The safety of everyone and everything Egan works with is our number one priority. National Safety Month is an opportunity for Egan to recommit to maintaining high safety standards in the office, on the jobsite, and everywhere we work. By focusing on the safety of self, others, and the property with which we work, we can contribute to a culture and environment of safety that helps everyone go home without injury at the end of the day.
HOW WE STAY SAFE
During Safety Month, Egan participated in the National Safety Council’s campaign to promote key safety messages each week. These included:
Safety Engagement
Roadway Safety
Risk Reduction
Slips, Trips, and Falls
In addition, field leaders and safety team members at Egan promoted Egan’s first value of Stay Safe on the jobsite through Toolbox Talks and Daily Safety Plans. Safety is all-encompassing, starting with how we show up to work everyday. By preparing our bodies and minds for the work ahead, we can ensure that we are in the right physical and mental state to work safely.
During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Egan emphasized the importance of mental well-being and how it relates to safety on the jobsite and at home. Just as physical safety precautions need to be taken at the start of every day, mental preparedness and well-being is equally important for the health and safety of everyone at work. Everything on the jobsite needs to be taken into consideration in order to create a safe work environment where everyone can go home without injuries every day.
National Safety Month takes place in June, but safety at Egan happens all year round. As one of America’s Safest Companies, we are committed to a culture that prioritizes the safety and well-being of everyone.
Buildings are made up of more than just the concrete walls and floors that specialty contractors provide. Underneath the surface of the conduits, wires, ductwork, and electrical and mechanical systems are formulas, regulations, data, and efficiencies that weave together to create hospitals, high-rises, stadiums, schools, offices, and more. Before they are translated to the jobsite, these factors are carefully put together by teams of engineers and craftspeople who are strategizing new ways to improve the quality and safety of the work done on the jobsite.
Engineering practices in the construction industry have evolved significantly since the turn of the century, with new efficiencies and opportunities presenting themselves every day. From virtual construction to prefabrication, more construction projects are being completed off-site than ever before. The jobsite, which used to be a centralized location where everything was built, has now evolved to become a receiving area where pre-engineered and pre-fabricated products are staged and assembled. Taking advantage of these practices is essential for modern project demands, optimizing efficiencies, timelines, budgets, and job site safety.
VIRTUAL PROBLEM-SOLVING
One of the first “construction sites” a project goes through is a virtually simulated computerized model known as virtual design construction (VDC). Egan’s engineers are taking advantage of VDC capabilities to streamline design and improve the entire build process. For more than two decades, VDC has become the tool of choice for the engineering industry, acting as the canvas on which engineers can work and create a model of their final product.
By beginning with VDC technologies in the early stages of projects, teams can identify project and material needs, potential hazards, and solutions before any work begins onsite. Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology, and other systems enable Egan’s VDC teams to get ahead of the curve, maintain safety and accuracy on the job site, and prevent delays in the building process.
ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
The benefits of engineering can be measured by the reduction of total labor hours, costs, and project timelines in conjunction with an increase in the quality of work. By engaging with Egan’s engineers early on in projects, the estimating and proposal processes can be exponentially more efficient and accurate thanks to the systems and software in place. This can also set a firm foundation for efficient prefabrication processes later in the project.
Engineering technology at Egan is not necessarily Artificial Intelligence (AI), though it looks like it on the surface level. Made up of formulas, spreadsheets, and efficiencies, engineering softwares can calculate and assess material, design, timeline, and budget requirements with high accuracy. Incorporating smart engineering can help predict the labor hours needed on projects or tasks, problems that may occur, or other considerations that can be planned for and solved ahead of time.
PREFABRICATION: THE NEW INDUSTRY STANDARD
Prefabrication is a standard practice utilized across many of Egan’s trades, and is becoming one of the primary construction sites for any project within the industry. InterClad, Egan’s glass and glazing team, has benefitted from the safety and efficiency of prefabrication since its founding in 1998. Egan’s Mechanical pipefitter teams are able to complete welds and piece together larger parts of projects within a controlled environment, utilizing custom CAD drawings to guide the fabrication process. Egan’s plumbing shop and control panel shop also utilize prefabrication to complete as much of the work as possible independently of the field site, to increase efficiency and safety at all stages of the project.
A prefabrication facility eliminates jobsite waste or excess labor that may come as a result of working in the field. This enables prefabrication experts to receive plans from trades professionals in the field and engineers and put them into action without slowing down the work on the project. Egan’s recent electrical work on the 568,000 square foot FedEx Distribution Facility in Rosemount, Minn. utilized nearly 3,500 hours of prefabrication work, which resulted in significant cost savings, as well as a reduced risk of injuries and mistakes on the jobsite. The dedicated team completed much of the repetitive or harder-to-complete work in a controlled environment before sending the ready-to-install materials to Rosemount.
The prefabrication team is taking quality one step further at Egan by documenting and double-checking the quality checkpoints of each build. These checkpoints are printed on a sheet with a unique QR code that is attached to each build. In the field, the QR code can be scanned by any field personnel to provide feedback/comments via a Google Form that provides an easy method for tracking, resolving, and improvements that are made in association with the comments.
THE FUTURE OF PREFABRICATION
The industry continues to evolve with these engineering practices; prefabrication is quickly becoming a larger operation where teams assemble whole sections of projects in a separate controlled environment independent of the final jobsite. Egan is finding solutions to improve the work we do while maintaining safety and quality at every step.
Egan sets high standards and goals annually for the number of prefabrication hours that are logged each year. This number directly correlates to the success of projects, revenue, and the entire operational efficiency across each of Egan’s 12 multi-trade expertise. Additional prefabrication capabilities are on the horizon at Egan, with the investment of a new 40,000 square foot facility that will primarily focus on electrical prefabrication being built in Southern Minnesota. As the construction industry continues to evolve, Egan strives to be at the forefront, ready to find solutions that help our customers in every way possible.
When you see orange cones on the side of the road during the summer, it can often beg the question: what exactly are they doing? How will this help the roads and infrastructure? Depending on the scope of the work, there can be a number of different things Egan Company’s Electrical Outdoor team and other contractors are doing on the side of the road during the busy construction season. It all is designed to improve the quality of the infrastructure, as well as your experience and safety while traveling.
TYPES OF ROAD WORK
No two road projects are the same. A project scope can be as simple as upgrading the lights alongside the highway, while others are much more extensive and require multiple contractors on a single job. Common types of road work includes installing or updating traffic management systems, lighting, new pavement, and reconfiguring the road itself, such as adding new lanes.
UTILITY WORK
A large aspect of any road work includes utility maintenance, upgrades, and installation. Underneath the road’s surface is a complex network of utilities and wiring. During construction, electricians work alongside other trades to install or relocate electrical lines, communication cables, and water and sewer lines. This often is done in tandem with projects that may require other major roadwork, such as repaving or other significant road reconstruction. Because utility lines can affect hundreds of homes in an area, this phase requires careful coordination to minimize disruptions to existing services.
TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
Traffic control systems are a big part of road projects, and Egan’s Electrical Outdoor team specializes in the installation, maintenance, and upgrades of these signals and control systems. New technologies and traffic management systems are being installed throughout Minnesota to improve safety of the roads, as well as traffic flow. In addition to stop lights or other traffic management systems, electricians may also be installing street signs, digital signage and highway displays, and will complete additional wiring and electrical installation as needed.
STAY SAFE AROUND ROAD WORK THIS SUMMER
Road construction season is just getting underway in Minnesota, with improvements coming to infrastructure quality, safety on the roads, and technology along highways and streets. From planning and design to installation and maintenance, each phase plays a crucial role in creating safe and efficient roadways.
Whenever you see us or anyone working on these projects, remember what goes on at the job sites, and slow down when driving through work zones. It takes everyone to be aware during construction projects to help keep our roads safe all year round.
