Trend Watch: 2023

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2023 Trends Round-Up: Leading Organizations Comment on Contractor Management Trends

International Association of Oil & Gas Producers?-?2022 Safety Trends and Responses

Create safety awareness in the moment, at the point of risk.?

Companies should ensure pre-job meetings are impactful, not over-proceduralized, and have a local, relevant focus. The complexity and relevance of the permit-to-work systems should be challenged, and stop-and-start work authority reinforced.?

Contractor engagement?

With the increased levels of industry activity, oil and gas companies and their supply chains can become more resilient to risk by adopting a more collaborative business partnering approach between contracted partners. Companies need to understand the specific workplace pressures on contractor staff and act to address these issues. This needs to be underpinned by joint leadership engagement, increased recognition of our people and partners, and finding mutually beneficial ways of working. This will produce psychologically safe workers, who feel confident when sharing and discussing the pressures and challenges of their workplaces.?

wire19.com

Prequalification and Pre-Approval Processes

Prequalification and pre-approval processes are becoming important components of contractor management. They involve assessing the qualifications and capabilities of potential contractors before awarding contracts.

Prequalification is the process of evaluating a contractor’s qualifications and capabilities before they are allowed to bid on a project. It typically includes reviewing a contractor’s financial stability, safety record, insurance coverage, and other relevant information. Prequalification helps organizations identify qualified contractors who are capable of completing a project on time and within budget and can also help to reduce the number of bids on a project, making the process of evaluating bids more manageable.

On the other hand, pre-approval is a process of approval given to a contractor before the contract award. It is a form of provisional approval, meaning that the contractor meets the minimum requirement for a specific project or category of work.

By using prequalification and pre-approval processes, organizations can have better control over the contractors and their work quality and also have a better understanding of the contractors’ capabilities, which can be beneficial in the long run.

SOURCE: https://wire19.com/contractor-management-trends/

psychreg.com

Mental Health

Mental health in high-risk industries will be a continued focus in 2023 and beyond. With new pressures facing construction workers during the coronavirus pandemic, the stresses involved with this industry have reached new peaks that must be combated with targeted interventions.?

• 1 in 5 construction workers struggle with mental health issues.
• The construction industry is among the top 5 industries with the highest suicide rates.
• 97% of construction workers are male, and 59% of those workers are white.
• 15% of construction workers suffered from substance abuse in 2018.
• In 2018, 20% of spending on prescription drugs was used towards opioids.
• Opioid use increases the likelihood of suicide attempts by 75%

Create a safe space for employees. Start conversations in team meetings and create a healthy supportive environment.

Provide education & raise awareness. Proper education on the sign and symptoms of mental illnesses is the first step toward decreasing stigma around mental health.

deltek.com

Shortage of skilled labor

The construction industry continues to face a workforce shortage. In 2022 the industry needed to attract about 650,000 workers in addition to the normal hiring pace needed to meet the labor demand.

This shortage will continue to grow in 2023, as many skilled laborers are retiring and exiting the workforce. To keep up with demand, it’s important to invest in education and training for your workers and look at your company culture, incentives, and bonus pay.

To help combat the shortage, you should also focus on hiring more women and minorities, as they are underrepresented in the construction industry.

As Gen Z enters the workforce and wages and competition increase, it’s the industry’s responsibility to educate them on opportunities in construction.

Paying attention to these important aspects of your business and the industry will help attract and retain employees and keep your business competitive.

Elevated risk of cyber threats

Regarding cyber threats, the construction industry ranked #2 in the number of ransomware cases in 2022. These crimes don’t just happen to large companies—small- and medium-sized contractors are especially vulnerable and often fall victim to ransomware.

Since there is and will continue to be a demand for construction technology, the risk of cyber threats will increase. It’s essential to put in the time and money to ensure you are doing everything possible to avoid risk, such as enabling two-factor authentication, using strong, uncommon passwords, and moving your data to the cloud.

https://www.deltek.com/en/blog/6-construction-industry-trends-in-2023

msuite.com

Technology advancements are continuing to enhance safety and productivity.

Technology trends in the construction industry are driving innovation and change. Construction firms that lead adoption and improve their service capabilities will leave the competition behind. As?the construction industry embraces digitization, construction firms are adding various new tools and resources. For example:

• Internet of Things (IoT): Combining real-time data from GPS devices, wearable tracking technology, and safety applications allows construction companies to measure the overall safety of the job site and perform data collection through drones, robots, and laser scanning.
• Collision avoidance systems: Offer proximity alerts and blind spot coverage to help enhance the safety of equipment operators and those around them.
• 3-D printing: According to a recent study by?Research & Markets, the 3-D printing construction market will see an 87.3% growth rate over the next ten years. The printers can create different structural items, including metal, concrete, and composite,?with materials and options continuing to grow.
• Wearables:?Tech-enabled, wearable safety equipment is becoming common on construction job sites. For example,?Kenzen?has developed a?continuous health monitoring solution?to predict and prevent industrial workforce injuries.

https://www.msuite.com/7-construction-industry-trends-to-watch-for-in-2023/