to trace their compliance, audit their existing records, and replace out- dated safety plans. Building owners will need to produce documents for the building’s registration, certification, mandatory occurrence reporting, and resident engagement. Building owners must establish the current state of the building in their records and not just the specs of the original design. These records should also include a guide that informs how to maintain a building to keep it in a safe condition throughout the life of the struc- ture, and the UK legislation appoints a position to be responsible for these safety protocols. In the event of an emergency, building owners should plan for this information to be easily accessible, understand- able, and up to date. However, safety protocols should not just be reactionary; there should be an emphasis on maintenance with the goal of prevention as well. Ultimately, the passage of building safety laws should be looked at as an opportunity to digitally upskill the construction industry while boosting efficiency, sustainability, and productivity. It may be chal - lenging at first, but the pandemic has already jump started the digital transformation of construction and our industry has shown we are more than capable of adapting given the right support, investment and inno- vation. The US will have the added benefit of learning from the UK’s approach to introducing new regulations for building safety and data management to better prepare for the expected changes in the industry and unlock unseen potential in the built environment.
nization set up in the US as the IIJA grants further roll out. As a result, UK developers and contractors are retaining samples of all building materials in an accessible location in the event of an inspection from one of these regulatory agencies. Regulations are set to affect everyone from authorities to individual subcontractors – and every collaborator along the supply chain. While regulations will impact new projects, the biggest impact will be felt by existing building owners who will need to work backward
Future of Construction By David Redd, Content Director, HCSS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the construction industry was 3.5 percent in July 2022. The last time it was lower than this was in September 2019, about six months before the initial lockdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic, the lowest it has been for nearly three years; the labor shortage remains one of the most critical construction industry trends for 2022, per The Hartford. Per AssuredPartners, an independent insurance agency, “Nearly $1.4T worth of structures are constructed each year, and it employs more than seven million workers across 733,000 businesses.” For 2022, many of these businesses struggled with a shortage of qualified workers, supply chain disruption and material shortages, weather disruptions, and infla - tion issues. To overcome these challenges, many construction firms are turning to technology to manage their business better.
HCSS, a construction management software provider, interviewed several of its customers about the future of construction. A summary of these discussions follows.
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December 2022
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