Tag Archives: summer

Summer is deadly. Ensure that your employees are hydrated

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It becomes difficult to work on a hot summer and under the scorching heat of the sun ready to burn you down. Only the heavy equipment operators who get the privilege to work inside an air-conditioned cabin may get a bit of relief but for other workers, they may not see a solution. They have to work under the hot sun and need to ensure that they keep themselves hydrated at all times. It is common biology. More than 70% of our body is of water and when the balance is disturbed it may cause all sorts of problem to the human body. Now you do not want to fall sick just because you have failed to consume water and forced yourself to work in the hot summer. It is quite certain that your body will not be able to take this and will show signs of breaking down.

Water is an important component that you should have continuously during summer but other than that you should also intake items that helps to keep your body hydrated. There are certain fruits that play a crucial role as far as hydration of your body is concerned. So the employees working in the construction site should make a note to keep some fruits in their bag and eat them whenever they get some time out of work. To name few fruits, watermelon, orange, papaya, grapes are rich in nutrients that keep your body hydrated. Watermelon is considered to be the fruit that can supplement water. So in case you are working at a site that does not give you easy accessibility to water, you can keep some pieces of melons in a box and gulp it whenever you can. You do not have to go far to fetch water and can simply have this to stay hydrated.

When you sweat a lot, you are losing water from your body. Always try to keep your body wet with water. You can carry some ice and place it on a towel. Wrap it well and tie it around your shoulders. You can also use it to wipe the seat from your body. In this way, you not only wipe off the sweat but also hydrate your skin. You can also make use of shakes that contains lot of water and some portion of milk and fruits. You should keep taking sips at regular intervals.

Keeping the construction workers hydrated during summer should be the responsibility of the business owner. They may not provide everybody with fruits but can definitely arrange for sufficient water at all times. The employees should not run from pillar to post just to fill in a bottle of water. You can keep water storage tanks with water purifier attached to it at every convenient point. If the jobsite is big and one needs direction, then there should be signboards showing signs from where the bottles can be filled. Please do not take dehydration lightly as it can even cost a person’s life. So ensure that all your employees are properly hydrates and are therefore equally healthy.

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Ensure the cooling system of your machine is doing well this summer

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Heavy equipment take quite a beating during the summer. It has been found that mostly the cooling system of the heavy equipment does not remain in order which is why the problem crops up and the entire machine goes out of service. Now after knowing the importance of heavy equipment in the construction business, it very unlikely that the owner of the construction company will take the risk to leave the cooling system of the machine unrepaired. Heavy equipment that work in states like Texas have probably experienced the worst heat and if the engine is not cooled at regular intervals, there are chances that the machine will break down every now and then. You start the engine for a couple of hours and it becomes hot like a volcano waiting to burst at any moment.

We will be speaking about some very generic cooling techniques that should be used to keep the machine going under any summer season.

The coolant technology should be checked regularly:-

Different heavy equipment companies have installed different types and different qualities of coolants in their machines. These coolants have an expire date and if they are not checked regularly then it only shortens the expiry date. Contractors are not even aware of any expire dates of the coolants and they believe that giving it to the mechanic means results to end of any and every problem related to the heavy equipment. Well, that is not the case. A mechanic only services the machine and if he finds anything that has gone wrong, he will inform you about it and only if you say so he changes the parts. Some mechanics do not bother to check the quality of the coolant as long as they are not asked to. Therefore, you should take the initiative and ask him to check if the cooling system in the heavy equipment is in place.

Make use of the right machine to complete the task:-

Though nowadays heavy equipment are multifaceted and are expected to do work that does not fall in its line of business. This has been a boon to the construction companies but at the same time when they try to make use of this boon more regularly, it may back fire. You can’t use a grader to demolish structures. Though you can use attachments to get some temporary work done but do not make it a routine. Other than that, the terrain where you want your machine to work can also be an issue. Not all heavy equipment are equipped to work on every terrain and incline. If you compel it to work where it is not meant to, then the chances of the engine heating up increases manifolds. You have to keep that in mind and ensure that you do not use your machine in places where it can’t work.

Do not overwork the heavy equipment:-

Heavy equipment has certain capacity to work and if it moves beyond the capacity the problem begins. You need to stop the machine right at the very stage where you see it can’t take any further. Also instruct the operator about it that you do not want the machine to be overworked at any cost.

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Heavy equipment operator keeping from getting dehydrated

The looming concern of dehydration for a heavy equipment operator

We often preach others that in case of diseases preventive measures are way better than the cure itself. However prevention does not pan out to be realistic option for some quarters of people in our society due their professional obligations. Yet after applying plentiful of resources and expenditure for risk management, many outside workers like heavy equipment operators succumb to death or serious physical disabilities rendering them permanently unfit to join the service again. The case is not very different for some physical workers for instance dry cleaners, mechanics, boiler room workers, bakery staff, steamfitters, plumbers and so on who  perform within the enclosure of walls. Taking all the possible defects into account, it can be asserted firmly that dehydration poses the biggest threat for all sorts of hard labor workers. According to NIOSH, every individual has a threshold upper value to withstanding the rising heat content of surrounding environment and that capability to maintain body temperature is influenced by a host of factor like age, blood sugar status, alcoholism profile, physical built and lifestyle etc. yet above all the determiners, it is the type and strenuousness of the job that take the toll most on body.

On-paper standards & the ground realities:

Since date, there have been innumerable health tribunals and commissions set up by the government and sometimes by the management to recommend the best health practices to be adapted by the professionals working in hot weather conditions. The most considered indices by notable health organizations like CDC, WHO in making out the heat hazards for workers are- wind velocity, humidity, radiant heat and most necessarily atmospheric temperature. Then come, the individual-specific factors like sex, age, heat tolerance, acclimatization to changing working conditions and hydration level. For such complexity in measurement, it was finally advised to the industries to develop their own set of methods to determine the optimum level of heat tolerance though the industries are hard to be heard since there botheration is only own profits.

Adversities of dehydration and palliation:

Medical data shows that dehydration level, as low as 2% of an individual’s body weight, can impede motor nerve senses; doom the vision momentarily; impair the short-term memory and attention and arithmetic efficiency. If the situation deteriorates further to 4% of body weight, a considerable 23% reduction in reaction time happens, entailing significant increase of work-related accidental risks. The biggest threat of dehydration comes from the greatest companion of the workers- the encapsulated protective clothing. Such clothing causes unceasing perspiration in hands and feet incrementing the chance of slippage of operating devices. Appointers often get out of their comfort level to teach workers about the behavioral & medical risks and the symptoms of heat-related illness as well. Although they utter the misconception that fluids intake is enough to prevent heat related stress while instilling the necessity of safe working by providing adequate breaks, proper scheduling, taking plenty of cool water, gradual acclimatization to adverse work conditions, preparing an emergency plan etc. are the most successful steps in preventing untoward situation.

 

During Summer Give Your Machine the Coolant It Requires

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A construction site when it is in full swing is full of dust that forms a layer up to certain height. These dust particles enters the small pores which are left uncovered in the machine and when the dust gets accumulated in there, it causes problems to the machine. Therefore, there are various tools available which helps to take off the dust from the pores and keep the stuff working. Another major challenge which construction equipment has to experience is the scorching summer heat and on top of that, it is expected to work round the clock. This results in the machine becoming hot in no time and that eventually affects the life of the machine in a number of ways.

It is evident that we can’t do much about the summer heat but we can definitely fight it out to give more strength to our machine. There are number coolants available which if applied in the machine can help the engine to become cool faster and will thus help it to work for long hours. It will also prevent the equipment from getting shut every now and then which ideally happens when the engine becomes excessively hot and can’t take the heat anymore. Initially, not much mechanism was there to cool off the engine. However, the case is not the same any longer. The engineers of various heavy equipment manufacturing companies are producing machines where a set of coolants can be installed which will help the machine to cool off without interrupting the flow of the work.

We would also be discussing the various reasons why different coolants are required on heavy equipments.

To increase the life of the machine:-  Heavy equipments are highly priced items and it takes a good deal of money to buy a new branded equipment. Suppose, you have multiple projects in hand and for that you have allocated construction equipments accordingly at different locations. You would not want them to give up just because it does not have sufficient cooling systems in it. That would perhaps the last thing you would want to happen with your ongoing projects and that really hurts. Therefore, you might want to do everything possible to ensure that your equipment has the coolants to keep the engine buzzing and also that it continue to perform with the same intensity in the future.

Keep the atmosphere cool inside the cabin:-  Other than the engine, there is one more important place which always needs to remain cool and that is place in the cabin which is meant for the operator. Heat in the summer is killing and it can take its toll on the poor chap sitting inside the box operating the big gun. It is very important to ensure that there is proper cooling system installed inside the cabin which keeps the environment cool and workable. That will also lower the risk of accidents happening in the construction site.

A proper coolant can make life very simple both for the machine as well as for the one operating it.

It’s Summer Time – You Can’t Work without an Air-condition in Your Heavy Equipment

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We all know and understand the importance of heavy equipments in the construction industry. It is indeed the backbone of the industry without which it is almost impossible for the sector to move ahead. We might not see huge buildings kissing the sky any longer without the use of heavy equipments. One who is into the construction business for long may know how important these machines are for him. He probably might consider them as a part of his family which as a matter of fact many do. Though they do not get too personal with their stuffs, yet they care a lot for it.

One of the most intrinsic features in today’s heavy equipments is that they are manufactured by keeping every minute detail into account. Right from safety parameters to operators comfort, everything is given due consideration while the heavy equipments are designed and then manufactured. To be precise, comfort of the operator and safety both go hand in hand. As long as the operator does not find himself comfortable inside the cabin, he is bound to make mistakes and at times the mistakes may take a fatal approach which may cost a life of a person or may even injure someone. Therefore, it is quite imperative to see if the operator who is the brain of the construction equipment is at ease inside the cabin. Once he is cosy inside, he would take care of things outside.

Other than having easy accessibility to switches in the cabin, what more can one think of from the comfort point of view? Well, if you are thinking of fresh air and keeping the room temperature inside the cabin cool, you have hit the bull’s eye. The space inside the cabin may become suffocating if there is no proper ventilating system attached to the machine. To get away with this problem, the engineers have taken special care to ensure that they set up mechanisms inside the machine which will condition the air by removing the hot air from inside and blow fresh cool breeze. They have set up the air conditioning bolts at various points which will throw fresh air on the operators head and they have also installed mechanisms by which the operator can adjust the flow of air as per his need. In other words, this will allow the operator to make adjustments to the temperature by either increasing the flow of air or by reducing it.

During winters, one may not need the air conditions. However, as soon as the winter ends and the climate start getting hotter, you may find the need of an air condition. It becomes unbearable for a person to sit inside a box where the temperature outside is more than 37 degree Celsius. There are companies which are in the process of making air conditioners that can be controlled via remote control. It is probably in the testing phase and will be soon out once everything seems to be just ok.

Maintaining Your Heavy Equipments during summer

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Summer is a season that many enjoy and many do not. They have their own reasons for liking this season. Some enjoy the heat after a chilled winter and loves to go out on a vacation. Summer is the most ideal time to enjoy. However, that was purely restricted to humans and not with machines. With context to machines, they are more prone to breakdowns during this season. Summer may not have much to offer to people being in construction businesses as they may find their machines giving up quite often. The heavy equipments are meant to work all day and during a pleasant weather one can find its engine to have become extremely hot. Leave aside the days when the sun is at its full swing and showering its wrath on the planet earth. Things become quite difficult for humans though they have the luxuries to live in air condition houses but that is perfectly in contrast to the heavy equipments. Though the heavy equipment manufacturers are producing machines which can resist the heat of the scorching sun, but at times it tends to break down. So the question here is how we deal with the situation. During summer, the sun would be in no mood to keep its cool but the work has to be completed. Not in the wildest of their dreams can a construction company think of not working for a single day. That would cost them a fortune and hence they would take every possible step to ensure that their equipments are not affected by summer.

Daily maintenance of the equipment:-  Heavy equipment should be maintained on a daily basis. They should be lubricated properly and if any particular part of the machine has become obsolete, it should be replaced immediately. One should follow the thumb rule of spending at least 15 minutes of his day in doing proper maintenance work of the equipment. Please understand that a faulty part in a machine can lead to serious consequences resulting in accidents causing injury to the workers.

One needs to run through all the parts of the machine to check if they are all in order. If possible, he can also run a test to check if the machine is making a noise that supposedly leads to a problem. Also check if there are any leakages in any part of the machine and if found should be immediately taken care of. Give a wash to your machine. Ensure that it is clean and the parts of the machine don’t have dust wrapped in oil. These may sound childish as we often ask your children to follow these small things with their stuff and on the other hand often neglect doing them on the heavy equipments.

Quarterly maintenance:-  Under daily maintenance, you keep a check on small stuffs but quarterly maintenance is equally important. You may give the equipment to a mechanic who will service it thoroughly. They may open the parts of the machine and lubricate it properly. Quarterly maintenance should be followed by seasonal maintenance so that any wear and tear caused during a particular season can be taken care of and the machine is ready for the next one.