Comparative Investigation Of Pre-Engineered Building Erection Techniques For Improved Safety And Time Efficiency

Authors

  • Arun Sen Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Samrat Vikramaditya Vishwavidyalaya, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. Author
  • Prof. Chetan Gurjar Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Samrat Vikramaditya Vishwavidyalaya, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63665/4z16b888

Keywords:

Pre-Engineered Buildings, Erection Techniques, Construction Safety, Time Efficiency, Modular Construction, Structural Steel, Mechanized Erection

Abstract

Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB) have become an innovative construction best practice worldwide due to PEBs' 
speed of delivery, structural in efficiency, and cost-effective advantages over traditional steel construction. The 
phase of erection is the most important part when it comes to execution of PEB projects, in this phase the technique 
of construction plays an important role since it affects time, safety of workers and the cost of the overall project. 
This empirical research compared four common techniques to erecting PEBs: Conventional Crane-Based 
Erection (CCBE), Lift-Slab/Lift-Up Method (LSM), Modular Pre-Assembly Erection (MPAE), and Hybrid 
Mechanized Erection (HME). We collected data across 12 PEB project sites in India during 2023–2025, which 
include industrial warehouses, manufacturing plants, and logistics hubs with a project area varying from (2,500 
m² and 18,000 m², respectively). We measured quantitatively erection duration per sqm, manpower utilization, 
safety incident frequency rate (SIFR), equipment downtime, cost/ton structure steel erected. ANOVA, Pearson 
correlation, and regression modeling were used for statistical analysis to assess differences in performance 
between techniques. The results demonstrated that Modular Pre-Assembly Erection was fastest; 34.7% less 
erection time than Conventional Crane-Based Erection, while Hybrid Mechanized Erection had Lowest SIFR of 
0.42 incidents per 100,000 man-hours The low Pearson correlation r = −0.81, with P = 0.001, regarding 
mechanization level and number of safety incidents indicates the solution to automating methods of operation 
should correctly contribute to substantial factory safety enhancements. By helping in the selection of appropriate 
erection strategies that meet site constraints and scales of a project, these findings provide actionable real-world 
utility to construction managers, structural engineers, and policymakers. 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] M. R. Khan and S. P. Mehta, "Pre-engineered building systems: Evolution, design principles, and Indian market dynamics," *Journal of Structural Engineering*, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 215–229, 2021.

[2] Indian Steel Association, "PEB industry outlook report 2024–2025," ISA Publications, New Delhi, India, 2024.

[3] R. K. Bansal and A. Sharma, "Comparative analysis of conventional steel buildings and pre-engineered buildings," *International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology*, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 78–91, 2020.

[4] Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes, "Annual report on industrial accidents in construction sector," DGFASLI, Mumbai, India, 2023.

[5] V. Prakash and N. Gupta, "Project cost dynamics in pre-engineered building construction: An Indian case study analysis," *Construction Management and Economics*, vol. 39, no. 8, pp. 671–688, 2021.

[6] National Safety Council of India, "Construction sector safety statistics report 2023," NSCI, Mumbai, India, 2023.

[7] P. Sharma and K. Patel, "Optimization of erection sequence for industrial PEB structures," *Journal of Construction Engineering and Management*, vol. 140, no. 7, pp. 04014023, 2025.

[8] A. Khan, R. Singh, and M. Verma, "Ground-level pre-assembly techniques for steel structure erection: A field investigation," *International Journal of Steel Structures*, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 1456–1469, 2017.

[9] D. Mehta and H. Joshi, "Hazard identification and risk assessment in pre-engineered building erection: A multi-site study," *Safety Science*, vol. 102, pp. 234–246, 2018.

[10] S. Reddy and V. Krishnan, "Failure mode and effects analysis for steel erection hazards," *Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries*, vol. 58, pp. 78–89, 2019.

[11] L. Chen, W. Zhang, and Y. Liu, "Modular erection index: A quantitative framework for steel building construction," *Automation in Construction*, vol. 108, pp. 102–115, 2019.

[12] B. V. Rao and K. Subramanian, "Discrete event simulation modeling for PEB erection productivity," *Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management*, vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 1987–2005, 2019.

[13] J. Singh and P. Bhatia, "BIM-enabled erection planning for industrial steel structures," *Journal of Information Technology in Construction*, vol. 25, pp. 412–430, 2020.

[14] R. Iyer, M. Pillai, and S. Nair, "Multi-criteria decision making for erection technique selection in steel construction," *International Journal of Project Management*, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 723–737, 2018.

[15] S. Kumar and R. Verma, "Specialized lifting equipment in modern PEB construction: Performance analysis," *Construction Innovation*, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 542–561, 2022.

[16] N. Patel and K. Desai, "Drone-based safety monitoring in steel structure erection," *Automation in Construction*, vol. 134, pp. 104085, 2022.

[17] A. Banerjee and S. Roy, "Standardized erection protocols and rework reduction in PEB projects," *International Journal of Construction Management*, vol. 23, no. 7, pp. 1234–1248, 2023.

[18] H. Al-Mansoori, F. Al-Qahtani, and M. Bin Salman, "PEB erection practices in Middle Eastern construction markets," *Journal of Building Engineering*, vol. 45, pp. 103563, 2022.

[19] R. Pandey and S. Mishra, "Evidence-based decision frameworks in construction methodology selection," *Construction Economics and Building*, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 89–107, 2022.

[20] P. Choudhary, A. Jain, and V. Bhardwaj, "Longitudinal analysis of hybrid erection techniques in industrial construction," *Built Environment Project and Asset Management*, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 567–584, 2023.

[21] M. Hassan and A. El-Rayes, "Crane optimization for high-rise steel erection: A computational approach," *Journal of Construction Engineering and Management*, vol. 144, no. 3, pp. 04018002, 2018.

[22] T. Yamamoto and K. Tanaka, "Hydraulic strand jacking applications in industrial construction," *International Journal of Industrialized Construction*, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 145–162, 2021.

[23] American Institute of Steel Construction, "Code of standard practice for steel buildings and bridges," AISC 303-22, Chicago, IL, USA, 2022.

[24] Bureau of Indian Standards, "IS 800:2007 - General construction in steel - Code of practice," BIS, New Delhi, India, 2007.

[25] G. Rodriguez and M. Fernandez, "IoT-enabled crane operations in steel construction: A pilot study," *Automation in Construction*, vol. 142, pp. 104503, 2022.

[26] B. Williamson and C. Thompson, "Safety culture and incident reduction in mechanized construction," *Journal of Safety Research*, vol. 78, pp. 312–326, 2021.

[27] H. Lee, S. Park, and J. Kim, "Cost-benefit analysis of mechanization in industrial building construction," *Engineering Economics*, vol. 65, no. 4, pp. 487–504, 2020.

[28] R. Verma and S. Jain, "Workforce skill requirements for advanced PEB erection techniques," *International Journal of Vocational Training Research*, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 178–195, 2022.

[29] Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "Steel erection standard 29 CFR 1926 Subpart R," U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC, USA, 2020.

[30] K. Anand, P. Ramesh, and M. Kannan, "Performance benchmarking of erection techniques in Indian steel construction: A 2024 review," *Indian Journal of Construction Technology*, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 234–252, 2024.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-02

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Comparative Investigation Of Pre-Engineered Building Erection Techniques For Improved Safety And Time Efficiency. (2026). International Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering In Current Research, 11(7), 01-11. https://doi.org/10.63665/4z16b888