Every year many sites are razed down by fires. Fires can cause major losses on site or even lead to loss of life. It is for this reason that fire prevention measures need to be explored in order to reduce the dangers that could be caused by a fire outbreak. In a construction site fire safety should be considered from the onset of the project and is a process that should be constantly implemented
In project management safety is a key aspect in ensuring that projects are successful. Fire safety is of major concern especially when working with combustible materials. In Fire safety two major aspects form the preparedness to deal with fires one is availability of firefighting equipment to deal with fire outbreaks. The second is fire prevention measures taken to stop or reduce outbreaks. The latter is given more precedence to reduce damage and possibly avert the danger of having major losses in sites. Timber although not classified as a flammable material when ignited lead to a rapidly spreading fire.
The three fundamental elements that combine to start a fire are shown in the figure below.
Figure 1: Elements that combine to start a fire
For most application all the three elements are present. The missing link is normally the ignition of the materials. It is therefore very important to determine possible ignition points and materials in order to reduce the risk of fire outbreaks. This can also be identified and a firefighting equipment be placed in close proximity to this.
It is important to find the classification of the fire risk for proper planning. A house constructed with timber is classified as Class A fire. The following represents the different classifications of fires.
|
Class of Fire |
Description |
|
Class A: |
This are fires of items that are normal combustibles such as clothes, papers, trash, and wood etc. |
|
Class B |
This are fires involving flammable liquids and/or gases such as methane, propane and petrol |
|
Class C |
This are fires caused by energized electrical components. For example electrical wires |
|
Class D |
This are fires that involve metals such as sodium, aluminum and sodium fires. |
|
Class K |
This fires involve animal cooking fats, or vegetable oils. They are especially common in commercial kitchens. |
Table 1: Class of Fire and Description
Different classifications of fires would involve different fire fighting methods to effectively manage the fire. The most common method of fire fighting is the use of portable fire extinguishers. The table below outlines the different fire extinguisher types and the area/applications for the different fire classes identified.
Table 2: Types of Fire Extinguisher and Class of Fires
In the application for the timber frame building is classified as a class A fire which requires dry chemical or water for extinguishing the fire. This information is important for ensuring the site has appropriate firefighting equipment. The fire extinguisher for class A fires will be located at select locations especially near fire escape ways.
To create an effective fire safety plan in the timber construction site the following are key aspects that were considered. A check list was prepared for daily operations that would be undertaken on site.
To effectively manage the risk of fire the steps that are required include the following;
For the timber frame building normally the risk of fire is higher before application of final finishes and more care should be taken in on going sites. The sites that are in progress are more susceptible to fire. This is because of movement in site and ongoing works that could be potential ignition sources of the timber frames. As seen earlier there are three major elements that cause a fire. In the absence of one of them a fire cannot start. It is in this respect that measures will be put in place to ensure that at any one point the three elements do not come into contact. Some of the site measures to be taken include the following activities. Questions to ask yourself when developing a preventive measure on site are such as:
Where is the fire most likely going to occur? Are employees properly equipped with training to deal with the fire or the measures to take in the event of an outbreak? Are means of escape kept clear of obstruction?
Smoking on site poses are big risk in fire outbreaks. To mitigate this a dedicated smoking zone is identified on site. Smoking prohibition signs are also placed on site.
Oil and fuel spills constitute another risk factor. This can be from the machinery on site. Proper care is taken to wipe out any spills as soon as they occur. Constant inspection of machinery operation on site is done to ensure that they don’t spill the fuel which as seen in figure 1 is one of the elements required in fire.
In the site flammable substances are to be stored in a separate room which will be dedicated for this purpose.
As work is going on in site electrical equipment has to be used. Electric wires are identified as potential ignition sources hence they should be inspected regularly and proper insulation used.
For all the buildings that are under construction it will be important to ensure that all comply to fire safety acts or building regulations that comply to fire protection.
Introduction of BIM in various timber frame construction projects
BIM(Building Information Modelling) is a digital representation of the physical characteristics of a building or development. It allows different project team members to interact with a computer aided management system. This is attributed to the fact that construction sites are very dynamic, unique and have unique problems. BIM is a modern tool which has been developed to allow team members to collaborate in a project. It can be defined as use of ICT technologies to streamline the building lifecycle process and provide a safer working environment for the users and to be more operationally efficient for its owners throughout the building lifecycle.
Building information modelling is an evolving process and its effectiveness is realized when the whole project team is conversant and uses the software. It largely improves coordination of the team members and reduces inefficiencies of the construction process. Implementing BIM in the timber frame construction company would among other benefits lead to the reduction in time of construction, quick communication, and increase in site safety and aid in making crucial decisions. BIM can be effectively used in determining the quantities of materials required in a site thereby removing the human error part since this is wholly done by the CAD Software’s.
BIM is a powerful modelling tool that is employed in all the buildings life cycle straight from the onset to the operation and maintenance of the building. The following shows the different stages and information which is fed into the BIM software.
Figure 2: BIM Operation and Maintenance
Figure 3: Different Design Options (Effort Vs Cost Curve)
BIM in the initial stages foster a lot of collaboration in the different team members. This involves many changes at this stage and more effort in design. It however reduces the need to make changes in the after this thereby very little effort is required during the construction time.For Construction industry BIM will improve communication between sub-contractors and ensure coordination/ scheduling of different sub-contractor works. It has been seen over the years that it also improves the overall quality of construction. For professionals greater certainty in outcome of projects is achieved through integrating of the technology.
The implementation plan of BIM involves a number of principles to be considered. This includes the following.
Open- All the project managers should be encouraged to participate in the exercise, project teams for the different projects should also be made aware regardless of their size or experience in the industry
Benefits- The implementation plan should clearly support the firms economic activities outlining carefully the benefits of adoption
Understandable – The BIM plan should be communicated in an understandable way to all the parties involved
Adaptable – It is important to ensure the BIM system supports different inputs across the different supplier bases e.g.the timber yard information, joinery works, sales information etc.
Competitive – The adopted BIM plan should offer more than one solution. In every business competition is good as it ensures constantly updating of skill or services to match or out do other competitors.
Clear Purpose – In our implementation it is imperative to outline right from the onset the projects that are goingto adopt the BIM method.
Innovation – The BIM plan should be also capable of future improvements.
This is a major decision in the business and with every decision made to change course, it is paramount to evaluate the existing systems and practices in order to formulate a proper transition plan. To ensure smooth transition the change will be done gradually. The four major stages in changing from the conventional designs to BIM are outline below
As seen in the different steps BIM adoption is a process that has to be done in stages and takes some time to fully adopt. It also has a cost implication as it is expensive initially although the benefits are seen in the long run.
The following table shows different stages, the respective activities in the step and the implementation plan involved.
|
Stage |
Activities |
Implementation Plan |
|
Stage 1: Detailed review and analysis of current methods used in the organization |
Review of flow charts of current processes Review of overall ICT level of the company and ease of transition to BIM Review of cost of implementation Review of different stake holders adoption of the systems Outlining of the gains made from BIM adoption in the company |
Process Innovation Soft System Methodology |
|
Stage 2: Design of the proposed BIM system in the organization |
Documentation of an efficient process of adoption which is cost conscious. Production of detailed strategies of implementation. Developing a new management system for overseeing the BIM implementation and tracking progress Documentation of the implementation plan |
Soft System Methodology Process Innovation Information Engineering |
|
Stage 3 Implementation and rolling out of the BIM system |
Training of staff and stakeholders on the use of BIM Improving the companies project process Piloting the BIM on selected projects in the organization Documentation of all the procedures on implementing |
Soft System Methodology Process Innovation |
|
Stage 4: Review of the projects after implementation of BIM |
Evaluation of the project success/short cummings of the implementation Monitoring and improving the processes involved |
Process Innovation |
Table 3: Detailed Activities in the Research and Action Stage
The main focus in the above exercise is to determine the inefficiencies in the current method, challenges or problems faced and to find out if this can be solved by adopting BIM in the organization. Although general research has shown that BIM has been associated with improvement in project processes. Individual research for different organizations in different locations needs to be done. This is because of differences in demographics and different economies. It is therefore important to carry out research in the specific field. We however identified in the timber house structure that the process from the timber processing in the factory could be improved. This is considering the following factors. Timely delivery of supplies means less storage on site. This improves the site safety and reduces need of large storage facilities. This is one challenge that could be averted by use of BIM. In the action stage of implementing BIM, sample projects need to be selected for this exercise. Improvement of staffs skills in conjunction with the improvement of the technology should go hand in hand.
Appraisal and evaluation of various resourcing issues
Resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of resources in an organization when they are needed
Resourcing in a project can be a daunting task. This is attributed to the fact that projects can be diverse in location and in description. Most organizations rely on cad software to help manage the resourcing issues. While this can aid to some extent it has major challenges, this is because most of the cad software are not designed to deal with collaboration among different parties. Once information is sent from mail the information becomes outdated. Therefore a need to come up with a project management solution that is 100% web based is important. This ensures update of information is real time therefore reducing the resourcing issues on site. Changes can be quickly picked and update on the quantities required on site done.
In the timber house production one of the major challenges is in accurate determination of quantities required in building. Cad software has been seen to be inconsistent and constant updating is required. This can lead to mismanagement of resources which increases the cost of the project.
One challenge in resourcing identified is record keeping. In the adopted plan record keeping is one of the challenges as the team members rely on records that are fed into the BIM by the different sub-contractors. Adaptability is also noted as a challenge. Some sub-contractors are not ready to implement the BIM system this could be attributed to factors such as resources for the BIM or technical knowhow. Also in addition to this some firms may not wish to adopt the BIM as it may not have a large economic impact to their particular business process.
BIM changes the work flow of a project process. This means that suppliers are able to prepare for changes in the design since information is shared across board.
Figure 4: Work Flow Hierachy in BIM
In the construction stage the contractor is the main stake holder in the project. Proper co ordination from the sub contractor could lead to massive gains. Before work starts in a site the contractor has to procure material and engage staff to work on site. Proper management of these resources would minimize costs and ensure high quality work is done.
In 2010 one study in Australia done on contractors 65% of the contractors reported that BIM reduces the cost of re work and cost overrun. Projects normally change by approximately 40% potentially to avoid the cost of un budgeted expenditure BIM could reduce this cost by up to 10%
The management of various resourcing issues that are addressed using the management plan adopted is outlined below.
Labor in a construction site can be a huge cost. The need for an effective management system is important to ensure project success. BIM gives the project manager the flexibility of tracking progress on site. Thereby being able to assign staff to different areas. It is also possible to track real time progress when different sub-contractors update their progress in real time. This ensures overall cost cutting in the project.
Another challenge in construction is coordination of sub-contractors. In a large site it can be challenging to identify the times that different sub contractors need to be engaged. By having the conceptual model on screen it is possible to archive higher accuracy in this regard.
As BIM is used after accurate analysis of the materials required. The task of identifying what materials are required and at what stage has been made simpler. Isolation of diffent aspects of the buildings makes this possible. Conventional cad designs relied majorly on installers to determine what they would require.
One major challenge in the resources sector has been contract management. In the traditional systems contracts were shared with other team members who were not involved. In BIM however information is shared freely which means contracts are open to viewing by anyone who is allowed to access the files. This is one challenge that the team is discussing and trying to find ways around it.
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