Related Links: Test Drive: 2015 GMC Sierra Denali HD Rules the Roost Looking to Cars, Trucks Step Up Safety A new collision-mitigation technology expected next year from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems will warn a truck driver when a crash with a stationary vehicle is imminent and—if he or she does not respond fast enough—slow down the truck automatically. Current systems can use the brakes to match the speed of forward-moving vehicles but warn truck drivers only of stopped ones.Believed to be the first of its kind for commercial vehicles in North America, Bendix's next-generation safety technology combines vehicle-stability, adaptive-cruise and
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton/ENR OSHA has delayed crane-operator certification requirements by three years to allow time to re-examine national testing requirements. Related Links: OSHA Delays Crane Operator Testing By Three Years Testing Companies Debate OSHA Crane Operator Delay Representatives of standardized testing companies say that crane-operator exams will continue to be administered, though possibly at a slower pace, as the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration re-examines contentious certification language in its cranes-and-derricks regulation."I think that there will be, unfortunately, a short-term downturn in certification," says Debbie Dickinson, executive director of Crane Institute Certification. But she adds that some
Courtesy Howard I. Shapiro and Associates Operators will now have until Nov. 2017 to obtain a valid certification to run a crane on U.S. construction sites. Related Links: Testing Companies Debate OSHA Crane Operator Delay OSHA Proposes Three-Year Extension for Crane Operator Certification Requirements The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued a final rule extending by three years the deadline for crane operators to be tested. Operators will now have until Nov. 10, 2017, to obtain a valid certification to run a crane on U.S. construction sites.Previously, operators had until Nov. 10 of this year to obtain certification.
Photo courtesy of Gilbane Federal/T.J. Lyons CORRECT Dead end is clipped into Terminator-style wedge socket. Photo courtesy of Gilbane Federal/T.J. Lyons INCORRECT Clipping a wire rope's live and dead ends is not advised. Related Links: Reference Materials: ITI Memo (PDF) Trimble Buys Crane-Safety Instrumentation Company A safety manager at Gilbane Federal, the defense-contracting arm of the Rhode Island-based commercial builder, this year wrapped up a two-year rigging audit in Japan and found that local workers were securing wire-rope terminations in a manner that could cause crane loads to drop suddenly.The safety manager, T.J. Lyons, surveyed about 90 cranes in Japan
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR For an extra $9,500, GM offers bifuel versions of the Chevy Silverado (shown) and GMC Sierra. Related Links: Chrysler, Ford, GM Introduce Natural-Gas Pickup Trucks Test Drive: Life On the Road With Natural Gas As chance would have it, I was planning to drive to a baseball game in Milwaukee last month when General Motors called to send over a Chevrolet pickup that runs on gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG). The road trip became a good opportunity to test a bifuel truck over long distances.Equipped with a 6.0-liter V-8 engine, six-speed automatic
Photo courtesy of Suyang Dong/University of Michigan SmartDig's market includes earthwork contractors looking to boost productivity in cities. Related Links: Robots on the Jobsite Advancing in Construction Bridge Builder Hooked on GPS-Guided Gantries Why are some excavators wearing what appear to be giant quick-response codes? The QR codes are not the latest e-commerce trend on construction sites but part of a research project at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, aimed at making machine controls more accurate in urban settings."It's weird," admits Suyang Dong, a researcher at the school's Laboratory for Interactive Visualization in Engineering, speaking of the strange signs.
When Greg Sherwin started tinkering with radio-controlled (RC) quadcopters three years ago, he wondered about using them for construction surveys and inspections.
The "dangling crane" that partially collapsed nearly 1,000 ft over Manhattan during Superstorm Sandy was caused by a worker who unintentionally tied down the rig and kept it from weather-vaning—or freely rotating—according to a forensic engineer who investigated the accident.
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Sany's SCC8500 crawler crane was on display at this year's Conexpo show. Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR A close-up reveals the roller mechanism used to extend the SCC8500 counterweights. Related Links: Manitowoc-Sany Lawsuit Pivots on Crane Counterweights All Erection Picks Up 10 Manitowoc MLC300 Crawler Cranes The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled in favor of crane manufacturer Manitowoc Co. in a patent infringement lawsuit against Chinese rival Sany Heavy Industries and its U.S. subsidiary, Sany America.Earlier this month, the ITC made an initial ruling that Sany violated Section 337 of
