Investigating the implications of Industry 4.0 technology integration on critical trade roles in offsite construction

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has seen the rapid advancement and integration of digital technologies within construction industry practice and offsite construction (OSC) explicitly presents such adoptions. OSC transforms the traditional ‘hands on’ roles of trade workers to that of digital machinery and robotic operators. This study investigates the implications that emerging technology adoption in OSC has on critical trade workers. A a semi-systematic literature review was conducted, evaluating 64 sources from the Scopus database. Employing a 3-stage screening process, 14 sources were critically evaluated. The findings established that carpenters, joiners, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and metal workers are critical skilled trades in OSC practices. The study concluded that the integration of emerging technologies in OSC sees traditional craft-work processes supplemented for the operation of digitally powered machinery. Subsequently, the integration of 4IR technologies in OSC implicates the required skills, education and training of critical trade workers. This study revealed an evident lack of industry recognition and education surrounding OSC and emerging technologies, establishing the need for industry standardisation and a greater investment of education and vocational training for trades workers. Lastly, this study established that 4IR integrated OSC can present a number of benefits to trade workers, most notably by increasing workplace safety through the digital mapping of high-risk work, and minimising the risk of fatigue, physical strain and accidents caused by repetitive labour-intensive tasks.