On a road or housing site, a unit stands where the crew can reach it without crossing live work and where the truck can service it without blocking access. The spot changes as the job moves, so the plan is revised at each phase.
Key takeaways
- The spot sits outside the live work zone, on ground that can be levelled and kept dry, with a truck route that is clear.
- The count is built from the largest number of people on site at one time, not from the payroll.
- A moving job is planned as a series of moves, each written on the order with its own delivery and pickup.
- Servicing is timed to the shifts and to the close, so the unit is ready when the crew arrives.
- Wet ground, low light and mud change how a unit is placed, reached and serviced.
- A site visit fixes the spot, the access, the ground, the staging and the named person who signs for the unit.
Where the unit stands on a site
On a road or housing site the unit stands where the crew can reach it without crossing live work, and where the truck can service it without blocking the access. The spot is fixed by the site, not by the convenience of the delivery.
A road job's unit sits outside the work zone, behind the barrier line and clear of the traffic control. A housing job's unit sits on a level stretch of the lot or the street frontage, away from the excavation, the material stacks and the swing of any crane.
Check the spot for slope, surface and drainage. Soft ground, standing water and mud are the conditions that make a unit hard to level and hard to service, so they decide the spot as much as the distance does.
Ask the site lead for the locations of underground services and planned excavation before the spot is fixed. A unit placed on a line that is due to be dug up has to be moved, and the move should be planned rather than improvised.
Counting for a crew
A crew count is built from the people on the busiest shift, not from the payroll. It should be checked against the shift pattern and the number of people on site at one time.
Start from the largest number of people on site at one time, then add the time they spend at the unit in a shift. A crew of twelve arriving together needs a different count from a crew of twelve spread across three shifts.
Count the visitors as well: inspectors, drivers, delivery staff and the site office. They are not always on the crew list, and they use the unit too.
Review the count when the job changes phase. A crew that grows for a pour or a paving run needs a different count for those days, and the change should be written as a dated line on the order.
Moving with the job
A linear road job moves along its route, and the units move with it on a schedule. A housing job usually keeps its units in one place until a stage of the build changes. Each move is a planned event with its own delivery and pickup.
A road job moves in sections, so the units follow the work. Plan the moves by section and by date. Each move needs a clear spot at the new section, a truck route to it, and a pickup from the old section once the crew has left it.
A housing job often keeps its units in one spot for many weeks, then moves them when the framing, the drywall or the landscaping stage begins. Plan the move with the site lead at the stage change, not after the crew has already shifted.
Write each move on the order as a separate delivery and pickup, with the dates and the spots named. A move that exists only in conversation is easy to lose.
Servicing to the shifts and the close
Servicing is planned to the shifts. The visits fall before the busiest hour, after the shift change and at the close, so the unit is ready when the crew arrives and is not left full at the end of the day.
Set the visit days and hours on the order. A weekly visit may be enough for a small crew in dry weather, while a larger crew or a wet spell calls for more frequent checks. The visits should fall on the days the crew is on site.
Ask for a check at the shift change and a visit before the crew leaves at the end of the week. A unit that fills during a long shift is the one that draws complaints on site, and a visit timed to the shift is the simplest way to avoid that.
Name the person on site who calls for an extra visit, and the number they call. A servicing plan that depends on the crew calling for help needs that call to be easy to make at the moment it is needed.
Winter and wet-weather handling
Wet ground, mud and low light change how a unit is placed, reached and serviced. The plan should set a base, a clear path and a lit spot for the months when the site is wet.
Set the unit on a base when the ground is soft, and keep the path to it cleared and surfaced. A path that turns to mud in a wet week slows every visit and every person who uses the unit.
Lighting matters more as the days shorten. Check that the spot is lit on the arrival and departure routes, and that the unit's door and its surroundings can be seen from the path.
Ask the operator how servicing is carried out in wet weather, and whether the truck can reach the unit when the access is wet. A plan that works in dry weather may need a different access route in the wet months, and that should be agreed before the first wet week.
What a housing-site visit establishes
A housing site visit fixes the spot, the access, the ground and the staging of the work. It also confirms who on site signs for the unit and the number to call when something goes wrong.
The visit walks the route from the truck to the spot and notes any gate, height limit, overhead line or ramp. It notes the turning space and the place where the truck can stop for the lift.
It checks the spot against the planned work: the excavation, the material stacks, the crane radius and the traffic of heavy vehicles. A spot that is clear today may sit in the path of the next phase, and the plan should say when it will be checked again.
It records the name of the person who signs for the placement and the number they will answer on the day. A unit with no named contact is one that nobody notices is full until it becomes a problem.
What to decide before the first call
Four decisions make the first call useful: the site and the spot, the largest crew on site at one time, the shift pattern and the phases of the job. A caller who has them can be quoted on the actual work.
Give the site address and describe the spot as the crew sees it, including whether it is on a lot, a frontage, a shoulder or a lane. The spot decides the placement method and whether a base or board is needed.
Give the largest crew on site at one time, then the shift pattern. A job with two shifts and a crew of twelve needs a different count from one with a single shift of the same size, and the shift pattern shows which count applies.
List the phases with their approximate dates. A unit that stays from excavation through framing needs different servicing from one that moves at each stage, and the phases show when a move is due.
Working with the site lead
The site lead decides the spot, the move dates and the access on a live job. The unit plan is most reliable when the site lead signs off the spot and is told of each move before it happens.
Agree the spot with the site lead in writing, with a note of the access route and the date it was agreed. A verbal agreement made at the gate is easy to forget when the site changes.
Ask the site lead to tell the unit contact before a phase change, a heavy delivery, an excavation or a crane lift that will affect the spot or the access route. A move is far easier to plan when it is known in advance.
Where the site lead changes, hand the plan over in writing. The new lead should be able to see the spot, the servicing days and the number to call without relying on the previous lead's memory.
Frequently asked questions
How many units does a crew need?
This guide does not publish a units-per-crew ratio. The count is built from the largest number of people on site at one time, the shift pattern and the visitors, and it is checked at each phase change.
Can units move with the crew?
Yes, when the job moves in sections or stages. Each move is written on the order as its own delivery and pickup, with the new spot and the date agreed in advance.
Is there a Portland construction total on this site?
No. This site does not publish a construction total, a permit count or a worker figure for Portland. The plan is built from the job itself, not from a regional total.
What should be decided before the first call?
The site address, the spot as the crew sees it, the largest number of people on site at one time, the shift pattern, and the name of the person who signs for the unit.
Sources
This guide is general information for Multnomah County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.