Ensuring Safety on Set Day

In modular construction, safety begins long before building components arrive to a jobsite, according to McCarthy Nebraska Project Director Virgil Pope.

While modular construction reduces jobsite risk by moving much of the work into a controlled factory setting, final assembly still happens in the field. “Safety starts in design,” Pope says. “When teams account for lift strategy, access, connections and erection sequencing early, they reduce risk in the field and create a safer installation process.”

Pope also points to delivery sequencing as a key safety factor, since modules arriving out of order can force crews to double-handle units. McCarthy teams conduct mock-ups and test runs before mass setting so crews aren’t solving fit-up problems in the field.

On the jobsite, Pope recommends a designated signaler wearing a distinct high-visibility vest, constant visual and radio communication with the crane operator and a Task Hazard Analysis before every shift. He also advises treating every module as a critical lift.

“Complacency is the enemy of safety,” he says.

Read the full article, from the September 2026 issue of Offsite Builder.