Working Construction

Kris Paap worked for nearly three years as a carpenter's apprentice on a variety of jobsites, closely observing her colleagues' habits, expressions, and attitudes. As a woman in an overwhelmingly male—and stereotypically "macho"—profession, Paap uses her experiences to reveal the ways that gender, class, and race interact in the construction industry. She shows how the stereotypes of construction workers and their overt displays of sexism, racism, physical strength, and homophobia are not "just how they are," but rather culturally and structurally mandated enactments of what it means to be a man—and a worker—in America.The significance of these worker performances is particularly clear in relation to occupational safety: when the pressures for demonstrating physical masculinity are combined with a lack of protection from firing, workers are forced to ignore safety procedures in order to prove—whether male or female—that they are "man enough" to do the job. Thus these mandated performances have real, and sometimes deadly, consequences for individuals, the entire working class, and the strength of the union movement.Paap concludes that machismo separates the white male construction workers from their natural political allies, increases their risks on the job, plays to management's interests, lowers their overall social status, and undercuts the effectiveness of their union.

A BUILDER'S GUIDE to Construction graphics What do drawings mean to you as a builder? When you're in the midst of a construction project, you have to be able to bridge the gap between the outcome described by the design professional in the construction drawings and the myriad materials and processes required to build the structure. With hundreds of illustrations and photographs from actual working drawings, Construction Graphics: A Practical Guide to Interpreting Working Drawings, Second Edition demonstrates what construction graphics mean to managers of the construction process and how you can make the best use of them. From site excavation to forming, roof, and electrical systems, Construction Graphics provides up-to-date material and helpful exercises on the critical tasks involved in constructing a project from graphic depictions of it. This updated new edition gives you an overview of graphic communication, the construction business environment, the design professional's work product, and construction drawing fundamentals, and adds valuable new commentary on important topics, including: Building Information Modeling (BIM) Project delivery systems Interpreting working drawings The similarities between residential and commercial building construction drawings Executing a site section in preparation for an earth quantity take-off Additional commentary on welding and welding symbology Adhering to the Construction Specifications Institute's UniFormat classification system, Construction Graphics, Second Edition will be a valuable aid to any building professional.

Complications arising from poor collaboration are the source of a variety of the construction industry's biggest problems. It is now widely recognized that an effective collaboration strategy based on the implementation of information systems and careful consideration of the wider organizational issues is key to delivering construction projects successfully. Against a backdrop of rapidly developing communication techologies, and continuing efforts to improve working practices, this book provides clear explanations of how to successfully devise and implement a collaboration strategy. The concepts introduced include: collaborative working as a holistic concept in construction a new framework on how to plan and implement effective collaboration change management approaches for introducing collaborative working systems, and implementing new technologies in construction projects. Examinations of emerging technologies like mobile and wireless are combined with overviews of relevant management theories, and industry case studies, to provide a comprehensive guide suitable for both practitioners and students. Underpinned by research carried out by leading academics in co-operation with practitioners using the latest technologies, this is the most up-to-date and relevant guide to this crucial subject available. This is essential reading for all practioners and serious students of management in the built environment.

For fans of Open Book and Sell It Like Serhant, a heartfelt, humorous personal memoir and relatable guide to overcoming obstacles, wising up about romance, and getting ahead in your career from the star of Netflix’s hit reality show Selling Sunset. In this engaging, witty, and inspirational memoir, Chrishell Stause shares her story of living an unconventional childhood in small-town Kentucky marked by periods of homelessness, family addiction struggles, and dreams of one day being on a daytime soap, all while managing the local Dairy Queen. Through resilience and grit, she overcame obstacles and pushed past every barrier in her path to become one of the most envied luxury realtors in Los Angeles and buzzworthy cast members in reality TV. She takes us behind the scenes of Selling Sunset, reveals never-before-told stories from her life in soaps, and even pulls back the curtain on her highly publicized love life, offering insight not before shared. With her signature honesty and charm, Stause also gives tangible advice based on the lessons she’s learned over the years and offers unique insight about how to stay resilient and positive no matter how many times life knocks you down. Under Construction is for anyone who wants to remember that no matter what happens or how, you have to get up, dress up, and show up, and walk back into the room stronger than ever before.

This book examines an issue of constant concern in the construction industry, that of productivity. Using data from Ghana and South Africa, it presents research into the productivity of local contractors in these countries whilst examining the predominance of labour-intensive production methods. The book begins by considering the theoretical and conceptual perspectives on labour productivity in the construction industry in the existing literature, before reviewing current productivity measurement frameworks. The book then explores the productivity of labour-intensive public works projects in South Africa and Ghana alongside a general discussion of key factors affecting construction productivity in these countries. Whilst the focus is on road construction, the framework developed can be applied to any number of construction projects to measure, and ultimately improve productivity. This book is useful reading for researchers and practitioners looking to understand the factors influencing labour productivity in construction at both the industry and the project level, including construction managers, quantity surveyors, cost engineers and project managers.

The book presents the latest studies on the work–life balance of millennial (also known as Generation Y) building professionals in Singapore and South Korea. Its main goal is to compare and contrast the workplace attitudes of millennials, and to provide guidelines that help supervisors in the construction industry manage their employees’ expectations regarding work–life balance. Accordingly, it explains and links various principles regarding work–life conflicts, work–life enrichments and the work–life interface. Furthermore, the book introduces readers to coping strategies, a dimension that has not yet been explored substantially and has the potential to contribute significantly to the study and understanding of work–life balance. The book makes recommendations for the top management on assigning a capable leader to drive the changes in the organization, and on empowering the leader to implement effective strategies for promoting work–life balance, especially for the millennials who are now playing an increasing central role in the global construction sector.