1, SITE ORGANIZATION PLAN

1.1 CONSTRUCTION SITE LAYOUT PLANNING

1.2 Introduction

Most construction sites that run into trouble do so for reasons related to managerial factors rather
than because of technical problems. The site-based management can make significant
improvements in the cost and time savings during the construction process without involving a
mass of additional work. The role of site managers is to control and maintain work performance
and then taking actions to rectify situations where performance is unsatisfactory.

Site management, in general, involves many tasks, such as site investigation before
construction process starts, material delivery and procurement management, keeping better site
records, keeping good site communication and high level of information flow, monitoring
performance regularly, establishing a well co-ordination system among different parts, and
performing a good site layout planning.

Among the important tasks of site management is the site layout planning. Extensive time
loss and cost overruns could result in large projects, where the number of manpower,
subcontractors, and equipment involved are high, if there is no effective and systematic approach
to site planning. A detailed planning of the site layout and location of temporary facilities can
enable the management to make considerable improvement by minimizing travel time, waiting
time, and increasing worker morale by showing better and safer work environment. Due to its
importance, this research focuses on the site layout planning problem.

Construction site layout involves identifying, sizing, and placing temporary facilities (TFs)
within the boundaries of construction site. These temporary facilities range from simple lay-down
areas to warehouses, fabrication shops, maintenance shops, batch plant, and residence facilities.
Required temporary facilities and their areas are depending in many factors including project
type, scale, design, location, and organization of construction work.

Site planning in particular, has been the most neglected aspect in the construction industry
and the attitude of the engineers has been that it will be done as the project progress. It is
important to realize that the site planning will be the conditions that site personnel will live with
for the total duration of the construction period. Thus the careful pre-planning is imperative. Also,
since the labor cost on a large project constitute approximately 50 to 60 percent of the total
project cost, significant saving can be occurred if the labor force moved freely and quickly within
the site. In 1987, the Construction Industry Institute reported in its “Constructability Concepts
File” that temporary facilities are important elements that can either enhance or adversely affect
construction productivity.
 Layout planning, in general, can be viewed as a complex optimization problem that has
many engineering applications ranging from the layout of manufacturing plants to the layout of
computer chips on a board. Since the early 1960's, the problem has been extensively analyzed in
the Industrial Engineering and Operational Research communities. However, it has not been
satisfactory analyzed in the construction domain.

Site organization is a detailed and well thought out process which ensures a healthy and safe
construction site thoughtout its build. An organized construction site establishing a well co-
ordination system among different and performing a good site layout planning.

 Increase safety,
 Enhance productivity,
 Boots profits.

Site organization

In general, involves many tasks, such as

 Site investigation before construction process starts,

 Material delivery and procurement management,
 Keeping better site records,
 Keeping good site communication and high level of information flow,
 Monitoring performance regularly.

In construction site organization the following section are important.

- Site administration
- Field control
- Field engineering
- Field material control
- Construction supervision
- Safety (Site)
- Quality (quality control and inspection)
- Pre-commissioning team and hand-over team

Site Layout Planning Elements

A well planned site including all temporary facilities and utilities lead to: 1) increasing
productivity and safety, 2) reducing area(s) needed for temporary construction, and 3)
maximizing utilization. The following points should be considered in good site layout.

1. Safety

- Fire prevention: Fire is a major cause of damage on construction sites. So that, fire
extinguishers are basic requirements on a construction project.
- Medical services: On construction project a first aid kit is a must. In remote projects a well-
equipped medical room with a doctor and nurse is important.
- Construction safety clothing: Basic safety supplies like safety shoes, hard hats, gloves, and
goggles must be used by workers.

2. Site Accessibility

Easy accessibility will keep the morale of the equipment and vehicle drivers high, minimize
the chance of accidents, and save time in maneuvering to arrive at and leave the project. In
case of large projects, proper planning is required to layout the roads leading from the nearest
highway. Internal roads are necessary for easy flow of work. Also, Parking Lots are provided
for the owner, office, and craft personnel, but this facility must be planned where space does
exist.

3. Information Signs

- Site map: It should locate details of the project, and displayed in the office of the site
superintendent or project manager and posted at the entrance gate.

- Traffic regulatory signs: For large projects, traffic regulatory signs help in guiding the
traffic on the site and avoid accidents to a considerable extent.
- Display of labor relations’ policy and safety rules: This will help in eliminating disputes
between labor and management.
- Emergency routes and underground services: It is important to display the emergency
escape routes on every floor as the building progresses. Locations of underground services
should be marked to prevent its damage.
4. Security

- Entrance: It is necessary to have a proper guard entrance to the site provided by a booth.
Also, it is necessary to keep track of all visitors to the project.

- Lighting: It is necessary to have a standby generator to maintain site lighting.

- Fencing: The boundary should be fenced off from a security point of view.

5. Accommodation

On large construction projects, it is necessary to provide camp accommodation for all type of
staff involved in the project.

6. Offices

The offices should be close together, close to the site, and in a safe area. Also, provide the
offices with proper office equipment. The offices at the site may include job office, general
contractor office, and sub-contractors and consultants Offices.

7. Water Supply and Sanitation

It is necessary to have water and toilet facilities in convenient locations to accommodate the
work force.

8. Material Handling
 One third or more of all construction operations can be classified as material handling. The use
of proper equipment for material handling and advance planning for minimizing multiple
handling will result in direct cost and time savings.

9. Storage and site cleaning

It is necessary to plan and reserve storage areas for materials so that multiple movement of
material is avoided.

- Laydown areas: Areas reserved for storage of large materials and equipment and it can be
short-term or long-term.
- Warehouses: They are sheltered storage facilities where materials are stored until they have
disbursed to the job.

- Material staging areas: They used when materials are stored near the work on a short-term
basis. They are generally as close to work as possible.
- Site cleaning: It is necessary at a work place and especially where the extent of debris
produced is high. Regular disposal of debris is necessary.

10. Craft Change-Houses

Craft change-houses provide sheltered space for craft personnel to change and store clothes,
wash, and rest during waiting periods.

11. Batch plant and Fabrication Shops

Batch plants are provided on projects where it is more economical to produce concrete on site
than to buy a ready mix. Aggregate storage piles, cement silos and admixture tanks will
accompany an on -site batch plant. Shops are used where materials and equipment are
fabricated on site. This includes electrical, mechanical, carpentry, and paint shops. Also,
testing shops used to house the necessary testing equipment and personnel for the project.
Temporary Facilities Characteristics

It is important to understand the characteristics of the temporary facilities before planning the site
layout. Six generic temporary facility characteristics are discussed in this section.

1. Satisfying environmental and safety regulations: All temporary facilities should satisfy
environmental and safety regulations. Special attention should be paid to temporary
facilities like batch plants, which have high pollution potential. Planners have to make
proper arrangements to control the air, water, and noise pollution from such facilities.

2. Availability of diverse solutions for the same problem: There are many arrangements that
can be made to establish a temporary facility. For example, if a warehouse is required, the
planner can build a warehouse on the site, use existing facilities on the site, rent a building
near the site, or plan a just in time delivery. Based on the usage of the warehouses, each
alternative can be further divided into several sub items. For example, the material of
building the facility can vary from wood, bricks, to a steel structure.

3. Relatively short life span of a specific location: The life span of temporary facility depends
on the duration of the project. In general, it must be removed as soon as the project is
completed.

Reutilization with a minimum loss for the same or modified function at another location:
Due to the shorter life span of temporary facility on site, planners consider reutilization of
the temporary facilities. This can result in saving the cost of construction. With appropriate
modifications, most of the temporary facilities can be used for more different purposes.
Therefore, good maintenance, and storage of the building materials can increase the
frequency of reutilization and decrease construction costs significantly.

5. Easy of assembly, dismantling, and exploitation: temporary facilities structures which are
easy to assemble and dismantle will reduce both assembly and disassembly time. As
mentioned above, temporary facilities will need to be removed in a very short period of
time after project completion. Thus, temporary facilities structures should be easy to
assemble and dismantle without any damage to the structure components. Prefabricated
 modules are ideal for constructing temporary facilities and they are usually easy to
assemble and dismantle.

6. Standardization of design: Standardization of design and construction of temporary

facilities can increase the frequency of reutilization and reduce the work-hours and cost
required for construction the facilities. This approach makes the maintenance,
transportation and storage of temporary facilities easy. The benefits of the learning curve
can be gained from repetitive field operations, which results in increase of productivity and
quality. Also, benefits are obtained by providing grater interchangeability of spare parts and
reducing the variety of spare parts stored in the warehouse.
Reference
 https://www.letsbuild.com/blog/what-is-bim-what-are-its-benefits-to-the-construction-
industry
 https://www.esedirect.co.uk/articles/post/site-organisation-for-construction.aspx
 Peter Raymond (2013), “Correcting the course of capital projects plan a head to a
void time and cost over runs down the road”
 Related pdf