What We Need to Know

Quality is the name of the game when we talk about contractor project management plan. Each plan needs quality assessment and evaluation for it to be successful. Yes, saving cash is even a vital issue but it must not dictate the entire project if the only goal is to save. The objective is to make something lasting and valuable for the years to come.

Many contractors reduce their price, but this normally comes with downgrading the services they offer. Contractors like this could work faster but faster doesn't guarantee you of strength and credibility of the work. Any contractor management plan can be manipulated to fit several requirements; it can still work with an inferior quality rate of materials but individuals involved will pay the cost somehow.

A realistic approach has to be specified in a contractor project management plan. It is easy to create words that are abstract in nature but in reality are empty. The changes also ought to be understood with the kind or type of work performed by each one. An abrupt change in the work setting and the pace can alter the entire scheme.

Few contractors will save a lot more by working faster, while for some it would be better to maximize the time given without speeding to ensure that quality of work, health and safety is done. The contractor management plan must be able to accommodate the changes that the land area will offer. The terrain and the circumstances wouldn't be the same for every project. The ability to blend in and work with any type of surrounding and geographic area gives contractors the edge.

The contractor project management plan has to be able to handle changes in the size of the person projects it would handle. The expansion that would take place must be received well. The performance has to be upgraded including the tools that would be used.

Performance must be evaluated periodically in order to improve quality. The number of individuals working with the project must be sufficient until the end of the project duration. Changes have to be dealt with utmost care and the change of leadership has to be planned thoroughly just in case there's a need to do so. Devotion with the plan and the mission has to be remembered occasionally. Character clashes with the people working on the project have to be minimized. The differences must instead be used to come up with something more sensible.

Construction Project Management Plan is a comprehensive document that is ready to customize to your specific project; it is reviewed and amended regularly to reflect the current requirements in the Australian building and construction industry. CPMP is OHS compliant for all federal, state and territory requirements.

Why the Need for Safety Management Plan Template?

For a company actively engage in the field of construction, construction management usually involves various phases of work like planning, designing, budgeting, implementation and safety. In most cases, safety is given less attention as more effort is exerted on how to decrease expenses and finding ways to meet target dates of completion. The worker sometimes gets the work done by shortcut which occasionally puts his safety at risk. Whether the job is simple and can be completed in a short period, is not enough reason to waive creating a safety plan. One can never tell what will happen in the future. While it is true that there are so many available downloadable Safety Project Management Plan templates, it is not always a guarantee that simply filling out the template can make your company compliant. An organized system is to implement and manage the plan is crucial. With the tightening demands of regulatory agencies to craft an effective safe system in your work, more companies have increased their awareness on the need to invest and support their safety management plan.

As reiterated, crafting a safety plan is significant tool in doing business and should not be taken for granted. If you have sincere desire to take care of the safety of your workers, then you need to decide on that plan. There is a variety of information that needs to be considered depending on the actual conditions in the job site. It is not a one man's job as the intention to cover all important safety aspects that are typically needed in doing the work. Besides it might be more practical to generate your plan using a template to save time in drafting and the chance of missing out important details. A simple template usually contains some basic parts like Policy Statement, Safety Rules, and Investigation Processes among others. Make certain that the information you will provide is correct as this will become a communication tool to workers. It would make the job of the safety engineer or the officer in-charge easy.

For large scale projects, there is more relevant information that must be included in the plan depending on the kind of work environment. The Safety Plan is a comprehensive document that may require some time to create. Better be safe than sorry and lose money in the end. It is considered a major accomplishment on the profile of any company to achieve a Zero Man-hours lost to accidents. This record will definitely look good on your next project bidding.

Guide to a Safe Work Place

Maintaining a Safe Workplace is as important as running a successful business because unless you have a safe working environment, you are hardly likely to see any progress. It is a manager's job to see that all security measures are adhered to in order to keep accidents at work from occurring. Besides this, accidents can cost you a lot of money and even the loss of a day's work. It is therefore essential that you have a safe workplace that is free from any kind of health hazard, as this will keep your employees happy and they will perform better at their jobs.

It should also be noted that you alone as a manager cannot bring in all the changes or take the entire responsibility of creating a safe workplace. You will need to involve your employees to help you preserve a safe and healthy workplace. It is they who can identify and inspect hazards so that they can be avoided. For this, you may even require a training process that will help employees recognize any discrepancies that may arise due to bad equipment or machinery or any other thing that might cause health hazards. A manager should be friendly and be able to relate with the employees so that they can without any hesitation report their problems directly. A common perception that employees have is of not being able to level with their peers or seniors. This is the very notion that you need to get out of their minds by being open to their suggestions and even including them in your policies that are made for managing a safe workplace. However, running a safe workplace must begin with you and it is you who has to set the goals for the others to follow.

The very first step to avoiding accidents at work is to formulate a policy that emphasizes the benefits of a safe workplace. You must give your full commitment and expect the same from your employees. Also insist on getting to the root cause of any accidents at work so that they can be prevented from being repeated again. Assign someone who will be accountable for maintaining a safe workplace and ensure that the person understands his or her duties well or you could hold the person responsible for negligence.

The safety of your employees is of vital importance and is also their legal right. You must therefore have provisions in your safety policy that any employee exposed to health hazards at the workplace or injured in an accident at work, shall be compensated for it. You may have to pay for hospitalization or even an operation. Occupational therapy is also a good way of checking on the mental, physical and psychological well being of your employees. The need for introducing occupational therapy is being widely seen by entrepreneurs and small businesses as well.

Occupational therapy uses consequential occupations to encourage good health thereby helping people improve their work performance and do their jobs in a more balanced way. As a manager you must be able to recognize any problems that your employees may face and help resolve them and even recommend occupational therapy. Keeping a safe workplace that is free of health risks or injury is an absolute way of creating a happy environment and success for your business.

Health and Safety at Work

Not many would be aware of this, but the government has legislation for health and safety of people at work. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires the employers to have proper health and safety management systems at work. The Act makes provision for securing the health of people at work, welfare and safety of the employees including the people who are not directly employed by the company like contractors and visitors.

While the law exists and it is mandatory for the employers to follow the guidelines, it is also necessary for the employees to know about their rights and duties regarding their own health & safety. Employers should conduct a General Risk Assessment to ensure the health and safety of their employees. To create awareness about health & safety at work, the employers should have proper employee induction & health and safety training programs whenever new employees join the company. The induction program should educate the employees about the safety standards, procedures and policies of the company.

The basics of health and safety at work start with having proper First Aid. Every organization big or small must have proper First Aid Kits and systems. While at work, people can suffer an injury or fall ill. It is very important for the company / firm to have proper arrangements so that the employees can receive immediate medical attention. A person who has received proper training for administering First Aid should be appointed for this.

Fire safety is of prime importance at work. The potential hazards and sources of fuel, oxygen & ignition etc. should be identified. Proper Fire detection and warning systems should be in place to prevent any mishaps. Fire extinguishers should be kept ready in different places throughout the building. There should be exit doors and escape routes in the building. Electrical equipments and wiring should be proper and checked at regular intervals. The employees should be given training on dealing with fire emergencies. Fire drill and Fire Risk Assessment should be done at regular intervals. Stress at work place is common. But if it starts affecting the health of the employee then it is a problem. Employers should identify the factors causing excessive stress to the employees. A stress risk assessment should be done to identify the potential hazards and risks. Proper measures should be adopted to control excessive employee stress. Employees should be given proper training, support and care to help them prevent & relieve the stress.

Employers should follow the norms of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. They should assess the health risks faced by the employees from the chemicals or substances used at workplace. Proper control measures should be adopted and the same should be followed by the employees. Training and information about the health risks should be provided to the employees.

The employers are also required to have proper policies for disability health & safety. Employees with cognitive, physical, sensory, ambulant and other disabilities have a right to proper arrangements and facilities at the workplace. There should be proper access, lighting, signage, seating arrangements for the disabled. Other employees of the company should also be sensitized about the same. New and expectant mothers have a right to proper care at the workplace. The employers should identify the potential hazards to the mother as well as the baby while at work. The employers can offer alternative work, different or less work timings or paid leave to ensure the health and safety of the mother and baby. Similarly, arrangements should be made for young people at work and lone workers. A general risk assessment should be done for the security, health and safety of such employees.

It is important that the employer as well as the employee is aware of the rights and duties pertaining to health and safety at workplace. For details you can take the services of a health and safety consultant or just search for "safe work method statements" on any major search engine.

Project Management Made Easy

Complex projects require sophisticated software and scheduling tools, however simpler and more straightforward projects involving only a few people over a relatively short period of time require a much simpler approach.

Usually, a simple project management will have a few steps which are dependent on other steps taking place first, and will be relatively straightforward to coordinate. An example might be creating and implementing a marketing plan for a one person business, painting a single room, baking a cake, planning a weekend away for two, building a garden shed etc.

With simple projects, a tool such as a Gantt chart may make over complicate the project scheduling. Unless all team members are trained in the tool then the use of the tool may itself lead to poor communication and an unsatisfactory result. A simple project such as those identified above may only require a timetable and/or an action plan. All those in the project team should be communicated with as to their tasks content and timing. Timetables can then be negotiated and agreed; actions lists or diaries/calendars can be used for recording and planning purposes.

All projects have control points and required deadlines, where progress is monitored and measured. In the event that a deadline is missed then the overall impact on project completion time can be assessed, and if necessary new timetables drawn up, re-negotiated and agreed.

Action Plans are lists of tasks/individual actions that are carried out to achieve a single and objective or outcome - in this case, the specific project. Action Plans focus on the achievement of a single goal, the action may then be translated in to a to-do list/diary cum calendar which cover many goals.

Safety Education

Safety education in the United States has been mandatory for workers since the existence of the Occupation Health and Safety Administration or OSHA in the 1970's. It's hard to believe that before this time there were no laws requiring employers to provide a safe workplace to their employees. Today there are two main reasons that people receive safety education. The first is voluntary and the second is mandatory.

Voluntary Safety Education

Becoming a safety educator, OHS management plan officer, coordinator, or any other professional is a fast growing career choice. Today there are literally thousands of laws and regulations that require such training. A lot of employee in-house health and safety professionals. In addition to their own training, a safety professional is responsible for keeping the workplace free of hazardous conditions for all employees. An H&S professional often voluntarily receives and presents training in several topics. Most often they do it to enhance their own career or as a function of their job. Voluntary education is a great way to promote yourself to a prospective employer or to enhance your current career.

Mandatory Safety Education

The second reason that people receive H&S training is that they are required to. Since the OSH act was created into law, employers are required to provide training and education on topics that relate to specific jobs and duties. Many companies will dedicate specific days to training in safety. Safety is often looked upon as unnecessary or as waste of time. This is a wrong conception. It is a trainer’s job to reflect to employees just how important safety education is. It may be necessary to show examples of tragedies or accidents that could have been prevented had safety measures been taken more seriously. It's a training that should never be considered a waste of time. A company that is not doing regular training is probably not in compliance with state and federal laws. Mandatory training is required in almost every work place in the United States today.

Safety is not an option. As an employer, you have an obligation to keep your workplace as safe work method statements as possible. Keep current with these trainings with Training for Safety. If you are an employee, know that you have the right to work in a safe environment.

Project Management Plan Cycle

Project Life Cycle has four phases:

·         Initiation

·         Planning

·         Execution; and

·         Closure

The Project Initiation is the 1st phase in the Project Management Life Cycle. The most common tools or methodologies used in the initiation stage are Project Review, Plan, Overview and Schedule Reviews. You can start a new by defining its objectives, scope, purpose and list of deliverable to be produced. Professionals and skilled project team also being selected in this stage by the appointed Manager.

The Project Planning is the 2nd part in the Project Management Life Cycle. The 2nd phase should include a detailed identification and assignment of each task until the end of the assignment. It should also include a Risk Analysis and a definition of criteria for the successful completion of each deliverable according to the Schedule prepared by the Planning Engineer. It involves creating of a set of plans to help guide your team through the execution and closure of the business assignment.

The project management plan template created during this section will help you to manage time, cost, quality, change orders/variation, risk factors and other issues. They will also help you to manage key personal and external vendors/suppliers, to ensure that you deliver the project on time and within schedule.

The Project Execution is the 3rd phase in the Project Management Life Cycle. The Project Execution is usually the longest phase in the project life cycle and it typically consumes the most energy and the most resources. You will build the physical deliverable and present them to your client for approval. The most important issue in this part is to ensure activities are properly executed and controlled. You will need to implement a range of management processes during this section. These processes help you to manage time, cost, quality, change orders/variation, risks factors and issues. They also help you to manage procurement, client approvals and communications.

The most common tools or methodologies used in the execution phase are an update of Risk Analysis Review, in addition to Project/Business Plan. The planned solution is implemented/incorporated to solve the problem specified in the business requirements.

The Project Closure is the 4th and last phase in the Project Management Life Cycle. In this last stage, the Project Manager must ensure that the Business Assignment is brought to its proper completion (according to contract).

The closure section is characterized by a written formal project review report contains of overall level of success to your sponsor in the phase. Project Closure involves handing over the deliverable to your client/customer, passing the documentation to the client/business development, demobilizing/releasing staff and equipment, and informing stakeholders of the closure of the business assignment. Between one and three months after the project has been closed and the business has begun to experience the benefits provided by the project, you also need to complete a Post Implementation Review.

This review allows the business to identify the level of success of the project and list any lessons learned for future projects.