In the context of the field service, the trend can spell doom to the construction industry, which is presently hanging by a thread.
Rather than relying on imported workforce, construction businesses should see how to improve work conditions and keep their workers.
With new tech providing modern solutions and proper training, the trend can be reversed.
Let’s take a look at some ideas.
Workplace Safety Comes First
Trends come and go, but safety always comes first.
On top of establishing a positive corporate attitude related to worker safety, construction businesses should also pay attention to preventing hazards. The best approach in this regard is to set up appropriate procedures, safety measures, management practices, and education.
All these elements fall under the term “safety responsibility”, which goes both ways: employers need to ensure worker safety and workers need to follow the safety procedures.
Work Safety Hazards
Typical work safety hazards are well-known and include risks related to machines, tools, obstacles, electricity, heights, and spills. In addition, there are physical hazards to consider. These include temperature, lighting, noise, and radiation.
Biological hazards include health risks related to mold, fungi, insects, animals, bacteria, viruses, poisonous plants, and blood and bodily fluids.
Chemical hazards may include health risks related to acids, solvents, paints, cleaning products and similar liquids, vapors, acetylene, helium, propane, carbon monoxide and other gases, flammable materials, and pesticides.
Finally, ergonomic hazards include health risks related to improper posture, sitting, heavy lifting, and similar practices.
Safety equipment can help with some of these risks but ergonomic hazards need to be addressed in a different manner; education should be prioritized here.
Safety Hazard Education
Workers need to learn how to avoid workspace injuries.
Construction businesses, therefore, must provide necessary education, which should include the following topics:
Construction Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Construction PPE is defined by regulations, which are obligatory to follow through by all construction businesses. It needs to adhere to defined standards, which ensure its use safety.
PPE includes the following equipment:
New Tech for Construction
Streamlining complex fieldwork procedures is always welcome, but there are other aspects of new tech for construction that can benefit construction businesses as well.
As procedure streamlining goes, the Internet of Things (IoT) can lend a helping hand as IoT sensors are capable of:
The other aspects mentioned above include scheduling, construction logistics software, software for contractor management, and route planning for trucks, among others.
Field Service Best Practices in the Digital Age
No matter how complex field service procedures may be, they adhere to precise stages, that is: initiation, planning, execution, control, and closing.
Quality control for construction implicates the deployment of innovative software solutions. There are many of those, and they can help with each of the construction phases. We’ll take a look at each phase briefly.
Initiation
Initiation portends project evaluation. In simple words, the goal of this stage is to determine if the project has the likelihood of paying off.
Typically, software solutions that can help with this phase should be able to calculate the following:
Planning
This is the stage where new tech can help the most, as the software needed should be able to calculate:
When you have the answer, the project should be broken down into smaller steps, which should include project scope, deliverables, and on-site logistics. Appropriate plans need to be set up for communication, procurement, and workplace safety.
Execution and Control
In this stage, a business needs to ensure that the plans are being carried out and to monitor project progress.
Use the software that can help with the following aspects:
Closing
Finally, the closing stage can make use of the apps that can help with:
Field Service Practices for the Future
Field service procedures have improved greatly thanks to new tech, and this is just the beginning. With continual efforts to make field work safer and easier to handle, new developments are likely.
To keep your field service teams on track, businesses need to make sure to provide training and keep an eye on upcoming construction trends.
Current Manufacturing Trends
Current manufacturing trends are diverse and chiefly rely on new tech. However, some elements (like eco-friendly practices, for example) are reliant on proper education.
We’ll hereby mention the most important trends.
Trends are changing rapidly, so keep an eye on developments.
