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Productivity drops and schedules get delayed when workers have to wait for materials to be delivered or spend time and energy locating and manually lifting and carrying materials around a jobsite. Industry stakeholders estimate that:

• The average daily waiting time by trade ranges from about 45 minutes to 83 minutes.⁽¹⁾
• “Every 1 minute spent on pre-planning saves 6 minutes in the field.” ⁽²⁾

Planning to reduce manual materials handling is a key part of Lean Construction and other approaches used to improve construction performance. Productivity can be improved when plans incorporate the following:

• Lifting equipment –��The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation found a reduction in days lost due to soft tissue injuries��(back injuries, etc.) when contractors used selected lift assist equipment.��⁽³⁾
• Lift teams –��Researchers found that two-mason lift teams reduced the risk for injury and reduced by 37% the average amount of time to build a wall.��⁽⁴⁾��Mason contractors that use two-mason lift teams cite benefits including safety��(less wear and tear on workers, less low back stress, and less fatigue)��and increased productivity.⁽⁵⁾
• Lower-weight materials –��An industry study of light-weight block produced an average increase in production of 14.7%.⁽⁶⁾
• Prevention through Design (PtD)��–��Contractor and employee developed solutions, for example building a slide from plywood or lumber to move a material to a lower level where it will be used, can reduce manual materials handling.
• Storage –��Construction materials delivered on pre-loaded and stackable carts reduce the risks of multiple unnecessary handling of material, and of potential soft tissue injuries.⁽⁷⁾

Sources:

1. ��,��East Lansing, MI, May 6, 2010 (accessed October 2017)
2. ,��East Lansing, MI, May 6, 2010 (accessed October 2017)
3. ��(accessed October 2017)
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