Accommodation is the constraint that workforce plans most often forget. A project can recruit three hundred welders, but if there are only two hundred beds, the extra hundred either wait at home or sleep in conditions that will soon cost the project in absenteeism and departures. Planning workforce accommodation for project sites means sizing capacity to the workforce curve, choosing the right type of accommodation, setting standards and phasing it so the project does not pay for empty beds.
How much accommodation does a project need?
Start from the manpower histogram, then add:
- Rotation overlap, because outgoing and incoming crews can both be present during crew changes
- Visitors and specialists, such as vendor representatives, auditors and client staff
- A working margin for maintenance, room swaps and unexpected arrivals
The peak figure, not the average, sets the requirement. The overlap effect on remote sites is explained in workforce challenges on remote oil and gas projects.
Accommodation standards
Standards come from local regulations, client requirements and the employer’s own policies. Some clients publish detailed worker welfare standards, and auditors increasingly check them. Typical areas covered:
- Room occupancy and floor space per person
- Air conditioning and ventilation suited to the climate
- Washroom, shower and toilet ratios
- Kitchen or dining facilities, food storage and hygiene
- Laundry facilities
- Prayer rooms and quiet areas
- Recreation space and internet access
- Fire safety, emergency lighting and escape routes
Separate accommodation tiers for staff and workers are common, with different room standards. Where shift workers share facilities, put day and night shifts in separate blocks so sleep is not disturbed.
Location and travel time
The closer the camp is to site, the less time workers spend on buses. The trade-off is that sites near the plant may be restricted, noisy or short of utilities.
| Location | Advantages | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| On or next to site | Shortest travel, easy shift changes | Limited space, restrictions near operating plants |
| Within a short drive | Reasonable travel, more space | Daily bus fleet needed |
| Nearby town | Existing facilities and services | Longer travel, traffic, less control over standards |
Every extra half hour of travel each way costs an hour of a worker’s day. For a large workforce, that adds up to hundreds of hours daily, a point picked up in site transport planning for industrial workforces.
Accommodation options
- Purpose-built temporary camp: modular buildings set up for the project. Good control over standards and location; needs land, utilities and lead time.
- Leased labor accommodation: existing camps or buildings leased for the project. Faster to secure; standards and distance vary.
- Rented apartments or villas: common for staff and smaller teams. Flexible, but harder to manage at scale.
- Hotels: for short-term specialists, vendor representatives and visitors.
Most projects use a combination: a camp or leased accommodation for workers, rented housing for staff, and hotels for short stays.
Phase capacity with the workforce curve
Bringing all capacity online on day one means paying for empty beds for months. Phase it instead:
- Secure capacity for the early workforce first
- Add blocks or leases ahead of each major mobilization wave
- Release capacity as demobilization begins, respecting lease notice periods
Each step should be triggered by the mobilization plan, described in creating a workforce mobilization plan, not by calendar dates alone.
Inspection and upkeep
Accommodation that starts well can decline quickly. Involve workers in inspections from time to time; they notice problems with water pressure, air conditioning and food storage long before a scheduled audit does. Regular inspections of rooms, washrooms, kitchens and fire safety, with a clear process for maintenance requests, keep standards from slipping. Living conditions also affect performance on site, as covered in camp management factors that affect workforce productivity.
Apex Core Engineering provides workforce accommodation as part of its logistics and camp management services, planned alongside the manpower it deploys.
Frequently asked questions
Should accommodation be sized for average or peak headcount?
Peak headcount, plus rotation overlap and a working margin. Sizing for the average leaves the project short exactly when it needs the most people.
Can workers and staff share the same accommodation?
They can share a site, but most projects provide separate accommodation tiers with different room standards for staff and workers.
How far ahead should accommodation be secured?
Before the mobilization waves it is meant to serve, allowing for construction of temporary camps or lease negotiations, which can take months.
Plan accommodation for your workforce with Apex Core Engineering.