When people talk about improving productivity in construction, the conversation can quickly turn to major investments. New machinery, new software, automation, bigger teams – all things that can make a difference, but also things that aren’t always practical.

Sometimes, the biggest improvements come from looking at the smaller jobs that happen many times throughout the working day.

How are materials getting from one part of the site to another? How much time is spent waiting for equipment? Are skilled workers regularly being pulled away from their actual job to carry, lift or move materials?

None of these things seem particularly significant on their own. Add them up across a busy project though, and they can eat into a lot of the working day.

Start With the Jobs Everyone Has Got Used To

Every site has jobs that are done a certain way simply because that’s how they’ve always been done.

It might be carrying materials across the site by hand, making repeated trips up and down scaffolding or having two people stop what they’re doing to move something that could be handled mechanically.

Because these jobs are part of the everyday routine, they don’t necessarily stand out as a productivity problem.

That’s a good place to start.

Rather than looking at the entire project and asking how it can be made more efficient, look at the repetitive jobs instead. A task that wastes five minutes doesn’t sound like much. If it’s happening ten or twenty times a day, across several people, it’s a different story.

Make It Easier to Get Materials Where They’re Needed

Moving materials is an obvious part of construction, but the amount of labour tied up in it can easily be overlooked.

This becomes particularly noticeable when work moves above ground level. Bricks, tools, buckets and other materials still need to reach the people doing the work, and repeatedly moving them manually isn’t always the most sensible option.

For projects involving scaffolding, for example, scaffold hoists can be used to lift and lower suitable materials between ground level and elevated working areas. Depending on the project, that can reduce some of the repetitive manual handling involved and help keep materials moving as they’re required.

The important part is choosing lifting equipment around the actual job rather than simply using whatever happens to be available. Capacity, lifting height, how the equipment will be mounted and the materials being handled all need to be considered.

A small change to the way materials are moved can have an effect elsewhere too. If workers spend less time fetching and carrying, they’ve got more time to get on with the work they’re actually there to do.

Keep the Site Organised Around the Work

Site organisation sounds basic, but it has a huge impact on how smoothly a day runs.

If commonly used materials are stored at the opposite end of the site, equipment is difficult to access or walkways are constantly becoming obstructed, people lose time without necessarily noticing it.

The answer isn’t always a complete site redesign either.

Look at where materials are delivered, where they’re stored and where they’re eventually used. Could frequently used items be kept closer to the working area? Is lifting equipment positioned somewhere useful? Are workers making unnecessary journeys backwards and forwards?

The layout will naturally change as a project progresses, so it’s worth revisiting rather than deciding it once at the start and leaving it that way.

Don’t Let the Right Equipment Become the Wrong Equipment

Having suitable equipment on site only helps if it’s actually ready to use.

A damaged component, missing accessory or poorly maintained piece of lifting equipment can quickly turn into downtime. Worse, it can encourage people to find a workaround which may not be appropriate for the task.

Simple pre-use checks and regular maintenance should therefore be part of the routine, rather than something that only gets attention when there’s a problem.

There are legal responsibilities to consider here too. Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), lifting operations need to be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. Lifting equipment also needs to be suitable for its intended use and, where required, thoroughly examined by a competent person.

Keeping on top of this isn’t just about compliance. Well maintained equipment is also more likely to be there and ready when the job needs it.

Think About Downtime Between Jobs

It’s easy to measure the time spent actually completing a task. The gaps between tasks are harder to spot.

A worker finishes one job, then waits for materials. Someone needs a particular piece of equipment but it’s being used elsewhere. A delivery arrives and several people have to stop to unload or move it.

Those little gaps are worth paying attention to.

This doesn’t mean trying to make every minute of the working day productive. Construction sites are unpredictable and there will always be delays that can’t be avoided. The aim is to find the recurring ones that can.

If the same problem slows the team down every few days, there’s probably an opportunity to change the process.

Ask the People Actually Doing the Job

One of the easiest ways to find these problems is also one of the most overlooked – ask the people on site.

The person doing a job every day will usually know exactly which part of it is frustrating, slow or unnecessarily awkward.

They might tell you that materials are being stored in the wrong place. They might need a different lifting attachment. They might point out that three people are regularly being used for a job that could be handled differently.

Not every suggestion will be practical, but those conversations can uncover problems that aren’t obvious from a schedule or spreadsheet.

Small Improvements Add Up

Improving productivity doesn’t have to mean trying to make people work faster.

Often, it’s about removing the things that are slowing them down in the first place.

Better material handling, suitable lifting equipment, sensible site organisation and keeping equipment maintained aren’t dramatic changes. In fact, most of them are fairly straightforward. But if a change saves a few minutes from a job that’s repeated throughout the day, or means one less person has to stop what they’re doing to move materials, the benefit starts to add up.

On a busy construction site, making everyday work a little easier can sometimes achieve far more than trying to reinvent the whole process.