Archive for February, 2010

How A Construction Management Degree Can Help You.

Feb 4th, 2010

Construction-DegreeA degree in construction management is essential in that it offers the kind of skill and knowledge that experience alone cannot provide. In fact, many employers today are giving priority to candidates who possess a hands-on experience along with a bachelor’s degree or a master’s in the construction management field.

There is today a promising market for construction managers since there are countless job openings for individuals who are qualified to enter in the construction management field. This is very true to individuals who hold a degree in construction management. They are in demand because the construction industry is ever growing and evolving over the years, not to mention the fact that sophisticated technology has now also been adopted in the construction industry. The setting of laws to elevate the standard for construction materials, buildings, energy efficiency, environmental protection and the safety of the workers are only a few of the rising demand of construction management degrees.

Moreover, there are also opportunities in the advancement of careers in the field of construction management, though this varies significantly. Growth in this field depends so much on the person’s performance and the kind of company or firm he works for. In fact, working in a large scale company has high chances of getting an upper-level management or even executive level positions. However, if you have the right education and experience in the field construction management, you may even opt to start an independent consulting firm. But if you have the necessary amount of money and has good financial capacity, you may even decide to put up a construction management service or general contracting firm.

Aside from this, there are also other factors to consider in the field of construction management. The size and nature of construction projects have surely higher fees than small scale projects, thus the higher the position, the higher the pay. Another important factor in a project is the location and the economic conditions of the construction.

Finally, even an individual who has only a certificate in construction management can very well compete if he has the right skill. This will surely be beneficial in his future endeavors especially if he decides to put up his own business.

How To Get Trained For Construction Management Jobs

Feb 4th, 2010

4529948731Like the construction management jobs they manage, there are two aspects in the job of a construction manager: first he needs to possess the technical knowledge and skills and secondly as a manager he needs to know how to manage people. The difficult part of a construction manager lies in managing people. In fact, there are individuals who maybe expert in other areas but they lack competence in some areas. This holds true at some point because there are candidates who may not be good in overseeing people and yet effective as construction employees. On the other hand, there are also candidates who appear to be the all-around guys and yet completely inept and incompetent in the technical side of work. In a situation like this, it is even more important and wise to go for the guy who is nasty yet knowledgeable in the technical side of things.

In order to be a competent construction manager, a candidate first needs to possess a college or university degree in civil engineering, construction management or construction science. In line with this, a candidate needs also to have the technical know-how of the job at hand. In fact, there are cases when candidates of a construction management jobs started from the lowest of ranks and worked hard to get the highest rank in time. It may even appear unjust for some candidates who are fresh from school and yet they get the juicy position way ahead from the old employees. This scenario is a common thing in many construction companies. In fact, there are older employees who resent because their new construction manager is young, smart, very competent, and yet he becomes a new boss. However, appointing a new candidate to become a boss for older people has been a cause of problems among employees. What is good though is that this problem is more psychological and social rather than a technical construction problem.

To void future controversies, there are many employers who really specify the age bracket for a vacant position and the number of years of experience in a particular job description and category. In this way, the applicant can already think of himself as a candidate who needs to compete with others. In fact, there are companies who require new applicants to undergo technical training, especially if they lack technical experience when it comes to construction management jobs.

We may therefore ask, is experience necessary for construction management jobs? Not necessarily, because there countless things about construction management jobs that you will learn through the years and this can be charged to experience. The best teacher when it comes to construction management jobs is a combination of right education and experience. In this way, any candidate who possesses such kind of skill is a sure asset of any construction company.

20 Crane Accidents on Construction Sites

Feb 3rd, 2010
Are you looking for a way to slow down or stop your construction project? Here’s 20 pictures of some crane accidents that I’m sure not only slowed down these projects, but added quite a bit to the cost of those projects at the same time. Poor set-up accounts for over 60 percent of all crane tip-overs. To the best of our knowledge, these images are real, they are not doctored or photoshopped in any way.

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2. crane2 Fortunately nobody was injured which is amazing because the boom of the crane extends right out into the middle of a busy intersection. The crane has 70 tonne lifting capacity so it is very large. The rescue operation used 3 different cranes to remove it and took all day.
3. crane3 An aerial view of the fatal crane accident in downtown Bellevue.
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9. crane9 Dallas, Texas, two workers were injured in a construction accident when a crane lowering a 9-ton pipe toppled over. The weight of the crane caused the cab of the machine to lift off the ground, leaning over the side of a building at a 45-degree angle. The pipe fell and landed on two work vehicles, while the actual crane landed on the roof.
10. crane10 Crane tipped over by the Silver Creek complex in Montana. No injuries were reported.
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16. crane16 One of the nation’s largest mobile cranes collapsed at a Houston oil refinery, killing four workers and injuring seven others in the latest of several fatal accidents that have raised concerns about the safety of construction cranes.

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18. crane18 Officials inspect a construction crane that partially collapsed through the deck of a bridge over M-14 on Gotfredson Road in Salem Township on Thursday afternoon. Debris fell onto M-14, but there were no reported injuries.
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20. crane20 The Netherlands got hit by the strongest storm in over four years, going with sustained wind speeds of up to 100 kph (62 mph) and gusts of up to 130 kph (75 mph). In Utrecht a construction crane fell on top of a university building, injuring at least six people.

10 Things you need to know about Construction Site Management

Feb 3rd, 2010
Just as building a building is not an easy erik_constructionendeavor, managing a construction site may not be an easy job. First and foremost, there are many individuals involved in the construction site—the construction worker, the architect, the project manager, etc—and each of them has his unique function. Bringing them all together to function as one is a huge challenge.

The following are the 10 most important things you should know about construction site management:

    1. The presence of a lot of people at a construction site is very confusing. That is why it is important for health and safety purposes to know who they are, what their functions are and who they work for to make sure the project is going as planned.

    2. Implementing a management system can facilitate a smooth construction project. It is especially important to know who should be at the site and who should not be to avoid overcrowding and wasting of time. A good management system is also important in monitoring who are coming in late for work.

    3. It is a known fact that the construction site is full of expensive construction materials like bricks, glass, roofing and other valuable materials. Without a proper management system, these important materials can be left out attended and they can be stolen at any time by people who are taking advantage of the management’s negligence.

    4. Workers in a construction site have specialized skills and they too need specialized tools. These tools are very expensive. An effective site management is needed in monitoring and in the inventory of these tools since they can be a sure target of an opportunistic thief.

    5. There is also a need for effective security system for a construction site especially that construction equipments are left at night like the diggers, cranes and lorries. If the construction premises are not secured, a damaged or missing equipment can cause delays in the project.

    6. An effective security system can significantly reduce vandals from wrecking havoc on the construction site. If the security is not tight, they can destroy the construction materials like bricks, glass and walls.

    7. Another important benefit of an effective security system is that it can significantly control possible blockade, infiltration or people barricading at the site. A good security system can ensure the continuous work of the project since delays can cause too much costs upon the management.

    8. An effective construction site management system will facilitate in the resolution of disputes in case some contractors will claim for salary they did not even come for work. In fact, some companies are claiming compensation when projects are delayed.

    9. A good construction site management is also an effective way in identifying and knowing the purpose of everyone in the site. This may lead to efficiency and productivity.

    10. One final benefit of having a construction site management is to ensure that health and safety issues are properly addressed and contractors are at site on time. Having an effective project management can facilitate any dispute.