FIS strives to drive up quality, productivity, safety and sustainability by working with its members and this project ticks all these boxes.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are on a mission to reduce Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) in site operatives and have identified that dryliners are particularly prone to MSDs largely due to manually handling 1200mm wide plasterboards; often by their own, and despite efforts to address the issue it persists. Working closely with Astins as the lead contractor, FIS along with Skanska, Knauf and the HSE who are part of a working group looking at how to address this, have produced a report based on a pilot project using a 900mm width plasterboard.
The report compares data from two similar projects one using 900mm boards and one using 1200mm plasterboard – the findings show a 33% reduction in plasterboard waste; significant improvement on productivity especially during second fix (62% improvement), shoulder muscle stress reduced by 30% and relatively equal on overall CO2 emissions as well as an overall cost benefit. This paper discusses the journey and potential benefits of using 900mm boards and concentrates on the practical application of the theories raised during the investigation.
The results are encouraging.To find out more click here.