Date: 6/20/2008
Posted By: wardy
Subject: Let there be Light!
On more occasions that I care to recall we have carried out root cause analysis on the reason for defects at the end of a phase or project. Time after time everyone agrees that a significant factor is an environmental cause, namely poor task lighting. How many times does a job look ok till we switch the lights on? Main contractors tend to put the responsibility for task lighting in sub/c packages but then fail to manage the actual policing of this.
Really, how can we expect good quality work when we cannot see clearly the operation in hand.
I the industry has accepted "No Boots, no work" now as a norm, I say "No light, no work" is a way to significantly reduce the cost of poor quality.
Date: 6/20/2008
Posted By: jopearson
I tend to agree with this. For me one of the reasons for poor or insufficient lighting is because ultimately task lighting doesnt add value to the project?
By this i mean that temporary lighting used to construct the building can make up a significant cost of the final project and ultimately is scrapped, therefore it's inevitable that some managers will seek to reduce this cost by reducing the quantity and quality of lighting. Has anyone out there used temporary lighting that eventually becomes a part of the the permanent lighting? This would save time, money and improve the quality.
Date: 6/21/2008
Posted By: roc
Age old problem of Project Managers not 'seeing the light' themselves. If only they could see the bigger picture and understand the 'cost' of poor quality. On a recent Property Regeneration project, it was found that at least 50% of completed properties (works included new kitchens, bathrooms, rewire and central heating), had at least 1 defect at handover. The rate of 'Non-Right First Time' (NRFT) quality during the works was in fact higher.
On analysing the 'cost' of resolving the quality issues, it was estimated that it cost up to 5 times more to resolve some defects when compared to the original budget price for the work.
So with this realisation, the Project Manager had a changed view on investing in 'the right tools for the job'. In one example, temporary lighting was trialled to illuminate work areas in confined spaces. Quality improved ... they saw the light!
Date: 7/3/2008
Posted By: Dan
One of the other big problems with temporary lighting is the positioning of it, i.e. site managers may be reluctant to provide sufficient lighting because when it is fixed to the structure it can become an obstacle that requires either being worked around or there is a requirement to keep moving it. Alternatively moveable task lighting gets knocked over and broken and never gets replaced, We have started to use 'wobble lights', there practical, dont break? and can be reused from project to project.
Heres a link to the US site, not sure if there is a UK distributor http://www.wobblelight.com/
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