Most construction projects involve laborious tasks that must be handled by men and the equipment properly designed to do this work.

It is difficult for workers to achieve, without help, all things in a project, so there is a need for machines, in particular the construction equipment that is widely used today almost everywhere in the world.

For the rapid and economical construction of a project, the right choice of equipment is of preliminary and fundamental importance for civil engineers. The versatile range of commercially available equipment implies a complex decision.

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However, there are some basic things that are considered in the selection of suitable construction equipment and are the following:

Use of available construction equipment:

If the full use of the new equipment is not foreseen during its entire useful life, or if its use in other projects is uncertain, it may be convenient to use the existing old equipment even if its operation is somewhat more expensive. The depreciation cost of the new machine is likely to be high, and this would increase the cost of ownership of the equipment and, therefore, the unit cost of labour.

Suitability for working conditions:

The chosen equipment must adapt to the conditions of work, soil, valley, working conditions and climate of the region.

Uniformity in type:

A minimum number of types must be acquired so that there is uniformity in the type of equipment in a job. A common type of engine must be selected for the different types of machines, such as excavators, dump trucks, tractors and scrapers found in the project.

Construction equipment size:

Larger equipment offers higher performance at full load, but its production cost at partial load is usually higher than that of smaller units that work at full load. Larger equipment needs a corresponding size of matching units, and shutting down a primary unit can make other large units inactive.

Transportation to the works is generally difficult and expensive. Service, maintenance and repair facilities must be larger for larger units. However, larger machines tend to be more resistant and suitable for difficult working conditions.

Use of standard construction equipment:

Standard equipment is commonly manufactured and available. Such equipment is manufactured in large quantities, so it is easily available and has a moderate price. Spare parts of standard equipment are readily available and less expensive. Once the work is finished, discarding standard equipment and its spare parts is generally easier than disposing of non-standard or specialised equipment.

Unit cost of production:

The economics of equipment is one of the most important considerations in the selection of equipment.

When calculating the cost of ownership, all items of expenses, such as freight, packing and forwarding, insurance, assembly, commissioning, etc., must be included with the price paid to the supplier.

Availability of spare parts:

The availability of spare parts at reasonable costs throughout the life of the equipment should be ensured when selecting a particular type or brand of equipment, especially imported equipment. Downtime due to the shortage of spare parts generally represents long periods of inactivity during the life of the equipment. If specialists are needed, their availability should also be considered.

Versatility:

The selected machine should, if possible, be able to perform more than one function and should be inter-convertible whenever possible.

Manufacturer Selection:

It is good to have equipment from the same manufacturer in a project as far as possible and to have a minimum number of different equipment. The quality and commitment of local distributors is also important.

Suitability of local work:

Operators and technicians available locally must be able to handle the selected equipment. A special piece of equipment may have excellent performance, but it can be difficult to handle if operators have never worked with such equipment.

Adaptability for future use:

If the machine is required to work only for a part of its useful life, consideration should be given to disposing of it or its use in some other job. Machine obsolescence should not be overlooked.

Selection of members for construction project teams

Construction projects are often associated with limitations, such as those related to time and cost control. It is essential for a team to fully understand the entire configuration of the project and how important is the effective individual development of each of the members of the construction project teams. The members of each work group are selected based on their personal and professional capacities, that is:

Each individual is chosen to integrate the group based on what they can offer to make a technical contribution efficiently and profitably. In addition, some are chosen according to the needs of the project and taking into account the social, political and economic requirements.

Team members are considered equal in theory, insofar as they share the general common experience of the construction project activity and its implications. However, in practice, they are also very different, since each and every member of the construction project teams presents:

• Unique cultural characteristics, which often increase the complexity of management, although they can also result in the enrichment of results.
• Singular personal qualities, which determine their way of thinking, acting and behaving with other members of the project; also influencing their way of understanding its implications.
• A particular academic background and professional background that will determine their role and responsibilities to assume compared to the rest of the members of the construction project teams.

Universal Skills develops global projects on occupational risk prevention in the entire country, offering advisory services in normative, preventive and procedural matters, both in prevention, occupational health and safety in elevated risk jobs, height, confinement and areas with explosive atmospheres.