Picking up where we left off last week, prefabrication also mitigates risks when it comes to workers’ safety on the jobsite. Not only do factory-based modular methods stand to protect employees from substantial injuries and loss of life when compared with run-of-the-mill construction sites, but the de-risked option can also lessen insurance costs for general contracting firms.
Ensuring safer working conditions
According to OSHA’s “Construction Focus Four” training, each hour pulled off-site and done in the factory at ground-level virtually eliminates fatalities from falls and from getting caught between hazards. With 39.2% of construction deaths related to falls and 5.1% of construction fatalities related to crushing, the single-level, pre-fab factory floor is indeed a safer place to build.
As well, by reducing the number of floors where employees are working, coordinators and managers can have a better picture of employees’ movements and faster respond to a potential hazard. Modular methods also require fewer hands on deck than the traditional jobsite, and fewer employees mean there’s less chance of an incident. And, all prefabrication takes place in a fully controlled and sheltered setting, creating an environment free from dangerous, rain-slick floors and merciless overhead sun.
Potentially lowering insurance costs
Since injuries are less common in the modern modular factory, workers’ compensation claims can similarly decline. General contractors no longer have to shoulder the costs of lost work time or medical and rehabilitative care, and they may even see their workers’ comp premiums increased. The American Society of Safety Engineers further calculates that the “indirect costs of injuries may be 20 times the direct costs — Indirect costs include: training and compensating replacement workers; repairing damaged property; accident investigation and implementation of corrective action; scheduling delays and lost productivity; administrative expense; low employee morale and increased absenteeism; poor customer and community relations.”
Building professionals are becoming increasingly aware of pre-fab’s insurance savings potential thanks to testimonials and insurance brokers who spread the message that de-risking the jobsite can lower contracted insurance programs. If you’re going the modular route, simply ask your broker about opportunities to save.
Big wins for all
With pre-fab, everyone stands to benefit, from the workers on the assembly line who feel safe and protected, all the way to the GC and owner who can count on modular building for significant cost-savings. Want to learn more about the added value of a de-risked jobsite? Contact us at: [email protected].