Construction management - Wiki Article

Why Construction Is Becoming Safer

Construction safety is a big deal. Construction on its own is somewhat of an inherently dangerous trade. Construction workers are in environments with lots of people and equipment, and the chances of injury are higher on a construction site than those at the average cubicle- filled office.

How can construction workers have a safer work environment? There are several factors, and one of the most important is worker education. There are quite a few rules and regulations associated with construction sites, and making sure workers are educated about safety is crucially important to preventing injuries.

Although there are many types of construction, one method that is growing increasing popular is modular construction. Often celebrated for its ability to be built quickly and for its green benefits, modular is a great alternative to traditional building methods. On a traditional building project the materials are brought to the construction site and then used for the actual building. This leads to lots of excess waste, as well as being incredibly intrusive to the job site. These materials often take up a lot of space and are used by a multitude of contractors and subcontractors. This process leads to lots of coming and going, as well as moving materials around.

Modular construction is quite different in that instead of bringing all those materials to the site and working on them there, components are built in an off-site factory. This means that all the heavy lifting and hard work is done in the factory, which translates to no mess or dust at the job site.

Recent studies have also shown that modular construction is safer than traditional means. One study found that modular construction companies have a much higher adoption of safety practices.

After all the modular components are completed at the factory, they are shipped to the build site. Instead of having painters, electricians, framers and other specialized laborers, an installation team can have the project done in record time. Studies have shown that modular construction is completed about 40% - 60% faster than traditional construction methods. Most modularly built projects are completed in days, not months.

In conclusion, construction safety is very important. Many companies are seeing a direct connection between modular construction and safety. It's no accident that modular companies are safer and produce a high quality product. Modular construction is great for a simple addition, out building, partition walls, offices, and many other options.

Learn more about modular construction.

Company videos - construction industry, commercial property companies, builders, & project managers

Epoxy ESD Flooring Provides Durable, Reliable Solution for Electronic Manufacturing

Epoxy ESD flooring, also known as (electrostatic dissipative) ESD floor finishes, may be the most cost effective solution, for your electronics manufacturing facility, test & assembly areas, and clean rooms. Resin based ESD flooring systems are applied at 20-90 mils, and include both seamless ESD epoxy coatings, as well as ESD urethane flooring. These are applied as thin roll on ESD floor coatings, which are well suited for pallet jacks, and light traffic; or thicker screed-applied systems for heavily damaged concrete and heavy or frequent traffic.

ESD epoxy floor finishes have many distinct advantages over other dissipative conductive flooring options, including vinyl, carpet, tiles, and rubber flooring:

1. Cost Effectiveness (very low life cycle cost)
2. Easy to maintain; never needs waxing.
3. Enhanced durability.
4. Seamless high-tech appearance; easy to clean
5. Hi-gloss or satin finish is available.
6. Chemical resistant.

Due to relatively low installation cost, and low maintenance costs (never needs waxing), resinous anti static flooring provides an excellent return on investment.

A word of caution regarding ESD coating companies; most firms are merely distributors of the materials, and do not actually perform the installation. Since the ESD flooring materials are only as good as the applicator, you are taking a gamble on the outcome. Oftentimes, the distributor is not trained in installation of the products, which limits their knowledge in recommending the correct ESD coating system products. The condition of the concrete, existing flooring and removal required, including glue/adhesives; thickness required, traffic conditions; condition,width and spacing of the joints, temperature, slab moisture condition, duration of the work.

An important consideration when comparing resinous ESD epoxy coating applicators, is sourcing an installation contractor with at least 10 years of experience. For renovation projects, they may need skills and equipment for removal of tile adhesive, and carpet glue removal. Ensure that applicator shall provide a turn-key installation, with their own factory trained company crews, without relying on independent subcontractors. At the completion of the installation, the conductive flooring shall be tested and certified for compliance with ANSI ESD S20.20

OEM's and contract manufacturer's in high-tech industries have implemented the ANSI ESD S20.20 industry standard for an Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) Control Program, used to protect electrical and electronic components. The resinous ESD flooring selected, shall need to be compliant with the ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 specifications for ESD control flooring. This specification is a combination of three older standards, including ANSI/ESD STM 7.1, ANSI/ESD STM 97.1, and ANSI/ESD STM 97.2

Due to the hardness and durability of epoxy and urethane, this type of ESD flooring does not provide a resilient finish, as does rubber, vinyl, or carpet. However, anti static mats can be utilized, in areas where workers stand for long periods of time.

With all the above advantages to offer, ESD specifiers should take a close look at epoxy ESD flooring, which provide the most durable, long lasting, cost effective finish for electronics manufacturing floors.

About the Author: Robert Long, Sales Manager with EP Floors Corp., has over 25 years of experience in the industrial epoxy flooring business. He attends technical training seminars regularly, on the latest ESD flooring innovations, and has managed over a thousand epoxy flooring projects. For more information Robert may be reached at http://www.epfloors.com/ or by email at rlong@EPFloors.com

The Cost Of Doing Business In The Construction Industry (Part 2 of 2)

How to Select the Correct Conductive Flooring and ESD Flooring for Industrial Facilities

There are various products available in the marketplace, as well as numerous installation contractors. An experienced, knowledgeable, professional contractor, who can provide a turn-key installation, should be your starting point.

There are various products available including ESD Epoxy and Polyurethane coatings (for high traffic areas), to Carpet, Rubber, and Vinyl.

ESD Vinyl

The only ESD vinyl floors to consider, are called solid vinyl tile (SVT). It requires plenty of maintenance, but when propertly maintained SVT vinyl is attractive.. The material is relatively inexpensive, but installation and annual maintenance costs can be prohibiitve (at least $1/sq ft per year). This can add up fast..over five years, this adds over $5/ sq ft to the original cost. There are true no-wax ESD vinyl floors, however, they can be costly, and should only be used in very light traffic areas. High speed buffing (burnishing) is often recommended for cleaning, which can get costly (heat from the buffing machine melts and then reseals the floor). An alternative to this is low speed buffing, using a static control spray buff formula. The maintenance cost of SVT conductive tiles is greater than maintaining carpet and rubber.

Static Dissipative Carpet Tile

Carpet tiles are installed with clean, fast-drying release adhesive. The tiles can be installed directly over old VCT or concrete. If you are tired of the maintenance and waxing an SDT dissipative vinyl ESD floor, then carpet tile may be a good choice. Of course, carpet has its disadvantages. Carpet is not well suited to accommodate heavy loads, such as forklifts and pallet jacks. Carpet also has a low resistance to chemicals and solvents.

ESD Rubber

Conductive rubber greatest advantage, is that it is effective at preventing static in areas where grounded footwear is not, or cannot be used-places such as computer labs, command centers, and 911 call centers. (IMPORTANT: you must be sure that the chosen rubber is conductive and not static dissipative; static dissipative rubber floor conductivity exceeds the recommended system resistance (<35 megohms) requirement of ESD S20.20-2007). Ergonomically, rubber has better anti-fatigue factor than epoxy or vinyl; Rubber is less porous than vinyl, which makes it easier to clean, wash and maintain. However, rubber's installed cost is the highest of all options.

ESD Epoxy

High quality epoxy and urethanes are easy to install, low maintenance, durable, attractive, and cost effective. Solid colors, high gloss, and satin finishes are available. Patterns, multiple colors and textures are even available. An epoxy system must be specified, which will be in compliance with ESD S20.20-2007. This requires resistance to be <35million ohms. Many products on the market do not meet this standard. For explosion proofing, it must be below 1 million ohms. An applicator with suitable experience and knowledge, can ensure that these standards are met. Within facilities where constant heavy loads and high traffic are the norm, epoxies are usually the only practical flooring material. No waxing is required, and low sq ft costs can make this a smart choice. One drawback of epoxy is the lack of color stability. and smooth surface, which can get slippery if wet. Also, when exposed to UV rays, epoxy will tend to amber or yellow. These problems are solved by specifying an epoxy base coat, with a UV stable ESD polyurethane finish coating. This system provide a satin non-slip finish, which with have excellent long term color stability.

Combining Different Materials

In order to accommodate different needs in various departments, you can combine different flooring solutions, for different areas within the facility. You may install conductive carpet tiles in the assembly area then install a perimeter high traffic area of an epoxy conductive flooring system, to handle the majority of the forklift traffic. Another possibility, is to install vinyl tile over access floors and an epoxy product in heavy traffic areas.

About the Author: Robert Long, Sales Manager with EP Floors Corp., has over 25 years of experience in the industrial epoxy flooring business. He attends technical training seminars regularly, on the latest ESD flooring innovations, and has managed over a thousand epoxy flooring projects. For more information Robert may be reached at http://www.epfloors.com/ or by email at rlong@EPFloors.com

Business With Swagg - Class 2 - Construction Industry in Texas

Six Reasons to Rent and Six Reasons to Buy Storage Containers

As a small and mid-size contractor you've got many decisions to make on a daily basis. How to deploy your crew to maximize returns, what will your crews do today now that the material you were promised did not get delivered, how are you going to get the invoices out and the certified payroll in, and tomorrow it starts all over again? A huge issue (headache) for most contractors is dealing with equipment; factors like deployment, maintenance, and cost are a continuing frustration. Fortunately contractors have the option to rent or to buy capital equipment.

Six reasons you should buy your storage containers:

1) Containers don't cost a significant amount of money for so you are not tying up a great deal of cash.
2) If you buy right, containers generally don't cost a lot to maintain.
3) Once you load up your stuff you can ship your tools and equipment back to your yard or to the next site.
4) It's your container so you can "brand" it with your logo, tag lines and phone number turning one of your tools of the trade into a small marketing bill board.
5) You will be responsible to repair any dents or significant paint damage. You will need to clean it out and broom sweep it prior to returning it or have it power washed if it has a great deal of dirt or mud splashed on it.
6) If renting a container you will more than likely be responsible to provide and insurance certificate specific to the container.

Six Reasons you should rent your storage containers:

1) If your projects require you to travel in a large geographic area, it may cost more to ship your container to the project site than it does to rent one locally.
2) Your field crew may be the greatest bunch of people in the world but sometimes they are not always the most careful. After a while your high dollar container "branding" may get a little tattered looking, your customer may not appreciate a beat up piece of equipment on the job site.
3) If the roof leaks, or the cam locks break than it's some else's responsibility to fix it.
4) All the arrangements to deliver, rent and pick up can be made with a single phone call. No need to send a truck back to a site to pick up your container after de mobilizing.
5) When the container is idle you won't have a container taking up valuable yard space.
6) Working capital will not be tied up in equipment, the rental costs can be charged directly to the job. Renting storage container for job site use with get you a good-looking, well-maintained piece of equipment for plus or minus $100/month depending on the size, length of rental and marketplace.

I realize I didn't provide a definitive answer but rather a list of items you to consider for your particular situation. Which one you choose is entirely up to you and maybe a combination of both renting some of your site storage containers and buying storage containers for other projects will best fit your particular situation.

If you need more information on renting or buying storage containers or help sourcing storage container equipment then please visit us at Containers4Sale.com. If you have any questions contact us here and we will help you find the resources you need.

Implementing It Business Strategy in the Construction Industry

Steel Detailing and Reporting: Improve Flexibility and Accuracy for Your Next Construction Project

Construction is an industry built on lists and reports: lists of components, lists of materials, and reports of smaller project subsections. Contractors require accurate lists of materials, construction details, project order lists and more to make sure a smooth workflow. Your company's choice of steel detailer makes all the difference in terms of how much reporting flexibility you'll have at your fingertips. The right reporting capabilities can save you significant time and money, and provide the ability to quickly adapt to the needs of a changing project. Here are some aspects to keep in mind when choosing a steel detailer and how to appropriately evaluate their reporting infrastructure.

Are they using Building Information Modeling (BIM)?

Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is advanced 3D modeling software that's used by steel detailers to develop the plans needed to execute a construction project. The capabilities of BIM software go far beyond traditional 2D steel structural drawings. The 3D models enable all stakeholders in a project to visualize the same results. BIM software also allows commercial steel detailers to offer a high degree of flexibility in terms of reporting. This technology has been employed to build a wide range for projects; it's appropriate for stadiums, offshore structures, plants and factories, residential buildings, bridges and skyscrapers.

Is the reporting customizable for your project?

The range of reports that are possible for a single steel construction project can be mind-boggling: contractor lists, drawing lists, timeline reports, assembly lists, parts lists, bolt lists, shipping lists, process reports, ordering lists, and much more. What reports you actually require depend on a number of factors:

- The size and scope of your project

- The stakeholders

- Internal and external reporting and transparency requirements

- Coordination among different teams and professionals executing the project

- Timeline for project development and completion

- Buying and shipping cycles for construction materials

The most important factors about reporting are flexibility and accuracy. The right steel detailing firm will have the ability to customize reporting to your needs, and to adapt reporting over the life cycle of your project.

How can reporting be used to clarify issues?

One of the major areas of concern for construction projects is improving communications, especially around potential misunderstandings when they arise. From providing a comprehensive bid that allays all potential buyer objections to offering complete clarification in the face of RFIs, robust reporting can help. For example, issues may come up as to whether enough materials have been ordered to complete the project. A full bill of materials is created based on the project model and can be reviewed. Reports can adapt and be changed when project changes take place. A project list can be broken down into individual component lists for further inspection. If shipping delays are suspected at any point in a project's evolution, a shipping list can quickly clarify components, sources, and shipping times. The ability to quickly audit data at a micro or macro level, as well as to offer this documentation in support of other communications, greatly simplifies issues that may arise during construction.

When choosing a steel detailing firm for your next project, make sure that you ask the right questions about their reporting capabilities. Confirm that your partner of choice is using BIM software, and discuss your specific reporting needs. Flexible and accurate reporting will save time and money, and help you quickly address any problems during the project lifecycle.

Jillynn Stevens, Ph.D. is a writer with a vast array of subject matter expertise. Along with publishing articles for large and small businesses, she researches, writes and publishes reports on various public policy issues.

This article is written on behalf of Tectonix Steel, a structural steel detailing firm specializing in commercial and industrial buildings nationally. See more at Tectonix Steel.

The Cost Of Doing Business In The Construction Industry (Part 1 of 2)

Reasons That a Commercial Contractor Should Be Hired

There are many jobs that a company needs to have done that their regular maintenance staff is unable to complete. Some of these jobs are going to be big jobs while others are going to get done quickly. A commercial contractor is going to be able to take on many different sized jobs.

There are several reasons that companies will hire outside of the company to get these jobs done. One reason may be because of licensing reasons. Another reason could be based on the skill level that is necessary to do the job. It is important to hire someone that has experience in what job they are completing.

Just because someone is employed in maintenance does not mean that they are skilled to do every single job that the company needs to have done. They may be able to work on the equipment that they are using or work on cleaning floors and such things as that. Every company will require them to do different projects but building walls or replacing windows or doors will not be on that list.

Many companies want the company that they hire to fix their roof or do some building for them to be licensed. They will also want them to have insurance in case they get injured or cause damage to something. The regular maintenance crew is not going to have these things usually.

It is going to be extremely important to check on these things before hiring someone. There may be a team of workers that will be working at the site or just one person. This is going to depend on what kind of job it is.

There will be a budget that they need to stick to as well. The materials that they use may have to be a certain kind also. A commercial contractor is going to know how to figure out what they need and will know where the best places to get it is.

They will be able to do the job start to finish. Every contractor is going to have certain ways of doing things but safety is going to be very important. The company that is hiring will require the contracting company that they hire to work by their safety rules.

Many companies will check with several different contracting companies to get a quote. They are going to make sure that they are getting the best price possible when they are hiring someone. It is extremely important to be able to ensure that they are hiring an honest worker as well.

Companies will have deadlines that they have to stick to. It is going to be important to stick to these deadlines. A contractor is going to have a lot of experience in sticking to these deadlines. They will have experience in knowing how long it takes to complete certain tasks and ordering supplies.

When completing larger jobs, they may need to have a project manager so that things are coordinated to get done when they need to be. They also need to take into consideration the type of weather that the area has. There are some days that they will not be able to work on projects while other days they will work from sun up to sundown.

They will be able to measure out things to see how much wood and other supplies are necessary. There is certain equipment that is required for certain projects. A commercial contractor is going to have all of these tools and equipment or know where they can get it. Every contractor is going to have different skills and different tools required to do their job.

Building and maintenance projects can become very expensive if the wrong company is chosen for the job. Whether your needs are continual maintenance or a one-time project, Compass Built has the expertise to get the job done with customer satisfaction. When looking for a quality building and contracting crew, learn what they have to offer by visitinghttp://www.compass-built.com today.

Contact us:- Compass Commercial Services,
LLC 1641 Boyson Square Drive, Suite 100 Iowa,
United States, 52233
Phone No - 319-393-9004
Email - jahmann@compass-built.com

Chemical industry - Wiki Article

What Are Modular Buildings?

Do you find yourself needing a new building? Will you need to accommodate a large amount of people? May you possibly want to modify it in the future? If the answer is yes to any of these questions why not install a new modular building?

A modular structure is not made out of bricks and cement. It is made of much bigger units - steel framed 'modules'. These sectional prefabricated blocks can be put together to meet any design specification that the customer requires. Once seen as a temporary structure, great design improvements have meant that they are now seen to have a permanent status.

This architecture can accommodate a large number of people and can meet very specific requirements which is why they are widely used by universities, schools, local authorities, businesses of all sizes, healthcare providers and hospitals.

The sections of the modular buildings are manufactured in controlled factory conditions. A benefit of this is that the construction of the structure is not diminished by poor weather conditions. At the factory the modules are fitted with electrics, plumbing, heating and all the internal finishes. They are then transported by road, ready to be craned into position and quickly installed.

The process of assembling the modular buildings is as follows:

1. The modules are lowered into the correct position by cranes
2. They are then connected side by side, end by end
3. The internal layout can be designed to the customers exact specifications using walls, stairs and lifts
4. Additional storeys can be added to the structure

So why should organisations think about using modular buildings instead of traditional construction methods?

It is becoming the construction method of choice for organisations because they reap amazing benefits that no other method can match.

Firstly, modular buildings can be delivered up to fifty percent faster than traditional methods. One of the reasons for this is because the assembly of these structures is not affected by bad weather conditions like more established methods are.

Factory based constructions means that the time on site is minimised. This therefore results in less noise or disruption on site.

One of the greatest unique selling points for modular buildings is that there is flexibility for change in the future to cater for demanding modifications to the architecture. You could expand or reduce your building, reconfigure or even completely relocate it! Imagine having this power which is almost completely hassle free.

Modular buildings is the future for construction. So why not be part of this now?

Integra Buildings was established in 1997 and brought together a team of people with an extensive knowledge of the modular buildings and portable buildings industry.