Impacts of Prefabrication on Construction Workers’ Wellbeing: a Case Study

The Industrial Revolution had lasting impacts on our social structures as well as on the built environment.The paradigm shift from a mostly agrarian society dominated by agricultural activities outdoors within a rural setting to working in an indoor environment within an urban setting has radically changed the way of life for individuals, families, and communities around the world.However, until recently, industrialization had not transformed the construction sector to the extent that is had other industrial sectors.Due to advances in modular construction, though, the construction sector is beginning to see transformation, bringing with favourable impacts on the construction workforce.Prefabrication has improved safety in construction; improved the lifestyle of workers by reducing fatigue and short-term and long-term disability claims; lowered the barriers to increased participation of women in the workforce; and enabled those less highly skilled to enter the construction job market.This paper systematically analyzes these trends in reference to a case study of the transformation of a large residential builder from traditional on-site construction to factory-based panelized construction.