Construction of Steel Structure: Prefabrication, Construction Sequence, Safety, Efficient Site Management, and Material Handling

This article discusses the construction of steel structure including prefabrication, construction sequence, safety, efficient site management, and material handling. It emphasizes the importance of safety during construction and efficient site management. The article also provides insights on how to handle materials efficiently.

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CONSTRUCTION OF STEEL STRUCTURE
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date
CONSTRUCTION OF STEEL STRUCTURE

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Prefabrication of the steel components
Prefabrication refers to the practice of assembling steel components of a structure in a
manufacturing site or a factory and then transporting sub-assemblies or complete assemblies to
the construction site, where the structure is to be erected. Similarly, prefabricated steel
components refer to the steel structures that are delivered to the site after the construction
workers have completely assembled he structure (McFarland and Wehbe2014). Usually before
the steel structure is installed in the site the construction workers will need to construct an
appropriate foundation in the ground. The foundation will offer support to the entire weight of
the structure.
Steel fabrication refers to the process of cutting, grinding, bending, welding. Drilling and
generally crafting various steel components. The process of fabrication is systematic and every
step is important. Some of the steel components in this structure that will be prefabricated
include; welded columns, welded beams, unique angles, channels, equal angles, all this
component will be of a wide range of sizes depending on the location within the structure. The
components must meet the minimum requirements of AS/NZS 3679.2.
Construction sequence
The construction will involve the assembling together of fabricated components to form the
skeletal structure (Sawer 2018). The construction is usually carried out by the construction
contractor. The construction of the fabricated steel structures requires substantial planning in
terms of member assembly, material delivery, member connection and material handling.
Construction of fabricated steel structure can be made much accurate and safer, false work,
temporary support, staging is erected. Before the fabricated materials are erected they should be

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verified with respect of their marker numbers. And the architectural and structural plans of the
structure. The fabricated components should be stacked in a way that will not affect the
construction sequences.. The table below show the sequence of activities during construction.
S.No. Sequence of activities
1
2
3
4
5
6
Receiving the prefabricated components from the manufacturing site and stacking temporarily
if there need.
Lifting and placing the fabricated components and the temporary support in place.
Temporarily bracing the system to ensure there is stability during construction
Aligning and permanently connecting the components by either welding or bolting
Connecting the cladding materials to the structural steel skeleton
Carrying out painting and other finishing.
Table 1: Construction sequence of the prefabricated steel structure.
Ease and safe erection procedures
There are many procedures that are involved in the construction of the prefabricated steel
structure. All the procedures that are involved in the construction are very important in achieving
the safety of the structure and the construction process.
The first step involved in the erection of the prefabricated steel structure is the construction of
the foundation. The construction plans must be carefully followed to ensure that the exact
location of the anchor bolts and other joining are set out well (Hua, Oliphant and Hu 2016).
All the unskilled workers who will be involved in the construction of the structure will undergo a
train for safety and proper erection procedures to minimize time wastage in being guided what to
do at a given time.

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Lifting as many parts as possible in a single lift of different subassemblies bolted together on the
ground will make the construction procedures faster and safer, since there will be fewer lifts
required and fewer connections made in the air, with that the number of accidents witnessed in
the construction site will be minimizes (Nicholls and Strengers 2015).
The safety can be improved during construction if the erection of the steel framework begins at a
braced bay and then continues bay by bay to the other end of the building. Safety can also be
enhanced if proper kind of tools and equipment in good and safe condition are available in
sufficient quantities.
In order to achieve safety during construction there is need to discuss and initiate safety practices
in advance of any work procedure.
Efficient site management
Managing a construction site is a very challenging task. The construction manager must ensure
that the project is kept within the financial plan and on schedule. In accordance to many codes,
guidelines and laws (Briskman 2016). Some of the ways of achieving efficient site management
include; using the most appropriate software for site management, keeping a close eye on the
whole project, getting bids from the subcontractors which can greatly help in getting the precise
impression of the time frame and budget of the structure. Mapping out the schedule efficiently
and correctly can also help in managing the site efficiently (Koncz, 2017, p. 42). Finally, it is
very essential to recognize all the codes, with that there will be need to familiarize with all the
necessary Australian laws and codes.
Material handling

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The fabrication of the steel components at the manufacturing site should be so planned to ensure
that the units to be handled weigh almost the same weight. The construction drawings should be
availed to the construction site in advance to aid in planning of material handling and
construction sequence, the construction should be carried out with the assistance of maximum
possible mechanization. Usually anyone or more of the material handling system, such as crane
mounted on rails, tower crane, derrick crane, and pneumatic tire mounted crane and crawling
cranes can be used for handling the materials (Blanchi, Leonard, Haynes, Opie, James and de
Oliveira 2014). The details of the above mentioned systems can be obtained from any standard
textbook on the construction equipment.
Various electrical and hydraulic systems for handling materials will be provided at the
construction site some of the systems which will be required include; offloading systems,
conveyor sections, transfers systems, storage panting racks and heavy material flipping or rotting
stations. All the mentioned systems will be installed on site to ensure that the process of handling
the prefabricated and other construction materials is efficient.

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