【Haichuan Civil Engineering Issues】How to manage concurrent operations with multiple contractors?

Law of the People’s Republic of China on Work Safety (amended and promulgated in June 2021), Article 48: Where two or more production and business operation entities carry out production and business activities in the same work area and such activities may pose a risk to the work safety of each other, they shall enter into a work safety management agreement that specifies their respective responsibilities for work safety management as well as the safety measures to be taken, and shall appoint full-time work safety managers to conduct safety inspections and coordination. The agreement has been signed, but there is still a need to assign full-time safety management personnel for safety inspections and coordination“”

In accordance with this agreement, dedicated safety management personnel shall be assigned to carry out safety inspections and coordination

In fact, the most important aspect of management is that the supervisor in charge from the client’s side on site must be decisive, as he is responsible for reviewing and approving funds. Only by taking control of financial affairs can one be effective; otherwise, nothing will work.

How to carry out multi-level construction work – Images. Step 1: Conduct a comprehensive and accurate analysis of all aspects of the project’s construction, identifying the professionals and construction teams involved throughout the entire process. Based on the construction drawings, contract details, and on-site conditions, carefully analyze and list all the individual tasks and sub-projects, covering areas such as foundations, foundation pit support, dewatering and earthwork, basements, the main structure, rooftops, interior decoration, steel structures, plumbing and electrical systems, mechanical equipment, ventilation, facilities, intelligent systems, and fire safety. At the same time, determine the types and quantities of specialties, as well as the construction teams required for each specialty. Step 2: Clarify the relationships and sequence between various construction tasks and different specialties. a. It is necessary to establish clear connections among all the identified construction tasks and specialties – whether they are parallel or sequential, whether it is a matter of timing or spatial arrangement, as well as the order in which the various tasks should be carried out ； b. It is necessary to clarify what the previous and subsequent processes are for each process ； c. Achieve optimal phased construction ； d. Create the best possible conditions for the subsequent process so as to enable its concurrent construction ahead of schedule ； e. Is there any interference between each process and other processes being carried out simultaneously, and how is it addressed? It should be noted that when carrying out construction of grade-separated intersections, the principle of small-scale sequential construction must be followed. The construction of grade separations should not be carried out at the expense of increasing the use of materials and manpower; it merely involves overlapping and advancing certain construction steps. Step 3: Determine the total project duration and the critical path. In accordance with the contract requirements, the total duration is determined, and the critical path is identified based on this duration; all planning arrangements as well as the time schedules for various tasks must be aligned with the critical path to ensure proper timing. Step 4: Identify the deadlines for key milestones. Based on the total duration and contract requirements, several key milestones are established, corresponding to the phases of foundation work, main structure construction, and finishing work; all resources such as labor, materials, and equipment need to be arranged in advance according to these deadlines. Step 5: Determine the required labor, materials, equipment, and other resources for each task. The quantities of labor, materials, and equipment needed for each task are determined from the construction drawings, so that overall planning can be carried out effectively. Step 6: Determine the optimal overall construction schedule, and break it down into monthly and weekly plans throughout the construction process. Based on the analysis conducted above, formulate the most reasonable overall schedule, detailing it by month, week, and even day. Adjust the plan as needed in light of actual conditions, and take measures to accelerate work when there are delays. Step 7: Safety measures to be taken during the construction of grade separations. Grade separation construction involves multiple tower operations as well as vertical work at different heights; therefore, effective safety measures must be implemented to prevent falls from heights and injuries caused by machinery, and a specialized safety plan should be developed. Step 8: Control and coordination measures for the construction of grade separations. a. The project department and its subsidiaries must possess sufficient forecasting and coordination capabilities, as well as effective control measures and resources. They need to have the ability and determination to overcome difficulties and move forward despite obstacles, along with sharp insight and the capacity to create the necessary conditions ； b. The project team should be bold in innovating and breaking conventions, seizing every opportunity; for larger construction tasks, vertical cross-construction should be employed, and even for smaller tasks or within the same task, vertical cross-construction must be implemented ； c. All tasks, especially those related to personnel and materials, must be planned with sufficient lead time to ensure that construction progress is not affected. For specialized subcontracting, as well as large and medium-sized materials, equipment, steel structures, curtain walls, and other items that require prior processing, such subcontracting must be determined in advance. Images: Common examples of construction for grade-separated intersections. Image 1: During the foundation construction phase, tasks such as foundation pit support, earthwork excavation, pouring of the base layer, and construction of the bottom slab can be carried out in a phased manner, allowing different processes to proceed simultaneously. If the area of the foundation pit is large, while carrying out the pit support work, the foundation construction for the central island (main building) is carried out first. 2. In the case of steel structure construction, the design and fabrication of the steel structure, as well as its pre-assembly, are carried out off-site, with assembly and installation taking place on-site. Roof construction and interior decoration work are carried out simultaneously. 3. During the renovation work, different tasks are carried out simultaneously in a sequential manner, and civil engineering works and plumbing/electrical installations can also be done at the same time.

There is no prominent, thorough, unified, and effective organization or coordination body; the office documents are well-written and voluminous, but they are merely archival files kept in drawers for show.

You are absolutely right; a document is merely a medium for recording information – what’s important is the actual implementation