In a recent article from Modular Building Institute (MBI) there was a very informed case made for using modular construction in big projects other than cost or time. Safety is also something that gets little press when it comes to modular but is a very important area that developers watch like hawks.
Here is the article from MBI:
With 721 construction deaths last year, safety is a critical
issue for builders. Of those fatalities, 251 resulted from falls, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
When using modular construction – the process of building a
facility in sections, offsite in a factory – the risk of a fall from a
significant height is drastically reduced.
fact into practice when it breaks ground in December on the tallest modular
building in the world, a 32-story modular residential tower at Atlantic Yards
in
substantially lower chance of having an injury from working on high-rise
scaffolding or frames.
AEC professionals agree that modular is a safe alternative
to traditional construction. A McGraw Hill Smart Market Report on Prefabrication and
Modularization indicates that, based on an internet survey of hundreds
in the AEC community, 58 percent of current modular users say that increased
project safety is a key factor driving them to use modular construction.
Forty-nine percent of modular non-users indicate that they would be likely to
turn to modular because of a safer construction site.
Modular boasts additional safety
merits throughout the building process:
Production
- Workers are not exposed to harsh weather and elements.
- Safety measures can be strictly imposed and are easy to
monitor in a factory setting. - The factory employs local workers who are accustomed to the
tasks they perform as well as the factory environment.
Installation and Site Work
- Fewer contractors and fewer deliveries reduce site
disruption. - Less time spent is at the construction site (30-50 percent
reduction). - Fewer workers are needed onsite.
End Product
- Safety is also an earmark of the end product of modular
construction. A government report on building performance after Hurricane
Andrew hit
in 1992 says that relatively minimal structural damage was noted in modular
housing developments.
“The module-to-module combination of the units appears to
have provided an inherently rigid system that performed much better than
conventional residential framing. This was evident in both the transverse and
longitudinal directions of the modular buildings,” the report notes.
In addition, because modular buildings – both commercial and
residential –must be built and inspected to the local building code,
traditional standards cannot be compromised.
For more information on this smart construction method,
please visit the “Why
Build Modular?” section of the MBI website.
