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Last edited 24 Nov 2024

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Daily huddle: a construction perspective

1 Introduction
2 Daily Huddle and agenda
3 Daily Huddle format
4 Conclusion

[edit] Introduction

The Daily Huddle is a regular event on construction sites. They are team meetings involving key personnel which are used to explain the planning of the day’s work and the job’s significance to the overall success of the scheme.

This article gives typical content for the agenda of a Daily Huddle on a construction site and covers potential health & safety, environmental and technical issues.

Furthermore, it considers that the agenda can be presented electronically in an APP to aid communication and record keeping.

[edit] Daily Huddle and agenda

The Daily Huddle is a short, stand-up briefing that a construction team holds at the beginning of the works each day to explain and coordinate its activities for that day. This is with a focus on health, safety and environmental matters arising as well as technical issues.

It will also look at the context of progress against the programme and can be a forum for flagging-up problems. To this end, a Daily Huddle should invite communication within the team. Remote access can be set-up in site offices where expertise from people not on site is needed.

The meeting typically lasts up to 15 minutes. There can be Daily Huddles for more than one team sitting under an overarching one, depending on the complexity of the site.

[edit] Daily Huddle format

This framework for a Daily Huddle is given here in a format that could be presented electronically using an APP, e.g. enabling the use of a handheld device on site which would allow electronic communication and for records of the Daily Huddle to be easily kept.

It is recognised that a ‘Wipe board’ can be used instead, as is common practice currently.

Table 1 – Daily Huddle format – Device screen menu for an APP

The recommended content for each screen follows.

[edit] Team introductions and roles

e.g. Foreman, Team Leader, Subcontractor, Lift Operator, Plant Operator, Banksman etc.

Establish that any colleagues new to site have received the Contractor’s induction training and read and understood the Risk Assessment & Method Statement (RAMS).

PPE identified as required for the job is being worn and the people concerned have been trained in how to use it, where appropriate. This includes specialist PPE for activities such as working in confined spaces.

Identify whether there are any other contractors working nearby that need to be communicated with.

[edit] Scope of work

Explain what is expected to be achieved by the day’s task(s).
Brief the task and construction sequence including hold points for safety and quality.
Define the safe working area where the task is to take place.
Understand how many people are on site for this job and establish whether it is sufficient to achieve the planned work?
Explain the work in the context of project progress (completion of work planned versus programme), and any remedial action necessary to correct a variance.
Highlight the impact of any changes, limitations or restrictions.
Identify materials to be used and the time any deliveries are due.
Check that the correct revisions of the applicable drawings (existing and planned) are held.

[edit] Health, Safety, Environmental and Technical

Strike prevention: point out services in the area of the works, e.g. water, electricity and gas as well as overhead powerlines and any temporary electrical installations.
Safety controls – Permits obtained, e.g.:
- Permit-To-Work.
- Permit-To-Dig.
- Hot-Work permit.
COSHH assessment: where hazardous substances are to be used, have the health effects of its use been risk assessed, and are the control measures understood by the team?
Are the constraints required by any environmental permits understood?
- e.g. unintentionally spreading contamination when pumping groundwater to keep excavations dry.
- General awareness of the duty of care to prevent pollution.
Explain the Contractor’s emergency procedures for:
- How to halt work if a safety or construction issue becomes apparent.
- Fire (evacuation).
- Environmental incident.
Make any new announcements, e.g. any health & safety, environmental and/or technical notices.
Plant machinery and equipment in date for maintenance checks, e.g. records show this.
Operators adequately trained.

[edit] Familiarisation

Ensure everyone is familiar with the site traffic route, i.e. how vehicles and pedestrians are kept apart, and including access and egress. Particularly important to reprise this after change has occurred.
Location of Welfare facilities and First Aid post.
Location of firefighting equipment.
In summary: ask the team if they are content with the task? Do they have all the information and resources they need? Do they foresee any constraints not covered in the briefing?

[edit] Conclusion

The Daily Huddle is the important first briefing meeting of the day that has the purpose of ensuring the construction team starts work safely and observes environmental and technical standards. It is the foundation to ensuring that the job and scheme proceeds in the same safe and accurate way.

A portfolio of topics and questions for a Daily Huddle is provided in this article. This agenda is scale-able, from small to very large projects, as only items relevant to the job on a given day need to be covered. Focusing the agenda in this way will also assist in staying within the 15 minutes target time for the Daily Huddle.

It is recommended that this content can be presented in a format for use electronically as an APP, e.g. on handheld device, for ease of communication by the team and to facilitate record keeping.

Original article written by Kevin Rogers, reviewed by Giorgio Mannelli on behalf of the CQI Construction Special Interest Group (ConSIG), and accepted for publication by the Knowledge Working Group on 23/11/2024

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