Cool Tools for Construction Safety and Heat Stress Relief

Managing Summers!

As the summer months roll in, the rising temperature will pose an undue disadvantage to the construction projects. Excessively high temperatures on the construction site can be a serious health hazard to the construction staff.

Dehydration and heat stress are a common cause of injuries and fatalities on site, but these are perhaps the most easily avoidable.

To keep your talent safe and productive, employers must educate employees and supervisors alike about the potential dangers of heat stress and heat stroke.

Managing the Heat Risk

Heat stress is caused when the body is unable to regulate itself by sweating and the core body temperature rises to critical levels. Heat-related illnesses occur when the body is not able to lose enough heat generated by physical work and external heat sources. It is a medical emergency that can lead to cramps, exhaustion, stroke and in severe cases, death. The good news is that heat illness and deaths are preventable. A key component of prevention is to provide mandatory breaks, or recovery periods, for employees working when temperatures are high.

Simple tips and tools for countering the Aussie heat can help construction teams safely manage staff.

• Hydration
• Work Shift Timings
• Mandatory Breaks
• Dress Smart
• Protect Against the Sun
• Be Prepared

To create a healthy and safe environment for all workers at construction and mining sites, employers need to provide them with personal protective equipment.

ProjectLink has compiled a list of some effective cooling products that all workers should wear while working in hot environments. Read on to find more.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/tips-tools-to-stay-cool-at-work/

Tips for Choosing the Right Commercial Roofing

The roof is the most integral part of any construction project. It is that shelter which protects the building from extreme weather conditions like heat, sunlight, rain etc.

The selection of the right kind of roof ensures that the building stays strong for a longer period of time. If you select the correct commercial roofing for your construction project, you save on a lot of repairs and wear and tear cost in the future.

To understand roofing system, we must first understand the parts of a roofing system. A commercial roofing system can be divided into three parts:

1. The Material

The materials mostly used for roofing are metal, laminated glass, concrete tiles, clay tiles, asphalt, PVC, Teflon fabric, slate, wood etc. The right roofing material for your building is determined on the basis of the kind of building, use, climatic conditions and environmental factors. The choice of material is also made on the basis of the construction material used and aesthetics. The availability of roofing material is another factor that is considered while planning for roof construction.

2. The Construction

The construction of the roof is the next step after roofing material selection. The roof construction is based on two factors, the support system, and the pitch. The support system consists of structures like pillars or other supports that are planned and constructed based on the area of the building and the weight of the roof.

The pitch, on the other hand, is the angle of the roof from the lowest to the highest point. The pitch of a roof differs based on the roof type. For example, a thatched roof will have a steeper pitch to let the water drain down easily while a roof with clay tiles will not have a pitch as steep as the thatched roof. The climatic conditions of the region also play an important role in the calculation of the pitch.

3. The Durability

For any commercial building – Materials, construction and durability of its roof are of utmost importanceFor any construction project, the durability of the building is the most important point to consider. The durability of a building is measured by the durability if its roof.

To make the roof durable the above two factors play a pivotal role. The correct roofing material installed at the right pitch gives you the perfect roof for your building.

The durability of the roofing material is very important because the roof of a building is not accessed often and at times it may get quite delayed before any proper action may be taken for roof damages.

With so many options of roofing materials and systems available today, it is hard to figure out which would be the most suitable option for your building project. Several factors need to be considered before making the choice.

To help you make an informed decision, ProjectLink has listed out some of the materials, systems and tips to help you choose one that best fits your needs and budget.

Take these tips into consideration and pick the right roof for your building project.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/tips-for-choosing-commercial-roofing/

Construction Waste Management: Challenges and Considerations

About half of the solid waste generated worldwide are from building materials. There is an environmental impact of building material at every step of the building process – extraction of raw materials, processing, manufacturing, transportation, construction and finally disposal.

According to this Construction and Demolition Waste Status Report, “…total of 19.0 million tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste was generated in Australia in 2008-09. Of this total waste stream, 8.5 million tonnes was disposed to landfill while 10.5 million tonnes, or 55%, was recovered and recycled.”

It is essential for governments and authorities to consider that the built environment of the future is being constructed at the beginning of a new ecological era. Governments must now respond to the challenges of environmental sustainability, and industry must respond to the challenges of low-carbon economies and resource depletion.

If we are to move towards sustainable development, we can no longer rely on reclamation/landfills to accept most of the inert construction waste. Although there are many initiatives to reduce and reuse construction waste, a substantial amount of materials still require disposal, either at public fill reception facilities or at landfills. Landfills also pose a great threat to health and safety.

Planning

During the planning phase of the construction project, it is important to understand what excess materials are likely to be generated and then focus on how the generation of those excess materials can either be avoided or the material can be diverted from landfill.

It is now prudent and good practice to develop a construction waste management plan. The key objectives of any construction waste management plan should be to:

• Minimise the amount of waste generated as part of the project
• Maximise the amount of material which is sent for reuse, recycling or reprocessing
• Minimise the amount of material sent to landfill

The document Construction Waste Management: Plan Guidelines highlights some key elements for developing and implementing a construction waste management plan:

1. Waste streams: identify which waste streams are likely to be generated and estimate the approximate amounts of material
2. Focus on waste avoidance: instead of managing the waste once it has been generated, look at ways to avoid the generation of that waste in the first place
3. Services: select an appropriately qualified waste management contractor who will provide services for the waste streams generated and data on waste/recycling generation
4. On-site: understand how the waste management system will work on-site, including bin placement and access
5. Clearly assign and communicate responsibilities: ensure that those involved in the construction are aware of their responsibilities in relation to the construction waste management plan
6. Engage and educate personnel: be clear about how the various elements of the waste management plan will be implemented and ensure personnel have an opportunity to provide feedback on what is/isn’t working
7. Monitor: to ensure the plan is being implement, monitor on-site
8. Evaluate: once the project is complete, evaluate your estimates in the plan against the actual data for waste generated and consider feedback from personnel.

To help you improve the management of waste on construction sites, ProjectLink has listed out some innovative solutions. These techniques and methodologies would help you ensure that the optimum levels of waste reduction, reuse and recycling are achieved. Be in the know to encourage increased diversion of construction waste from landfill.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/how-to-deal-with-construction-waste/

Top Tech Tools to Mitigate Risks in Construction Projects

The construction industry accounts for more than 8% of Australia’s GDP. Like all businesses, the construction industry is working towards improved processes and business efficiencies. Construction projects are complex and have many stakeholders – it is important for project management to follow proper processes and be ready for all kinds of challenges.

A good construction project management plan will always have thoroughly identified risks and a risk management plan. Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks. The objective of risk management is to assure uncertainty does not deflect the endeavor from the business goals.

The “Mitigation of Risk in Construction: Strategies for Reducing Risk and Maximizing Profitability SmartMarket Report” published by McGraw_Hill Construction has identified the following factors as the most significant risks facing the industry:

• Changes in schedule/ scope creep
• Budget/cost overruns
• Project process approvals
• Safety
• Site Conditions

Risk Management Strategies for Construction

On closely observing the risks listed above, we notice that many of these factors are under the direct control of the project firm.  This reinforces the fact “that mitigation strategies can directly have a positive impact.”

The recommendations that emerge from the McGraw_Hill report offers practical solutions:

• Address risk early in the project to reap its full benefits.
• Communicate with other team members throughout the project.
• Implement a rigorous risk assessment and mitigation process.
• Embed risk management into your firm’s culture.
• Engage in activities that reduce the likelihood of litigation.
• Build a strong project team and assess the value of more formal collaboration, such as integrated design.

Ultimately, the report states “good project management must include good risk management”.

In this post, we discuss the top technology tools that can help you in managing and mitigating risks on construction projects. Risk management tools and techniques can be used at various stages of construction – from concept design to final site execution and even in the operation stages to determine whether business goals are being met.

So let’s jump in and get started…

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/tools-techniques-for-construction-risk-management/

Maintenance Tips to Keep your Construction Equipment in Operation

The construction industry is an ever growing industry. The compass of construction industry stretches from houses and buildings to public spaces and transportation system. This industry stands on the pillars of specializations like architecture, civil and environmental engineering, construction management, industrial design and manufacturing, landscaping design, interior design and planning, financial management etc. Each of these sections put to use construction equipment and machinery that aid in the process of construction. Therefore the maintenance of these heavy machinery becomes important.

When the construction equipment are regularly checked and maintained, they last longer in comparison to those that have not been serviced often. Regular maintenance of heavy machinery reduces the repair costs, increases the longevity of the machinery and adds resale value if you intend to sell it. Operating cost is also important while running these machines. Construction machinery require fuel or electricity to run. Heavy duty equipment run on fuel of some kind. When these equipment are not up-to-date, these will use more fuel and energy than usual. This increases the operating cost. So, in order to reduce the cost of operation, regular maintenance and servicing of these construction equipment is required.

Construction equipment maintenance tips can be divided into sections. Each section is based on suggestions about how to improve the work quality of the construction equipment and how to reduce the overall cost.
A) Follow the Maintenance Schedule of the Construction Equipment
B) Set a Routine and Adhere to it
C) Have your Own Set of Guidelines and Rules
D) Use it Wisely

Classification of Construction Equipment:

On a large scale, the construction equipment can be divided into 4 sub categories. These are based on their functionality. These are as follows:

• Construction Vehicles
• Construction Equipment
• Material Handling Equipment
• Earth Moving Equipment

ProjectLink has an array of all the above construction equipment. Based on purpose, each category has a multiple choice of equipment to pick up from.

Let’s take a look at each category and the construction equipment maintenance tips to go along with it >>

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/construction-equipment-maintenance-tips/