Construction cranes are dangerous machines, but the people supervising, operating, erecting, dismantling and signaling them can be just as treacherous. The accident record proves it. Just about every week in the U.S., somebody dies from a crane accident. Nearly half of those fatalities are construction workers, and civilians are just as much at risk. Poor communication is at the heart of the problem. One of the reasons for vocal hangups among crane personnel is the lack of standards addressing communication around these machines. Until recently, industry standards offered little or no guidance on how spotters should give directions to crane
Design Differs from Politics Mr. Finley could not be further off the mark with his pontificating on American bridge design practice in the Viewpoint, "America Can Build Better Bridges". Bridge engineers in the U.S. do not control either the politics or the process of project delivery. It is not a reflection on technical prowess, but rather a political reality. It is not clear whether Mr. Finley's comparisons of the Bay bridge to France's Millau Viaduct represent a layman's innocence or an engineer's ignorance. Millau is magnificent and an achievement for the ages. But it is built in an open site
At Some Companies, Everybody is an Estimator I love it when I get to have discussions with other experienced estimators. We know the value of our profession to the industry. No other profession has as much responsibility for making or breaking a project. While the Dept. of Labor shows that there are about 200,000 estimators in the U.S., when I work with some firms everyone is an estimator. I wonder how they were missed on the occupation survey. Short Recently a regional owner contemplated a project. It had passed the initial budget proposed by the internal staff, working without the
Sureties Explained I am writing about mistakes in your article, "Why I-84 Is Turning Into Connecticut's Unlucky Number". It is implied that L.G. Defelice Inc.'s surety for the Interstate 84 project, USF&G, allowed me to form a new contracting firm. It did not. Defelice had two bonding companies, USF&G and XL Specialty Insurance, for different projects. After reviewing Defelice's financial position in the fall of 2005, and determining that its financial condition would not have allowed the survival of the company, I met with the two bonding companies. I proposed for their consideration the creation of a new company, which
Pierce As an engineer and salesman with over 26 years experience working for a fully integrated design-build firm, a firm that has been providing professional design, engineering and construction services for over 100 years, I feel compelled to write and challenge the recent viewpoint article by Don L. Short II. It had a provocative headline, “Fast-track? Design-build? What the Salesmen Don’t Say” , but it didn’t prove its points and they were crudely expressed. First I’ll discuss the assertion that design-build is more costly, takes more time and has more problems. I refer Mr. Short and any readers to the
Christopher Columbus and many of the early explorers of the New World had it all wrong: The world actually is flat, and it is becoming flatter as new information technology, project delivery systems and global business practices increasingly even out the playing field for hungry competitors in the engineering and construction marketplace. Some large U.S. companies with a long history of dominance in the global E&C market will be hard-pressed to stave off a flood of new competitors from China and the developing world. The Chinese firms, in particular, are hungry and coming on fast, using every toehold and connection
America Can Build Better Bridges When he first saw the design for the Bay Bridge reconstruction, former California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said it "speaks of mediocrity, not greatness." He could just as easily have been describing most bridges designed and built in the U.S. in the past 20 years. Peter Reina Millau Viaduct When it comes to innovation in major bridge projects, we in the U.S. have taken a back seat to our counterparts in Europe and Asia. One case in point is the Millau Viaduct in France. Built for $523 million, the Millau boasts the tallest piers of
Fast-track? Design-build? What the Salesmen Don't Say By Don L. Short II There are salesmen in our industry who sell their clients or acquaintances on a project delivery method that is the most expensive in construction today. They say you can have your project sooner. They say the method has few risks. They say it will save money. Their clients want to and do believe them. Then the same clients find out they have a mess on their hands that can take longer and cost far more than they ever contemplated. Short The salesmen sell fast-track, design-build and/or multiple prime
Skyscrapers After 9/11 Despite all the angst on the fifth anniversary of the event, and contrary to popular belief, the 9/11 attack and the collapse of the World Trade Center towers did not transform the design of tall buildings. It's still business as usual in the world of skyscraper design and construction. And that's the way it should be, for 9/11 was a security failure, not a building performance failure. + click to enlarge The lesson from 9/11 is not that buildings should be designed to withstand attack by airplanes; it is that criminals should be prevented from flying airplanes
Owners Should Shape Up Congratulations on an outstanding editorial, "Project Owners with Few Bidders May Be Stinky Clients". The views expressed in this piece are absolutely dead on. I strongly believe that many owners are still living in the past when they were used to the dumb guys in the pick-up truck fighting each other for the "privilege" of worshiping at the owner's throne. Not anymore. Many owners are still clueless about what they are doing to drive away both contractors and design firms from working with them. One-way contracts, lack of owner management and timely decisions, confrontational delivery systems,
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