If the construction industry and its many customers thought that they were going to catch a break from escalating inflation, they are sadly mistaken. Some of the wildly oscillating materials like lumber and cement are moderating, but the out-of-control petroleum markets are exacting a new tax on businesses and individuals that will be difficult, if not impossible, to sidestep. But that tax is not going to the public good, and there should be a reconciliation of that account. As regular gasoline hits $3 per gallon or more in many areas and diesel fuel even higher, many are wondering how we
The centennial observance of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and the rebuilding of New Orleans have some eerie similarities: There was total destruction in large parts of both cities from a natural disaster, the rebuilding efforts tried to prevent the same kind destruction in the future and there was a curious belief that if you prepare for a 100-year event, it somehow will not happen for 100 years. (Photo by The Bancroft Library) San Francisco was destroyed at 5:13 a.m. on April 18, 1906, following a magnitude 8.3 earthquake. New Orleans was destroyed on Aug. 29, 2005 by a category
ENR Has a Long History Of Covering Earthquakes Looking Ahead. Team leader Nadine Post (seated center) kept the group focused on the strides forward in seismic design. Tom Armistead, Aileen Cho, Scott Lewis and Tom Sawyer (clockwise from left) contributed. Nancy Soulliard and Guy Lawrence created the layouts and design. The April 26, 1906, issue of Engineering News carried the headline “The San Francisco Disaster: Earthquake and Fire Ruin in the Bay Counties of California.” The editors of the magazine that became ENR when it merged with Engineering Record in 1913 postponed the articles they had planned for publication that
Classic Entrepreneur Transforms His Field Collector. Equipment Editor Tudor Hampton compares cars with Dwayne McAninch. Earthmoving isn’t the most glamorous job in the industry, but Dwayne McAninch, the 69-year-old chairman and CEO of specialty contractor McAninch Corp., does it with style and grace. His unassuming nature makes him an unlikely person to transform the field from a seat-of-the-pants to a click-of-the-mouse business. But speaking with colleagues near his company’s headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa, and spending time at his home in nearby Norwalk, makes it clear why ENR’s editors selected him to receive the magazine’s 41st Award of Excellence.
With over $1 trillion of construction put in place in the U.S. last year and over $4 trillion worldwide, one would think that project delivery techniques would keep pace with technology, education and construction methods. Sadly, that usually is not the case and improper, inadequate or almost nonexistent project delivery methods waste many billions of dollars a year. Unless something goes radically wrong on a project, the amount of money wasted may never be known. An owner may know when it has the lowest bid, but that is only lowest among firms that choose to participate. Is there another firm
(Photo courtesy of FEMA) More than six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated communities all along the Florida to Louisiana Gulf Coast and overwhelmed the hurricane protection system and levees of New Orleans, many residents of that city are still wary of rebuilding their homes, business and lives. They want to know what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing to restore and improve the hurricane protection system. Many also want to know why they should again put their faith in the Corps to protect them from future storms. Speaking for the Corps, I can say we will do absolutely
Workers' Comp Woes Im a small concrete contractor responding to John W. Dickens letter. Dickens states that we can control our insurance costs. How can I do this when I get a guy out of the [hiring] hall? He works for me 33 days and then files a huge workers compensation insurance claim for a worn-out shoulder. He obviously did not wear out his shoulder in 33 days. But the whole claim goes against my experience modification rate. How can I control this? Workers comp is totally out of control. Now, I just hire subcontractors. JOSEPH T. MARIER J.M.C. Inc.
Paper Wont Go Away After reading the cover story “Safeguarding Data Has Companies Locking Digital Files,” I have to say that there will always be a need for paper records. It doesn’t take more than four or five years for a new electronic format to become outdated. In 10 years it becomes obsolete and in 20 years it will be unusable and unreadable. Buildings are expected to last more than a few years. If there aren’t plans on paper, or spec books or submittals stuffed in various closets, drawer files or storage bins, there will be no records at all. I am
One of the long-standing goals of electronic communications is finally putting an end to the paper trail in almost all transactions. Once considered unimaginably distant, the goal now is within sight. It is achievable, practical and even supported by federal law—the Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998. It requires federal agencies to maintain records digitally and give people and companies the option of exchanging forms and submitting information electronically, when practicable, “as a substitution for paper.” For once, Congress was ahead of the learning curve. It specifically decreed that electronic records and signatures are to be given legal effect, and
SHORT The construction bidding process is in deep trouble. Just open your local newspaper or read ENR. Projects are coming in far over budget and owners can’t attract enough bidders to assure competitive prices. Worse, owners are incurring major cost overruns after starting projects. The root cause of these problems is that owners, architects and engineers are not using reliable means to obtain the correct project numbers in the first place. It appears that management edicts or wishful thinking are driving budgets instead of estimating professionals. Owners, such as the California Dept. of Transportation, that hope for multiple bids or
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