Authorities: The authorities that have jurisdiction over building and property management in a site are: law enforcement authorities like the police, and guards, fire authorities, legal authorities, municipality of the site’s location regulating the construction process, and health and environment authorities.
Site Management Plan: The construction manager prepares the site management plan in accordance with municipality regulations of the site. The plan is drafted before operations begin on the site and reviewed on daily basis by the supervisor. The contents of the plan include:
- Project details
- Emergency procedures
- Site hazard profile
- Statement of responsibilities
- Worksite inspections
- Plant and equipment register and checklist
- OHS training and competency
- Site safety rules
- Traffic control
- Site diary and report
- Construction checklist
- Drawing register
- Defects request letter form
- Practical completion form
- Extension of time and progress claim
- Site start claim
- Sub contract payment record
- Site inspection report
Site Preparations: in site preparation, the procedures included here are soil testing, site plan design, zoning restrictions, and environmental concerns. A surveyor analyses the topography of the site and the soil filling every details in a site report. After site assessment the construction plan is made to adhere to municipal regulations and brought before zoning approval boards before permission for construction. The construction manager will then walk through the site marking trees that are to be fallen and those left behind before construction start in accordance with the construction plan. Then the trees are fallen using a bulldozer or a hired grader.
Amenities and Site office: The amenities that are required are toilets with proper flashing system or an excellent sewage system, changing rooms, Medicare room, kitchen or canteen, and a lounge/ dining room. An information site office is required where workers check in and records kept.
Goods and Material Handling: The rule of procurement is through a tender where the interested party pays a minimal fee in obtaining the tender form. Applications are processed in a month and the successful contractor to supply materials is identified. When goods are delivered on site they are manually taken to a site store. Heavy goods are taken to the store using trolleys and cranes.
Goods storage and Transportation: The site for storage of goods should be well lit, clean, dry, secure, and spacious. Place for storing dangerous goods like chemicals should have a hazard/ dangerous sign while goods that should be kept dry like cement be signed “NO WATER.” Goods to be removed from store should be correctly checked through the inventory checklist to prevent wastage and theft. Goods should be packed securely in preparation of transportation from site. At the destination, they should be checked for infringement and a feedback given through a delivery note.
Plant and Equipment: All plant and equipment in the site are to be stored in a central store that is near the working area. The subcontractors rules on plant and equipment is that: noise should be kept at a minimum; equipments to be used carefully, responsibly and stored properly after use; workers to sign against their names when they use the equipment and when they return them; and licensed operators to only operate specialized machinery.
Site Security: The construction site should be properly fenced and on guard all day. At night security light should always be on and all doors locked. Construction workers have access to the site only during the day, and at night specific personnel are to be given access to certain areas depending on their department. The specific personnel are to be cleared by security team.
Job scheduling: schedule for jobs is created on a weekly basis by the supervisor with personnel knowing a week ahead of what duties they are to accomplish. In case of delays or changes due to uncontrolled circumstances, then the worker has to notify the supervisor who then alters the schedule after consulting with the worker to fill the schedule position. A confirmation of the changes is done through the site notice board that is at the site information office.
Job Costing: Actual costs of the job are done on a quarterly basis by the accountant. They are reviewed on a yearly basis in preparation for the annual statement. When there are overruns to the original estimate then the management has to sit down and come up with cost cutting strategies or withdrawal of certain costs during job costing.
Site Meetings: Meetings are to be conducted in the site office and they should be about hazard notification, OHS training procedures, and briefings. They are organised by the construction manager with the supervisor being the secretary. The meetings are organised to be twice per week and the attendants are workers (casual and permanent), site manager, contactors, administrative staff, and subordinate staff. Documentation of the meetings is done by the secretary who writes minutes, prints, and files them. Every meeting begins with each person being served by the minutes.
Safety Issues: According to the municipal health policies, workers and visitor in the site should always wear a hard protective helmet with an overall. Visitors should wear attires that are different in colour to workers for easy identification. The actual safety processes are:
- In case of an accident, everyone is to be quickly forwarded to the sites Medicare room for first aid.
- Hazardous areas should be clearly marked and fenced
- Equipments should be operated with specialized personnel
- Access areas should be clear and wide enough
- All PPE should be available, clearly stored and in good working condition
Sub-contractors in the site are expected to account for the PPE in the site, record injuries in the injury list, and make sure that the latest safety measures are implemented.
Site Documentation & Job Management: The major documents in the site are site diary, inspection checklist, site report, subcontract payment, business documents, and safety documents. All documentations are to be well kept in a fire proof cabinet in the site’s office. Once the project is complete, the job file is clearly marked and taken to the municipal authority to authenticate everything and then the contractor stores it safely for future references.
Site Inspections: The inspections done are hazard, health, construction, and environmental. The inspector who is a municipal employee is accompanied by officers from health and environmental authorities. The inspection findings are recorded in a site inspection report that is to be analysed at the municipal authorities.
Waste disposal during construction and site clean-up: Plastic bins supplied by the local environmental agency are to be used and located at strategic positions in the site. Hazardous wastes like chemicals are to be stored in pits situated far away from the construction area. Wastes are to be sold to recycle dealers who would recycle the materials. The waste is to be removed from the site on a weekly basis.
Environmental Controls: Environmental controls in the site should be: making sure that workers wear ear plugs in noisy environment; keeping noisy machines far away from construction site; making sure that waste bins are properly closed; lining refuse bins with plastic bags; skips placed along public roads; anti-mosquito oil and stagnant water applied to stagnant water in accordance to schedule; proper storage of food in cabinets; silt control measures; and air control measures.
Quality Assurance: High quality of materials is ensured through proper storage and maintenance procedures in accordance to quality standards. Proper record keeping is essential for goods entering and leaving the site. Procedures to be done during construction should be properly documented and followed specifically. The essence of quality assurance is in proper documentation, and record keeping, therefore every procedure from start to completion must be recorded and filed for future reference.
Rules relating to the subcontractor: Before construction commences the documentations that must be properly put in place are design drawings, waste management reports, geo-technical assessments and traffic reports, and environmental effect statements. A building construction certificate together with a site start letter is then obtained from the local council to allow for construction to begin on the site.
