One Quick Way to Make Your Site Safer and Improve Your Schedule

CLEANLINESS. Seems obvious, right? Wrong.

So many times in our industry a project site is allowed to get out of hand simply by poor housekeeping. Poor housekeeping can cause a number of issues for the Owner, Subcontractors, and GC.

These include safety issues, slipping schedule, and poor quality of work expectations. Having a dirty job site gives off the impression that the GC does not care. This sets the tone for the Subcontractors. If nobody else cleans up, why should they? If this is how the GC treats their jobsite, why would anyone assume they are a stickler for quality control. Subs make their money by getting in and out of a project efficiently.....SPEED. They can't move quickly if they are tripping over trash and debris. They also can't move around the site safely.

Have you ever hauled lumber or sheetrock around a building by hand? It's not easy. Now try stepping over trash and debris while doing it. It's a recipe for problems. Perception is everything.

If the team sees the jobsite is not maintained, the mindset on the job shifts. Once it shifts, it's hard to correct. The GC must show the project team that they are in control of the project, not in over their head, and are consistent.