The importance of qualified construction workers

The construction industry work with heavy building materials, large construction equipment and many strong hands. A construction site will see a variety of industry professionals during the building term as specialists come and go when they’re needed. But there is usually a constant party of labourers who head to the work site every day and work where they’re needed.

In South Africa, it’s popular for some construction companies to pick up willing helpers along the way, but it’s more important to have qualified and experienced construction workers than it is to save some cash on your labour overheads.

If you want what’s best for your Volvo construction equipment and your construction company’s reputation, you need to understand the importance of qualified construction workers and do business accordingly.

For insurance purposes

One of the main reasons why your company should only be hiring qualified construction workers is for insurance purposes. There are so many different areas of insurance in the construction industry and many of those can be affected by the fact that you’re working with unskilled workers.

If a worker doesn’t obtain the necessary training or experience to be on a construction site and work with construction materials and equipment, there is a higher risk of there being an accident or injury. This will require you to claim insurance from your contractor liability insurance, workers compensation insurance and even your commercial automobile insurance policies if your equipment is damaged as a result of an unskilled worker attempting to operate it. And once you’ve claimed, your monthly premiums will increase as you’ll become a higher-risk company.

When you have qualified workers on the job, it doesn’t mean the project is invincible or exempt from accidents happening. But the risk is significantly lowered and your insurance premiums may even be decreased as a result of a lower-risk profile.

Shorter building period

Qualified construction workers know their tasks, understand building plans and commands, are quick to adapt to an unfavourable situation, are comfortable with their equipment, and can keep working without needing to wait and ask questions. Unqualified workers need time to adjust to their environment, figure out how the equipment works, wait around for the next order and are more likely to make mistakes that will require extra time to go back and amend.

Qualified workers mean a shorter building period which, in turn, means a lower cost estimate for both the client and construction company. You might have to pay extra for qualified workers, but the return on investment on the project as a whole will be greater. You will also be giving your clients every reason to trust that you and your team are able to perform as promised.

Correct use and care of equipment

The biggest investment a construction company makes is its equipment. When you look at brands like Volvo and Terex construction equipment, you’re looking at large, incredibly useful, and expensive pieces of quality equipment that are supposed to last through years of extensive labour.

To put an unqualified driver behind the wheel of your Terex articulated dump truck, would be an unnecessary risk of vehicle damage, accidents and misuse that could lead to avoidable wear and tear. And it’s not only the operation of these machines that require expertise but the maintenance of them after they’ve been used.

You will save yourself thousands of rands on repairs and replacements by ensuring your vehicle and equipment operators know how to correctly use and care for the equipment. Most construction equipment has a pre- and post-use checklist and a personalised maintenance plan that needs to be followed on a daily basis. These are best carried out and understood by qualified individuals who know what to look for and when something doesn’t seem to be functioning properly.

Worker safety

For the safety of the workers themselves, they need to be qualified, experienced and trained if necessary. Sometimes you’ll be presented with qualified workers who have never used your specific construction equipment before. In those cases, before starting the job or as soon as you require a new piece of construction equipment, you should hold a training session for all relevant construction workers. This way they can rely on the knowledge and experience they have to understand and correctly operate the new equipment. For their safety and the new pieces of equipment’s durability. It’s even recommended by equipment suppliers that training is done for all those who will be in charge of operating the equipment for this reason.

It’s always better to have people on site who are familiar with the construction environment, safety regulations and risks that come with being around building materials and construction equipment. They will also feel more comfortable if they’re qualified than if they’re figuring it out on site, as they go along. Qualified construction workers are important assets to get the job done safely and efficiently.