Construction Informer

It’s that time of the year again – time to run down the latest in ways to keep cool on the job site. Of course if you have a job trailer with air conditioning then just stay in there!

But for the rest of you there are a number of helpful options out there in the marketplace that say they will help you keep your cool. None of them will work for those of you who are hot headed. You need some anger management classes first.

There is a lot of talk about evaporative cooling neckbands, headbands, wristbands and even vests. These items all have some crystals in them and after being soaked in water they begin to keep you cool as the water they hold evaporates over time. You can reuse them thousands of times.

Then there are the standard sweatbands that mop up the sweat and help keep you cool by preventing the sweat from getting into your eyes. Some models of these will attach to your hard hat’s webbing. These also come with the crystals and provide up to 10 hours of cooling from one soaking.

If you want to get into a higher tech solution for keeping your head cool you can go with one of the hard hat cooling systems. These usually use a fan mounted to the rear of the hat that blows air up and over the top of your head. They are sold by companies that claim the upper part of hard hats can get to 160 degrees F. They often run on rechargeable batteries and come with a wall adapter for recharging. They will attach to most short, and long brimmed hard hats.

Another way to stay cooler is to block more of the sun from hitting your body. That’s the idea behind the extenders and visors sold for hard hats. Essentially they make your hard hat into a shade tree. Well, not quite, but the cooling effect is reported to be good. The visors will help to reduce the UV rays that get into your eyes. I guess there might also be some added protection from falling objects.

What are your secrets for staying cool? Write a comment and let us know. It’s going to be a long, hot summer.

I am a recovering detail junkie. Some have said it’s my star sign that causes it, others claim detail junkies are just control freaks. In recent years I’ve had to face up to the fact that while the devil is in the details life should not revolve around them. Still, of all things that will keep me up at night, it’s the overlooked details that do it every time. 

On a construction site overlooked details will sneak up on you in a New York minute. Not making sure the caulk is paintable, or grabbing the deck screws that disintegrate in pressure treated wood are the kinds of overlooked details that turn simple, enjoyable tasks into redo nightmares. 

So, for those who are also detail junkies it may come as no surprise that when it comes to rebar, it’s not all created the same.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued some warnings to those who are once again building nuclear reactors. It seems that faulty reinforcing steel is causing foundation problems at the Savannah River plant. The facility creates weapons grade plutonium. Other problems found at a plant near Aiken, SC and at two other plants in Europe are being called reminiscent of problems discovered decades ago during the hey day of building things that house nuclear reactions.  According to the report:

Although the technical issues vary, inspections repeatedly identify a lack of contractor oversight and poor quality control in concrete placement.

Imagine waking up at 3 a.m. and remembering that load of rebar that was delivered last week wasn’t sourced from an approved supplier. Now, that’s a detail nobody wants to have overlooked.