Man can never control the weather. That’s right, the weather is a component of nature that only God can control. Weather delays in construction are now rising because of climate change, and this has created uncertain weather conditions in numerous parts of the globe. In both Europe and the United States, the recent heat wave wreaked havoc.
Consider the case of countries and areas which are prone to tropical storms and cyclones; construction delays take place there and at times, the building site falls down completely and has to be made again. This is the reason they construct buildings in months when no storm is going to take place.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries face dust storms daily, and that hampers work at construction sites where dust has to be cleaned off every now and then. Thankfully they have modernized themselves to the point where they can handle all the work easily on their own.
Construction projects are often at the mercy of weather delays. They can take a heavy toll on the finances, resources, and the morale of workers. It can dent optimism and can cause more delays to a project. This in turn hurts the project’s reliability in terms of completion.
Dealing with adverse weather conditions
Thanks to today’s advancements in Cost per Minute (CPM) scheduling, construction managers are finding it much easier than before to predict potential weather delays with accuracy. Such is done with the help of Risk and Construction delay analysis reports provided by contractors.
Construction managers and schedulers utilize different planning methods to deal with delays. Each method has its own unique advantages and disadvantages to reduce lost time from adverse weather conditions.
There are numerous ways of dealing with adverse weather conditions for construction projects but there are three main methods of weather planning i.e. use of weekends and non-work days, increasing the activity, and using a weather calendar.
Worthwhile weather planning methods used in construction
Let us now have a look at whether planning methods used in construction.
Using weekend and non-work days
One of the best parts of this method is that it is easy and straightforward. It stays within the workweek plan of five days a week. It also does not extend, or delay the work schedule once it is applied nicely.
However, Weekends cannot provide enough time or the needed periods to finish work during the bad seasons. Subcontractors can expect overtime for working on weekends and this can create burnout. Moreover, it will require managers and supervising contractors to work on weekends which ruins their schedule.
Another issue is that most municipal authorities will not provide inspectors with one weekend and this is known to slow the process down.
Raising activity to keep consideration for adverse weather
THis option is advantageous because it can be done easily, and can be applied with minimal effort in planning. It does not require any monitoring from both managers and contractors.
However, its drawbacks are that project planning transparency goes down and reduces the benefits of reviews as durations aren’t calculated by production rates. Moreover, planning is based on a static baseline schedule. The shift in schedule does not take weather into account as it should.
Using a weather calendar
Using a weather calendar always requires minimal maintenance. It also allows seasonal planning and accounting for the weather to find out what non-working days, weekends, and holidays are needed for bad weather. Model and CPM scheduling keep milestones and completion dates in accurate order.
However, it has numerous downsides. The float values are affected by calendars. If non-working days are evenly distributed over a five-day work week, planning may be overdone because historical data is based on a work week of seven days.
Why should a weather calendar be used?
While weather calendars have their own points, they have their own benefits which are undeniable. Expert analysis in construction claims shows that accurate CPM scheduling takes the season, its weather conditions, and other factors into consideration. This then leads to accurate modeling and the creation of an appropriate plan of action before work can start at a construction site.
Weather calendars often come in handy and this can help prevent delays in construction work and also prevent the formation of construction claims.
