The Role of Slack in Standardized Work in Construction: An Exploratory Study

Fireman, Marcus C. T.; Saurin, Tarcísio Abreu; Formoso, Carlos Torres

doi:10.24928/2018/0213

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…Previous studies point to the need to adapt SW concepts to the construction context (Fireman et al, 2018); (Bulhões et al, 2006); (González and Alarcón, 2009).…”

Section: Standard Work In the Construction Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementación del trabajo estandarizado en la industria de la construcción

Fazinga¹,

Saffaro²,

Isatto³

et al. 2019

Rev. ing. constr.

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Standard Work (SW) focuses on reducing variability and waste based on three conceptual elements: takt-time, work sequence, and work-in-process. Considering the importance of SW implementation in the Construction Industry, there is a need for adapting the conceptual elements due to differences between the production systems. This paper discusses the singularities of SW concepts adaptation in construction processes and proposes four implementation rules. A participatory case study was conducted aimed at the implementing SW in the construction of the reinforced concrete structure of a 26-floor residential building developed by a Brazilian construction company. This process is characterized by long cycle time, a great number of interrelated operations performed by workers with specialized skills who traditionally have autonomy in organizing their work. The singularities refer to the adaptation of the conceptual elements to the context investigated and resulted in four rules to implement SW in the construction industry: (a) define daily work packages as a control parameter due to the long takt-time; (b) focus the specifications of standard work sequences on the team, allowing space for autonomous decisions; (c) establish batches' size prioritising the sharing of resources between work packages; and (d) define specifications for transporting and storing resources since there are constant modifications of the workstations.

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“…Previous studies point to the need to adapt SW concepts to the construction context (Fireman et al, 2018); (Bulhões et al, 2006); (González and Alarcón, 2009).…”

Section: Standard Work In the Construction Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementación del trabajo estandarizado en la industria de la construcción

Fazinga¹,

Saffaro²,

Isatto³

et al. 2019

Rev. ing. constr.

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“…Standardized work is a philosophy in the Toyota Production System (TPS), which sets a baseline for 'Kaizen' known as 'continuous improvement' in the workplace (Fireman et al, 2018). Standardized work is described as a working procedure that helps to develop the best working methods and sequences for each trade of work and each worker to be tasked (Fin et al, 2017).…”

Section: Standardized Work Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“… Standard work sequence is defined as an adopted working procedure in which a set of items or units are produced in the safest manner using the best methods. However, the work sequence is different from the order of processes and product flow (Fireman et al, 2018).…”

Section: Standardized Work Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“… Standard work in process inventory is defined as a systematic model that provides the minimum measure of work needed to maintain the pace of production in a continuous flow, without idle times (Fireman et al, 2018). The indicate that standardized work sets assist in achieving high levels of productivity, quality and safety in the workplace (Fin et al, 2017).…”

Section: Standardized Work Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The purpose of standardized work is to help organizations to improve quality and eliminate waste to achieve the continuous improvement that adds value to the clients (Saggin et al, 2017). Standardized work can be adopted to help construction managers to improve safety on construction sites (Fireman et al, 2018). Thus, the objective of this paper is to report on research that investigated 'how standardized work prevents accidents on construction sites?'…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using Standardized Work to Prevent Construction Accidents

Mollo¹,

Emuze²,

Smallwood³

2019

Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)

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The work done on construction sites is high risk, unsafe and could result in work-related accidents. The effect of accidents often impacts the social and economic integrity of the workers and their productivity negatively. The reported study in this paper investigated 'how standardized work prevents accidents on construction sites?' A single case research design was used to collect the primary data through semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. The collected data were analyzed thematically. From the findings, it was discovered that improper working conditions related to scaffolds often causes accidents on construction sites. In effect, the use of standardized work would help to eradicate improper working conditions that lead to accidents because it helps project supervisors/engineers to avoid errors and omissions. For standardized work to be successful, the project supervisors should actively address the behavioral problems of the workers. Therefore, it is recommended that there is a need to conduct further research that would establish the strength of the standardized work in improving health, safety and well-being (HSW) of people in the construction.

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