Tag: Construction workers: Page 2

How to do Everything Better

How to calculate construction owning and operating costs

Owning costs = purchase price of machine + financing + taxes – disposal price (what you get for that machine when you resell it). Operating costs = labor + fuel + maintenance + replacement costs of tires, tracks and other components + overhead. Add the owning to the operating costs and you have your O&O […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

Make sure your load is secure

Moving heavy equipment safely is no small task. If not done properly, the results can be disastrous. During loading, keep the following in mind: Do not operate or load equipment that you do not know how to safely operate. When possible, place the equipment against a vehicle structure to help prevent forward movement – unless […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

Know your limits: Towing more than 5,000 pounds with a half-ton pickup is against the law

That commercial showing a pickup taking on a heavy load sure does look good. But you first need to read the small print in the manufacturer’s owner manual. Half-ton pickups have a 5,000-pound towing capacity, period. This can be problematic when you just want to haul your compact machine to the next jobsite. The weight […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

7 tips for jumpstarting heavy-duty equipment

When the mercury drops, equipment can sometimes get cantankerous when starting. Clore Automotive says these tips will get your engine humming again: Make sure you use a jumpstarter that can be used on heavy equipment. Keep your jumpstarter charged, especially during extreme temperatures, which are hard on a battery. If possible, store it above 50 […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

A quick primer on using GPS in construction

The GPS you get in your car is accurate down to about 10 meters. How then can you get a dozer, excavator, rover or survey instrument to record GPS points down to within a few centimeters? The secret is in the base station for the site. This is set up on a surveyed and known […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

How to stop operators from idling too much

This tip came from a 2014 Equipment World Contractor of the Year finalist Landon Floyd of Precision Pipeline in Cedar City, Utah: Have all your guys park their personal vehicles in the yard one day and drive them out to the site in a van or have them carpool. Make them leave their keys at […]

July 29, 2019

Business

AGC CEO: Failure to enact House immigration bill hurts construction industry

Failure to enact the House immigration bill will remove tens of thousands of men and women from the domestic construction workforce says AGC CEO. Details here.

June 6, 2019

Workforce

Opinion: Tragedy of Notre Dame points to neglect of vocational education

Amid all the reporting about the Notre Dame fire in the press, one fact is particularly disturbing. According to The Wall Street Journal, the fire was caused by – get this – deferred maintenance. An excerpt: In 2013, the cathedral hired Didier Dupuy and his son to scale the building and install lightning rods at different […]

May 16, 2019

Safety

The history of the hard hat as the indispensable PPE turns 100

This post tells you all you need to know about the history of the all important hard hat in the construction industry. Get details here.

March 22, 2019

Business

Would a temporary visa program for foreign construction workers lead to lower wages?

The Associated General Contractors of America Wednesday came out in favor of a bill that would establish a temporary visa program for construction workers and other industries. Stephen Sandherr, AGC’s chief executive officer, urged Congress to act quickly on the Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act, introduced Wednesday by Pennsylvania Congressman Lloyd Smucker. “The shortage […]

March 14, 2019

Safety

Trench collapse kills 2 workers in Wyo.; OSHA investigates

Two construction workers in Wyoming died in a trench collapse that triggered an investigation by the Wyoming OSHA. Get more information on the story here.

October 8, 2018

Workforce

Contractors fear worker shortage affecting safety on the job

According to the Commercial Construction Index, more than half of contractors surveyed believe a lack of skilled workers is the top safety risk on the job.

September 17, 2018