Working with Electric Chain Hoists

Whenever you face a job that involves heavy lifting, having the right material handling tools on hand can save you time, money and unnecessary stress. In such situations, an electric hoist proves incredibly useful. These machines are capable of easily and quickly lifting heavy items, allowing you to move them from one location to another, comfortably and safely.

There are three different types of electric hoists available on the market, including hydraulic hoists, manual hoists and electric hoists. While each has their pros and cons, the electric variant is designed for industrial and small scale applications. Continue reading

Choosing the Best Cranes Servicing Company in UK

Your crane is a very important machine because it helps in lifting very heavy loads. It is difficult for you to continue your operations if you do not have it in good working conditions. This is why you are supposed to carry out cranes servicing regularly to ensure that they are performing to their full potential. It is also important to service them to prevent wear and tear that can lead to the breakdown of the entire machines, which can be very costly to repair. Well serviced cranes are also safe to work with as they pose fewer risks to the operators.

Performing the servicing work is not easy for you to understand especially of you do not have the skills and knowledge on how to do it. This is why it is always important to hire a professional company to do the work on your behalf. Working with the professionals is the best option because they help reduce all the potential risks as much as possible. Not all the companies you find advertising their services can offer you the best results. So, it is vital to take your time to get one that can service your crane in a professional manner. Here are some tips on how to get the best crane service company. Continue reading

How Improving Technology can Improve Safety in the Construction Industry

Safety standards have been a considerable concern in the construction industry for decades now, following on from it being labelled amongst the most dangerous jobs around. Considerable headway has been made since then in the field of health and safety, but despite all of the efforts, being a builder or working on a construction site remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and likely always will be. You’re working around dangerous equipment all day long, with heavy loads being lifted around you all of the time, dangerous and toxic substances, explosive materials and other fire risks, electrical lines and generators, to name a few. So long as humans are involved in building stuff, these risks will probably persist to some degree or another.

Improving technology offers some tremendous opportunities to improve the safety standards for those who work in the industry. More precision working equipment is being developed constantly, materials that are less dangerous and more light-weight are being developed to replace previous alternatives, there are even drones and other unmanned vehicles being adopted by some in the industry to carry out inspections and do more and more tasks, while the operators get to remain in relative safety.

Of course, some of this technology will take quite a long time to be developed to its full fruition, and it will likely take even longer for it to roll out to all of the smaller operators in the industry, but some are ready to be used right now, both as a means to improving safety and improving efficiency. Take UAV’s (unmanned aerial drones) as an example: These can be used today to get a clear view of the area or building site to identify any safety risks before it becomes a problem. They can also be used to carry out inspections in difficult and dangerous to reach areas.

 

Starting an Apprenticeship in the Construction Industry

The construction industry is arguably the industry that has adopted the apprenticeship scheme more than any other. Most jobs in the industry will either have a traditional apprenticeship format or schemes that resemble trainee positions. This extends from everything from craft based positions such as stone masonry to managerial positions such as construction project management.

An apprenticeship, or alternatively a trainee position, usually will not have any educational attainment requirements for those looking to enter the industry. The apprenticeships will take anywhere from 1 year to 4 years depending on what you’re learning. You may also want to consider the future career path the apprenticeship affords you; some of them could end up translating into opportunities to enter management, while others may not.

The body that determines the criteria for construction apprenticeships is the CITB, which thereby ensure that all construction professionals are able to achieve a certain standard. In order to meet this guarantee, a portion of the course will take place outside of the company you are apprenticed to and instead will include coursework and examination designed to ensure you have an adequate breadth of knowledge.

Working as a Building Surveyor

Work in the construction industry has a lot of different opportunities. Some of these opportunities work to produce new buildings and manage construction projects, while others, such as work as a surveyor, work in the area of maintenance and management of existing buildings.

Within the construction industry, and wider society, surveyors play a very important role. Construction companies will employ their services, technology and techniques in order to verify that what they have produced is meeting safety standards and that the building is secure. Businesses and private citizens will also hire surveyors to review their premises or home so that they can verify that everything is safe and secure.

It is important that the role of a surveyor isn’t underestimated, as being able to accurately determine that a building is still stable is very important. If they aren’t used and they collapse or become increasingly unstable, the cost of repairs can begin to skyrocket, for one thing, and another important note is the potential risk to human safety.

More generally, surveyors can also be used to determine whether or not heating systems, insulation, and waterproofing are all working as it should be. When discussing these areas of concern, it is worth noting that while the risks of them not working optimally aren’t that great, it can lead to you effectively bleeding money in heat loss of damaged property.