Storage System: How to Avoid Potential Accidents on Construction Sites

Construction sites are not only the most busy places of work, but also accident-prone areas. Brimming with hundreds of construction workers, site safety comes into limelight. The safety of the people working at the construction sites becomes a matter of great importance. Amongst many safety issues relating to the construction sites is the issue of storage. For the safety of the construction workers, a good provision of safety storage needs to be given. Storage is not only essential for safety purposes but also to organise the equipment and tools that are used by each worker. Storage spaces are also used to keep the personal belongings safe as well as the tools. There are safety storages that are specially designed to keep important documents and contracts.

Why are storage spaces important in construction areas?

Storage is the capacity of an area to hold material and goods for a certain period of time in a way that it can be retrieved whenever required. A good storage space will not only contain the material but also keep it protected against external contaminating agents, weather, theft and vandalism and breakage. The factors that bring about a requirement of storage space for any construction project can be broadly classified into five sections:

1. Physical Nature of the Material to be Stored

When building projects are undertaken, after the planning stage comes the material sourcing stage. The material that is required for construction differs in size, shape, medium, weight etc. All this material requires a proper storage else it will go bad over a period of time. This is where a well-maintained storage facility comes into play. Space requirements of every material will differ. Bricks and cement bags will require a different type of storage facility in comparison to tool and equipment.

2. Protection of the Material

There are construction material that need to be protected from getting contaminated. There are materials that can contaminate other things around it and require protection. Such materials need to be kept in specially designed storage boxes or containers that are airtight and do not permit any escape of the substance contained within. Flammable goods also need to kept in a well protected space to avoid any sort of accident. Site safety plays a major role in storing such goods.

3. Security of the Goods

Building projects always require purchase and storage of large amount of goods. These goods need to be kept safe from harms way.
A secure storage facility will make sure that these materials will stay safe from theft and vandalism. Construction safety is not the only area that is to be looked at here.
There is need for safety of tool and equipment used by the construction workers as well. Security Lockers and storage cabinets can solve this problem.

4. Ownership of the Equipment and Material

Whose equipment is it anyways? This is a very important point of consideration when you are working at a construction site. There are hundreds of people who come to work each day and in such a situation, the security of one’s personal belongings as well as tools comes in one’s own hands. In order to save your things from getting misplaced, tool boxes and personal lockers offer a good storage solution.

5. Organisation of the Tools

A construction site is pretty much an organised chaos. In such a chaos it becomes difficult to organise your own equipment. Construction workers put to use tool boxes and document holders to keep their paraphernalia in order. There are many options available for commercial storage that lets the people working at sites enjoy an organised storage space.

ProjectLink offers a lot of varied option for storage requirements at construction sites. You can study these options and choose the ones that serve your purpose the best »

ProjectLink suggests ideas for storage at construction sites:

A lack of proper commercial storage facilities at building sites affects the overall site safety. Storage is indeed a small aspect of the entire project but it plays an integral part in many functions. Without proper storage provisions people will experience lack of organisation, space and security of their personal belongings.
Construction safety lies in the safety of not only the site and materials and goods being used for construction but also for the people working in and around it. To ensure a workplace free of accidents and mishaps, there are many options for storage of goods, equipment, documents and everyday-consumption resources like drinking water. At the same time, these things need to be easily accessible to the workers.

ProjectLink has an array of storage related products that offer a safe and durable storage solutions. Let’s take a look at some of the options:

1. Storage Trolleys:

Storage trolleys are always handy at a construction site. From storing tools to storing barriers, these trolleys provide a great space utilization solution.
These storage trolleys are designed to carry both classic as well as retractable barriers.
See options of storage trolleys here »

2. Corrosive Storage Containers

A lot of building projects make use of corrosive substances during the process of construction. At the site, these require proper safety storage facility else it might either act as a contaminating agent or be a cause of some accident.
To keep such substances in a safe and protected environment, corrosive storage containers are used at sites. These cabinets have lockable doors. These come with a vent to enable the airflow to let any trapped gas escape. These cabinets are designed in such a way that their levels can be adjusted according to the surface it has been placed upon. There are many features that these have.
Know more about corrosive storage containers here »

3. Safety Cabinet

There are cabinets that are specially designed to contain toxic poisonous liquids that pose a threat to the surroundings. Such materials require special care during storage. These cabinets make it easy to lock and isolate such substances from exposure to the workers. These cabinets come with a set of shelves and adjustable feet. It is designed to provide insulation from excessive external heat that may affect these toxic or flammable substance.
Get to know more about safety cabinets here »

4. Lockers

Safety lockers are always useful at construction sites. It enables the construction workers to organise their tools and belongings and keep them safe under lock and key. The lockers usually have a keyed lock system but some also come with a padlock locking system along it. These lockers are made of steel hence provide enough strength to withstand an attempt of theft or vandalism. The storage space that these provide are good enough to keep the things one would require at work.
Check out the range of safety lockers here »

5. Document Boxes

Papers, important documents and blueprints are always a part of construction work. Many times it becomes difficult to keep these safe from wear and tear. Document storage boxes make it possible for the architects and construction managers to keep these documents safe, dry and clean within a box or container. These boxes are available in various sizes and you can take a pick as per requirement.
Purchase document boxes for your projects here »

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/storage-systems-to-avoid-accidents-construction-sites/

Facade Design Solutions for Commercial Building Construction

 The word ‘Facade’ literally means Face in French, and a building’s facade is actually the front of a building and its face. While structural stability, space utilisation, energy consumption etc are some facets that go into designing a good building, facade design patterns are the face and give personality to the building.

An improper facade can also mean the whole building might not display the purpose for which it was built. In this article we will explore some key aspects to be considered for designing facades.

Facade Materials

 This very important aspect has to be considered before we start making schematics of our facade. From a warm and welcoming house facade adorned with green climbers, to a bamboo and wood construction of a jungle resort or a mirrored glass front of a corporation’s head office, the choice of material depends on the end usage and purpose that the building is meant to serve. For example the transparent glass facades of most restaurants give a glimpse of nice and elegant interiors and happy customers, thereby enticing more people to enter the restaurant.

Imagine standing in the middle of a road with many hotels. If you know nothing about any of them, which one are you most likely to enter? Good facades thus, can even contribute towards making a business profitable. And poor facades can of course take business away from you faster than you can say – competition.

The importance of a well designed facade is no less than that of good clothes for a king. Be it a house facade or facade design of a building, first impressions are the last impressions. Facade designing and execution is an important aspect of building design and construction, and has a few complexities associated with it.

In recent times, use of facade has gone way beyond the conventional ones, and people have started using facade area to generate electricity using solar panels.

Schematic Diagram in Facade Designs

 The basic schematics and engineering that goes in the preliminary facade design is meant to take an all round view of the requirements. The schematics will consider budget allocated, the main intent behind the design, and various legal and practical constraints related to constructing a building. The first thing here is to clearly define the purpose that the facade would serve. Once that is in place, objective performance criteria with respect to the facades are set. These criteria will take into consideration the intent, allocated budgets, timelines, amount of labour required, regulatory considerations and more. The main purpose of these performance criteria is to create a roadmap which is agreed upon and signed off by both clients and architects. These can always be revisited whenever there is a question or doubt on the way forward. After this the facade scheme with drawings will be made along with basic cost, labour, material, timeline calculations.

Belmont Station Works Progressing Well

Sections of Brearly Avenue were closed yesterday to enable further construction works to begin on the brand new Belmont Station, one of the major infrastructure projects from the Forrestfield-Airport Link project.

The road closure will directly affect commuters making their way to several of Perth Airport’s Terminals, with alternate routes in place to enable the works to progress.

Commuters travelling eastbound along the Tonkin and Great Eastern Highway’s will be diverted to terminals via the newly built Dunreath Drive interchange.
Commuters travelling westbound along the Great Eastern Highway will be able to access terminals T3 and T4 via the new intersection at Fauntleroy Avenue.
Commuters will need to be aware of new directional signs that have been installed along key sections of the road network approaching the airport terminals and have been encouraged to plan their journey in advance to avoid any delays.

The road closure is a key part of the ongoing development for the $1.96 billion rail project that is set to connect with the existing Midland line near Bayswater Station and run to Forrestfield via twin-bored tunnels.

Belmont Station will be an underground station similar to Elizabeth Quay Station. The railway in this location will be fully underground, running inside the tunnel.

The station will have significant benefits for the local community by providing a bus/train interchange and car park with 500 – 1,000 bays, and allow for a 15–minute journey to the Perth CBD by rail. The station will also service future business and residential developments.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/news/belmont-station-works-progressing-well

How Walkways and Pavements can Amplify your Outdoor Architecture

Imagine a plain big patch of grass in front of your house without any sort of guidelines depicting a passage… It would look so incomplete. Walkways not only add a passage to walk through the garden but also add a touch of style to your garden design.

What is a walkway? A raised path or passageway that connects different sections on a road, in a garden, park or any other space and is used for walking is a walkway. These walkways are also known as sidewalks, pavements, pathways and footway. It may or may not have a boundary.

The walkway that are present along the road are always raised. But when the walkways are used as a part of outdoor architecture, these may or may not be raised depending on factors like the garden design, requirement of the project, weather conditions and so on. These outdoor pathways are used by the pedestrians and cyclists. History has it that the pavements were first seen in the 4th century. The Romans also built these as a part of their outdoor architecture. Walkways were then known as "semitas".

What role does it play in outdoor architecture?

Walkways play an important role in the modern architecture. These walkways are used as a part of garden design. To move through the garden or parks easily, pathways provide a pre-defined track. There are many other uses of a pathways. These are built along as a part of any construction project solely based on its purpose and requirement. Let’s take a look at it:

1. Transportation:

Pavements are built along the road or in parks to facilitate easy movement of pedestrians. These pathways separate the cyclists’ area and pedestrian walking areas from that of motorised traffic. These are usually in pairs, on either side of the road or according to the need in parks or outdoor spaces. These pathways are also being seen in personal gardens as architects emphasise on its functional aspect. In a garden, the presence of pavements or walkways makes it easy to walk from one area to another without harming the grass and plants as well as your shoes.

2. Safety:

One of the important function of building a sidewalk with a raised height is to protect the passersby form the moving traffic and avoid accident. In parks, animal sanctuaries and gardens these work as a track for the movement of people, cyclists, people who walk their pets or kids visiting these places. Presence of walkways makes it easy to take heed of the areas that are accessible and those that are not to be accessed. Many a times, pathways that are present in gardens play the role of boundaries of plant beds.

3. Health:

Walkways, specially in large outdoor spaces, encourage people to walk or cycle more. The present way of life has a grave effect on the health of an individual. In 2013, the leading cause of death in females was due to coronary heart diseases. Such ailments affect the body due to lack of exercise and poor eating habits. Walking lowers the chances of obesity, cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle diseases. The presence of pavements and outdoor pathways encourage people to indulge in physical activities such as walking, cycling or exercising thus having a beneficial effect on the health of an individual.

4. Social Usage:

Many-a-times, these sidewalks are used for social purposes like small gatherings, cafes’ sitting layouts, small shops, musicians and son on. In a personal space one can always hold up a garage sale or any other activity. Based on the function and placement, the outdoor pathways are divided into different types. The various types usually consist of uses of different materials depending on the use of the end-product.

For example, if you wish to have garden walkways build in your backyard and kitchen garden then the use of wood or pebbles works best; If the pathway is to be placed in front of the house then people go for concrete walkways or tiles and son on. With an increase in the environmental awareness, more and more eco-friendly materials are also being put to use for construction purposes. Multi-purpose pathways that are present along the roads are being made of softer materials like asphalt or tarmac.

ProjectLink has a variety of walkway options for you. Let’s take a look at the types of walkways and materials that can be used to make these:

1. Concrete Pavements:

The most common medium that is used to build a garden walkway is concrete. These pathways consist of poured concrete ribbons. A cross-lying-strain-relief indentation is present on these concrete walkways at regular intervals. Usually the distance is about 5 feet but you can personalise the walkway in your garden by the use of design impressions or carving out your initials and year. The use of colors can also be done. You can go ahead and be creative here if you want a garden walkway that looks exclusive. These days concrete tiles are also available. In area theatre susceptible to snow and extreme cold, joints are provided between two blocks of concrete. This give it an expansion space so that the walkway does not develop cracks.

Take a look at what ProjectLink has to offer for Concrete walkways »

2. Asphalt and Tarmac Walkways:

Tarmacadam or tarmac is material used for road surfacing. It was invented by Edgar Purnell Hooley and first used in 1902. Materials like tar-grounded macadam, modern asphalt concrete and bituminous surface treatments fall under this category. Tarmac is commonly used on airport ramps as well as runways. When it is spread over any surface, the surface is saved from rutting. This material is gaining importance in the construction industry. Asphalt is known to weatherproof the walkway. Since it is available in colors, you can beautify your garden walkways and the maintenance is low.

 Get to know more about the product Asphalt and Tarmac Walkways »

3. Stone and Pavers

Stones and slabs are another commonly seen materials used for pathways. Installing a pathway lined with stone slabs enhances the appearance of the entire building. Stone slabs are of many varieties. You can pick a polished slab or a natural looking unpolished set of slabs for your outdoor pathways.

The texture of the stone varies accordingly. A more cost-effective option are the pavers. Pavers have been used since long as outdoor surface coverings. These are concrete bricks made by moulding the cement mixture into the shape of blocks or any given design. Interlocking pavers are also present. These form a tessellation like design over the surface that there are placed on. Depending on designs, sizes, colors and functionality, pavers have a large range to choose from for your personal outdoor space.

Check out options for stone and pavers here »

4. Bricks

Using bricks for the garden walkways is a great and cost-effective technique. It increases the aesthetic value of the garden design and the bricks can be laid in any tessellating pattern. When a pathway is made by laying bricks, a mechanical vibrator is used to lock the bricks in place once all the bricks have been laid. This can be alternately done with the help of tools such as hammers or heavy rolls but using a mechanical vibrator speeds up the process.

Here are some options for your garden walkways »  

5. Wood:

Wood is an easily available resource. You can also use recycled wood to make a walkway for your outdoor space. It gives a rustic feel to the garden. The spaces underneath and between the boards allow small plants to shoot out give the pathway a more natural look. Wood slices can also be used to bring exclusivity to your garden. It is a great idea for the outdoors and the spaces between the slices can be filled with moss, grass or small plants. It would give space a medieval look and will always be an attraction for your guests.

6. Pebbles:

Pebbles are also used for sidewalks in a garden. These not only make your garden look attractive but are an eco-friendly option of flooring. Pebbles do not require cement or concrete to fix into place. These can be just put out on the walkway and the work is done. The use of pebbles helps the surface water to drain down into the ground easily.

You can find variety of options for pebbles here »

7. Glass:

Lately the use of crushed glass is gaining popularity. These pieces of glass are recycled and environmentally safe.

The glass pieces are smooth without edges and feel like tiny pebbles. These are available in many colors.

Range for crushed glass stones »




 So create your own wonderful walkway for the garden and backyard. Select the best suited option for your home from the list here on ProjectLink »

 

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/top-walkway-pavement-ideas/

Demolition Works to Pave the Way for Roma Hospital Upgrades

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has today revealed that the contract for $658,000 worth of demolition works has been awarded, allowing for the next stage of the Roma Hospital redevelopment to progress later this month.
Burke Industries Pty Ltd, a local company from Toowoomba have been chosen to carry out the works. They will undertake the demolition job that will see Roma Hospital’s Pathology Building, old nurse’s quarters and the current swimming pool demolished.

The demolition works are able to be undertaken after several refurbishment works were completed in the past months in preparation. As part of these works, the Pathology building was cleared out, with all of its equipment moved into new areas within the hospital. These works were carried out by Brett Cherry Builders Pty Ltd.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk spoke of the importance of the redevelopment, as well as the ongoing opportunities that will be made available throughout the construction process.

“Tenders also will be called for the main contractor who will undertake the actual construction of the new hospital.  We expect this to be awarded and work to get under way by November this year.

“There will be further opportunities for local firms to participate in this multi-million dollar project as the work starts to gather pace this year,’’ Ms Palaszczuk said.

“I was proud to announce the new hospital last year. It is part of my Government’s $180 million Enhancing Regional Hospitals program to meet the needs of the region and its people and to reflect the latest advances in healthcare and technology.

South West Hospital and Health Board Chair Lindsay Godfrey said that the community will reap the benefits of the ongoing works.

“This is one of the largest single government investments in Roma in many years and will be a huge boost for the Maranoa community as well as the region as a whole.

“I would like to thank the State Government and the Department of Health for their continued and generous support and investment in better health services for the South West,” he said.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/news