How to Stay Safe on Construction Sites

The construction industry is one of the major sources of employment, all over the world. In fact, in Australia, it is one of the "high demand and high paying" industries. However, along with the bright side, there are a few extremely dangerous hazards that accompany the work at construction sites.
Irrespective of whether the construction project is very small, like a small part of a residential apartment, or a large one on a construction site, the risks of injury and damages always exist. Thus, proper planning and precautions play a critical role in safety of workers or for anyone passing through the construction site.
So, just before you go ahead and start your work, here are a few common hazards that occur at construction sites, and some key safety tips for you to avoid these risks.

5 Most Common Hazards at Construction Sites and their Safety Tips

Working at Scaffoldings

Scaffolds are the most frequently used equipment at any large construction site. And, over a million of workers use on these foldings, day and night. Hance, the risks of falling from these scaffold or getting under one, is high.

Safety Tips

1. Do not alter the scaffoldings without consulting with the manufacturer
2. Make sure the scaffoldings are set on solid and sound footing
3. Always make sure the scaffoldings are fully planked or decked
4. Replace or repair any damaged parts that have, even, the slightest risk of breaking
5. Provide the required training to all the employees who work on the scaffolds, especially, when the scaffolds are designed to be mobile and can move horizontally
6. Prohibit all the workers to work on scaffoldings, when these are covered with snow, ice, or any other slippery materials
7. Do not move or erect scaffolds within 10 miles(approx.) of the existing power lines
8. Avoid working on the scaffolds during the bad weather or high winds
9. Do not build up anything on the platform, to increase the height of the scaffoldings
10. Avoid overloading

How to Make a Completely Insulated House?

Insulating your house is one of the most important aspects to focus on, while working on the construction plan. Presently, almost all the houses in Australia, are weatherproofed for a comfortable environment all year around. However, even after insulation, many houses do not end up achieving the right kind of temperature.

The reason behind that, can be the poor installation of the material, or incomplete insulation. A perfectly insulated house needs to be covered from all the areas that are directly connected to the outer perimeter. Including the attic, outer walls, basement or crawl area, windows and doors etc.

Here is the list of the most important parts of your house that need to be insulated, and their installation tips.

The Attic, Roofs and Ceilings

Attic or the roofs are the parts of the house that suffer the most in all weathers, with the direct sunrays, in summer, and freezing snow, in winter. The ceilings and the roofs, can make your house lose up to 45 percent of heating and cooling energy. Hence, the most important place to be insulated.

Installation Tips

1. If you are insulating your old house, you need to seal all the air leaks and repair the roof and other necessary areas, before you start insulating the attic.
2. The doors, windows or any other access to the attic are also need to be air sealed and insulated, along with the other parts.
3. Both, Loose-fill and batt, can be good options for the attic insulation. However, loose-fill would be more affordable and provide a better coverage if installed properly.

Loose-fill: Predominantly consist of small particles of cellulose and fiberglass, the loose-fill insulation install, either by being blown into the attic and cavities of finish walls, or sprayed onto these places, with water based adhesive.

Batt and Rolls: Generally, made of fiberglass, rock, wool, and cottons’ flexible fiber bind and cut into form of batt and rolls. The fiberglass insulation is one of the most popular types of batt or rolls insulation. This insulation install by placing the rolls across an unfinished attic floor, and on the spacing of wall suds.

Transforming the Construction Industry with the Internet of Things

 While the construction industry has generally moved at a conservative pace when it comes to adopting new and upcoming trends, the rapid rate of change in technology is beginning to trickle down and impact the way we design and construct our projects. This includes the development of more sustainable and eco-friendly business practices, as well as the automation of many common and frequent construction tasks.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the latest trends in the world of technology which aims to revolutionise the way the construction industry functions as a business. IoT encapsulates the concept of physical objects communicating with each other, using embedded electronics, sensors, and network connectivity. In essence, allowing devices, vehicles, buildings and other items to collect and exchange data with each other.

Major equipment manufacturers have been highly invested in the IoT space, allowing equipment to be able to calculate and optimise machine hours, monitor fuel consumption, as well as provide GPS tracking. The potential for IoT applications are unlimited and with a wide variety of different types of sensors and network technologies, companies now have the power to maintain complete control over every single aspect of their business, from the delivery of their projects to the supply of their materials.

These metrics will allow companies to schedule maintenance on ailing equipment when detected faulty, determine the most effective process for a given task, as well as prevent misuse of equipment. Ultimately, these aspects will allow workers to make better decisions with the information they are receiving, providing businesses with the means to better analyse their flow of production, and optimise their business based on their objective needs.

Various State Governments around Australia have also made extensive use of IoT technology, including the New South Wales Government which has begun a trial to bring IoT technology to the state’s streets. The trial aims to lay foundations for vehicles to be able communicate via road infrastructure, to reduce the amount of time vehicles spend at traffic lights and on the road.

Involving around 110 trucks total, the vehicles will utilise Cooperative Intelligent Transport System (CITS) technology to allow them to communicate with road infrastructure, such as street lights and traffic lights. Not only will this kind of technology be able to reduce congestion, however it could very well spark an evolution in the way that future equipment and vehicles are manufactured and designed, increasing productivity, as well as efficiency.

The applications for IoT are practically endless, whether for the monitoring and repair of equipment, the management and ordering of supplies or the promotion safety within a worksite. As IoT gains prominence, be on the lookout for IoT solutions which can best solve your business problems.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/internet-of-things-in-construction/