Tag Archives: construction

Why Modular Construction can help Your Jobsite Become More “Green” (guest post)

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modular construction processToday, a new guest post, by the team at ModSpace, a nationwide vendor of modular buildings which offers mobile office and prefab office solutions.  [And yes, I realize that ModSpace has a vested interest in this subject, but the article is interesting nonetheless!]

As our country turns more attention to global warming and environmental awareness, more citizens, businesses, and industries are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and lessen their impact on the environment.  Modular construction is becoming a vital player in a world of green industries. It’s also quickly growing in popularity among American companies and individuals.

Modular construction has revolutionized the way we approach large-scale construction projects while still minimizing environmental impact. In previous years, when conventional on-site construction methods appeared to be customers’ only option, creating large amounts of material waste and airborne contaminants was an unavoidable result of the building process.

According to the National Science and Technology Council, conventional methods of onsite construction are responsible for placing approximately 135 million tons of waste (roughly the same weight of 14,647 fully-loaded Arleigh Burkeclass US Navy Destroyers) into landfills every year. This huge amount of trash can be attributed to construction material packaging, unused or scrap building materials, and related waste.

Modular buildings, which are fabricated off-site in a protected factory setting by a team of design specialists, have the potential to reduce construction waste by up to 90%.  Modular Construction can be “greener” due to a variety of factors, including:

  1. limited use of packaging;
  2. built in protection of materials from weather damage and project vandalism;
  3. assembly-line efficiencies; and
  4. the ability to store leftover materials in the factory facility to be used either for other projects or to be recycled.

In addition to reducing environmental impact during the manufacturing process, modular construction also causes significantly less site disruption, which translates to a diminished need for heavy machinery that can emit large amounts of greenhouse gasses over the course of a construction project.

Because modular homes and businesses are built to endure the stresses of transportation from the factory to the foundation site, structures have a long service life. And as a result of simply assembling the structure in sections, if the building ever needs to be relocated or repurposed, it can be disassembled and transported with minimal hassle or cost. In that way, modular buildings become reusable and recyclable, even further reducing the impact on our environment in the future.

Due to significant advancements in green modular construction technology and engineering efficiency, the modular construction method is becoming a viable, cost-effective option for those customers seeking to build or expand while minimizing their carbon footprint.

Editor’s Note:  Do you have any questions or comments about modular construction and its potential to be more “green” than traditional construction?  Share in the comments section, below.

Best Practices for Lighting a LEED Construction Project (guest post)

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Today, a guest post from the folks at Lamps.com, a retailer of lamps, LED lighting and LED outdoor lighting solutions.  They provide an interesting pro/con analysis of the three main types of light sources. 

Going “green” is one of the largest priorities among businesses today; it seems everyone is doing it. Obviously, while building an energy-efficient structure, one of your main goals should be to conserve resources, but it can also be important to consider how you are going to light the project while still sticking to the green guidelines. It can be costly and stressful to think about lighting a whole construction site at night using solar paneled lights or other energy-efficient means, but with the following few tips you can conserve energy and have a safe, well-lit workspace while still keeping to your budget:

 LED Light bulbs: All of the light bulbs that fit in typical sockets can generally be replaced with substitute light sources. LED lights are a great way to shed light on your construction project while still maintaining energy-efficient standards. LED lights come in both flood and track varieties, and are a benefit in the workplace because they do not throw off heat. That means that, no matter how late you’re burning the midnight oil, you are going to be safe from burns and fires. LEDs last close to eight times longer than CFL light bulbs and can be used in almost all light fixtures. LED bulbs also require significantly less wattage in comparison to the other types of bulbs. This makes them the most efficient and longest lasting type to use in a construction setting.

types of lights

CFL Light bulbs: CFLs are another option for people looking to save energy but still work by light. Although they are not as energy efficient as LEDs they still use fifty to eighty percent less energy than regular incandescent bulbs. Replacing just one incandescent bulb with a CFL will cut about a half ton of C02 out of the atmosphere in just 5 years; that’s a lot of air and water pollution you could be saving. These, like the LEDs can be used in almost all areas where lighting is required.

Solar Paneled Lights: With the rise of solar powered technology, solar paneled lights can be cheap to find if you look in the right place. Purchasing online is a viable option for most, but make sure you read reviews of the product before buying. Solar paneled lights do have the tendency to be dimmer than other varieties, and also can die out more quickly because of their power source being inaccessible.

Along with getting energy-efficient bulbs there are options such as replacing fixtures in your pre-existing equipment, or using energy efficient cording. However, buying new bulbs is the quickest, easiest way to quickly make sure your construction company is working with “green” equipment and conserving as much as it can.

Editor’s Note:  Be sure to check out this chart showing complete details of the three types of lights, including energy, environmental impact, and light output. 

Your turn:  Have you worked on a LEED or other “green” project which used alternative light sourcing?  Share in the comments section, below.

Construction Lawsuit Facts & Figures (infographic)

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Yesterday, we had a post discussing the negligence lawsuits that can arise out of construction accidents.  Today, an infographic demonstrating some ground-breaking construction lawsuit facts & figures, courtesy of the folks at Datadial.  [One note on the graphic below: as always, laws can be different in different states. Homeowners in North Carolina, for example, cannot sue for building construction issues after the house is 6 years old due to NC’s statute of repose.  Always check the laws in your jurisdiction/End of legalisms!]

construction safety infographic

 

Explaining Negligence in the Construction Industry (Guest post)

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Today, a guest post by Anne Roberts.  Anne Roberts is a freelance writer. She writes blog posts, how-to articles, SEO copies, and many other types of content for several websites. Anne is currently a web content writer for personal injury attorneys.  (But we like her anyway!!)

Explaining Negligence in the Construction Industry

The construction world can be regarded as one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Because of the inherent hazards that come with working on a construction or repair project, both construction professionals and laborers uphold certain standards to ensure a safe working environment.

Contractors, surveyors, engineers, project managers to employers–all have a duty of care to observe. They make sure that assessments of risks involved in any facet of construction are made. Laborers, on the other hand, benefit from the assessments by exercising preventive measures.

Still, accidents happen.

Acrobatic_Construction_Workers

Some of the most common accidents that occur in construction sites involve six-feet-or-more falls from ladders or stairs. Other accidents are caused by the failure to implement safety precautions, such as improper building of scaffolding, use of dangerous tools and unsafe machinery, and other hazardous issues.  Without proper implementation of safety precautions, working on an elevated surface may result to debilitating injuries and even death.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), it has been estimated that fatal accidents involving construction workers accounted for 15 percent of all job-related deaths in the U.S.  Such injuries or deaths may not have happened if a certain construction or repair project employed safety rules or standards of care. Such occurrence is categorized as construction negligence.

Determining Liability

When a serious accident happens, usually all parties involved are brought into the litigation, as cross-allegations of construction safety issues, construction defects, and construction administration/observation/inspection issues.  In North Carolina, an employee cannot sue his employer for a workplace accident (but instead seek a workers’ compensation recovery).  The employee can, however, bring a negligence action against any/all (other) responsible third parties.  [Editor’s Note: The parties may have rights to recover against each other if one is actively negligent and one is only passively negligent.  Otherwise, joint & several liability applies.]

To establish negligence, the injured party must prove the following four factors:

  1. The construction professionals involved have a duty of care;
  2. They breached or violated that duty of care;
  3. The breach of duty of care resulted to an injury; and
  4. The injury was the result of the construction professionals’ negligence.

[Editor’s Note:  The injured party also must not have been contributorily negligent.]

Other than in a construction or repair project site, construction negligence also happens on highway construction and post-construction efforts. Unsafe conditions during roadwork can be considered negligence, especially if workers, as well as motorists, consequently sustained certain injuries.

Even a complete building can be a source of negligence, in which the contractor or subcontractor failed to adhere to building codes. Construction defects, such as low structural integrity of the building, mechanical and electrical failure, and low-quality finishes, may lead to injuries and deaths.

Melissa again:  Thanks Anne for your post!       Readers:  Watch this space– I’m planning on posting an infographic tomorrow that will show construction accidents & related statistics.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, please leave any questions or thoughts in the comment section, below.

Photo of workers on bamboo scaffolding (c) Terrance TS Tam.

 

 

 

Day Laborers & NC’s Lowest Responsible Bidder law (News Note)

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blue jean contractors[Note: this article was originally published on March 13, 2012]

Triangle Grading and Paving is a Triad-area company with multiple public contracts, 18 since 2000 from the NC Department of Transportation alone. Frequently the low bidder, Triangle Grading has a long history of performing work for the state. However, a recent high profile controversy has threatened to remove the company from the bid lists for public construction work.  In this past year, the company was fined $400,000 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Burlington-based company has the highest fine in North Carolina dating back as far as 2009.

As you undoubtedly are well aware, North Carolina law requires that any public construction project requiring an estimated total expenditure of greater than $500,000 (or an estimated expenditure on supplies and materials greater than $90,000) be subject to formal bidding procedures. Further, the state or municipality soliciting the bids is required to accept “the lowest responsible bidder.” Some of the factors taken into consideration when determining what a responsible bid is includes performance, quality, and time to completion as specified in the bid.

Knowing that the contract must go to the lowest responsible bidder, contractors may be tempted to cut corners by hiring undocumented workers, who work for less pay than their documented counterparts. By hiring such workers, contractors can lower labor costs significantly, making them much more likely to be the bidder who wins the lucrative project.

Immigration fines may not cause Triangle Grading to lose all potential public clients. The DOT has stated that, when conducting the yearly review of its list of contractors, that while “safety records will be considered […] immigration fines would not be a factor.” However, Winston-Salem is investigating whether these immigration violations should merit a removal from the bid list.

What are your experiences with the requirement of “lowest responsible bidder” on state projects?  Are there changes that need to be made to the program?  Can the system be gamed? Post in the comment section, below.

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Photo: (c)   albi(francesca perani)