2018Case13SuirEngineering

51 L EAN C ONSTRUCTION I RELAND A NNUAL B OOK OF C ASES 2018 Waste Identification and Elimination Multiple posters were developed on the subject of Lean and continuous improvement to communicate our improvement intentions. One of these posters was on the subject of the 8 Wastes. A large proportion of inspections on construction s i tes are conducted through walks on the s i te by management. In addition to regular management walks, there are also, for example, safety walks, main contractor walks, and Client walks. A waste walk template was drafted, and we encouraged all supervisors to complete a waste walk sheet once they detected any waste. It was decided to implement weekly waste walks by the supervisors to ensure that their work processes and areas of responsibility were free from NVA activities. These waste walks were completed and documented via the waste walk sheets, which have since been replaced with a paperless audit sheet accessible on our online computer interface. The supervisors developed several ways in which to make improvements to their particular areas of responsibility, including, for example, relocating the drawing table near the work area so that staff do not have to walk over and back to get information from drawings. From initiation of the waste walks, one of the largest examples of NVA activities discovered was the amount of time the tradesmen spent walking to and from the workshop and stores, and these trips represented a large barrier to the flow of the electrician (see Table1). Table 1. Average trip time to stores and workshop Portable Workstation and Stores As a construction project involves a high degree of variability from week-to-week, it was impossible to define an exact frequency of trips to the workshop and stores. It was more practical to conduct a series of observations and informal discussions to attain a fair estimation. It was found that 30% of the workforce visited the stores once per day, and 20% of the workforce visited three times per day. By getting an approximate average time value for a return trip to the stores, an overall potential cost to the project was calculated as € 7,989.91. To counter this problem, a mobile workstation and ‘job-box’ chest of materials was procured and positioned where the work was being carried out. This workstation included a workbench, a portable chop saw among other tool s , and a large steel chest where battery-powered equipment could be stored securely when not in use. Figure 1. Material job-box and workbench set up close to work area. Standardised Battery-powered Equipment Another opportunity for improvement identified during the waste walks was in the use of corded power equipment on the site. In order to use a corded power tool in a work area, regulat ions requi re tradesmen to use 110-vol t (“V”) equipment. This necessitates time to survey the immediate vicinity to locate an available 110V transformer with a spare socket. Following this, the tradesman would need to acquire and safely trail a 110V extension lead to the area of their specific task. Through observation and interview, it was decided that 15 minutes was a fair reflection of time spent per day in acquiring 110V leads and equipment. Planning and discussions with electricians and supervisors indicated that a good solution would be in the procurement of a standardised range of battery drills, jigsaws, grinders, and the like, where the batteries were interchangeable amongst them. This effort proved to have added bonuses, including: • Using equipment that used the same chargers made finding the right battery or charging unit effortless or mistake-proof. • Multi-bay chargers allow up to six batteries to charge at one time. • No requirement to set up extension leads. • Central charging point location cut down on walking time. In addition to this new standardisation, it was discovered that a lot of waste emanated from other existing tooling on site. Further examples of new equipment procured in our drive to reduce and remove waste included: • Diamond tipped chop saw: o Extended lifetime of the chop-saw disc. o Saves time walking to stores to use the existing static saw. o Diamond tip is sparkless, thus increasing safety on site and negating the need for fire-watch personnel or hot works documentation. o Clean cut, therefore no deburring required or filings. • Pneumatic battery-powered hole punch for getting cables into panels: o Negated the need to use hole saws that have a short usable lifespan. o Hole saws were always used in the past to enable cable termination in panels. However, they produced a lot of metal swarf within the electrical panel, and not only did this swarf necessitate vacuum cleaning each time but there also remained a risk that lengths of swarf could bridge gaps between phases of electrical current, with the potential to cause great damage or death. o Replacing hand stocks and dies with 110V version (no battery version available). Information Centre Meetings Daily huddle meetings were set-up and held at the start of each day’s work. The huddle meetings gave an opportunity for two-way communications, facilitated problem solving, status updates, coordination, and a forum to discuss any potential issues. The huddle meetings promoted worker involvement and a culture of forward planning. The meetings were kept brief and to the point, and notes were taken and updated daily on a whiteboard. As part of the planning we held information centre meetings and updated a whiteboard with key information. The information centre meeting allowed us to plan our weekly work plan (WWP) and to focus on a six- week look-ahead (SWLA). Key project milestones were tracked, and this focused the group to plan any required safety method statements, materials, and manpower requirements. 5S & Visual Management For substantial construction installations, most projects would have a designated storeman to help control inventory levels of equipment and accessories. Unfortunately, it is often