Direct and Indirect Workers
The workers at the project site are
inducted to perform a specified function and its connected tasks. These workers
include supervisors, construction workers, operators and drivers and
administrative personnel. For case of estimating, planning, accounting and
controlling, the project workers are broadly divided into two categories,
namely-direct workers or construction site workers and indirect workers or
support manpower.
Direct manpower
These are the construction site workers
who can be identified with execution of the client’s permanent works such as
those listed in the bill of quantities. The direct manpower constitutes 70-90%
of the total manpower employed at the project site.
The direct construction workers include
foreman and tradesmen, skilled in various engineering trades, in addition to
the semi-skilled and unskilled manpower. The tradesmen electricians, furniture
carpenters, metal workers, painters and decorators.
Generally the wages of construction site
workers are accounted on a daily or hourly basis, and their activity-wise
requirement is computed using the worker’s productivity standards.
Indirect manpower
The indirect manpower covers all
supervisors, staff and workers other than those in the direct manpower. It is
required to support the direct manpower, both technically and administratively.
It generally consists of the project management and administration group.
The indirect manpower is generally
accounted on monthly basis with some exceptions like plant and machinery
operators who can be accounted on daily wages like direct manpower. Most of the
indirect manpower can be assessed while formulating organization of work and
can also be estimated using thumb-rules based on experience.
The following are some examples of direct and indirect
construction site workers.
a) A shuttering carpenter employed in the
preparation of formwork during construction of the roof slab of a building,
which forms a part of the contract, is categorized as a direct worker, while
another carpenter engaged in the construction of a worker’s camp (temporary
accommodation) for housing labour is an indirect worker. Similarly a welder
employed in the manufacture of metallic inserts for fixing in the ground slab
of a permanent building is a direct worker, while a welder in the vehicle and
plant maintenance and repair workshop is considered an indirect worker.
b) A vehicle driver of a concrete truck mixer
used for transporting ready-mix concrete from site batching plan and the
concreting site is classified as direct worker of the ready-mix concrete supply
work-centre, whereas a driver of a personnel-carrying vehicle is taken as an
indirect worker.
c) Generally all persons in a project engaged
in the administrative duties such as office functioning, supervision, repair
and maintenance workshop, and operation and maintenance of utility services are
grouped as indirect workers.
