Prefabrication helps labour shortage and environment

Dec 7 2007 By The Journal

ONE way to ease the skilled labour shortage and the industry’s impact on the environment is to prefabricate the installation of mechanical and electrical (M&E) services.

Other benefits to using prefabricated methods of M&E services installation include the reduction of health and safety-related incidents, lower costs and easing the pain of delays.

In the past five years, we have seen a significant reduction in the number of reportable incidents on site. Often, these incidents are of a tripping or slipping nature, resulting in cuts. With prefabrication, the modules are assembled offsite, in controlled environments, reducing the likelihood of accidents.

With contractors becoming increasingly conscious of their carbon footprints and the need to reduce the amount of waste the sector creates, prefabrication can help. This stems from a reduction of deliveries to sites, fewer operatives travelling to sites and less packaging.

Many may believe prefabrication would be a more expensive method, but this is not necessarily the case as an increase in price can be offset by cost savings made from site storage and supervision reductions.

Additionally, design and prefabrication at a very early stage gives the contractor the ability to fix costs. However, it is important to note that this can only work effectively if the M&E contractor and consultant is involved at concept stage, ensuring costs and co-ordination are fully managed.

Additionally, using prefabrication means that, once on site, clients benefit from site operatives being productive 100% of the time, compared to the current rate of circa 70% when installing traditionally.

Using modularisation can halve the first fix element of a project. The units can be built outside of the main contract programme and, should the scheme be delayed, off-site assembly means that they can be stored until delays have been rectified. Once on site, it is then only a matter of installation and connection and commissioning. This approach also minimises disruption to the other trades on site at the time.

As more contractors switch to prefabrication and modularisation, the natural path will be standardisation of plantrooms etc, so clients benefit from variations on three types of system. This will maintain quality of systems and reduce damage caused by others, due to timely installation periods and protective packaging.

For SES, prefabrication and modularisation on a large scale has become the norm and we are now looking into passing this knowledge on to our subcontractors and down our supply chain so that eventually, the client sees the benefit of a joined-up approach.

If you are not already a prefabrication convert, you should be, but beware of the pitfalls. If you do not understand the potential cost of upfront engineering and detail, late design changes and not getting internal buy-in from your own company, you could be left with a much bigger headache.

For more information on Constructing Excellence in the North-East, contact regional director Catriona Lingwood on (0191) 383-7435 or catriona@constructingexcellence-ne.org.uk