TCL Blog

From the time of the Romans’ Pantheon, the first ever concrete structure to present-day, concrete has been used in any number of applications. However, in the evolving world in which we live, it has become necessary to address the flaws in this building staple. Engineers are analyzing the ways in which the concrete production and design process can lessen its environmental impact and increase its infrastructural advantages. Some innovations are discussed here: http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/05/how-slightly-better-concrete-could-save-the-planet/392996/

Below are some construction safety tips which you can follow to avoid any major mishap:-

• In case of house construction in built up area, give proper protection at the excavated area including fixation of signboard and lighting arrangement to avoid the fall of any passer-by into excavated portion.   
•  The home owner should insure all construction safety measures before laying cement concrete because sometimes the contractor uses old decayed ‘ballies’, small pieces having joint in ballies, white ant affected batten and decayed planks which are not able to take load and create mishap and even take the life of labor.
•  Home owner should ensure that the movement of people is banned near working area by making barricade etc. because  during dismantle  of old building the contractor  tries to dismantle the portion without  having safety measures which may cause hurt to laborers or passers-by. 
• Water storage tank built for general use and curing should not be much deep to avoid fatal incidence of falling laborers’ children into the tank.  The length and breadth of the tank may be increased without increasing its’ depth if required. The steps should be provided in the water tank.  
• From home construction safety point of view the home owner should encase electrical wires with plastic pipes or by bamboo strips to avoid accident occurred due to the touches of iron bars with electric wires at the time of bending and binding MS steel bars on the roof since in some cases electric power lines pass near the house. 

All these are common home construction safety tips which can be applied for good life of any construction project.

When considering your career path it's always best to include your education options. Last week we looked at which careers in construction earn higher wages. So today we will take a look at some local and international schools.

University of the West Indies:
The UWI offers Undergraduate courses in Engineering including Civil Engineering ,  Land Management and  Industrial Engineering.  A full list of the Engineering programs can be seen here: http://sta.uwi.edu/programmes/undergrad.asp

University of Trinidad and Tobago:
UTT offers programmes in Engineering, including Marine and Avionics Engineering. They also have a number of Safety courses which can enhance the resume of persons interested in on site positions.   A full listing of UTT's programs can be found here: http://u.tt/index.php?utt_programmes=1&home=1

Cipriani College of Labour:
Cipriani College has programs in Occupational Health and Safety and Project Management. Check out their website here: http://cclcs.edu.tt/programmes-courses/bsc-programmes/

University of Technology - Jamaica:

UTECH offers a Bachelors program in Architectural Studies which has just been approved by the GATE program of Trinidad and Tobago. See the UTECH website here: http://www.utech.edu.jm/