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Runback Structure Standards
In response to the
letter to the editor from David B. Pereza, it is true that
design loads on construction and personnel hoists and related
runback structures were not included in SEI/ASCE 37-02 as
loads specifically by that definition (ENR 11/11 p. 5).
None of the 80-some members of
the committee nor the public commenters brought them up by
that specific designation. We expect questions and comments
on this first issue of the standard and next spring will begin
a thorough review and preparation of revisions for the next
issue. I expect a task committee will be designated to attend
specifically to the design loads on construction and personnel
hoists and related runbacks. John Deerkoski is the chairman
of the subcommittee on construction loads, chapter four of
the standard.
Finding Leaders
I read the article
"leaders come in All Shapes and Sizes" with great
delight and found that key executives had good points (ENR
12/2 p. 34). But I think there is a missing link.
After a company acknowledges what
character traits and experience a candidate should possess
to be a great manager, they still have to identify, recruit
and land the best person for the position that the company
is trying to fill. That’s assuming there is no one who
fits the critical criteria presently within the company. After
20 years of working for the A/E/C and environmental industries,
we have found that one limiting factor in identifying the
right person is the limited number of candidates who apply
or who are recruited for the position by companies directly.
Another is that because of limited recruiting efforts, there
is a lack of experience among the people who do the interviewing
and interpreting of what it takes to identify the right candidate.
It is not just about enticing someone
who can bring in some business. Knowing what it takes to be
a great manager of people and a successful entrepreneur is
only part of building a financially successful company. The
missing link is the ability of some companies to identify,
recruit and hire the best candidate.
Deaths Are Not Just Statistics
Safe and healthy
work sites are not going to happen because of any law, but
rather through the conscious effort of all of us. We all have
a responsibility in this regard. I understand that ENR has
a responsibility to picture construction activities exactly
as they are. At the same time, I believe ENR editors, with
their knowledge of construction safety and health, have the
responsibility to point out safety and health violations when
they occur.
ENR sets the standard in
the industry. When ENR publishes pictures that depict safety
violations, they need to note them as such. Otherwise, it
is endorsing unsafe practices.
For every worker death, thousands
of lives are affected in a negative way. It is time not to
treat worker deaths as statistics, but rather as something
that should not have happened. Each dead construction worker
had combinations of parents, children, grandparents, uncles,
aunts, wives, husbands, hundreds of friends and thousands
of acquaintances. Each of these people will be negatively
affected for the rest of their lives.
Now is the time for all of us to
join arms with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
to prevent the deaths of construction workers.
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