Heavy Equipment

May 8, 2008

Rolling dump truck protest takes to the highway

The Ontario Dump Truck Association (ODTA) organized the rolling protest, which started at Derry and Dixie roads on Thursday, May 8. The ODTA wants to send a message to contractors, excavators, road builders and pavers that they cannot continue to face financial hardships and strain.

April 11, 2008

Cranes rank low on list of occupational hazards

New York expanded has its regulation of tower cranes, now requiring an inspector to be at each one as it is raised and lowered. The new rules were put in place in the wake of the March 15 collapse of a 19-storey crane that demolished a townhouse and killed seven people in New York City.

April 8, 2008

U.S. Crane and Rigging completes first New York crane ‘jump’ since March 15 crash

After the last massive section of crane slid into place on a recent afternoon at a construction site in Brooklyn, Thomas Auringer, the owner of the company that pulled off the feat without a hitch, sat on the bed of a pickup across the street, swinging his legs.

March 31, 2008

Road builders back Ontario’s plan to require speed limiters on heavy trucks

The introduction of speed limiters on heavy trucks fits in with health and safety initiatives the Ontario Road Builders’ Association advocates, says its executive director.

March 27, 2008

ITC Construction Group employs Canada’s first anti-collision safety system for tower cranes

The ITC Construction Group will use a new anti-collision safety system for tower cranes employed on the site of Vancouver’s Olympic village.

March 19, 2008

New York crane collapse should call attention to Ontario’s tower cranes, says union official

“We reacted with complete horror when we heard what happened in New York,” says Mike Gallagher, business manager for International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793. “I am sad to say it, but it could happen in Ontario.”

March 18, 2008

Gravel-truck drivers ‘squeezed’ by independent contractors, BC teamsters charge

A spokesman for the BC Teamsters Union has accused the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) of jeopardizing labour peace in the gravel-trucking industry.

March 17, 2008

Construction crane topples, killing seven

Officials in New York say the last of seven bodies has been pulled from the rubble at the site of a march 15 crane collapse in Manhattan.

March 3, 2008

Mandatory trades certification has already proved its worth

I would like to respond to an article that appeared in Daily Commercial News on Feb. 25. The article was one-sided in that only the opinions of employers were represented in the article. It also leaves the impression that compulsory certification of more trades is bad for the industry.

February 28, 2008

Dump-truck driver describes teen’s death at Taro landfill site to coronor’s jury

A dump truck driver who saw a teenager run over and killed by a bulldozer at the Taro landfill site believes outdoor construction sites are too dangerous for young workers.