When waters start rising, prudent people shore up their levees. The Canadian construction industry faces more of a drought than a flood, but company leaders across the country need to start taking proactive steps to future-proof their businesses. 10 years…
A broader range of applications and advancing technology are forcing manufacturers in the mid- to large-size crawler excavator segment to unearth new solutions. Foremost among these evolving trends are reduced tail-swing machines that let excavators take on a more diverse…
The phrase “data security” has recently been replaced by “cyber security, ” but this isn’t just a matter of fashionable buzzwords. The newer term reflects the fact that staying secure involves a lot more than protecting a company’s data. Furthermore,…
Project wrap-up entails a variety of legal processes, including the release of contract and statutory holdback funds, shifting responsibility for insurance coverage, and commencing lien filing and statutory limitation periods. These processes often turn on a project achieving completion. The…
Sprawling construction sites, swarming with workers during the day, but abundant in valuable tools and unguarded equipment once crews clock out, are ripe for pilfering. Unlike picking a lock or breaking a window, prowling a vacant construction site after-hours hoping…
You may have noticed that a number of articles I’ve penned in the last year have had a strong technology leaning. It isn’t a coincidence. There’s absolutely no doubt that over the last few years Silicon Valley has discovered the…
Frequent blizzards and blistering cold. Unreliable access to basic materials. Cellphone service lost in seemingly endless tundra. Conditions like these might seem like a nightmare to roadbuilders in Canada’s more temperate climes, where the occasional blast of Arctic air can…
Sturdy, life-saving and ubiquitous, there’s nothing in construction quite like it
Canadian construction companies have at least one reason to thank U.S. President Donald Trump. He may have started the ongoing trade spat that’s caused havoc in the markets for construction steel and aluminum, but the recent American tax reforms he…
It may be time to rethink working at heights from the ground up. Though some provinces have welcomed a marginal decline in accidents, falls remain a leading cause of injury for tradespeople of all stripes across the country. The most…
In the 1959 sci-fi novel Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein introduced, perhaps for the first time, the concept of the powered exoskeleton — a motor-assisted armoured suit that gives its wearer superhuman strength. Since then, exoskeletons have shown up in countless…
The most important stakeholder within a construction project is the owner. Without their capital there would be no project to bid on. In addition, it’s the owner that makes the ultimate decisions on exactly how the project will be procured…
Whatever your role on a project, always be sure to read the Course of Construction policy. It is surprising how often parties overlook potential coverage for a loss by assuming they are not insured. Knowing who is covered by the…
With no rose-coloured glasses necessary, the outlook for the construction industry in 2019 remains positive, if somewhat tepid. Near-record employment, six-straight quarters of higher spending in the non-residential segment and progress on several major projects have bolstered confidence this fall…
Integrating fully autonomous vehicles certainly won’t become standard on work sites for several years, but the prospect is no longer science fiction
There is no shortage of changes, both positive and negative, the industry faces as 2018 comes to a close. On-Site caught up with Mary Van Buren, the president of the Canadian Construction Association, to discuss the trends the industry association…
Toronto’s Humber River Hospital, completed in 2015, is an award-winning facility featuring fully integrated digital infrastructure, compliance with LEED, a natural people-friendly environment and floor layouts that support Lean workflows. What’s not immediately obvious is the project’s diverse input from…
It takes decades of breathing in the fugitive dust created by drilling, cutting and grinding concrete, stone and other materials containing crystalline silica for silicosis to scar and harden the lungs. The incurable disease is one of a handful caused…
Not long ago, pick-ups were seen as little more than dedicated work trucks. Those days are long gone. With the rise of crossovers and SUVs, people want bigger vehicles, and for many, pick-ups have become “an SUV with a truck…
Wolves and construction materials don’t have a lot in common, but finding them can present similar challenges. Thus, a presentation on tracking wolf packs became the inspiration for a unique solution for locating construction materials on job sites. “I thought,…
