We would like to commend you for the excellent and timely article titled Engineers Seek Ways to Warn of Failures ‘Waiting to Happen.' One example where full disclosure of information about a failure could have contributed to better understanding of the problems and might prevent similar errors in the future was orthotropic decks failure on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (2005) which occurred within one year after their installation on the bridge. Cracking already occurred during testing of the prototype panels for this project, however, refined analysis by experts, having full knowledge of serious fabrication defects of the test panels, predicted a
The April 18 Viewpoint, “Studies Show That Unions Work,” misses the mark. In fact, the hypothesis on which it is based with regard to training and productivity is wrong. All successful contractors prioritize training. According to the Construction Industry Institute’s “Research Summary 231 on Craft Training in the United States and Canada,” a trained construction workforce is more productive and has lower turnover, absenteeism, injuries and rework than a less trained or unqualified one. Today’s construction industry demands formal training that incorporates diverse and flexible training methodologies to accommodate how current and future generations of craft professionals learn. Our free-market
Senior Editor Tom Sawyer wrote this week’s cover story after shadowing members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and their Japanese counterparts as they examined debris from the March 11 tsunami in Japan. The team searched for clues for improving design standards for all kinds of buildings and infrastructure that may face a tsunami in the future. It left Sawyer determined to bring home the message that the only possible gain from such tragedies is to learn from them and act on the knowledge. From left: ASCE tsunami team leader Gary Chock, ENR’s Tom Sawyer and members of the
This blog excerpt was written by Sam Schwartz, the former New York City traffic commissioner and head highway and bridge engineer who is now chief executive of Sam Schwartz Engineering in New York City. The responses, posted anonymously by ENR.com readers, have been edited for clarity and fit. SCHWARTZ Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently went national with his 30/10 transportation initiative, a plan to speed up a dozen projects by using federal loans to leverage proceeds from a half-penny sales-tax increase approved by California voters. The national plan is called “America Fast Forward.” It is supported by a—gasp!—bipartisan coalition
With new OSHA rules now in effect for crane workers, employers are exploring new ways to qualify people working under the hook. ENR's Midwest bureau chief, Tudor Van Hampton, brought his video camera along during interviews with firm officials as they described how workers are being trained on the new regulations. Photo By Tudor Van Hampton For ENR Riggers at a utility Photo By Studio Gang Architects A Design by Jeanne Gang More Gang for the Buck: Jeanne Gang, the architect featured in last week's edition of ENR, is featured in online videos and a slide show. Check out ENR.com/video
At a time when many of the media images from the Middle East show turmoil, we thought we would show you a video of a signing ceremony at the Business and Investment in Qatar Forum, held April 6-7 in New York City. Executives of Parsons Corp. and AECOM inked infrastructure development deals, and the atmosphere, like the sound track of the video, was steady and upbeat. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the contracts announced that day were not just big deals but good deals. We think ENR.com's video channels are also a good deal, providing 250 free video reports on
Their remarks came from the heart. Some were passionate, some were funny. Sharing their awards, they all thanked the teams that helped them achieve this recognition, as everything in this industry requires enormous collaboration.
Earlier this year, when ENR Editor-at-Large Nadine M. Post was briefing the videographers on Award of Excellence winner Jeffrey M. Baker and his project, she described his accomplishment and its significance. But when asked, she couldn’t describe the man. That was because she had not yet met Baker.
Mike Hill, ENR’s newest blogger, has no training in medicine or psychology but is hoping to help you get a better night’s sleep by demystifying the issues surrounding surety bonds and insurance. A surety bond broker with the Baldwin Cox Agency in North Texas, Hill has many years of industry experience. During that time, he has amassed enough knowledge to know that winter comes every year, rain often follows thunder, and that both rain and snow can make a mess of construction sites, such as the one pictured above in Virginia. Some of the questions that he will be pondering
As regular readers of Engineering News-Record and longtime volunteer leaders of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, we were extremely disappointed by two articles relating to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s crane and derrick standard that painted the association in an unfavorable light. The articles in question, “Gutsy Builder Took a Quantum Leap” (8/16/2010) and “Hoisting Hero Sent Clear Message to Industry When Voting for Higher Safety” (1/12/2011), stated that ARTBA “pressured” its rulemaking committee representative, Joe Collins, to vote down a key provision of the crane and derrick standard “on the grounds that it was bad for