There has been a significant amount of interest recently in new construction and the new construction industry in general. There have been well over a dozen new building stories torn down over the past year in different communities throughout the country. Sadly not all of these homes were built to code and this is becoming a much more common problem. This tragic trend is being caused by the lack of specific regulations that help protect the health and safety of those working on, or near, new construction projects. If there are no specific guidelines for new construction workers, it is up to the individual homeowner to make sure he or she has the necessary training in order to be able to protect their own health and the safety of everyone on the job.
There is an incredibly important provision in OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) regulations that every new construction project must adhere to. They require new construction companies to conduct regular inspections to ensure that they are in compliance with their own rules regarding new construction foundation repair boston waterproofing. There are many different classes of hazards that can appear on any new structure. Most will fall under one of several general classes including: electrical, heat, falling debris, oil, earthquake, and soil.
Each of these general classifications is legally required to take proper precautions that prevent needless deaths and injuries. Despite the fact that construction workers are required by law to use high quality and effective equipment when working on new structures they still often experience hazards on the job that could easily be prevented. For example, it is not uncommon for concrete contractors to put plywood on top of the ground in new construction projects to act as an extra layer of protection from the ground below. Unfortunately, this does not always work in the long run. Over time concrete will eventually begin to rot and expand, which can cause it to collapse and cause fatal injuries.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) are the lead regulating agency for this particular industry. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA is also responsible for regulating the construction industry as a whole and has continually made changes to its enforcement strategy to help protect workers. In addition to stricter regulations against electrocution there have been efforts to improve trenching and foundation repair techniques that have resulted in significant decreases in new construction site fatalities over the last few years. Part of this improvement can be attributed to the implementation of a 29 cfr standard that is designed to reduce flooding in coastal regions.
One significant measure OSHA has taken in recent years is to implement a 29 or standard that requires contractors to apply an effective vapor barrier to any new or repaired foundation waterproofing project. This is designed to reduce the likelihood that vapor compression will occur on wet surfaces such as concrete. The 29 cfr standard does not actually require repair or replacement of vapor barriers but it does require the contractor to make sure that the barrier is effective. By requiring the contractor to apply the 29 cfr standard on a routine basis and providing training for its employees on the matter it helps ensure that the contractors will adhere to the regulations and provide the protection needed to prevent flooding. Many contractors will install the vapor barrier without undergoing the additional training but many will not be able to afford the additional cost.
One way that contractors are able to get around the requirement to repair or replace vapor barriers is by constructing “dummy” foundations that are similar to a poured concrete slab. By including a thin layer of gypsum gravel within the concrete slab a contractor can create a dry, sand filled foundation wall and then fill it with an asphalt shoring agent. The shoring is so effective that after only one year the contractor will no longer need to make sure the barrier is effective. In some states, where multiple layers are not required, a contractor may choose to use only one of three different materials (sand, asphalt or concrete). Determining the type of foundation wall construction and the application technique will determine which of these methods will be used.