetime," said Tammi Talese, Klover's director of administrative services. "I still wake up some mornings thinking, ‘Is this even real?'"
Talese appreciates that OSHA is providing updated guidance often. They advise that, for the time being, in-person enforcement inspections will not take place unless there is a fatality or serious incident. Most regular inspections are to be handled completely online. However, OSHA makes it clear that compliance with standards is still an expectation, while acknowledging that with the current pandemic situation some elements may be challenging if not almost impossible, to meet.
As far as changes to the standards, infectious disease control standards have always been in effect, so OSHA directs companies to use the guidance that already exists. Much of the interim guidance specifically addresses the shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE.)
"We certainly have experienced the shortage with regard to the N95 masks, which is a typical item that we provide to our employees," said Talese. "We knew in January that there could be issues, so we placed an order. The face shields were something that we haven't been short on. When we ordered them, we might have been in front of the curve."
How Klover is Leading on Safety
Even before it became a buzzword, the workers in Klover Prefab's Quakertown, Pa., panel shop were "socially distanced." They saw the dangers coming and put protections in place. Still, there are a few work tasks that may require people to come into closer contact than the social distancing rule allows.
Klover has doubled up protection by using both a mask and a shield to ensure that the risk to its team remains isolated. Also, a lot of processes have been given to automation, such as band saw cutting, so workers are able to stay further apart.
Scott Evans, vice president of prefabrication for Klover, said, "Our safety committee has really gone above and beyond the requirements that the CDC lays out. Our original response plan was written and put into place around March 12th. Everyone here has already embraced the necessity of PPE in general, so they were receptive to taking it to the next level."
It's anticipated that even more stringent controls may be put in place to further improve safety as job sites continue to open. The more regulations are imposed on construction sites, however, the more inefficient the workflow. With prefabrication, it becomes possible to spread individuals over a wider area versus a more condensed space. Such distancing measures mean fewer workers on site, which equates to much longer timelines using traditional construction. Prefab allows for the maintaining of project schedules with minimal risk of exposure.
Additionally, in doing much of the assembly beforehand, many issues are being worked out remotely. This can mean working from the safety of home rather than sitting in a tightly confined group in a job trailer. Keeping in mind these many advantages, Evans said, "choosing prefabrication shows a level of responsibility in this time where limiting exposure is crucial."
Long-Term Implications of COVID-19
"Once treatment is found to handle the virus, there will most likely be some sense of being able to go back to normal operations," Talese predicted. "There will be a heightened sense for everyone about disinfecting, sanitation and PPE that might not roll back."
This is a time that calls for creative solutions. There's a learning curve to things like how to meet hand washing requirements if bathrooms are an acre away, and how to best deal with face coverings when they collect too much dust and dirt. Everyone must put their heads together now and figure out how to maintain the highest level of efficiency while adhering to the changes.
More than anything else, the necessity to change old habits represents an opportunity.
"For users of traditional construction materials and processes, comfortable with the way they've done things in the past and intimidated by change, here is a situation where you must change," Johnson said. "So, this is the perfect time to eliminate some of those previous barriers of entry, if people were hesitant because of a lack of knowledge and familiarity with the product."
For builders focused on closing in the structure faster to get other trades working inside, there is no better way to accomplish that than to use prefab.
Klover believes the industry is going to see a lot of trends coming out of the pandemic. Owners and contractors that give prefab a chance will most likely choose to continue with it once the wide array of benefits are witnessed in action.
The comparison is made to the Green Building Movement of the last two decades: "Everyone got LEED certification, and it really put sustainable practice into construction," Johnson said. "It changed the way that they approached what they were doing. Prefab is just one of the trends we're likely to see improve construction industry processes moving forward. This is another instance where doing good is also the right business move. This is an overlap: the concept of safety and the greater good both being served by the same technology."
For more information about Klover, visit www.kloverinc.com.
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