Quick take

Taking the "dead" out of "deadline"

For a lot of contractors, business has been slower this year. You would think that would mean that the death toll on construction sites would drop off accordingly, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. When you are on a job these days, you find yourself running like crazy to make the deadline — and a profit.
According to information provided by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, for example, the first half of what almost everyone thinks is a slow year took a toll of six dead on construction sites in that province.
The circumstances were not extraordinary: a worker was crushed between two pieces of equipment; a crane killed a worker when it was driven into an excavation; a supervisor died during a scaffolding collapse; a fall took another life; a form fell on a worker, killing him; and another worker was run over by a dump truck that was backing up. In other words, the same old events and equipment that we find on the jobsite every day.
In addition to the six deaths, 61 other people were critically injured — half by falls.
The science of fall protection is well-understood by anyone with any experience in the business; why do these accidents continue to occur? The answer is short and simple: because workers are able to get away without using fall protection properly.
Enforcement is a manager’s responsibility. No matter how hectic things are on the jobsite, no deadline is more important than preserving human life.
More information and resources are available on CSAO’s fall-protection page.

Jim Barnes
Editor
On-Site

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Last poll: Hiring and Firing

Construction employment has been tumbling in the recession, falling nine per cent from a peak of 1,264,200 in September, 2008 to 1,142.20 in August of this year. However, a recovery seems to be slowly gathering steam… are the bad times coming to an end?
Last time, we asked readers, "Will this affect construction employment in the short term? Which of the following statements best reflects your view?"
The results were heartening. Nearly half of respondents are moving toward hiring and another third anticipate no further cutbacks.

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Quick stats:

Construction employment continues to strengthen

Construction helped fuel a second consecutive monthly increase in employment in Canada, according to the Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada. Employment in September grew by 31,000 in September over the previous month. Significantly, the unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points to 8.4 per cent -- the first monthly decline since the labour market started to soften in the fall of 2008.
StatsCan noted that an increase of 92,000 full-time jobs (the largest since May, 2006) was partially offset by part-time job losses of 61,000.
Construction, manufacturing and educational services saw increases in September, while transportation and warehousing declined.
British Columbia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island showed significant gains in September, while in Ontario, losses in part-time employment offset full-time job gains.
Following up on an increase in August, employment in construction rose again in September by 25,000. It has fallen 6.7 per cent (84,000) since October, 2008.

www.statcan.gc.ca

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Permits top $5B mark

In August, the value of building permits once again topped the $5.0 billion mark, according to a report from Statistics Canada. That represented a 7.2 per cent increase over the previous month.
However, the agency noted, the totals for both months were skewed by a strike of municipal workers in Toronto, which tended to defer permits from July to August. With the Toronto data excluded, the total value of building permits rose by just 0.8 per cent, according to StatsCan, including a 6.3 per cent increase in the residential sector and a 6.2 per cent decline in the non-residential sector.
Residential
Some $2.9-billion worth of permits were issued in the residential sector, an 11.2-per cent increase.
Single family: $2.1 billion worth of permits marked a 15.1 per cent increase over July. This was the sixth consecutive monthly increase.
Multiple-family permits rose 2.6 per cent to $841.7 million.
Non-residential
August permit values reached $2.1 billion in August, growth of 2.2 per cent.
Commercial permits rose 3.0 per cent to $1.1 billion.
Ontario permit values were driven by office buildings. In B.C., laboratories and recreational buildings accounted for most of the increase.
Institutional permit values fell 1.1 per cent to $737 million. B.C. bucked the trend, as values tripled to $319 million, mainly due to medical facilities.
Industrial permits rose 8.2 per cent to $292 million, mainly due to Ontario and Alberta. The StatsCan report presents seasonally adjusted data and excludes engineering projects (e.g., waterworks, sewers or culverts) and land.
Source: Statistics Canada.

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Volatility softens housing starts

September housing start data sent a mixed message on the sector, according to a report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp., Ottawa. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of housing starts reached just 150,100 units in September compared to 157,300 units in August, noted the agency.
“The decline in housing starts in September is attributable to the volatile multiple-starts segment,” noted Bob Dugan, chief economist at CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre. “However, starts of single homes, which are a barometer of the trend in housing markets, climbed in September to reach their highest level so far this year. The rebound in existing home sales and the upward trend in new home construction support our expectation that housing demand has strengthened and that housing starts will be stronger in the second half of 2009.”
According to CMHC, SAAR urban starts dropped 5.2 per cent to 131,500 units in September. Urban multiple starts plunged by 21.4 per cent to 62,700 units, while urban single starts grew 16.8 per cent to 68,800 units in September.
September's SAAR urban starts increased by 11.8 per cent in Ontario and decreased by 20.2 per cent in Quebec, 18.1 per cent in B.C. and 4.7 per cent in Atlantic Canada. It was unchanged in the Prairies.
CMHC estimated rural starts at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 18,600 units in September.
Source: CMHC

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New in the Forum

On-Site's Forum is a collection of industry articles and white papers that our editors deem to have value for the Canadian construction community at large. Here are the most recent additions:

Five steps for increasing work truck fleet productivity, by Bob Johnson, NTEA Maximizing fleet productivity starts with getting the most out of your vehicles. The best approach is dictated by the type of fleet you operate and its drive cycles. [2009-10-08]

Safety from head to toe, Canadian Standards Association The experts offer helpful tips for preventing injuries to the eyes, head, feet and toes in workplaces – as well as statistics on the number of workers who experience such injuries on the job. [2009-10-08]

Load concentration: not all trailers are the same
Rated load capacity is not the only important consideration in specifying a trailer, as this article from Rogers Brothers Corp. points out. [2009-09-02]

Cozying up to your banker can cure the recession shivers
Times are tight in the credit markets. Here are some practical tips on making sure you can get access to money when you need it, from the Business Development Bank of Canada. [2009-09-02]

The buzz on BIM, by Barry Reid and Chantal Bateman
Building Information Modelling can be a valuable tool for contractors in clash detection and in determining the impact of new technologies on schedules, as this article from Georgia-Pacific points out. [2009-08-20]

News Bytes

Construction brain injuries spike in August, October

While little research has been done on the subject of traumatic brain injuries among construction workers, the industry is known to have a high rate of such injuries.
A study funded by the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation and performed by the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute is helping to fill the gap. It is based on data from the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board on 218 cases of non–fatal brain injury that resulted in days off work in 2004–2005.
"We thought it was important to track these injuries month by month," says Dr. Angela Colantonio, a senior scientist at Toronto Rehab and co–author of the study published in the journal Brain Injury. Research determined that the highest number of brain injuries came in August -- the height of the construction season -- while December had the fewest.
Surprisingly, though, a second peak occurred in October. The authors speculate that contractors are hastening to complete projects before winter in the face of reduced daylight and worsening weather conditions -- with serious consequences.
The study also identified two peaks during the day: the hour before, and the hours after, lunch. "Most of us know that lethargic feeling that hits just before or after lunch at work: our energy dips, it's hard to focus but we have a job to finish," says Dr. Colantonio.
Another interesting fact was that younger workers were more likely to suffer brain injuries in the morning, while late afternoon was more dangerous for older workers. Researchers suggest that younger workers may have erratic sleep habits that catch up with them in the mornings, while older workers may be more susceptible to fatigue in the afternoon.
"Construction workers work in circumstances which are in some cases inherently risky; we're working at heights, we've got temporary and incomplete structures, moving equipment, moving materials," comments Doug McVittie, assistant general manager and director of operations for the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, a co–author of the study. CSAO plans to circulate the data to construction companies across Ontario.
"Our findings have drawn attention to areas that, with more study, could actually expose some of the underlying causes of work-related brain injury," says Dr. Colantonio.
www.torontorehab.on.ca

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Robot loader

Remote-controlled equipment has a role to play in dangerous applications like demolition – and defusing roadside bombs.
QinetiQ North America of McLean, Va. has developed what it describes as “robotic” capability  for loaders, developed in cooperation with Bobcat Inc. of West Fargo, N.D. As long as the loader has the Selectable Joystick Controls option, a kit can be installed in about 15 minutes to enable remote control. The project was driven by the need to deal with larger and more deeply buried roadside bombs in areas such as Afghanistan.
The kit includes seven cameras and a microphone, as well as various radio and control options, among other components. It supports the use of more than three dozen attachments and can be removed quickly to return the loader to normal use when the job is complete. The kit may then swapped among compatible loaders by the user.
While remote-controlled equipment has been used in the past for these tasks, this is the first universal kit designed to convert a widely available machine to remote control, according to the developers.
www.foster-miller.com

Stone Valley deals Doosan

Stone Valley Equipment, with locations in Corner Brook, Grand Falls and Mount Pearl, Nfld. is now a distributor for Doosan Infracore America of Atlanta, Ga. Stone Valley will handle the firm’s complete line of excavators and wheel loaders.
www.stonevalleyequipment.com

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Calendar of events

October 17: The Last Blast - Fall Steam Up. Antique construction equipment, including some rare steam-powered machines, will be demonstrated under power. The Historical Construction Equipment Association of Canada will hold the show at the Simcoe County Museum, Minesing, ON. www.hceacanada.org

October 28 to 29: Canadian Waste & Recycling Expo. This trade show for the waste, recycling and public works markets includes a seminar program. Sponsored by a number of industry associations, the event will be held at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre. www.cwre.ca.

November 3 to 4: BUILDEX Calgary will co-locate with Construct Calgary/Homebuilder & Renovator Expo and DesignTrends Calgary. The MMPI Canada Inc. events will take place at the Calgary Stampede Roundup Centre, Calgary, AB. www.buildexcalgary.com.

November 4 to 5: NBMDA Annual Convention & Tabletop Business Session. The program includes expert speakers and peer roundtable discussion sessions focusing on impending business recovery for the building material industry. The North American Building Material Distribution Association will hold the event at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, TN. www.nbmda.org.

November 5 to 7: Design-Build Conference and Expo. An extensive conference program will have a special focus on sustainability. The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has slated the event for the Gaylord National Convention Center, Washington, DC. www.designbuildexpo.com

November 8 to 12: ACI Fall Convention, sponsored by the American Concrete Institute. With a theme of "Spice up your Concrete" the event encompasses more than 300 committee meetings, over 30 technical sessions and the Forum on Sustainability. The site is the New Orleans Marriott hotel in New Orleans, La. www.aciconvention.org.

November 15 to 17: AEM Annual Conference. This Association of Equipment Manufacturers conference will address business challenges related to the recession. Roundtables will include special reference to the situation in Canada. The site is the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, FL. www.aem.org.

December 2 to 4: Construct Canada, Home Builder and Renovator Expo, Concrete Canada and the National GreenBuilding Conference will be co-located, offering more than 200 seminars and 1,050 exhibits at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. MMPI Canada is the organizer and numerous industry associations are sponsors of the event. www.constructcanada.com.

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Next issue: November/December

We'll finish the year in style with our 2010 Business Forecast, a look at the realities of security and theft prevention, an update on cranes and information on foundation technology.
The issue will also include Concrete On-Site, Canada's concrete magazine, which will feature formwork for ICI applications, the ins and outs of consolidation and concrete mixer trucks.
That's in addition to all our regular business columns... Construction Software, Contractors and the Law, Risk and Industry Statistics - not to mention the Funny Photo contest!
If you have any questions or suggestions, contact Jim Barnes at (416) 764-1612
or editor@on-sitemag.com

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