Concrete Pouring: Good Practices
Guide to Proper Concrete Installation Avoid Cold-Weather Pours With the onset of springtime and warmer weather comes a dramatic increase in outdoor construction work. Concrete work is widespread in the construction world, whether concrete is used as a platform for...
What is a Confined Space? (And What Should We Do About it?)
Construction Site Safety: Confined Space Entry In the world of engineering and construction, we encounter all types of unknowns during the design process. For example, we may lack knowledge regarding buried utilities, interior details of inaccessible buildings, past...
Prevailing Wage Compliance and its Role in Construction Management
Prevailing Wage on Public Work Jobs The state has a policy of ensuring workers are compensated with certain minimum, “Prevailing Wages” for various public projects. Prevailing Wage is dependent on the job duties performed and the project location. What Constitutes...
Technical Specifications Writing and Its Role in Construction Management
One of the most important (and oftentimes most difficult) aspects of a construction project is describing the desired finished product in a manner that is clear to all parties involved. Setting well-defined, measurable expectations for the contractor is paramount to...
Get Ready for the OSHA Silica Standard for General Industry
In 2016 OSHA issued the standard 1910.1053 for General Industry in order to protect workers from exposure to respirable silica dust. The silica standard was initially to be enforced on June 23, 2016 but OSHA delayed enforcement to June 23, 2018. The silica...
Construction Site Safety Concern: Trenches and Excavations Part II
Excavating is a common activity on construction projects which can create dangerous situations for employers, employees, and bystanders. Because of the many dangers involved in excavating and trenching, OSHA has many rules around these activities including the...
Construction Site Safety Concern: Trenches and Excavations Part I
Many construction site supervisors are concerned about the safety and worry that they are leaving themselves open to potential hazards which can result in the serious injury of an employee and heavy fines from regulatory agencies. The importance of Environmental...
Ready for the OSHA Silica Exposure Standard in the Construction Industry?
In 2016 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a standard to protect construction workers from silica exposure in the form of respirable silica dust. The standard was initially to be enforced on June 23, 2017 but recently OSHA delayed...
Engineering a Retaining Wall
Retaining walls are used to keep materials in place that otherwise would naturally slide due to pressure exerted by gravitational forces. A retaining wall is commonly used to create sharp, vertical changes in elevation on a landscape while ensuring long-term...
The Role of a Qualified Erosion and Sediment Control (E&SC) Inspector at Your Construction Site
Although it might not be immediately obvious, stormwater runoff from construction sites poses a serious environmental risk. When rain flows over unvegetated land, it flows quickly. Higher flow velocities enable runoff to carry sediment, litter, and other pollutants...