Month: July 2018

Workers Get Trained! Says NY Construction Accident Lawyers

Construction blogger

In the construction industry, the importance of training is often overlooked. Whether youre a carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc., no matter what your level of experience might be, you should insist that you get the proper training for the equipment you are asked to use. All too often, serious workplace injuries occur because workers fear asking for the appropriate safe guards, and because construction companies and project engineers assume that workers already know how to safely operate the equipment and thus, do not address this issue.

For example the case of man named Albert (not his real name), whose case our firm brought to trial. At age 29, Albert already had a considerable amount of experience as a plumber when he took a new job that required him to install ceiling pipes in a building in Manhattan. In order to reach the 20-foot ceilings he had to stand on a “lift” (a manual crank device) provided by the construction company in charge of the project. When in use, a lift of this kind should only be operated with the support of outriggers. (Outriggers are legs that provide stability for the raised lift.) Unfortunately for Albert, the lift he was working on had no outriggers, and while drilling, his drill struck a steel reinforcement bar that was embedded in the concrete. The drill twisted violently and Albert and the entire lift were brought down to the ground. Albert sustained terrible injuries from this accident including torn wrists tendons, shoulder damage, nerve damage, a fracture to his head, and an arm injury that required elbow replacement surgery. He can no longer work as a plumber, and has endured terrible pain and suffering.

New York workers compensation, trial law firm of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo, P.C. was able to prove that the construction company was at fault because they failed in their duty to furnish Albert with the proper safety instructions on how to use the outriggers. Had they done so, the lift would have been properly supported and would have been able to withstand the force of the drill hitting the steel beam. That litigation eventually settled for a substantial sum. However, if you ask Albert, who now lives with permanent arthritis in his joints, he would tell you that he would rather have his health back.

The Key Elements Of A Good Construction Safety Plan

Construction blogger

Now, what, to you is the real benefit of looking for an online construction site safety plan? If you are looking for one for its proper use, you will be after one which puts the safety of your workforce to the fore. Sadly, many construction site safety plans are built with simple ease in mind. This is a terrifying thought, especially since we in the construction industry have so many fatalities.

Any good construction site safety plan should have, as its first and only priority, your workforces safety in mind. The goal of making the site managers life a little easier is one which too often gets involved in the search for a plan. Similarly, budgeting is something that factors in quite heavily, when really it shouldnt at all. The trouble is that both the ease of the site managers life, and the safety of the workforce can all be encompassed in one fell swoop, even at lower costing brackets.

What makes a good construction site safety plan, then? At its heart, it should be suitable for the management of all construction work. This word suitable is important here. Remember, this is the most important document in your safety planning, and unless it is utterly comprehensive, it is useless.

It should also aid the compliance with health and safety legislation. Sure, while this is an important element of the document, its by no means the be all. Even if it highlights the compliance with regulatory bodies, this in no way means that it it wholly suitable. A good test for this is whether you can buy one, and it still be applicable to a different site.

A construction site safety plan ensures that on site workers develop the awareness of risks in the workplace. It should also inform every member on the site of how to minimize the risks to themselves and their co-workers. If it fails to do this, it is near useless. Keep that in the fore of your brain if you are looking for a construction site safety plan.

Design and survey information should be in evidence, which means any number of appropriate schematics, sketches and architectural drawings. The locale should be detailed here as well, which may include local amenities, stores, materials, hazards and local infrastructure. A fire safety plan should also be present, as its probably the single most important aspect of fire safety.

Its very important for any construction site safety plan, or indeed documentation relating to construction safety, that it is written in plain English. The addition of legislation and regulatory laguage has little or no validity on a construction site. Indeed, this is one of the most frustrating aspects of construction legislation. When we, as construction workers, use language which is as pragmatic as possible, very often the Safety and Health legislation concerning us is filled with little of intelligible worth. Remember to look out for this plain english in any literature to do with this document.

A construction site safety plan is entirely for the safety of the site, not the ease of the site manager.

Construction defect lawyers Settling property loss claims in favor of claimants

Construction blogger

Construction defect lawyers come into picture, when you have a claim to make for shoddy construction work. You have bought a home and also a home insurance policy to save your investment from prospective damage. The insurance company is duty bound to pay compensation for the loss of property but not every loss is insured. As a policy holder you should know the defects for which your property is insured.

The job of a real estate attorney starts with reading the policy statement of the client. It is your policy statement that has the answers to all your queries related to property loss claim. The attorney would go through your home insurance policy statement to make sure that the loss you want to claim is duly covered by the insurance policy. Only an attorney could tell what your policy statement says because the statements are constructed in ambiguous language to avoid claims.

Insurance is a legal matter hence you have to follow the rules governing the sector. You simply can’t go and file claim as it won’t be entertained. The claimant has to prove that the loss to his property is a result of shoddy work. Insurance companies are bound to pay compensation for the loss due to fault in design and use of inferior quality material. If the claimant is able to prove builders hand behind the property loss, he can get claim.

Determining the property loss in monetary terms is the most difficult part of the property loss claim process as insurer and claimant never agree at a price. Insurers try keeping the claim amount to minimum while claimants try to get maximum amount. It is where construction defect lawyers come in the picture. An attorney can settle the dispute by determining the right amount.

Insurers use adjusters to settle the claim in their favor but claimants hesitate in using construction defect lawyers to put their cases. It is learnt that homeowners rely on their insurers and it is where they are caught unawares. You are not safe when you are in the hands of insurers.

Insurance companies work to earn commission and paying compensation doesn’t figure in their business. Yes they pay compensation but only when they are left with no option. The property loss claims cases reveal that it is the fear of construction defect lawyers that keeps the insurance companies on tenterhooks. Most of the times, compensation is paid under legal pressure.

About the Author:

Larry Thompson is a renowned construction defect attorney who has helped many individuals to get the fair compensation in case if they discovered construction in their home or building. The author has been associated with various reputed law firms. For more information please visit here Construction Defect Lawyers and Seattle Law Firm .

Road Construction Companies In Brisbane Top Choice Of Residential And Commercial Customers

Construction blogger

Emergence of road construction companies in Brisbane has ensured that the construction of quality driveway surfaces and driveway designs no longer remain troublesome for people of this lovely city. The contractors of road construction companies in Brisbane offer a full range of asphalt services for both residential and commercial customers.

The highlight of most of these asphalt road construction companies is the fact that they never compromise on the qualitative aspects of their services. They usually have the policy of paying equal attention to all their clients. Whether a multinational corporation or a simple household, all of them have created a positive opinion about their services over the years.

The advantages of using asphalt as construction material are:
1.Asphalt can be used to repair parking lots, driveways, roadways and offers more flexibility giving a light advantage in terms of handling stress and cracking.
2.It is easiest to use and is very strong, durable, weather resistant and most economical repair product available.
3.Asphalt paving requires continual maintenance and can be done directly over the present pavement in many cases.
4.The preparation for paving with asphalt is relatively easy and can be applied as a cold patch, hot patch for repairing potholes in a shorter amount of time.
5.Asphalt is an environment friendly and recyclable paving product and is by far the more popular choice for parking situations and driveway paving construction.

Most of the road construction companies in Brisbane provide road maintenance services which has several direct and indirect benefits. Asphalt road maintenance usually involves two major aspects such as corrective maintenance or preventive maintenance. Corrective maintenance includes repair work like Pot Hole Patching, Crack Filling and Sweeping. Whereas preventive maintenance activity involves Crack Sealing and Surface Correction to ensure slow deterioration of roads.

Pot Hole Patching is the most cost-effective and is also called Reseal Treatment, in which a layer of bitumen and stone chips are sprayed onto the existing road and subsequently rolled with a road roller. Crack Sealing is one of the preventive maintenance activity in which sealants and asphalt are used to fill pavement joints and cracks to prevent water from penetrating into the surface. In Surface Correction activity, a thin film of surfacing is made to improve surface integrity and waterproofing. Besides these maintenance activity, road construction contractors should also concentrate on minor reshaping and minor stabilizing of existing roads. The main purpose of these road construction companies is to come up as the preferred contractor across Brisbane, Australia.
For more information, just visit www.suncoastasphalt.com.au

Bobcat Adelaide – Excavation An Essential Building And Construction Process

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For construction to take place, a particular site should be prepared first where workers must clear the site and excavate or unearth soil, rocks or other debris to commence the construction stage. It is both daunting and dangerous, and safety and proper procedures of work should be observed at all times.

In every development project, the site must be prepared first through excavation: Moving the soil, rock or other debris, grading, and then leveling the area before any actual construction could commence. The excavating crew will perform functions to ensure the area is properly leveled and graded so the builders can establish a solid foundation and install proper drainage and utilities (like water pipes, cables and underground storage tanks) on the site.

Once a development project is approved, a review or survey has taken place and the area is accessed, the excavating crew can now start work. They will first clear the place of any boulders, trees, roots and other large debris. They will also have to take down structures and other impediments that will need removing. They will next soothe out the soil on the construction site.
After the area has been prepared, the crew will start digging. They will use an excavator, huge piece of work equipment which can burrow deep into the ground. Construction workers operate excavators to dig holes to build basements, construct building foundations, and even dig holes for pools and artificial ponds or lakes. They can also operate them to dig trenches to install underground storage tanks, telephone cables, water pipes and electric cables as well as systems for wells, drainage and sewage systems.

In case of foundation excavations, after the foundation has been built, workers will support it by back filling it with soil that is dug out from the excavation. Back filling services can be expensive depending on the types and condition of the soil. Developers should take back filling services into account because back fill is necessary to support the foundation and to keep basements water tight.
Aside from hole digging and debris removal, the excavation process also prepares the site for landscaping. Grading the soil will help improve drainage which can take a bit of planning. You should know how water moves according to the composition of the soil and how your drainage will affect neighboring properties.

It is important for construction sites to be leveled, graded and drained appropriately to provide an adequate space for a building or infrastructure foundation. How can buildings or infrastructures stand without strong and stable foundation which excavation provides?
In any building and construction project, excavation is an important process, for without it, no amount of development can take place. The society we live in now, the huge buildings we see, the big infrastructures we use, all of these would not come possible without excavation. Internet and phone calls from communication lines, power from electric cables, water from pipe lines and gas from underground storage tanks: With safe excavation comes development and progress.