Why Hiring is Smarter than doing it yourself
2021-07-08 FARS EngineeringAmid the COVID-19 crisis, the government restrictions have caused some people to stay and work in the comfort of their own homes. In fact, in some countries, the full 100 percent capacity in the workplace is still prohibited until further announcements. This has caused significant changes in the business sector. A lot of businesses have been greatly affected and some even had to be closed permanently because they can no longer manage their losses. One sector, on the other hand, has boomed as a result of more people staying at home. Which sector? The sector who is providing for the online market.
The businesses dealing with providing online services or goods have soared. This includes online streaming and video platforms like YouTube and Netflix, as well as online shopping platforms like Taobao, Alibaba, and Amazon. In an online survey, 64 percent of its respondents have stated that they have used Youtube significantly more due to the coronavirus. What’s the relation of this in the construction business?
The link is that since video streaming has become increasingly popular, and people have been encouraged to socially distance themselves from the others, there has been a significant rise in the number of people choosing to DIY. DIY – or do-it-yourself, is a common term used to describe an activity of decorating, building, and making repairs at home by oneself rather than hiring a professional. However, when it comes to major improvements and repairs, it is still highly encouraged to hire a team of professionals to handle it.
© snortinsawdust / Via reddit.com
Here are important reasons why you should hire a professional:
- Safety!
“Safety isn’t expensive, it’s priceless” – Jerry Smith
This cannot be stressed enough as the most obvious and important reason. One of the key benefits of hiring a professional is to ensure safety, not just to the owners of the infrastructure but to the community as well. Construction companies have Engineers that dedicated themselves in studying this line of work and have been exposed to the practice for the entirety of their careers. They have probably experienced both foreseen and unforeseen circumstances that may arise during construction, hence, they are fully prepared both in knowledge and equipment to handle all situations that may arise during construction.
- Well trained workers
These companies have a duty to fulfill, both to their clients and to the community, to ensure that their service reaches, or even exceeds, the standard provided under the law.
In Hong Kong, according to the CoP for Metal Scaffolding, you need to have “substantial training and practical experience” (under the definition of the CoP), in order to be qualified as a competent person to perform the duty.
To be able to achieve this, and provide outstanding services, they have qualifications in their hiring process to guarantee that their workers are competent and reliable. Their dedicated workers have years of experience and have undergone training to perform their assigned roles. This is a very important benefit of hiring a professional team.
- Complete set of equipment
In line with their work, these companies have invested probably most of their capital in purchasing high quality equipment to perform their jobs more efficiently. This includes small equipment from screw drivers to heavy duty ones like excavators, if necessary. They are fully equipped with knowledge and expertise in the use of these equipment too, compared to typical household tools that you might have and the knowledge you acquired from the internet. These experts have been trained with knowledge and years of experience in efficiently using these equipment to perform their objectives.
In totality, while performing DIY work is understandably more cost efficient than hiring a professional team, this activity is only encouraged in small manageable tasks and repairs. However, when it comes to major constructions and repairs, it is highly encouraged to consult experts. The primary reason is to ensure your safety. While it may involve putting out a sum of money to avail of their services, you can think of it as an investment which you will gain benefit from in the long run.
For professional civil engineering design services and formwork/falsework systems, contact us and receive the best practical and cost-effective solutions.