When I worked in the construction industry in Texas a few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the hardest working, most intelligent, and nicest people I’ve ever met in the construction industry, many of whom happened to be first and second generation immigrants from Mexico and South America. Thankfully, those people were treated fairly by the companies they worked for, but the unfortunate reality is that it isn’t the case for all of the immigrants working throughout the state or country.
A new documentary called “Building the American Dream” has been recently released, which follows 3 different families fighting for better working conditions for immigrants in Texas:
A bereaved son that lost his father to a preventable jobsite accident
A couple from Salvador that are owed thousands of dollars for an electrical job they performed
A family campaigning for a 10-minute break for every 4 hours of labor
According to the documentary, there are no federal or state laws in Texas that require mandatory rest breaks for anyone, even in the difficult weather conditions that exist in Texas during the summer.
“We’re proud to present this timely documentary about Latino essential workers who are advocating for more equitable working conditions,” said Sandie Viquez Pedlow, executive director of Latino Public Broadcasting and executive producer of VOCES, which is a series of Documentaries and includes Building the American Dream. “As we hear about the Latino workers whose jobs are considered essential and are bearing a disproportionate burden during this pandemic, this film is a stark reminder of all the Latinos who work in dangerous conditions to keep our nation running during good times and bad.”
“Building the American Dream” aired on PBS on 9/15/20, but is currently available on PBS.org until 10/15/20. You can watch it in its entirety below:
The cold weather season is approaching faster than we’d like it to and it’s the perfect time to start thinking about meals that will warm your bones on those frigid work days. Some jobsites are lucky enough to have a microwave on site, but for others it’s a thermos of soup or a cold meal – at least it USED to be.
After raising over $35,000 on Kickstarter last year, LunchEAZE is officially for sale to the public, offering warm meals through the use of its battery powered, heated lunch box. The system operates much like a slow cooker, slowly warming up your food 2 hours prior to when you want to take your lunch break.
The company says it will work on any type of food, including frozen meals, soups, and leftovers and is double sealed to prevent spills. By setting your lunch time on the control panel or through the Bluetooth app, LunchEAZE will automatically start heating two hours prior to when you’d like to heat and continue heating for an additional 30 minutes if you’re running late. Temperature controls allow settings between 170 and 220 degrees.
The battery charge lasts up to 3 hours, so you’ll need to charge it after each use.
Included in the system is a removable stainless steel container, which can be put into the dishwasher and is also freezer proof, and an insulated lunch bag to carry your LunchEAZE in.
For those interested, LunchEAZE comes in a variety of different base and lid colors and is currently on sale for $149.95 on their website. A variety of other accessories are also available for purchase, including a car inverter for on the go charging.
You can check out how it works in the video below:
As difficult as it has been navigating through the past 6 months of site shutdowns and additional safety precautions caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic, it has also had some additional side effects that no one had planned for, especially for lumber. Add some devastating wildfires in the Northwest and imported lumber tariffs to that and it’s a recipe for continued challenges.
When stay-at-home orders started going into effect in March, it was expected that construction projects would significantly drop off. What wasn’t accounted for was the sheer volume of DIYers stocking up on wood for home projects at the same time that some sawmills shut down. Many residential contractors that I’ve spoken with recently have also told me that this time has been the busiest they’ve ever been.
The recent wildfires have further exacerbated the issue, not only due to the destruction of the forests, but because the industry is expecting logging bans, closed railroad lines, and additional sawmill shutdowns in the Norhwest, per the ADG. The ERA Forest Products Research expects prices to dip in the 4th quarter, but bounce back up again in 2021.
How has lumber pricing affected your business this year? Tell us in the comment section below!
If we’re being honest with ourselves, rework happens on nearly every construction project, whether it’s due to poor craftsmanship, field changes, or errors of omission. It’s fairly easy to determine what rework costs a contractor with regards to labor and material, but determining the true total cost is a whole different beast.
Fortunately, Jason Dougherty, Nigel Hughes and James Zack Jr. with the Navigant Construction Forum have put together a very informative and comprehensive report on the total impact rework can have on a particular job. The research paper includes data from a wide variety of construction projects, including buildings, heavy industrial, infrastructure, and light industrial, 179 projects in total. The data from these studies suggests that the median cost of rework, as a percentage of total project cost, is roughly 4%-6%, but that is only taking into consideration direct cost of reported rework.
Unsatisfied with stopping at direct cost, the researches at Navigant then turned their attention to overhead costs, which include managerial, supervisor, and site safety costs. With both the direct and indirect factors combined, it was determined that the median cost rework accounts for is 9% of the total project cost! We’ve talked about the declining field of skilled laborers in the past and this is another great reason to move quickly and deliberately in developing new talent in the industry.
Besides developing skilled laborers, how else can we attempt to lessen the effect of rework on our jobs? Navigant goes a step further and offers 7 more solutions:
1. Use BIM and Virtual Design and Construction
With features like clash detection, built in scheduling and cost modeling, BIM and VDC offers plenty of opportunity to detect possible issues before wasting money and time.
2. Stakeholder Participation Early and Often
Up front communication between all interested parties avoids confusion and possible changes.
3. Pre-Construction Design Freeze
After agreements are made, there must be a point in which no more changes can be made and the work can start without worry.
4. Review of Biddability
Any conflicting or unclear language, information, construction document elements, or scope items should be completely understood by all parties before bids are turned in.
5. Review of Constructability
Hiring an independent contractor or consultant is recommended to review all construction documents prior to start of construction.
6. Review of Operability
Gather all of the operational personnel of the site to be sure that the people actually using the building to determine potential changes that are inevitable to occur.
7. Previous Project Change Order Analysis
Many times, the best way to improve in the future is to learn from the past, which is why it’s important to review the change orders that occurred on previous projects.
Sure, I’ve already written about the completion of Allegiant Stadium, the brand new home to the Las Vegas Raiders, but I ask you this: Is a building actually built if there’s no timelapse video to show for it? I submit to you that it is not.
Earthcam, the webcam technology company, had cameras set up around the jobsite of Allegiant stadium for 32 months to create the timelapse, which condensed the entire process into 3 minutes. Since November of 2017, the company stated they captured over 65,000 hours of work and 1.4 million images.
One of the new stadium’s most impressive features is its roof structure, a lightweight, translucent roof made of ETFE spanning 7 total acres. In order to capture the entire installation process of the roof, Earthcam said they needed to employ a new technique, requiring 400 megapixel images to be taken every hour 24/7 in order to form a wide enough panorama to fit the whole system.
You can check out Earthcam’s timelapse video below:
Just over 2000 firms responded to the survey, which was completed between August 4 and 26 of 2020. More than half of the respondents were involved in building construction, 25% in highway and transportation, and 23% in both federal construction projects and utility infrastructure. 66% of companies that completed the survey perform less than $50MM in projects annually, 28% perform between $50.1 and $500MM, and 6% perform over $500MM.
The results of the survey provided key takeaways, including that there have been a significant number of delayed or canceled projects, labor demand is still high, there has been an increase in the use of technology, and there is still a lot of uncertainty moving forward.
Delays and Cancellations
While not every firm has reported scheduling impacts due to the pandemic, 66% of respondents said that some of their projects have been halted, postponed, or canceled all together. Additionally, 44% said that their ongoing projects have taken longer than anticipated and another 32% have reported higher costs than anticipated.
These increases and delays could be due to a variety of factors, including increased social distancing and other safety precautions, the need to pace out workforce scheduling, increased cost of certain materials, factory shutdowns causing delay in equipment and material delivery, among others.
According to the survey, the contractors who perform $50 million of work or less annually have experienced less delays and cancellations.
Labor Demands Remains High
While not as in high demand as a year ago, many firms reported still struggling to fill both hourly and salary positions within their company. 52% of firms said they are having trouble filling hourly jobs, while 28% of firms are having problems filling salaried positions.
The survey concluded that firms are having the hardest time filling laborer, carpenter, and crane/heavy equipment operator positions.
32% the firms surveyed said that they have not seen any change in headcount year over year, while another 27% have actually added employees since 2019. In addition, over two-thirds of respondents said that did not have to furlough employees and 38% have increased base pay rate.
Increase in Technology Use
I have heard from many technology companies that they have either seen a large increase in usage of their software or an increase in customers and this survey also confirms that. 40% of respondents said they have added new technology during the pandemic, including project management, field collaboration, estimating, workforce management, and bidding programs.
21% of companies have increased their use of virtual training using online video conferencing programs like Microsoft Teams or Zoom and 13% have added augmented/mixed/virtual reality training devices,
For Autodesk products specifically, they have seen a 350% global increase in new project creations within BIM 360 Design and PlanGrid safety reports have increased 273%.
Continued Uncertainty
It’s hard to tell how much longer we’ll be dealing with the effects of the pandemic and many contractors are unsure when they’ll be able to return to 2019 levels. The geographic area where the firms were located also varied the results, with 45% of contractors in the Northeast believing that it will take them more than 6 months to recover, compared to 34% in the West, 35% in the South, and 42% in the Midwest.
55% of contractors are also calling for help from the federal government, not only to invest in public infrastructure and facilities, but also protection from liabilities resulting from exposure to COVID-19 on site. Another 41% believe that current unemployment laws are resulting in an additional barrier for people returning to work.
The Full Report
You can find the full report on the AGC of American website. It’s broken down into many subcategories including Region, State, Union/Open Shop, Firm Size, and Project Type.
One of the key components to building a proper safety culture is first building awareness. That awareness is built through training, tool box talks, and jobsite experience. The good news is that construction companies don’t need to come up with safety topics and information by themselves, there are actually a lot of fantastic resources available online and many of them are free.
Below are some of my favorite free safety resources for construction. I use these personally on a regular basis for my own safety training that I perform and for additional research when writing articles. Check them out and let me know if you have any other resources that I should be aware of!
If you’re going to start anywhere, there’s no better place than the source. OSHA is responsible for creating and enforcing safety regulations in the U.S., but they also provide a lot of other information to help train your employees.
In addition to the actual regulations, OSHA has a large library of QuickCards (1-page printable documents for handouts), E-tools for interactive learning, videos, and standard interpretations to give you insight into how OSHA intends for certain standards to be enforced.
Another one of my favorite resources is CPWR, which is dedicated to providing safety resources in order to reduce jobsite injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. CPWR also commonly partners with other organizations to perform research and create other tools.
This is obviously a little self-serving, but I spend a lot of time talking about safety on Construction Junkie and there’s a ton of valuable information to be found. Not only can you find out about recent regulation changes, and information about other great resources like this post, I also cover real-life safety incidents on jobsites throughout the country. For me, using examples of things that have actually happened recently gives any safety training or toolbox talk a heightened sense of urgency and makes people want to listen to you.
In addition, you can find new tools and technology to help enforce your company’s standards or provide your workers an alternative to traditional methods. A couple recent examples are the rise of exoskeletons that provide lift assist to reduce fatigue and long term ailments, and AI software to help monitor your jobsite for social distancing compliance during the pandemic.
You may only know Procore as the popular project management software company, but they actually spend a lot of energy providing some pretty great (and free) services for contractors to use, even if you’re not on their platform. One of those resources is a catalogue of “Procore Safety Qualified” courses, which can be found on their education page. Those who complete the course can also earn a coveted “Safety Qualified” hard hat sticker.
The most current courses are a bit more non-tangible than you may be used to, as they cover wellbeing, mindset, and cultural changes, but they also have a backlog of more traditional topics as well. The 8 other topics include Lockout/Tagout, Respiratory Protection, Scaffolding, Hazard Communication, Fall Protection, Confined Spaces, Silica Exposure, and Heat Hazards.
Each course can be used to earn continuing education credits and it also approved by several industry organizations.
Safesite makes their living with their safety management system and safety app of the same name, but they also have a really great blog packed with extremely helpful information. The company covers all of the most important topics, including fall protection, excavation, safety culture, documentation, ladder safety, COVID-19, and so much more.
In addition to just the helpful blog posts, you can also find checklists for things like PPE inspections, fall protection, electrical inspections, hot work, and others. As knowledgeable as they are about safety, they also reach out to industry experts (*ahem” – like this one) to get additional perspectives. It’s definitely a site worth bookmarking.
Tall mass timber buildings have been gaining steam across the globe over the past few years, but their detractors argue that they are at a much greater risk of burning to the ground than traditional tall structures made of steel and concrete. The National Fire Protection Association has recently adopted provisions to allow for taller mass timber buildings within NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code.
Expected to be released later this year, the changes to the NFPA code will use a factor in order to increase the height and square footage above the current mass timber standards and additional protections for fire resistance will be added as the building gets taller. Much like the IBC mass timber regulations, protections for exterior walls, shafts, connections with non-combustible materials, and concealed spaces.
“The addition of tall mass timber provisions to NFPA 5000 and NFPA 101 ensures compatibility with the International Building Code, thereby furthering the market opportunity for tall mass timber buildings,” said American Wood Council (AWC) Vice President of Codes & Regulations Kenneth Bland, P.E. “NFPA’s recognition of tall mass timber furthers the availability of a low-embodied carbon alternative compared to traditional building materials.”
Well, I didn’t really intend for Construction Junkie to be filled with a bunch of articlesto bum you out, but when dozens of people are injured from a jobsite incident, it’s important for us all to learn from it in order to avoid similar circumstances in the future.
Two cranes collided at a jobsite in Austin, Texas on Thursday morning causing panic on the jobsite and resulting in 22 injuries, 16 of which were transported to the hospital. The good news is that none of the injuries are believed to be life threatening.
FINAL: Structural Collapse incident at 1600 Robert Browning St; #ATCEMS Command advising total victim count of 22, patient count of 20 with 16 patient transports, 3 patient refusals & 3 no patients. #ATCEMS PIO responding to the incident for media briefing.
Reports from Austin Travis-County EMS (ATCEMS) indicate that all of the injuries occurred as workers were trying to flee the site out of fear of a collapse.
The cause of the incident is not yet know, but ATCEMS also confirmed that the two cranes had become entangled. In videos, it appears that the incident involved a tower crane and a crawler crane.
ATCEMS does believes that the bases of both of the cranes are stable, but they are concerned about winds causing both cranes to tip and have initiated the brakes on the tower crane to keep it from swaying. A safety perimeter has been established around the site equaling the height of each of the cranes on all sides in case they do end up falling. KVUE reports the tower crane is 150 feet high.
For a while, reports stated that the tower crane operator remained in the crane even after the site was evacuated in order to provide a secondary form of safety by engaging the manual brake.
According to KVUE, the site that the cranes are working on will be a six-story office building and parking garage.
Unlike many of the crane accidents that we typically see, this one has not ended in extensive equipment and property damage, but injuries still occurred. It’s obviously too early to tell why so many injuries occurred – and I’m not saying this is the reason- , but this may be a good time for your company to evaluate your evacuation plans, as well as making sure that the site is set up with a clear path of egress.
Below you can see raw drone footage of the site and see a press briefing given by the first responders on site.
Safety training and awareness building are a core fundamental of building a proper safety culture on your jobsites, so it’s important to know the resources that are available to you. The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has recently released a collection of free construction safety resources to help build and share safety knowledge.
The ASSP’s new construction safety resource page includes many blog posts, podcasts, and webinars covering various topics. They have also released their first two eLearning modules, focusing on fall protection (construction’s leading cause of jobsite fatalities) and safety management systems. Both courses can earn safety professionals up to 3.0 continuing education credits.
“Safety professionals in construction now have a great resource for guidance on identifying and controlling risks to improve productivity and keep workers safe,” said ASSP President-Elect Brad Giles, P.E., CSP, STS, FASSP, GIOSH, a longtime safety expert in the construction field, in a press release. “This approach enables ASSP to expand its reach and is ideal for the next generation of safety professionals who seek best practices and prefer online learning.”
In 1964, UK-based contractor Eric Carnaby & Son bought a JCB 1 backhoe loader and put it to good use. After its retirement, the company kept it stored away in a shed for decades.
The company has bought over 150 different JCB machines over the past 60 years and is one of JCB’s longest standing customers. To celebrate their 75 year anniversary, JCB decided to take that beat up old backhoe to their factory, completely tore it apart, cleaned and repaired the parts, and repainted it to look and perform like brand new again.
The machine was affectionately called “Angela,” named after Mr. Carnaby’s late wife.
You can watch the entire process of the restoration in the video below and the final product looks absolutely fantastic.
Multiple construction workers were transported to local hospitals in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday after an 11th floor parking deck collapsed onto the 10th floor and then collapsed again while workers were shoring up the site the next day.
Local news reports stated that 4 workers were transported to nearby hospitals on Friday, with one having serious leg injuries, and another was treated on-site. Another worker suffered leg injuries after the second collapse on Saturday. In a tweet, Atlanta Fire Rescue stated that a “T-beam pancaked down multiple floors at 530 W Peachtree Street. Workers were inside shoring up the structure from a #collapse that took place yesterday.”
Atlanta Fire Search and Rescue Units extricated one worker with leg injuries after T-beam pancaked down multiple floors at 530 W. Peachtree Street. Workers were inside shoring up the structure from a #collapse that took place yesterday. #AFRDpic.twitter.com/kSL7DjbMOa
The project is located at Emory University in Midtown. Flyover video of the site after the first collapse can be seen in the video below, shared on YouTube by 11Alive.
Every year, Milwaukee Tool organizes an invite-only media event, called NPS, in order to showcase dozens of new products that they plan to release over the next year. This year, the company had to pivot to an online event – and everyone is invited.
The online event, called Milwaukee Pipeline, is being split up into 4 different events over the next few months. The first one, showcasing M12, M18, and MX Fuel tools was held last month and the second one, focusing on their extremely popular modular storage unit, PACKOUT, was held last night. The company also announced a brand new product segment
Here are the highlights:
Milwaukee PACKOUT Modular Storage System
Milwaukee had already spilled the beans on one of their new PACKOUT products that will be released soon, the 2.5 gallon wet/dry vacuum, in the first episode, but there was still plenty of exciting developments. The biggest, of course, was the much anticipated drawer units.
PACKOUT 2 Drawer and 3 Drawer Tool Boxes
Estimated release: February 2021
When Milwaukee first announced the PACKOUT system a few years ago, the first question was, “Where are the drawers?” Well, now we know. The new drawer boxes will come in two varieties: a 2-drawer and a 3-drawer unit, both equal height. Each drawer will have a 50 pound weight capacity and feature Quick-Adjust Dividers. The boxes are also equipped with an integrated metal security bars that will keep the drawers from opening when they’re in the back of a truck or van.
The 2 Drawer Tool Box (48-22-8442) will retail for $134.99 and the 3 Drawer Tool Box (48-22-8443) will retail for $149.99.
PACKOUT 2-Wheel Cart (48-22-8415)
Estimated release: October 2020
The 2-wheel cart will be another welcome addition to the PACKOUT system for many users. Not only can PACKOUT boxes mount to the bottom plate or to the frame, it can also carry 400 pounds of materials like water heaters and sacks of concrete mix, and it has a functional storage area on the back for long items like levels, brooms, and conduit benders. The cart also features industrial 10” flat-free wheels that are tucked underneath the frame.
The cart will retail for $199.99.
M18 PACKOUT Light/Charger (2357-20)
Estimated release: October 2020
The product that came as a bit of a surprise last night was the M18 PACKOUT Light/Charger. Milwaukee is still the king of battery powered jobsite lighting and this looks to be another useful addition to the lineup. Rated IP54 for dust and water protection, this light features 3 different lights delivering up to 3,000 lumens and providing up to 31 hours of runtime on a 5.0ah battery. The light also features an integrated AC input for unlimited runtime and will also charge the M18 battery and/or a device via the 2.1AMP USB port.
The PACKOUT Light/Charger will retail for $199.99.
PACKOUT Customizable Work Top (48-22-8488)
Estimated release: October 2020
The top of the PACKOUT boxes are not flat, but they could be with the new customizable work top. Constructed of impact resistant polymers and a marine grade wood top, it can be used as a flat writing surface, for a jobsite laptop, or an assembly table. The wood top allows you to attach fasteners directly into it for a vice, chargers, or anything else you can think of. It also has a total weight capacity of 50 pounds.
The Customizable Work Top will retail for $49.99.
PACKOUT Racking Shelves
Estimated release: Early 2021
Many PACKOUT users want the option to mount their boxes inside their work vans or their workshop and this new shelf racking system will provide a flexible option for that. The shelves mount on an E-Track so they can be moved up and down based on your needs at the time. each shelf, made with a reinforced frame and impact resistant body, will allow a 50 pound weight capacity.
Laser Lines
With the amount of tools that Milwaukee continues to add every year, it’s always surprising when they don’t have a product that other brands have. This year, they have finally jumped into laser levels and they’re making some big claims. In their Pipeline presentation, the red tool brand said they focused on 3 main areas: visibility, runtime, and ease of setup.
The new laser line will initially feature 5 different models, 2 on the M12 lineup and 3 more using Milwaukee’s USB REDLITHIUM rechargeable battery. Since they have jumped all-in on the crisper and more visible green line laser (as opposed to red lines), they decided to skip the disposable battery versions due to long term cost.
All of the models are IP54 rated, have an accuracy of +/- 1/8” at 33 feet, are impact resistant up to 1 meter, are self leveling within 4 degrees, and have a 1/4” thread mount (the M12 versions also have a 5/8” thread mount).
M12 Green 360º 3-Plane Laser Kit (3632-21)
Estimated release: November 2020
Price: $599
M12 Green Cross Line & Plumb Points Laser Kit (3622-21)
Estimated release: November 2020
Price: $499 kitted and $399 bare tool
USB REDLITHIUM Cross Line & Points Laser Kit (3522-21)
The robotic brick laying robot, Hadrian X has been pretty busy this summer. After breaking its lay speed record of 200 blocks laid per hour, the robot is now taking on commercial structures.
Started on September 1, 2020, the commercial building, located in Perth, Western Australia, was composed of a double brick cavity wall 15 courses high on the exterior and 4 courses high on the interior. If you’re unfamiliar with the robot’s process, it uses a proprietary adhesive, as opposed to traditional mortar to lay the block.
To add to the complexity of this project, the robot had to account for concrete and steel lentils, which were installed in the middle of the project, and also its first heavy storm, including hail, high winds, and rain. The team from FBR, the maker of the Hadrian X, were pleasantly surprised the robot was able to work through those conditions, as they previously had thought it could only handle light rain.
The structural block wall took was completed by the Hadrian X about a week later, on September 8. The robot was able to lay the block, with its dimensions converting to roughly 15in x 9in, by 3.5 in each, at a rate of 174 per hour and a top speed of 228 per hour.
The team from FBR also documented the progress of the project throughout the week in a series of videos, which you can watch below. I’ve ordered them from newest to oldest.
Across the country, construction jobs are being filled by less experienced workers than ever before. Our industry’s aging workforce is retiring, which leaves many new workers in a “trial by fire” situations, fumbling to troubleshoot with little training. A new artificial intelligence powered training solution may help solve some of training problems.
Created in 2018, DeepHow creates indexed, searchable, and translatable how-to videos without the need for a camera crew. Through the use of an app, employers can film their most experienced workers in construction, service, or manufacturing and the AI in the background will break up those videos into searchable video clips, helping the less-experienced see what needs to be done, without calling the office, waiting for another employee to be free, or waiting on tech support to call them back.
People learn in many different ways and it’s common for those in construction to learn visually, which is why videos are a great training and learning tool. We’ve all seen install manuals that do an absolutely horrible job of explaining the process, with poorly drawn diagrams giving you only a partial glimpse of what you’re getting yourself into.
“Learning from videos has become the most preferred way of learning,” says Patrik Matos, Chief Product Officer of DeepHow, in a press release. “But traditional video production is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and not scalable for enterprises. Our DeepHow AI platform introduces a paradigm shift for technical training. It enables companies that rely on skilled labor the ability to rapidly create a usable, accessible knowledge library to learn effectively, improve safety, and increase productivity.”
Like most AI platforms, DeepHow has given their robotic assistant a name: Stephanie. Users can ask Stephanie to look up a part, show a process, or switch languages from English to Spanish.
Recently, STANLEY X, Stanley Black & Decker’s Innovation hub, formed a partnership with DeepHow to expand their training program for contractors, manufacturing, trade schools, and unions.
“There is a tremendous opportunity to help our customers minimize the disruption caused by employee turnover,” said Kevin Lemke, VP of Strategy for Stanley Black & Decker’s Innovation Group, in a press release. “DeepHow is the only AI knowledge transfer system for the skilled trades, and we view it as an integral part of the ecosystem we are beginning to build.”
To see more about how DeepHow works, check out the video below from Stanley Black & Decker:
One thing that I’ve been concerned about since the coronavirus pandemic started is how it will affect training. With social distancing guidelines, the reduction of in-person meetings, and other challenges, it’s easy to just push training down the line and get back to it when it’s more convenient. Heavy equipment operators have had access to remote training through computerized simulators for years, but one training solution just created a platform that’s even more remote.
Cat Simulators, a heavy equipment simulator training solution and a licensee of Caterpillar Inc., has recently announced the release of a portable simulator training module that can either be used in a social distanced classroom or at-home. It includes desk-mounted joysticks, the same that you would find in a CAT Excavator, and pedal controls.
The simulator is coupled with a training software that requires students to learn specific tasks, like walkaround inspections, loading, raking, maneuvering in tight spaces, and trenching.
While their original simulators sit on a large arcade-like module, which moves the chair around based upon the terrain and task to recreate real-world feel, the Cat SimLite will only employ a desk chair to increase the portability.
The purpose of classroom simulation training is to be able to make training much more consistent and standardize the curriculum for your new employees. Every jobsite and human trainer is different, so if employers know exactly what their employees have been trained on, it’s much easier to manage expectations and deliver more consistent results.
“We’ve heard from schools, training centers and businesses—they have to keep training, despite the pandemic. So that meant engineering a design compact enough that it could travel easily in pelican cases; or be set up in classrooms at a safe distance,” says Simformotion CEO Lara Aaron. “All of the things people love about Cat Simulators is packed into SimLite, including OEM controls and our exclusive reporting program, SimU Campus.”
Demolition by implosions videos are obviously fun to watch, but the actual process creates an insane amount of dust. The challenge becomes hoe do you douse an enormous structure that falls within seconds with enough water to control dust effectively? The answer might be more explosives…
When the 15-story Pentagone Plaza tower located in Clamart, France was imploded last week, the demolition team didn’t just set up some hoses, they surrounded the structure in a bunch of small, inflatable swimming pools lined with explosives. The intent is to send a vertical pillar of water into the air right before the explosives inside the building go off in order to create a wall of water that the dust has to fight through.
According to Demolitionnews.com, the system, created by Delair CFD, also includes having a bunch of water bags located throughout the inside of the building to help reduce dust internally, as well.
It’s a cool idea – and certainly adds an additional level of interest to the video – but, as you’ll see in the video below, there’s still a significant amount of dust that escapes. It’s difficult to quantify, but I’m sure the extra effort still helped to reduce the amount of dust spread off site.
Construction technology has come a long, long way in the past decades. There are now hundreds of construction-specific apps available, ranging from project management, to compliance and reporting, to photo documentation, to estimating, and many more. At times, it can be overwhelming keeping up with all of the available options in the market, especially for smaller to medium sized construction businesses that don’t have a dedicated technology team or budget.
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), which currently operated 69 chapters throughout the country, has recently launched ABC Tech Alliance with 13 construction technology companies to help educate construction companies before, during, and after implementation of new technology.
“The need for technological solutions—both big and small—in the construction industry is clear, especially given changing work conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Matt Abeles, ABC’s vice president of construction technology and innovation, in a press release. “I look forward to the exceptional products, education and dialogue the Tech Alliance companies will bring to ABC members and our evolving industry, especially as we continue to implement technology to revolutionize the design, build and delivery process.
The alliance will allow ABC’s members to gain better access to special perks through the technology companies, such as beta testing and free technology programs and webinars. ABC has also created a Construction Technology and Innovation Committee to create even more partnerships with other technology companies and help guide member contractors.
The initial 2020-2021 Tech Alliance members have been announced as:
The Tech Alliance already has 3 upcoming webinars available for members to register for on their website, with topics including Safety and Collaboration, Estimating and Project Management, and Labor, Equipment, and Financial Tools.
