News
With office locations throughout the Midwest, Kapur employees know a thing or two about snow.
When it comes to knowing how snowfall impacts construction sites, though, construction project leaders Brian Hans and John Leonard and project engineers Jeff Lichosik and Joe Malkowsky are the experts – having collectively spent almost 95 years working across 50+ WisDOT projects totaling $1.18 billion.
Before receiving our next big snowfall, the four discussed what it’s like to work in conditions that keep most of us home.
John: Everyone has their favorite app or website to monitor. If I’m at my desk, it’s the National Weather Service website.
Joe: I’ll use the National Weather Service too, but getting forecasts from multiple sources ensures we get accurate information.
Brian: This can be a source of good banter since everyone has their preference, and each gives a slightly different forecast. We all like to pretend we’re meteorologists.
Jeff: There’s constant monitoring, though, whenever the area has questionable weather conditions.
Joe: We’re always taking time to make sure the job site is safe for the night, but with impending inclement weather, we’d take extra time to identify if construction activities may be impacted and make sure the jobsite is clearly marked so that all parties can remain safe.
Brian: Extra attention is paid to checking all traffic control devices to give them the best chance of not being impacted.
John: Contractors will review the on-site drainage to eliminate standing water. If concrete has been recently placed, it may be covered with plastic to prevent damage, and if extreme cold is predicted, they may utilize insulated blankets or propane heaters to prevent it from freezing.
Jeff: Contractors may also cover the stone base with heated blankets the night before if they plan on paving concrete the next day. Trench openings would be secured/fenced off. Project staff will always work with the contractor to remind everyone to perform general cleanup within the project corridor.
Jeff: The contractor always assesses the job site first to determine whether it is safe to continue working.
John: That’s typically a small group of people who then do snow and ice removal, which can include sand or salt being placed down as if it were a normal roadway.
Jeff: That allows the contractor to determine if the ground is frozen and, if so, how they plan to remove it. They will also have to assess whether their reduced production rate is worth continuing to work.
Joe: Snow makes a jobsite slippery, but you can remove enough to prevent falls and allow the equipment to grip and move properly. Once it’s removed, it's business as usual.
Brian: No doubt cold weather slows down the production of most types of work.
Joe: The equipment doesn’t want to work as well, if at all. There’s an increased risk of injury. We need to be able to use our hands and move freely, but wearing warmer clothes makes those movements difficult, especially if it’s wet.
Brian: Layers, layers, layers.
Joe: Most job sites will have a warming shelter or a construction trailer nearby that workers can warm up in during their lunchbreak.
Jeff: Contractors and project staff will dress for the appropriate weather conditions and may use hand warmers when warranted. Additional breaks can be leveraged to let people warm up in their work trucks.
Brian: Many contractors have limits on how cold it can be, though. Work will often be called off at 10 degrees or below Fahrenheit.
John: There’s never a good time for bad weather, but if it happens overnight, crews can determine if it’s worth the commute to the worksite, while bad weather during the workday can make for a difficult commute home and slow production.
Brian: And if it’s overnight, it allows work to continue the next day.
Jeff: Everyone would just prefer to have some sort of warning to allow for planning.
John: The Polar Vortex of 2013-14 was some of the most severe cold I’ve ever experienced. The project’s schedule demands meant the contractor had to continually work in weather conditions they usually wouldn’t. I distinctly remember the contractor removing the batteries from the equipment and keeping them in the office so they wouldn’t freeze. The time it took for equipment to warm up in the morning was significantly longer than normal.
Jeff: Many years ago, I was performing a water main inspection for a private development in the middle of at least a foot of snow and negative-degree wind chills. The contractor had to drive four hours roundtrip and, arriving early, decided to keep placing water main. They eventually decided to stop and wait until the following week when temperatures would be in the 30s, but there were leaks resulting from even trying to install it, so it cost them about three or four additional days of work at their own expense to fix them.
Joe: My hands once started to get frostbite while we were working in below-zero temperatures placing piles in the ground for a bridge. We had to hook sensors up to the piles before placing the pile hammer on them and bolting them onto the piles was impossible with gloves on, so the work was done with bare hands.
Brian: Mine doesn’t involve snow – a summer thunderstorm during a box culvert extension project I was on carried a very large steel plate about 50 yards downstream. We knew the small stream would flood when it rained, but this overnight storm carried the several-ton plate away. That’s how powerful the elements can be.
Winter weather can create roadblocks regardless of where your commute ends – a job or a job site. Thankfully, Kapur has the construction management expertise to ensure crews stay safe and projects keep moving.
As we continue expanding our office presence throughout the US, we’re excited to announce that Ken Welden has joined Kapur as Regional Manager for our new North Port, Florida office.
Kapur became one of just 15 workplaces to earn special honors on Friday as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel released its 2023 Top Workplaces list.
