Professional and Cognitive Skills in the Construction Industry

This article discusses the importance of professional and cognitive skills in the construction industry. It covers the roles of contractors, construction managers, and workers, as well as safety protocols that should be followed. References are also provided.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL AND COGNITIVE SKILLS
PROFESSIONAL AND COGNITIVE SKILLS
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note

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PROFESSIONAL AND COGNITIVE SKILLS
The construction industry is an important industry which has a significant impact on
the socio- economic conditions of a country and its development. It is a project based
industry which requires individuals of various expertise to unify and work together towards
achieving a common objective (Fulford & Standing 2014). The work conducted by
construction industries has a specific period of time set, within which the work needs to be
concluded. It needs to be performed within a budget and lastly, the end product must be
satisfactory to the clients (Murray & Dainty 2013).
In the given case study, the process involved is the construction work of the home of
the speaker’s relative. It involves the hiring of a construction company or agency for
conducting the work.
The main person who would be involved in the project is the contractor. This is due to
the reason that he represents the construction company, and all the dealings regarding the
work are to be interacted and discussed with him.
The interactions mainly include details regarding the total time that is required for the
completion of the construction work, the budget required to conduct the work and the
preferences of the client regarding the construction work, who in this case is the speaker’s
relative. However, other important points of interaction include the verification of the
credentials of the contractor and his company, collecting information about the reputation of
the contractor regarding his work, the choice of the client regarding the type of colors and
raw materials that are to be used, and the number of workers that are to be involved in the
process. Apart from this, the client also must make sure he checks the insurance and license
of the contractor as well as forms a written agreement with him which includes the time and
budget required to finish the job.

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PROFESSIONAL AND COGNITIVE SKILLS
In order to ensure that the job is well coordinated, managed and all problems are
looked after, it requires the presence of a construction manager. The task can be performed
by a contractor as well, however he does not share the same level of qualification and
expertise as the construction manager. The construction manager also needs to have a clear
idea regarding the architectural structures and which material is applicable for what purpose.
However, the construction manager is mostly concerned with supervision and ensuring the
work continues and thus the construction work also requires the presence of individuals
skilled in certain areas of expertise (Rhodes 2014). The workers are required for various
activities such as roofing, flooring, painting, demolition, electrical wiring and so on.
The construction work has the presence of a series of occupational hazards which may
lead to the loss of life of an individual. There have been many reports of individuals dying
due to electrical shocks, falling from a height, collapsing structures and so on. Therefore in
order to minimize their risks, there are a few set of protocols that should be followed. These
include- the use of helmets, ensuring the checking of scaffoldings at regular intervals,
keeping the scaffolding at a minimum distance of 10 feet from electrical lines, keeping the
stairways free of debris and ensuring the presence of a handrail, making use of protective
gear when entering trenches and lastly ensuring the set up of a proper hazard communication
network (Zhang & Fang 2013).

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References
Fulford, R. and Standing, C., 2014. Construction industry productivity and the potential for
collaborative practice. International Journal of Project Management, 32(2), pp.315-326.
Murray, M. and Dainty, A. eds., 2013. Corporate social responsibility in the construction
industry. Routledge.
Rhodes, C., 2014. The construction industry: statistics and policy. House of Commons
Library.
Zhang, M. and Fang, D., 2013. A continuous behavior-based safety strategy for persistent
safety improvement in construction industry. Automation in Construction, 34, pp.101-107.

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Appendix
Construction industry knowledge map