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What will you do in a construction estimator job?

As a construction estimator you will be responsible for calculating quotes and proposals for your employer and making sure that these proposals offer a excellent return on investment for the company. Construction estimators also negotiate contracts and prepare estimated construction prices based on architect’s drawings, the amount of employees needed for the job and also the amount of construction materials required.

Construction estimators can be responsible for estimating everything from the cost of construction equipment to how long the project will take to complete. All of these elements will be taken into account to calculate a final estimated figure for the cost of the project. Although much of the job is office based, estimators are required to liaise with architects, clients, surveyors and a whole range of construction staff. Visiting and negotiating with clients, colleagues and other key industry members can help you to accurately forecast construction costs.
What qualifications do you need to apply for an estimator vacancy?

Most employers look for construction estimators who have degrees in a relevant area which covers estimating skills such as construction management or construction science. During these courses or as a part of post graduate training, you should have the opportunity to gain in depth knowledge of the construction industry including construction materials, costs and procedures. Having a background or post graduate training in maths will also help you with the data analysis side of the job and allow you to make judgements based on the data you collect. Having advanced skills in computer data analysis is also vital especially if you have worked with specific estimation software packages. Brilliant communication skills are a must as you will interact with many different people at all levels in the industry.

What experience do you need to apply for an estimator vacancy?

If you have a background in a relevant degree then you should gain some experience from this but estimators receive a lot of training on the job, particularly as each business will have its own specific process for estimating. You will be likely to shadow an experienced estimator on the construction site and in the office and help them with their work while you enhance your experience and learn new skills.

What are the development opportunities available for a construction estimator?

Once you have experience in a construction estimator job you could then choose to specialise in a field that you are particularly interested in such as electrical estimating or mechanical estimating. If you want to stay in your existing role then development opportunities usually come in the form of opportunities to work on higher value and more prestigious projects, higher pay levels and progression into a more senior position. Other options include working on a freelance or temporary basis on long or small-term contracts.

If you want any more information on careers or recruitment within construction and engineering then please visit our website at www.linearrecruitment.co.uk

The construction industry in the US poised for a major expansion is also one of the largest employers in the country. The sector is in the midst of a phase that promises a long-term growth, which has translated into a string of career opportunities for people who are interested in construction or any other career options related to this field. With the advancement in technology, the nature of work in construction industry has changed dramatically over the years. If you are looking for a challenging career in construction work and land reclamation, then you might want to consider the role of a construction plant operator as your career option.

Why a career in the construction industry?

There are 6.9 million people employed in the construction industry all over the US. Every year, 240,000 new jobs arise in this sector. It is estimated that by the year 2012, there will be one million new jobs available in this quick growing industry. The prospects of earning a excellent compensation package, exciting job opportunities and long-term satisfaction are high if you have a flair for the job.

Who is a construction plant operator?

You must have seen machines such as 360-degree excavators and trucks used for moving soil, bulldozers and cranes on roadwork and construction sites. Construction plant operators who man these machines are entrusted with the responsibility of driving and operating them. Additionally, they are also responsible for carrying out daily safety checks on the machines.

Required skills:

As a construction plant operator, you will have to work outdoors on site in all kinds of weather. The work hours can stretch depending on the nature of work and the deadline to be met. You need to possess:

1) Knowledge about vehicle mechanism.
2) A excellent health along with sharp eyesight.
3) Excellent communication skills as you have to work with different people.
4) Comfortable with working at a height
5) Comfortable with working in a team.

If you reckon you have these skills, you can make a successful career as a construction plant operator.

Educational qualification:

A certificate or diploma in construction along with a sound knowledge of Mathematics and English may help you get an entry level opening, although there are no special requirements for entry in this field.
Training:
As a construction plant operator, you will have to undergo structured training period in order to learn to handle construction machines or equipments like cranes, compaction machines, or dumper trucks. You can join a training institute that provides on the job training of operating and maintaining of various construction machines.
Career opportunities as a construction plant operator:
There are several career opportunities as a construction plant operator. You can be employed by:

1) Building or civil engineering contractors
2) Local authorities
3) Public organizations or
4) Plant hire companies.
You can also get to work abroad on a contract basis. There are options for you to go into work areas like:
1) Plant coordination
2) Selection and evaluation of machinery for new projects.
3) Estimation

After a few years of relevant exposure, you can also make progress to supervisory positions in plant sales and construction site management.
Annual Income
If you have the required skills and the right attitude, you can earn a nice paycheck in this industry. The annual salary of a construction plant operator excluding benefits as per surveys conducted in 2003 range between 36000 USD and 45000 USD. Additionally, most companies offer free food, accommodation, travel and a decent per diem allowance when an operator is deputed to sites in different locations.

The job of construction equipment operators mainly involves the use of machinery such as forklifts, cranes and earthmovers. Most of these machines have automatic systems and the operator only has to go the levers or operate switches for completing the specified task. The most modern machines used in construction are fully computerized and the operator is required to have the necessary training and knowledge for operating these.

Computerized machines have made it quite easy for construction equipment operators to undertake complex construction tasks, such as moving heavy machinery and placing it at a predetermined spot. The equipment operators are required to have patience and dexterity for handling such complex and time-consuming tasks. They are also required to have the right kind of training and qualification for understanding the complex systems that are nowadays present in most construction machines and equipment.

Earnings of construction equipment operators:

The operators can find employment at any construction site, be it highway construction, bridge construction, railroad construction or even a building. These operators can work also as pile-driver operators, paving operators, surfacing and even tamping equipment operators.

In 2002, the median national hourly earning of such operators was .94. The data sample collected from all the states of the country shows that the top ten percent of the operators had registered earnings of more than .93/hour. The next fifty percent earned in the range of .96 to .98, while the lowest ten percent earned less than .61/hour.

The earnings of the operators also vary from industry to industry. As per the statistical data collected in 2002, operators employed at highway, street and bridge construction sites earned around .81/hour, those employed by specialty trade contractors earned around .56/hour, while those employed at utility system construction sites earned around .48/hour. Operators employed at civil engineering construction sites earned around .88/hour and those employed for local government projects earned around .88/hour.

Future job outlook of construction equipment operators:

Based on key economic indicators, the job outlook of the seems bright in the next five to ten years. One of the reasons for their increased demand is the lack of adequate training programs for individuals, who want to make a career in construction.

The demand for construction equipment operators is expected to grow in the next five to ten years, in line with the growth of the overall construction industry. This demand is not affected by the improvements in construction technology that helps in raising worker productivity and reduces the demand for these workers.

Job opportunities are set to increase with the anticipated increase in population. This fuels the demand for new homes, industries, health care centers and office buildings. Opportunities will also be available at new highway, bridge and street construction sites in the next few years. A number of structures in the country that were built during the last fifty to sixty years will have to be repaired or replaced. This will lead to a further demand for construction equipment operators in future.

One of the most fascinating facts about the Irish Construction industry is that there is no legal requirement for a construction company to hold any from of construction insurance! In fact, the only insurance an Irish contractor is legally obliged to have is basic motor insurance on his/her motor vehicles!

Although there is no legal requirement under Irish law for a contractor to hold adequate Construction Insurance it is extremely vital that adequate cover is in place.

One of the most vital reasons is the high injury & mortality rate on Irish Construction sites. One major positive of the recent construction boom is the fatality per thousand ratio has fallen in recent years although it is still at an unacceptable level.

For example, in 2001 28% of workplace fatalities were Construction related and the Irish Construction industry is consistently second only to the Irish Agriculture& Forestry Industry.

As many primary contractors require their subcontractors to hold Construction Insurance the reality is that although Construction Insurance is not a legal requirement it is usually a prerequisite to obtaining work on the majority of the countries construction sites so the need for construction insurance is a necessity in everything but law!

Although Construction Insurance is quite a complex field the four main areas of cover are as follows:

• Public Liability Insurance

• Employers Liability Insurance

• Contractors All Risks

• Personal Accident

Public Liability Insurance

Public liability insurance [PL] provides cover in the event that the policyholder is sued by a third party who feels that they have suffered injury or loss as a result of the policyholders negligence (lack of care).

Consider the following examples where Public Liability Insurance will provide cover:

• You run a plumbing company. One day you are called to an office to sort out a problem in their kitchen. Accidentally, you burst a pipe, and flood the office. Your client then makes a claim against you for the hurt to their carpet and computer systems which have been hurt by the water.

• You are a building contractor. While walking along scaffolding one of your men drops a piece of equipment which falls to the street, injuring a passing pedestrian. The pedestrian makes a claim against your firm.

Obviously these are very simplified examples and we haven’t discussed the complexities of Products Liability/Liability Law/Duty of Care etc but it should provide a basic understanding of Public Liability Insurance.

Employers Liability Insurance

Employers Liability Insurance [EL] provides cover if any of your employees suffer physical injury or death, and it is proven that as an employer you acted negligently and subsequently could have prevented their loss. If they then choose to pursue you for compensation the insurer will pay the cost of the claim.

Consider the following examples where Employers Liability Insurance will provide cover:

• You run a carpentry company. One of your employees loses a finger while using a chop saw and decides to claim against you for his injury

• You are a scaffolding contractor and are erecting scaffolding around an apartment block. While erecting the scaffolding one of your employees falls and suffers severe bodily injury. He decides to claim against your firm.

Please note that Public & Employers Liability is offered ‘hand in hand’, that is when arranging construction insurance you will need to arrange both Public Liability & Employers Liability Insurance together [Also known as Combined Liability Insurance] as Employers Liability Insurance is not available on a ‘Stand Alone’ basis..

Contractors All Risks Insurance

Contractors All Risks insurance (also known as Contract Works insurance) is an insurance policy specially designed for builders and a number of other trades working at a contract site. Contractors All Risks insurance can include cover for contract works, own plant, hired-in plant and employee’s tools. The main part of the contractors all risks insurance is the contract works section which provides cover for the property being worked on (e.g. new house, etc.). But, cover for the existing property is excluded (e.g. the existing structure when building an extension) and must continue to be insured under its own insurance cover.

Consider the following examples where Contractors All Risks Insurance will provide cover:

• You are a building contractor and are building a house for resale. So far you have spent €200,000 on materials and labour. The property catches fire and is ruined before it has been completed. • You are groundwork’s contractor and are presently digging foundations for a new housing development. Naturally you leave your excavator on site until the contract is completed but one night your excavator is stolen.

Personal Accident Insurance

Personal Accident Insurance [Also known as Income Protection Insurance] is highly recommended for a sole traders, business partners and company directors as a combined liability policy does not cover any injury caused to a sole trader/business partner while it is extremely hard for a company director to sue his/her own company. A policy can be tailored to your exact needs and policies include a tax free monthly benefit, a lump sum [capital benefit] and hospital cash.

Consider the following examples where Personal Accident Insurance will provide cover:

• You’re a self employed carpenter with no employees. You cut your hand and are unable to work for eight months. As you have Personal Accident cover you receive a tax free benefit of €1,500 after one month and continue to receive this amount until you return to work.

• Although Personal Accident/Income Protection insurance is no substitute for full time earnings it will provide you with an income if you are unable to earn and it will reduce your financial worries at a time when your recovery should be your number one priority.

Machinery & Plant Insurance

Machinery & Plant Insurance is normally arranged on a case by case basis and provides Accidental Hurt Fire & Theft Cover on Machinery. This policy is normally taken by contractors who wish to cover a specific number of items.

Health & Safety Executive

In Ireland the HSE [Health & Safety Executive] have the ultimate authority over Construction Sites and have the ability to close a site if they feel it is a safety hazard. Their primary initiative is the ‘Safe Pass’ – a one day site safety training programme.

Who needs to do Safe Pass awareness training?

Safe Pass is a one-day safety awareness programme aimed at general construction workers, craft workers and “on site” security personnel in the construction industry. The aims of the programme are to:

• raise the standard of safety awareness in the construction industry

• ensure that site personnel after completing the one day awareness programme can make a positive contribution to the prevention of accidents and ill health while working on the site

• maintain a register of personnel who have received training

• provide participants with a FAS Safe Pass registration card, indicating that the holder has attended a formal course in health and safety awareness

Under the Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2006 Safe Pass / Safety Awareness Programmes applies to -

(a) craft and general construction workers,

(b) persons undertaking on-site security work, and

(c) persons or classes of persons as may be prescribed by the Minister.

For more information on Irish Site Safety please visit the website of the Health & Safety Authority www.hsa.ie while for more information relating to Irish Construction Insurance please visit the website of Keystone Insurance www.keystone.ie, Ireland’s premier supplier of Construction Insurance

Workplace accidents can ostensibly occur in any work atmosphere, with the responsibility for providing a safe working environment resting on the shoulders of the employer. But, construction sites seems to offer a more hazardous locale than other workplace environments, such as a store or office setting. This need not be the case, and construction accidents can be easily prevented by putting into place rigid and enforceable safety practices at all construction sites. For example, the general contractor and all subcontractors should be required to make and maintain a reasonably safe work site, with warnings of any dangers inherent in the site and the work to be done there. There should also be an emphasis place on the hiring of careful employees, with coordination of job safety as well as supervision to ensure compliance with all safety specifications. Additionally, all site workers should be adequately trained in the proper operation of all equipment on site and the site itself must be managed in keeping with all legal standards in order to prevent any construction sit accidents.

Even with precautions and adherence to safety practices, construction site injuries can still occur due to the inadequacy of these provisions. Accidents involving defective or collapsing scaffolds can result in construction site accident cases; falls off of or through roofing structures; electrocutions; falls off of ladders; defective machinery such as cranes, hoists, conveyors, tractors, and forklifts; malfunctioning construction equipment or other tools; and the collapse of floors or walls. The kinds of construction site accidents often result in serious injury and can sometimes even result in death. In fact, thousands of construction workers are injured or killed in construction site accidents each year.

Construction Site Accidents and Workers’ Compensation

Virtually all significant injuries suffered in construction site accidents give rise to workers’ compensation rights. The Workers’ Compensation Act provides benefits to workers who are injured on the job. Unfortunately, Workers’ Compensation alone may be insufficient compensation especially in the case of very serious and catastrophic personal injuries which happen often in construction site accidents. The rights are dependent on the interpretation and application of several complicated laws and individual circumstances of the construction accident.

But, these limited workers’ compensation rights may be supplemented by legal actions against others who have responsibility for various activities on a construction site including construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, etc. When a construction site accident occurs, the owners, architects, insurance companies and manufacturers of equipment can be held responsible for inadequate safety provisions.

As an example, in many construction undertakings, several different contractors are involved. Full hurts can be recovered if any contractor other than the direct employer has responsibility for the injuries. Likewise, if a defective tool, machine, or other product causes injury, an injured worker can be fully compensated.