Month: July 2019

Fire Safety Guidelines On Construction Sites

Construction blogger

Fire can occur anywhere and at any time. There are practically no places that are safe from fire breakouts and they can happen even to least expected places. In fact, construction areas are prone to fire hazards and pose more risk when compared to house fires.

For this reason, fire departments are imposing stricter rules when it comes to implementing regulations on constructions site fire safety rules. They try to make sure that the priority is on the safety of the workers by practicing construction fire safety.

There are several ways to prevent fire from starting up on construction areas and it is necessary to know these fire safety guidelines in order to make sure that the construction workers are kept safe from accidental fire breakouts. This guideline should be strictly followed so as to adhere to requirement on fire safety regulations of the fire department.

Below is a list of construction fire safety tips that needs to be followed to ensure that no fire break outs will start and that the workers are safe from fire accidents.

1. Notify the fire department of any construction so that they can assist you in formulating a fire protection plan that follows the basic fire safety regulations.

2. Try to avoid using open flames as much as possible. It is possible that there are alternative to open flames because once this open flame grows, it is likely that it will be too difficult to control.

3. Make sure to have on standby at least 2 fire extinguishers within 15 feet when welding or when using propane torches. Having these around will help extinguish any accidental fire breakouts.

4. Make sure to remove all combustible materials out of the area after construction hours to prevent them from accidentally igniting. Be sure to cover these items with fire resistant materials since it is likely that there would not be anyone around to put out the fire should they catch fire.

5. Ensure proper ventilation when using chemical solvents as the buildup of fumes could potentially be explosive once it is ignited.

6. A no smoking policy should be enforced inside the construction site as reckless disposal of lit cigarette butts can cause accidental fires.

7. Make sure that all flammable liquids are stored on fire proof cabinets that are located off-site.

A construction site is a very dangerous place and accidents can happen at any time. This makes it very important to make sure that everyone in the construction site follows these fire safety rules to ensure that no fire accidents occur.

Three New York Construction Workers Settle Injury Claims For $3.85 Million

Construction blogger

Three undocumented workers have reached settlements in New York after being the victims of a construction accident. The three men suffered serious injuries due to extremely poor working conditions. One of the men, a plumber, was scalded when a pipe burst while he was working at a Wall Street construction site. Another of the men sustained debilitating injuries to his foot after a steel beam crushed parts of his lower body while on a construction site in downtown Manhattan. The final man was injured when three large metal trusses collapsed on him, fracturing his hip and causing several other serious injuries.

According the attorney for the three men, Brian O’Dwyer, “all three cases involve construction and terribly unsafe working conditions.” And indeed, this case is no exception to the experience of many undocumented workers; a large majority of undocumented workers are often forced to work in unsafe situations or risk losing their job. This alarming trend seems to be growing across the United States as construction jobs become harder to find amid the nationwide economic crisis. Of course, unsafe working conditions will invariably lead to more construction accidents, a sad and frightening fact for many of those involved in the construction field.

Executive director Joel Magallan of Asociacion Tepeyac, an immigrant advocacy group, said that while construction work is often dangerous, undocumented workers are likely to work at sites that lack proper safety equipment, OSHA regulation compliance, and required warning signs. According to several studies, both by local nonprofit agencies as well as national researchers, abuses of workers on construction sites are widespread. An especially high number of immigrant workers were represented among those whom had suffered either seriously debilitating or fatal injuries due to unsafe working conditions.

In light of the recent construction accident lawsuits against contractors and building site owners, there may be a positive side to the tradgedy that takes place so often on dangerous construction sites. With the victories of these three undocumented workers, the opportunity for workers who have been injured on construction sites to receive just compensation grows larger. The three men were awarded a total of $3.85 million in damages between them, money they say will now be used to support their families, pay for costly medical expenses, or pursue their dreams.

Despite improvements in safety in virtually every field, construction site accidents remain one of the most dangerous professional accidents. Many times these injuries are seriously debilitating and sometimes fatal. Additionally, workman’s compensation insurance may not provide enough to cover medical expenses, living expenses, and outstanding debt that might have accrued during the recovery time. To that end, it is paramount that workers who have been injured in a construction site accident seek compensation through the proper channels, such as contacting a construction accident lawyer when they have settled on legal recourse.

New construction windows or replacement windows Which is right for you)

Construction blogger

Hello, my name is John Rocco.I grew up around the window and door business. My father owned a glass shop that dealt in every aspect of residential and commercial glass.Naturally, when it came time to choose a profession, i wound up in the window and door business. I have been in the business for about 27 years, and i have been self employed for 20.One of the things that seperated my company from my competitors was my willingness to show my customers how to replace their windows themselves. Whenever i would encounter a customer with a curiosity or willingness to learn how to install their own windows,i would offer to sell them the labor on one window,using them as my helper.Then,they would install the rest of the windows using the knowledge gained from helping me install one.Most window companies would never do this because there is so much money made on the labor.But i was always so busy,i never felt like it was costing me money.Eventually, i made an installation video for those homeowners who wanted to do their own windows.While the video is for sale on my website, i decided to take excerpts from the video and write an article once a week covering some part of the window replacement project.This article is going to cover the difference between window frames used in new construction homes, and the window frames that are used to replace existing aluminum or wood windows.

When a new home is being built,the windows are nailed to the wood studs that make up the house frame.In order to accomplish this, new construction windows have a fin around all four sides of the frame that rests against the outside of the stud, and nails are driven into the studs through the nailing fin. After that,flashing paper is applied to prevent water leaks, then the exterior, material is applied. That material can be stucco, brick, siding, etc.Now, imagine 10 or 20 years later when you want to replace those windows. If you were going to install your replacement windows the same way the original windows were installed, you would have to remove the exterior material around each window in order to get to those nails holding the frame in there. You can see how this pro- ceedure could cause many problems, not to mention all the labor involved. I have seen homes in california with stucco exteriors where the homeowner had the stucco cut out in order to remove the old windows.The problem was they were unable to match the stucco colors after patching. Its just not a very efficient way to replace windows. So the replacement frame was designed. In most parts of the country it’s simply a new construction window frame with the nail fin removed. In the west,where stucco is a common home exterior,a retrofit frame was designed. If you’re going to be replacing the exterior material on your home, then you might want to consider going with the new construction window since the nailing fins will be exposed anyway. Also, chances are that a contractor will be doing your exterior replacement,and it would be wise to let the contractor install the windows as well.Since my installation videos deal with window replace- ment only, these articles will focus on replacement frames and retrofit frames. Using these two frame styles,a do it yourselfer can replace their old windows without any damage to existing interior and exterior surfaces.And the job can be done using common tools such as a drill,tape measure, and caulking gun. In next weeks article,we will discuss the replacement of wood sash windows.

John Rocco has been installing replacement windows since 1978 To learn more, visit How To Install Windows

Renting Construction Equipment Will Save Project Cost

Construction blogger

When you are renting out construction equipment, you are saving on the cost of your project. Construction equipment rentals have helped to save costs on many construction projects. Not every construction company owners would like to purchase such equipment because it would not fit their budget. Also the utility of such equipment would be less as per the whole project. Each of such equipment would cost a lot but there use would be only limited from project to project. Therefore it makes no sense to buy such equipment and keep for such a high price for a single purpose alone. This is why it is better to rent such equipment out and control the cost of the project.

There can be different vehicles required for construction. These can include mixers, excavators, industrial loaders, boom lifts, rollers etc. Purchasing all such equipment can quite often cost a fortune for the company. Therefore it is necessary for companies to rent such equipment out. This will help save the company money time and labor.

There are many other cost benefits that can be associated with renting out construction equipment. Breakdown costs are totally eliminated. If there is any fault in the machine then it is taken care of by the rental company. It is the duty of the rental company to provide fault free equipment that will help to complete the construction on time. If there are any breakdowns then they will be attended to and repaired by the rental company. Similarly all the maintenance cost of the equipment is taken care of by the rental company.

The construction company would only rent these vehicles to use them. However, the maintenance and the service of these vehicles would be taken care of by the rental company. Now if the construction company had purchased these vehicles then they would have had to take care of their maintenance as well which is again a lump sum amount at intervals of time. This cost is now being completely eliminated.

Storage of the vehicles will also be a big problem. If you have purchased such vehicles, you would also have to think of their storage facility. You cannot just store them in a garage. This equipment is quite bulky and most of the times you need to store them in a special manner. This is taken care of by the rental company. You dont have to go looking for special places to store these vehicles.

There is no capital investment involved in the. The equipment is rented out on a contract basis. The money that is saved by this can be effectively used in other areas. Also this increases the borrowing power of the construction company. The equipment that is rented out will not appear as a liability. It on the other hand increases the asset to liability ratio in favor of the construction company.

With so many benefits at hand, it is obvious why more and more construction companies are now going for renting out construction equipment rather than purchasing them.

Decline In Construction Accidents Linked To Economy

Construction blogger

With the U.S. economy in the midst of a recession, many businesses have suffered the effects of a significant decrease in consumer spending. Real estate, historically regarded as an exceptionally good investment, has proven to be less than lucrative as home prices continue to fall in most areas of the United States. Houses sit empty in newly constructed neighborhoods and many contractors are struggling to find financial stability. Many construction workers who have previously found steady employment with a professional contractor have also struggled to find any work at all. Many skilled laborers, though highly qualified, find there is little to no demand for construction workers.

While there has been a significant decrease in the number of jobs for construction workers, there is an oddly positive bright side to this downturn. On August 20, Bloomberg news reported that deaths in the workplace fell to their lowest levels in 16 years, down 10 percent in 2008. This can most likely be attributed to the fact that there was noticeably less activity in dangerous fields such as building construction. Indeed, while deaths for construction workers dropped 20 percent from 2007, spending on construction projects fell 5 percent. According to the report, transportation accidents were still responsible for the highest number of work-related deaths.

Though construction accident deaths fell in 2008, workers should still be aware of potential safety hazards on the job site. There have still been many high profile construction accident fatalities over the past few months. Most recently, a man fell to his death in Branson, Missouri while working on a construction tank at an ethanol plant. Another man lost his life in Brooklyn, New York, while investigating incorrectly assembled scaffolding. According to a New York Times report, a section of rope disconnected, detaching the scaffolding from the fifth story wall. The worker fell to a first floor terrace and died.

Many times, construction accidents can be prevented by simple oversight and a conscientious commitment to safety by all workers on the job site. The tragic reality, however, is that safety is often not the primary concern of the workers or those in charge. Time constraints, deadlines, and a casual attitude often are contributing factors to preventable construction accidents. Workers on job sites that seem potentially dangerous should not only take extra precautions, but also notify their foreman or other job site supervisor. Vigilance regarding safety, especially in a dangerous profession such as construction, is its own reward.