Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Relevant MEWPs Courses in the Market



In any working at heights industry, there would most likely be occasions where mobile elevating equipment or machineries would be used. It is important to ensure complete safety when using such equipment or machineries which are heavy, expensive and dangerous.

Those involved in this industry should take on relevant MEWP courses before indulging in the related operations.

Course training

MEWP or mobile elevating work platform courses allow one to understand the mechanics and electronics of such machineries and equipment to use them safely and effectively. Work can be handled and completed well when the right knowledge and skills are applied; this comes through taking up the appropriate MEWPs courses which are available in the market.

The MEWP Operators training course is a one-day course that is IPAF accredited. It is the agency's most popular MEWPs course which can attract as many as 90,000 delegates every year at all IPAF approved training centers.

The course may be short but it covers sufficiently on the duties, responsibilities and safety aspects of the workers at height with relevant knowledge on the necessary MEWP equipment and tools.

MEWP courses would cover static vertical, personnel platform, static booms, van trucks, trailer mounts, mobile verticals, mobile VPP and booms.

Qualification

When the course candidates successfully complete this MEWP training, they would receive the coveted IPAF photocard, certificate, Operators Safety Guidebook as well as the PAL Card log. These esteemed entities would enable the candidates to be marketable in the construction industry for 5 years. After which, retraining or upgrade courses are highly recommended.

This qualification is necessary as part of the Work at Height regulations requirement by the state to ensure complete safety and successful development during and after the project. This MEWP qualification would equip the candidates with the relevant technical information on MEWP, tools, resources, safety and health issues with practical sessions for experience before entering the work field.

Supplementary courses

In line with the MEWP training, there are other related training courses to supplement the knowledge and skills picked up at MEWPs courses. These include PAF Scissor Lift, Scissor and Boom, Cherry Picker and Ladder Safety courses.

These are all IPAF approved courses which are relevant to the construction and development industry. There are more than 500 training centers which are IPAF approved worldwide to cater to the global development industry. These courses are recognized by many nations such as UK and USA. Their programs are certified by TUV which is ISO 18878:2004.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

DIY Bathroom Renovation - Making the Right Move

Most homeowners would prefer to show their own style when it comes to bathroom renovation. But the problem is not a lot of homeowners know how to renovate their own bathrooms. Bathroom renovation takes a lot of skill and motivation to pull the pieces together and can be rewarding for the right person. If you are the type who wants to learn new things and if you love to doing hands on work, then DIY bathroom renovation could be right for you.

Some Reasons Why You Should Do it Yourself

Bathroom renovation is not only challenging but can help you save a lot of money from operation costs and other expenses. One can do his or her own color scheme selection, project planning and management, demolition, repairing or replacing the fittings. An expert can do all of this for a price, but if you feel up for a new challenge, then you sure want to do it on your own. For electrical jobs and plumbing, you might want to hire a professional to assist with the project and planning.

The Actual Planning of a Bathroom Renovation

Before you jump start with your projects, the first thing you needed to do is to determine what type of construction are you going to do? Do you need to renovate the entire room or you are just planning to make some little adjustments? When you figure this out the next thing you should consider is the premises. You should also consider the number of people who are going to use the bathroom as well as the family requirements or needs.

Designing your own bathroom is made easy using a computer software where you can layout and design your bathroom. You can also ask a qualified professional to help you with the design or give you some helpful insights. After planning the layout of your bathroom, check if the water proofing is okay before you continue. Consider changing the color scheme, cabinets and re-tiling.

The Time it will Cost You

Usually it will take you around two to three weeks to renovation your bathroom. But major construction could take a month to do so. The amount of work required would also determine the duration that you need to finish the project.

If you decide to reconstruct your entire bathroom, you need to seek advice about legal issues. Ask your local authorities about the requirements on how to get a construction permit. But for minor jobs and make over, you don't need to secure a permit.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Risks of Cutting Corners in Car Park Smoke Ventilation Systems

Current examinations of car park ventilation systems have revealed some alarming shortcomings, especially in the application of jet fan systems. These failings vary from poor design with major areas of the car park left unventilated by designs which should control smoke in the event of fire but have no chance of doing so.

Popular belief is that due to the amount of time that jet fan systems have been around and the fact that they now represent around 95% of recent installations, people feel that it cannot be too difficult to design these systems themselves and then simply buy the fans. Even systems designed and fitted by supposed industry specialists have been found to be lacking in their effectiveness.

Many issues have been identified as lack of knowledge regarding fan installations or simply a misunderstanding of regulations. An example of a jet fan system installed and investigated involved, quite correctly, two axial main extract fans installed in parallel discharging into a common plenum; however they were installed without non-return dampers fitted to the fans. If one of these fans were to fail, the result would not only be in the loss of performance from the failed fan, but also severely reducing the effectiveness of second fans performance due to air short-circuiting through the failed fan.

Furthermore, there have been circumstances where the fire strategy has been inadvertently or deliberately disregarded. For example, the fire strategy of one project called for an enhanced smoke control system to guarantee that access lobbies were free of any smoke contamination in the case of a fire ever occurring in the car park. In actuality what was installed was an extremely rudimentary smoke clearance system which bore no resemblance to a smoke control system. The particularly worrying issue in this example is that this was missed by the client, the building control officer and consulting engineer; it was only recently discovered by the fire officer and we were called in.

How does this happen? Fundamentally due to cost, and a "design & build" culture in which the original objectives determined by the architect, consulting engineer and fire engineer have been disregarded or forgotten against a background of Value Engineering.

This is not to say there is anything wrong with Value Engineering when the original strategy and objectives are adhered and met; however these can and are easily overlooked and conveniently forgotten when the contractor, guided by an enthusiastic pseudo-specialist, is led to believe that tremendous savings can be made by cutting some corners. It can all seem highly believable when informed by a 'specialist' that the system is 'code compliant' and fully meets all the required building regulations, and this may very well be the case. However what has been ignored is the enhanced design specification agreed upon at the original design stage and against which relaxations were granted by building control regarding the requirement for sprinklers and the ventilation of access lobbies.

After a period of time, even be it only a few months, the error may be identified, at which stage the wonderful savings first purported become nothing but a drop in the ocean in comparison to the costs to correct the issue; these delays can not only delay the handover of the building but if the shortcomings are not identified, the safety and lives of the occupants of the building could be put in danger.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Best Coarse Fabric



Hessian cloth is a coarse woven fabric which was used in the uniform of Hessians. Hessians were German soldiers from the state of Hessen. However, the word "burlap" was used for this fabric in the history. Hessian cloth is made from the fibers of Jute plant or from the fibers of Sisal plant; sometimes it is also combined with other vegetable fibers in order to make products like nets, ropes etc. Historically, it was used to make as a dense coarse woven fabric, and in the early 19th century, it was exported from India. Earlier it was used in the backing of linoleum rugs and carpets, however, these days it is used to make bags, rugs and similar products.

Hessian cloth not just has a unique looks, but also has many unique uses as well. Whenever trees and shrubs are transplanted then Hessian cloth is used to wrap up the exposed roots. It is used on steep slopes for erosion control. Artists use it as an alternative to the canvas as it gives a very good stretched painting surface. Beekeepers use it in hive-tending as a smoker fuel because it is easy to ignite and has a generous content of smoke.

These days almost every country faces the problems of natural disaster like floods, and hessian cloth is also needed in such circumstances. Whenever, there is a problem of a flood then hessian bags are used as sandbags as a temporary solution to the flooding. The material of hessian bags can be reused, and or be composted after the use. Many State Emergency Services in developed countries like Australia and Germany deploy these sandbags whenever flooding takes place. The vehicles of such services always have these sandbags inside them for the emergency situations. Besides hessian bags, the plastic bags are also used for this purpose, but the State Emergency Services found Hessian bags better because of their versatility. According to them, it can be used for a variety of rescue applications as it is a good edge protector for ropes and as padding on the slings.

Gunny sacks are made of hessian cloth which are used to ship goods like coffee beans. It avoids spoilage of the contents by resisting the condensation as they are breathable. Moreover, it is also durable to withstand the rough handling in the transportation. The construction industry uses the hessian sacks for temporary protection as wet coverings. This is done in order to prevent the rapid moisture loss in the setting of cement and concrete. In addition to this, the hessian cloth is used for making sandbags; the empty hessian sacks are filled with sand which is used for building temporary walls against the floodwaters.

Due to its coarse texture and roughness, it is used in the religious context especially where individuals may wear an abrasive shirt or sackcloth. However, it is not commonly used in modern apparel. Earlier, hessian cloth was used as a camouflage scrim on combat helmets during World War II.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Make The Most Of What Epoxy Floor Coatings Can Offer



The alternatives to epoxy flooring, whilst having their own merits, generally fail to meet the same high standards. Carpets, for example, may look good when they first go down, but tend not to handle wear and tear very well and are vulnerable to damage from heat, cold and substances such oil and acids. Tiles may me more hard-wearing than carpets, but the multiple joining points are vulnerable to splits and breakages and the fact that the surface of the floor isn't totally unbroken may cause problems underfoot. No matter what the manner of the business you're running, be it retail, service or manufacturing, there are a few basic factors which you'll be looking for in flooring and perhaps the most vital of these is being able to find one type of flooring which meets all of your varied needs. In any single workplace, there are bound to be areas which require different surface practicalities. Stairs, for example, will be much safer if they are fitted with non-slip surfaces, whilst the areas around heavy machinery will be chosen with resistance to heat and other working processes in mind.

Similarly, when choosing a surface for an area which will be frequented by members of the public, the foremost concern will probably be the appearance of the flooring, and the impression of your business which it creates. Despite these differing requirements, however, the flooring throughout your space will have to have certain basic requirements in common. Throughout, it will need to be hard-wearing, tough and durable and easy to keep clean and to repair.

Epoxy floor coatings have a degree of excellence which meets each and every one of these requirements. In terms of flexibility, they come in types capable of dealing with the whole spectrum of differing environments. Some workplaces, for example, may have cold storage areas, and thus require flooring capable of handling low temperatures, whilst others need to be heat-resistant or capable of dealing with spills and leakages from heavy machinery, which may contain oil, alkaline or other corrosive substances. Despite these differentiations, it will be vital for your corporate image that the flooring throughout is consistent in tone, colour and feel. Alongside this, it must also be extremely easy to clean and maintain. Not only will this result in flooring which maintains its' aesthetic appeal, but it will cut down on the time and money spent on cleaning and maintenance, as well as ensuring a much safer working environment.

Not only does flooring of this type answer all of the varied needs of a modern workplace, but it also does so whilst being as quick and simple to apply as the act of floor painting. What all of this means is that every part of your workplace can have flooring which looks attractive and meets all your varied requirements.

No matter what the nature of your business - be it retail, manufacturing or service - Epoxy floor coatings will ensure a safe, clean, flexible working environment. The visual appeal and simplicity of floor painting allied to the hard wearing durability offered by the most modern materials means that it is the ideal solution.