Construction

What is construction site cleanup, and what does a construction cleanup crew do?

Many cities across the nation require that construction sites recycle at least 50% of construction and demolition debris.

A construction cleanup contractor can take care of all the necessary tasks involved in cleaning up a construction site during and after all the stages of construction. These tasks can be more labor-intensive than many construction jobs.

On a basic level, the cleanup crews make certain that all newly built or renovated propertieslike homes and commercial businessesare ready for move-in.

Consult with your construction cleanup contractor to plan the separation of all recyclable materials there will be on the site, and to schedule frequent pickups of the materials. During the consultation, you could be able to plan a recycling program to handle 80% of all discarded materials, depending on how you and the cleanup contractor determine to handle the job.

Rates are based on the preliminary job estimate. Expect to pay around $30 per hour for the cleanup crews services.

The bulk of the construction cleanup crews job is in dividing materials on site as construction progresses.

The construction cleanup crew will allocate areas for wood, drywall, metals, and cardboard. A plastic fence or other clear demarcation will serve to divide the sections of the different discarded materials.

The cleanup crew will conduct timed visits that coincide with key stages of work on the construction site. For example, the crew will likely visit and work after the completion of framing, after drywall work, and after various stages of carpentry work.

The clean up crew loads the recyclables from the different debris sections onto trucks and delivers them to a recycling outlet. These outlets often pay for the discarded materials. That means you could earn income from the sale of your recyclables.

The construction cleanup contractor is also responsible for some of the finishing touches, like cleaning the windows inside and outside; dusting and washing all surfaces; removing stickers from windows and appliances; polishing all glass, marble, and tile; dusting walls and ceilings; and vacuuming floors.

Who should hire a construction cleanup crew?

Contractors overseeing an entire construction site will want to think about hiring a construction cleanup crew. Among the other subcontractors working on site, the cleanup crew can greatly contribute to the timely completion of work, and to the organization of the construction site, by placing recyclable and discarded materials in proper places aside from the overall work commotion.

Homeowners serving as the contractors of a remodeling job, of an addition, or of their new homes will want to hire a construction cleanup crew for the same reason a general contractor would.

City and municipal governments, too, may want to consider hiring a private construction cleanup subcontractor.

What are the benefits and drawbacks to hiring a construction cleanup contractor?

Excess materials on site lead to safety hazards, and they can easily upset inspectors and property owners. Its best to have these materials removed to a specific location off the part of the site that sees most activity.

Construction cleanup crews charge for their services as they are needed. That means theres no extra payroll to add to the overall cost of construction.

Other construction cleanup crews charge a flat fee based on the square footage of the construction site. That means there are no surprises or changes in the originally agreed-upon cost of cleanup.

And think about the convenience: The general contractor or the homeowner serving as general contractor does not have to handle the recycling program on his or her own.

However, as the projects overseer, you may know that its within your budget to handle the recycling of discarded materials without having to hire another subcontractor. General contractors may want to use existing crews however they can to limit the number of subcontractors they hire. For instance, it may be part of the deal that a general contractors other crews partly handle the discarding of debris from the site.

Think about whether or not a group specialized in debris removal can benefit the timely completion, quality construction, and efficient organization of your construction site.

The bottom line with construction cleanup

A construction cleanup crew is extra work on the job site. And extra work means additional expenses.

But hiring one of these crews can actually earn you money back on recyclable materials and increase the efficiency of building progress. That could mean less money expended, and a better job done.

There are many ways to cut project costs in construction. One of the major expenses for any construction company is to pay for the proper level of workers compensation insurance. This cost can become considerable due to the high degree of accidents on a work site as well as the severity of the injury in relation to other industries. Construction work is one that is specialized and when a worker is injured, there may or may not be the ability for them to return to the job with accommodations for their injury. As such, preventing injuries on a construction site and the subsequent workers compensation claims becomes a significant concern for many site managers.

One of the most effective ways to reduce injuries and the workers comp claims is to properly maintain heavy equipment, tools and to visually inspect all scaffolding and ladders (both of which account for a high percentage of construction accidents annually). These regular practices alone cannot prevent all accidents, but they can reduce the chances of those that are preventable.

Another area which needs to be monitored is that of hazardous material clean up in the event of spills. This can be harmful to the workers on the site, the site itself and even the environment if this material soaks into the soil or enters waste water runoff. Regular training of all employees on proper handling, containment, clean up and disposal of these substances allows the company to reduce the chance of injury as well as to avoid fines for environmental damage due to the spill.

It is critical that every employee have the proper training to complete their tasks, from the initial groundbreaking to the final stages of construction site cleanup so that in the event that they are required to fill in for another employee, they will be able to do so. Companies need to provide the proper training for their employees to keep the risk of injury down.

Keeping with the need for regular training, construction companies should value those employees who work to maintain a safe environment and safe working pace. In today’s world of rushing and multi-tasking, there is great pressure to work fast and long. This practice simply produces fatigued workers who are more likely to make mistakes, thus potentially causing accidents, injuries and lost revenue for the company with lost time, delays, fines and an increase in their workman’s compensation coverage.