When it comes to modern infrastructure, nothing’s as important as the equipment being used for the job. While construction professionals are highly trained and incredibly skilled, there’s only so much they can manage with manpower alone. For this reason, they also rely on their equipment and gear to complete tasks in a timely and quality manner. These are some of the types of essential construction equipment and their uses on the job site.
Digging Equipment
Certain pieces of heavy machinery are vital for digging out a construction zone and preparing it for the next steps of the build. Excavators and backhoes are these very devices. Designed to penetrate deep into the Earth and move large quantities of materials, no project can officially begin without these pieces of equipment on the scene. Both excavators and backhoes require workers to be extensively trained to handle them properly, and even then, safety is of the upmost importance.
Material Handling Equipment
Other heavy machines are more suited to moving the unearthed materials away from the soon-to-be construction zone. These pieces of equipment, such as cranes, plows, and loaders, are all referred to as material handling equipment. Plows and loaders push the dirt, rock, and broken asphalt into large piles, which can then be lifted by crane and dumped into waiting trucks. These materials are then carried away to be properly disposed of.
Safety Equipment and Gear
Safety gear and hazard indicators make up another type of essential construction equipment to have on a job site. After all, construction sites offer no shortage of dangers to be aware of. This is especially the case when working in high-traffic areas like roads. It’s for this reason that construction workers come to a site equipped with various types of traffic cones, bright safety vests, and even fall protection equipment. These items all serve to minimize workplace hazards by either raising awareness of worker presence, acting as a cushion in an emergency, or even stopping an injury from occurring.
Communication Devices
Though they don’t directly influence the build itself, communication devices, such as portable radios, are also a crucial thing for workers to have access to. For workers to get certain tasks done in the safest and most efficient ways, they need to be able to communicate with one another. As such, each worker is often supplied with a radio to reach out to their direct supervisors and co-workers.