David Corson
August 8, 2023
It’s fair to say that the construction industry plays a key role in the modern world. It drives the expansion of towns and cities and is vital for allowing businesses to expand and set up premises in new territories.
The construction industry is also a large employer of skilled and semi-skilled workers around the world. In the US alone, approximately 7.8 million people are employed in some form of construction, making it a vital part of the economy and providing a livelihood for these staff members.
Construction has been present in humankind since the dawn of civilization when the first permanent structures for settlements were built. In recent decades, the industry has made several advancements that benefit the staff, the end users, and the construction firms. This article explains three key ways that the construction industry has evolved.
1. Hiring equipment for smaller firms
One of the main historical barriers to setting up a small construction firm was the cost of purchasing suitable equipment. For example, a full-sized excavator (commonly used to dig foundations in construction work) can cost between $100,000 and $500,000, depending on the specific type and purpose of the vehicle. This is far too expensive for a small construction company or startup firm to afford.
Thankfully, there is now a range of construction companies that offer many different types of plant and equipment hire on a daily or weekly basis. For example, smaller firms that need to grout flooring or structures to waterproof them can search online for grout pump hire companies. These organizations will be able to supply a fully serviced grout pump that can be hired for the duration of the work and then returned to the company.
Put simply, hiring expensive or occasional use construction equipment allows smaller firms to flourish and helps to support new business growth in the wider construction industry.
2. Health and Safety as a priority
It is well-documented that the construction industry is one of the most dangerous forms of work. For every 100,000 employees, 21 die on an annual basis because of sustaining fatal injuries in the course of their duties. However, the construction industry now puts the safety of its staff to the forefront of its activities.
It’s now mandatory to provide health and safety training to construction staff. In addition, the employer must take all reasonable steps to ensure that worker safety isn’t put at risk by unsafe practices or dangerous environments that haven’t been properly assessed and managed.
3. Drone technology in construction
One of the most recent developments in the construction industry is the increasingly widespread use of drones. This technology now plays a key role in assessing structures and mapping areas for construction work. A drone with a camera is operated by a human worker who will use it to gain specific information such as the condition of a structure or to gain a thorough understanding of a site that will be built upon.
The key benefit of drone technology in construction is that they can assess and monitor sites far more quickly than human staff as they can cover a larger distance in a shorter period. They are also used to remove the need for human staff to work from height or in a dangerous environment when monitoring structures or assessing building work, thus improving worker safety.
