2. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE-BRE GUIDE
Every year defects in the UK construction
industry cost at least £20 billion to repair
or rebuild
Some of the defects are as the result issues
such as:
Poor communication;
Poorly detailed drawing;
Incorrect instructions or technical information
not being available on time;
3. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Meeting types and frequencies;
Method's of drawing transfer;
Use and control of revised drawings, or
unconfirmed drawings;
Reporting and tracking of defects;
Lack of knowledge in detecting defects on
time.
4. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE-DEFERNT PHASES
Phase-1 Communication on site
Who should accept and check deliveries of materials
to the site.
Employment of a site engineers, clerk of work,
supervisors or securities.
Setting their communication responsibilities and
methods.
Setting the authority of the Clerk of Works to instruct
operatives.
Communication with, and supervision of sub-
contractors.
5. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Drawing provision and distribution
The role of accurate drawings in producing
good quality work.
Careful attention must be paid as to:
how drawings are going to be produced;
Checked;
distributed.
6. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
The following points must be considered:
provide drawings as complete as possible;
at all relevant stages;
with high accuracy;
remove older version drawing immediately;
make sure everyone involved with the project
knows about the new version.
7. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
ensure drawings are adequately detailed,
and mistakes are all picked up before site
work starts.
The drawings with high presentation-could
be produced to help building work
progress smoothly. Drawings such as:
colour coded
by trade or element
laminated
small or large sized.
8. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
The correct level of information is needed on
any drawing, for it to be successfully built
from.
Where the drawings to be kept? It is going to
be in the site office?
How to prepare and return amended
drawings back to site as quickly as possible.
Is there a role for the manufacturers to help
prepare drawings?
9. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Single points of contact
Consideration should be given to appointing
defined, single points of contact at suppliers,
design offices and contractors.
This should help to avoid delays, confusion
and duplication of effort.
10. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Trade supervisors
Assuming that the size of the project requires
a supervisor on site for each trade.
This often brings benefits to the project
communication and the quality of build.
Ensure that the role of the supervisor links
with the project requirements.
Is the supervisor required only to schedule
work for the operatives?
11. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Or is he/she directly involved with "setting
out", examination of drawings and quality of
build.
To be effective, the trade supervisor must
have authoritarian style of management.
May be a problem as the position can be
considered as not bering "operative" or
"management".
12. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Phase 2: Pre-start meeting
The project manager should ensure that a pre-start or
"kick off" meeting is held.
There are several benefits to site communication
which may arise from such a meeting,
Including the following:
It allows people to get to know each other;
This is likely to lead to better communication and less
confrontational attitudes as the work progresses.
13. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
It provides the opportunity to decide on how
communication will operate through out the
organization.
It provides the opportunity to define points of contact
at each level.
It can be used to ensure that all people have the
contact details for every person working on the
project.
Ensuring all relevant people attend the kick off
meeting.
This may include:
project management team;
major suppliers.
14. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Technical literature and advice
Large numbers of best practice information
and documents are accessible on the
internet on:
Design
material selection
Construction
15. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
They are also available from a variety of
sources including the following:
Manufacturers
Construction site communication-guidance
British Standards Institution
BRE
MCIOB
RICS
ETC
16. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Building regulatory authorities such
as:
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister,
Scottish Executive;
Trade associations;
Insurance companies (e.g. Housing
Association Property Mutual
(HAPM).
17. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
National House Building Council
(NHBC));
Consultants and research
organisations (e.g. Building
Research Establishment;
(BRE), Construction Industry
Research and Information
Association (CIRIA)).
18. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Provision of technical advice
Arrangements should be made to provide
technical advice to site operatives. In
circumstances such as:
If there is a complex detailing to be built
Operatives are inexperienced;
New materials/products are in use;
Providing the best practice information
including the following:
19. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Introducing technical issues into the standard
induction procedures.
Sample panels and mock-ups.
Best practice posters on display (e.g. in the site
canteen, head office).
Manufacturers visit the site to demonstrate best
practice or new products.
Manufacturers visit design team to introduce new
products.
Supply operatives with relevant parts of good practice
guidance.
20. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Upwards feedback
Establish means by which
information can be effectively fed
back up through the formal
management structure.
Two key areas where this can be
particularly important are as
follows:
21. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
1. operatives to site office (e.g.
reporting on an incorrect drawing);
2. Site office to head office (e.g.
where an incorrect detail is
discovered;
3. this should be reported back to the
design office and the drawings
corrected).
22. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Project Meetings
The success of formal meetings (e.g. the
monthly progress meeting) is helped by being
structured, including the following:
Chairperson
Agenda
Set start and finish times
Minutes recorded.
23. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Keep people informed at all time.
Advice all people involved across
the whole construction project.
Take care and time with
communication.
Communication must be
"supported" (i.e. ensure that
someone given an instruction).
24. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Has the back up, resources and
knowledge to complete the task
properly.
Make sure the method of
communication used is the most
appropriate.
25. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Make sure the message is clear and all
people who need to know are informed.
Provide instructions as early as possible,
Do not assume that actions identified in a
memo, fax or e-mail will always have been
carried out.
Always follow up to see if the message is
received and followed,
Find a productive way to check if any one has
been forgotten to get the message,
26. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
Some sort of follow up or checking may
still be necessary.
Learn from previous projects that you
have been involved with where the
communication was either particularly
good or bad.
Learn from mistakes.
Suggest improvement and follow up.
27. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
New communication technology
The use of new technology to help
communication should be considered.
Consider full benefits of items such as:
1. mobile phones
2. two way radios
3. digital cameras
4. on site internet- on site and at the head office
intranet
5. e-mail
28. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
For example, drawings can be e-mailed
between the site office and the architect, as
can digital photographs of defects and
progress.
The internet can be used to access
information such as:
Building Standards
good practice guidance
documentation.
29. COMMUNICATION
ON SITE
On large scale construction projects the use
of project "intranet" systems has been shown
to be valuable.
These systems are based on project wide
access via a network of personal computers
to electronic ("virtual") project documents
such as:
Drawings
Specifications
correspondence.
