On-Site February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

> INSIDE < 2021 JOBSITE PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS! PG.24

EQUIPMENT: GOING ELECTRIC

CLIMATE CHANGE:

ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCING INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

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REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

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VOLUME 67, NO.1/FEBRUARY 2022

COVER: 2021 PHOTO CONTEST 24 Reaching new heights The winner of On-Site’s 2021 Canadian Construction Photo Contest.

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Top shots from top sites A nod to some of the best views from jobsites from coast to coast, as submitted for the 2021 Canadian Construction Photo Contest.

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IN THIS ISSUE Comment 5 Innovation is alive and well

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News The major developments

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Construction Stats The key figures

COLUMNS 41 Software Equipment tracking: From reactive to proactive

44

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Risk Inflation risk in the construction materials market: It ain’t over yet!

46

Contractors and the Law Lien lawsuits and breach of trust claims

30 45 Index of Advertisers

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Excavator safety

In the wake of the flood

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36

Lights, cameras, action!

Infrastructure rebuild gets climatedriven sustainability push.

Zero emissions and noise provide entry point for growing segment of the equipment market.

Electric machines are on the job

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As we were wrapping up the content for this current edition of On-Site, our team popped down to Las Vegas for a couple of days to take in the World of Concrete show. The event did a great job of showcasing some of the amazing transformations happening in the world of construction tools and machinery. (Watch for that report next issue.)

There were plenty of new developments in the realm of software and apps to streamline project planning, tracking, and billing at the show (one of the fastest-growing segments in construction, by the way) but a walk-through of the machinery manufacturers’ booths more than illustrated the fact that the integration of technology is no longer just for the project manager’s office.

It is hard to ignore the draw and appeal of a massive trade show booth displaying big trucks and heavy machinery, so it was in several of these exhibits that I found some of the most exciting new developments showing how data is merging with machinery.

From new, onboard GPS-guided controls on excavators that provide operating parameter windows that allow for safe digging to within very tight tolerances, to remote controls for the unmanned use of robotic machinery – a big plus when site conditions could expose an operator to a dangerous condition – there’s no denying that the digital experience is reaching all facets of construction projects.

One company was even showcasing equipment that was “printing” with concrete.

Their 3D printer-like machine is a potential game-changer that will allow for components, and even full buildings, to be printed on site and on demand. Tell me that wouldn’t appeal to a young person who has an interest in 3D printing technology, and who may already be

learning about additive manufacturing with a 3D printer using plastic filament rather than concrete.

Also potentially appealing in the ongoing quest to attract young people to the building trades was the video game feel that came from watching an operator control a machine that was thousands of kilometres away. That’s a massive development that is just on the horizon, and one that I’m sure would be viewed as a pretty cool career option for anyone who grew up with an Xbox or PlayStation controller in their hands.

Not that the industry doesn’t already have its fair share of interesting jobs. Our cover shot is something that would not be out of place at an X Games competition, and it’s but one of the hundreds of photos that flooded in for our 2021 Canadian Construction Photo Contest – check out more of them starting on page 24.

Despite having to navigate such challenges as Covid-19 safety plans and supply chain delays, there’s a lot of great work happening.

And speaking of supply chain woes, if you are wondering how to navigate the lack of clarity in pricing this year, you won’t want to miss David Bowcott’s advice on page 44.

Business will always face challenges, but with shovels still going into the ground, new equipment and technology just around the corner, and a bit of advice from our peers, we’ll keep doing our best to arm you up with information you can use to navigate your next projects.

Until next time, stay safe and do good work.

Adam Freill / Editor afreill@annexbusinessmedia.com

on-sitemag.com / 5

CONTRIBUTORS

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE NATE HENDLEY/ Freelance Writer and Author On excavator safety: “Virtual fencing allows operators to input work parameters for their machines. An alarm is triggered when the excavator approaches pre-set limits. Settings can be input for virtual ceiling, floor, wall, front and swing.”

SAUL CHERNOS / Freelance Writer On the rebuilding of infrastructure after the West Coast floods: “Mitigation efforts aren’t new to the region. Structures were installed along the Sea to Sky Corridor in B.C. after debris flows caused extensive damage in the 1980s.”

VOLUME 67, NO.1/February 2022 www.on-sitemag.com

READER SERVICE Print and digital subscription inquiries or changes, please contact Urszula Grzyb, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Email: ugrzyb@annexbusinessmedia.com Tel: (416) 510-5180 Fax: (416) -510-6875 Mail: 111 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1 PUBLISHER | Peter Leonard (416) 510-6847 pLeonard@on-sitemag.com EDITOR | Adam Freill (416) 510-6821 afreill@annexbusinessmedia.com MEDIA DESIGNER | Lisa Zambri lzambri@annexbusinessmedia.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER | David Skene (416) 510-6884 dskene@on-sitemag.com ACCOUNT COORDINATOR | Kim Rossiter (416) 510-6794 krossiter@on-sitemag.com

JACOB STOLLER / Principal, StollerStrategies On the uptake of equipment monitoring solutions: “A major deterrent to going digital, especially common in mixed-fleet scenarios, has been the need to log into multiple portals go get the full picture. Newer software, however, is changing that.”

DAVID BOWCOTT / Global Director – Growth, Innovation & Insight, Global Construction and Infrastructure Group at Aon Risk Solutions On inflation risk in the construction materials market: “As this inflationary cycle in construction doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon, it is prudent to consider steps your organization can take to minimize risk.”

ANDREW PUNZO AND EVAN IVKOVIC / Borden Ladner Gervais LLP On lien lawsuits and breach of trust claims: “A court-ordered judgment for damages in relation to a breach of trust may survive bankruptcy and may have priority over the claims of certain secured creditors.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY>NEWS UPDATE: New dates confirmed for CCE 2022 The organizing team for the 2022 edition of the Canadian Concrete Expo (CCE) has confirmed that the new dates for the event are Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19. The show will take place at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Show times have been revised to add an additional hour on the first day, which will now run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Day 2, the show will operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hall locations (2, 3 and 4), floor plan, exhibitor booth numbers (and locations) all remain the same as originally planned.

With few shows to attend over the past

two years, and visitors encountering more difficult travel requirements to attend events in other countries, the organizers

are anticipating a successful event in May. For more information and updates, visit www.canadianconcreteexpo.com.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Ontario will reduce the skilled labour shortage the province currently faces.

“The creation of Skilled Trades Ontario is an important milestone, and one I am thrilled to be a part of leading,” said Michael Sherrard, chair of Skilled Trades Ontario. “The implementation of a successful apprenticeship and skilled trades system is critical to the economic growth and success of our province, and today’s announcement is the next step in securing that future for us all.”

An independent Board of Directors will lead the agency.

Under the OCOT, apprentice registrations fell by over 17,000, or 40 per cent. Without intervention, it has been estimated that the shortage of personnel in the skilled trades will hit 350,000 in Ontario by 2025.

“The launch of Skilled Trades Ontario is a critical step in eliminating barriers and time-consuming red-tape for apprenticeship training, while streamlining a worker-focused approach to empower opportunities for a rewarding and lucrative career path,” said Joseph Mancinelli, vice-president and regional manager of Central and Eastern Canada at LiUNA International, a union with more than a half-million members in Canada and the U.S. “These welcomed changes will help to ensure that our province continues to respond to growing labour demands while empowering career building opportunities for a diverse and skilled workforce who remain at the forefront of building and strengthening critical infrastructure that our communities and economy rely on.”

Brandt looks to add 1,500 new employees Following a year of record growth in which the company added almost 2,000 people to its workforce, the Brandt Group of Companies has announced plans to create a further 1,500 new positions in 2022.

Headquartered in Regina, Sask., the Brandt Group of Companies is a privately owned manufacturing and distribution company that serves a number of industries, including construction, mining, material handling and energy. The company has more than 170 locations in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

The additional staffing gains will be spread across the company’s operations, although most will be in Canada.

“2021 was a record year for Brandt. We saw many market challenges, but our employees rose to the occasion and drove our company to new heights,” said Brandt CEO, Shaun Semple. “This success has created many more opportunities, resulting in another 1,500 new positions being created across Brandt in 2022.”

If the hiring goal is met, Brandt’s total workforce will have doubled in just two years, resulting in a projected total employee

8 / FEBRUARY 2022

count of over 6,600 by the end of 2022.

About half of the projected new positions will support the company’s Brandt Tractor locations across Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Another 40 per cent will be focused on boosting manufacturing in Regina, Saskatoon and Illinois. The remainder will be in corporate support roles in the company’s Regina locations.

“With the addition of our large new training centre in Regina, we can offer motivated individuals the training they need to build a dynamic career,” added Semple.

Brandt is hosting career fairs across Canada and the U.S. in support of its hiring efforts.

PHOTO: BRANDT GROUP OF COMPANIES

The Ontario government has launched Skilled Trades Ontario, a new Crown agency aimed at increasing the number of people employed in the skilled trades. The agency, which replaces the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), will promote and market the trades, develop training and curriculum standards, and provide a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople.

“We’re redrawing the system to address Ontario’s labour shortage and make the trades a career of choice for more people,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “The skilled trades provide well-paying and rewarding careers that are vital for our economy. By creating this new agency, we are working for workers and delivering the generational change that labour leaders and employers have been calling for.”

The new online services will help apprentices conveniently manage their careers in one place. The agency will operate an online one-stop-shop for scheduling classes and exams, submitting forms, paying fees, and more.

By simplifying processes and working to attract new people into the trades, the province is hoping that Skilled Trades

PHOTO :LJUBAPHOTO / E+ / GETTY IMAGES.

Ontario targets skilled trades with new agency

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INDUSTRY NEWS Insurance estimate from B.C. floods hits $450 million Last November’s flooding in southern British Columbia is estimated to have caused $450 million in insured damage, according to preliminary estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). These figures, released by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), suggest that the flooding will be the

costliest severe weather event in the province’s history.

The storms resulted in the tragic loss of life, as well as devastating mudslides and flooding. Public infrastructure, including major highways, was destroyed, choking supply chains. Given the scale of the disaster, IBC reports the overall

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economic losses are expected to be much higher than the insured-loss figure.

“While the insurance damage stemming from these flood events is significant, the sad reality is that many residents impacted were located in high-risk flood areas and floodplains where flood insurance coverage is not available,” said Aaron Sutherland, IBC vice-president, Pacific and Western. “As a result, the overwhelming majority of costs for this disaster will be borne by government and taxpayers.”

He stated that more needs to be done to build resilience to risks associated with the changing climate. To that end, IBC has been leading conversations with the federal and provincial governments on ways to better protect communities moving forward.

“This year, British Columbians have seen first-hand the devastating impact our changing climate can have,” said Sutherland. “We must greatly enhance our efforts to mitigate future climate change and to adapt to the new weather reality we face.”

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Bird Construction to build Lake City Studios

Bird Construction Inc. has been awarded a contract for construction of Lake City Studios in Burnaby, B.C. Once complete, Lake City Studios will be a world-class film studio with the potential to attract major productions and support the overall growth of the film industry locally.

Owned by Lake City Industries Limited Partnership, the project includes 1.3 million square feet of space and has a contract value of more than $200 million. Included in the development plan are 21 sound stages, production offices, general office space, storage, workshops and an underground parkade.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to deliver another important project for this client, as well as contribute to the growth and prosperity of the community,” said Teri McKibbon, president and CEO of Bird Construction.

Habitat partners with ScotiaRISE on future trades employment Habitat for Humanity Canada is partnering with ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank’s 10-year $500 million initiative that aims to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups, to grow Habitat Canada’s Every Youth Initiative with a commitment of $900,000 over three years.

“Through our ScotiaRISE initiative, we are helping disadvantaged groups gain financial success and better life opportunities by improving their employment prospects,” says Maria Saros, vice-president and global head of community investment strategy and communications at Scotiabank.

“Habitat Canada’s Every Youth Initiative is uniquely positioned to help youth gain the skills and experience they might need. Scotiabank is proud to partner with Habitat Canada to help young people reach their employment goals.”

Habitat Canada’s Every Youth Initiative helps young people gain experience in skilled trades through hands-on experience building decent and affordable Habitat homes. The aim is to lead them to better employment opportunities and a more stable financial future.

According to a recent Build Force Canada report, 22 per cent of the 2020 labour force is expected to retire over the next

PCL Edmonton celebrates 100 years PCL Construction is celebrating the centennial anniversary of its Edmonton Buildings and Civil district. The company has been building in Edmonton, Northern Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut for the past 100 years.

“We are so proud of our history and the people and partnerships that have allowed us to play a significant part in building our communities,” says Jason Portas, vice-president and district manager, Edmonton Buildings and Civil. “PCL’s legacy is our people. As we reflect on achieving 100 years in construction, we recognize the contributions our diverse teams have made to our company and our Edmonton community.”

Over the past century, Edmonton Buildings has partnered on more than 4,800 construction projects, building some of the most significant infrastructure and other developments in the Alberta Capital Region, including West Edmonton Mall, University of Alberta, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Edmonton International Airport, the ICE District and Rogers Place, and PCL’s first Edmonton project, the Edmonton Public Library, which it built in 1922.

“Looking back at all we have built over the last century, it is incredibly fulfilling for us to be such an essential part of Edmonton, Northern Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut,” says PCL’s president and CEO, Dave Filipchuk. “The rich history of PCL is intertwined with the rich history of this region, and our PCL family has always been passionate about where we live and how our work contributes to our communities.”

decade, leaving a significant need for more skilled workers in the construction industry.

Building a Habitat home through the Every Youth Initiative is a unique opportunity for youth to gain such construction skills as pouring concrete, framing, drywalling and plumbing. Local Habitats partner with youth employment groups, construction associations and local colleges, high schools and Red Seal trade instructors to provide education and training opportunities.

In 2021, Habitat for Humanity completed 20 Every Youth Initiative projects across the country involving unemployed youth, youth in high schools, colleges and universities, and youth from local Indigenous communities.

“Scotiabank’s generous commitment is an investment in the future of our youth,” says Julia Deans, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. “There are growing needs for trained individuals to enter the construction industry and to better support youth with training and employment opportunities.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS Ken Soble Tower in Hamilton, Ont.

ERA Architects (ERA) and PCL Construction (PCL) are reporting that a seniors residence in Hamilton, Ont., is now the world’s largest residential building retrofitted to the Passive House standard. The Ken Soble Tower, which sports the first retrofit of its kind in North America, has achieved EnerPHit certification.

An example of Canada leading in large scale net-zero retrofits, the 18-storey, 146-unit CityHousing Hamilton building has achieved a 94 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 91 per cent reduction in heating energy demand.

At its peak, the total energy required to heat and cool a unit would be equivalent to the energy needed to power three incandescent light bulbs.

“We could not be more thrilled that the Ken Soble Tower project has achieved Passive House – EnerPHit certification.

With over 10,000 towers across Canada in need of deep energy retrofits, the team at ERA Architects, PCL and CityHousing Hamilton have shown great leadership and we congratulate them on this tremendous achievement,” said Chris Ballard, CEO of Passive House Canada.

To meet the rigorous Passive House standards, a dynamic team specializing in apartment retrofits was brought together.

This included prime consultant ERA Architects, a Toronto-based architectural firm known for its expertise in low-carbon retrofits, and PCL, Canada’s largest general contractor.

Using the Passive House EnerPHit standard, the Ken Soble Tower was retrofitted to support resident health and climate resilience, with embodied carbon in the building’s structure being saved through building re-use and revitalization of 146 units of affordable senior’s housing that will continue to serve the community for generations to come.

The retrofit also included a reconfiguration of all indoor and outdoor spaces to accommodate aging-in-place.

Over 20 per cent of apartment suites now meet barrier-free standards, with expanded community facilities that support

12 / FEBRUARY 2022

PHOTO: PCL/CODRIN TALABA

Ken Soble Tower a Passive House leader

seniors’ programming.

Using 2050 temperature projections as a guiding foundation for the design, the Ken Soble Tower is climate resilient, supporting indoor health and comfort during both extreme heat and cold climate events anticipated in coming decades.

Building performance was achieved, in part, through an ultra-high-performance building envelope, with exterior and interior insulation that meet stringent airtightness requirements, triple-glazed windows, and heat recovery in all building penetrations.

Obsolete and unhygienic HVAC systems have been fully modernized to provide fresh air to each suite.

To achieve EnerPHit certification, the team had to confirm that the final building was constructed and performed as designed. This was achieved through a comprehensive air tightness testing and quality management program that was developed by the project team and guided

by PCL’s in-house envelope engineer and construction team.

“Achieving EnerPHit certification reflects the expert rigor, best practices and collaborative efforts between our client, consultants, trades, and PCL,” said Marc Pascoli, vice-president and district manager of PCL’s Toronto District Office. “The outcomes we’ve achieved demonstrate that high-performance building envelopes are possible on large-scale retrofit projects, paving the way for ultra-efficient retrofits to support a low carbon future.”

“We are very proud to have worked alongside CityHousing Hamilton to realize the renewal of the Ken Soble Tower as

affordable and resilient housing, and one of the largest EnerPHit projects in the world,” added Graeme Stewart, principal at ERA Architects. “Showcasing that low carbon retrofits are the path for a resilient future, offering health, safety and comfort to residents, the Ken Soble Tower is a true model for addressing the growing climate and housing crises of our time.”

As the oldest high-rise multi-residential building in CityHousing Hamilton’s (CHH) portfolio, Ken Soble Tower at 500 MacNab Street North has stood in Hamilton’s West Harbour neighbourhood since 1967.

The building was fully occupied until 2014 when a mix of aging infrastructure and increasing capital costs led it to fall into disrepair.

Following several studies and consultations with residents and community members to explore the future of the building, including renovation, sale or replacement, a decision was made to retrofit the tower in 2016.

Through the vision and leadership of the CityHousing Hamilton Board and CEO Tom Hunter, the Passive House standard was chosen for the project – a first of its kind in North America.

The Ken Soble Tower will also become a teaching tool, offering real-time lessons in retrofit design during a two-year monitoring process. CHH, in partnership with the University of Toronto, ERA and PCL, will study and measure the impacts of the building on its residents and surrounding environment, including building performance, resident health and safety, and economic impacts, among others.

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CONSTRUCTION STATS A selection of data reflecting trends in the Canadian construction industry Investment in building construction, November 2021 (in $Millions) INVESTMENT IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SHOWS MODEST GAIN Investment in building construction advanced 1.2 per cent, to almost $18 billion in November. All segments, aside from industrial construction, showed increases. In the multi-unit construction sector, gains in Ontario and Quebec paced growth to a rise of 2.4 per cent, reaching $6 billion nationally. Investment in single-family homes increased 0.7 per cent, to $7.1 billion. Overall, residential construction investment rose 1.5 per cent to $13.1 billion in November.

Non-residential construction investment edged up just over a half per cent in November to $4.9 billion. Commercial investment posted its fifth consecutive monthly increase, rising 0.6 per cent to $2.7 billion, driven by gains in most areas of the country. Prince Edward Island and Alberta were the only provinces to report decreases. Investment in the institutional component was up 1.4 per cent to $1.4 billion. Quebec posted the largest gain, rising almost five per cent. Industrial construction declined 0.7 per cent to $824 million, despite gains of almost 15 per cent in Nova Scotia.

Canada 17,951.6 Newfoundland and Labrador 100.2 Prince Edward Island 79.8 Nova Scotia 391.2 New Brunswick 208.6 Quebec 3,999.8 Ontario 7,684.8 Manitoba 551.6 Saskatchewan 344.4 British Columbia 1,849.3 Yukon 30.1 Northwest Territories 18.8 13.2

Nunavut

PHOTO: MACROVECTOR / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA

BUILDING PERMITS ON THE RISE IN MOST SEGMENTS

CONSTRUCTION CAPACITY UTILIZATION RATES REMAIN ABOVE 90% Despite a dip of four per cent, the capacity utilization rate in the Canadian construction segment continues to outperform the average rate across all industries.

The rate, which is the ratio of an industry’s actual output to its estimated potential output, shows that the construction sector was running at 90.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2021, as compared to 81.4 per cent of production capacity across all segments included in Statistics Canada’s tracking.

The capacity utilization rate was slightly higher than the level recorded in the fourth quarter of 2020 (89.9 per cent) but a large drop in residential construction (down 8.4 per cent) contributing to the decline in this sector. According to the Labour Force Survey, employment levels for construction fell from 1.44 million to 1.42 million during the third quarter of last year.

14 / FEBRUARY 2022

In its most recent report, Statistics Canada says that November’s building-permit figures were up almost seven per cent after a bit of a slip in October. While the total value of building permits increased to $11.2 billion in November, a significant decline in institutional permits dragged the non-residential sector to a drop of 3.4 per cent from the previous month. The value of institutional permits fell to its lowest level since April of 2020, dropping almost 50 per cent to $613 million.

Other segments of the non-residential sector fared much better, however. Construction intentions in the commercial component rose by 14.3 per cent, led by Alberta where a $316 million permit was approved for the BMO convention centre expansion in Calgary. Also on the rise were industrial permits, which were up more than 45 per cent in a reversal from the October figures.

The residential sector was full of highlights as permit values increased to $7.8 billion at the national level. The jump of 12 per cent helped the segment reach its highest level since setting a record in March 2021. Multi-family permits came back nicely from their 8.5 per cent decline in October, rising more than 20 per cent.

November Building Permit Values:

$11.2 billion

COMMERCIAL

+14.3%

INDUSTRIAL

+45.1%

INSTITUTIONAL

-49.2%

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA

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EXCAVATORS

Excavator safety

Lights, cameras, action!

BY NATE HENDLEY

E

xcavator safety features range from low-tech orange seatbelts to futuristic virtual fencing and even to the point of “Why didn’t we think of this before?”, as is the case of approach lighting — or as Volvo describes it: welcome home lighting.

In terms of across-the-board excavator safety trends, “camera systems and reduced tail swing are two of the heavy hitters,” says Justin Steger, solutions marketing manager for site development and underground at John Deere, adding “cameras are becoming standard to

16 / FEBRUARY 2022

increase visibility.”

“Across the industry, you’re seeing more adoption of cameras,” echoes Matthew McLean, excavator project manager at Volvo Construction Equipment.

“You’re going to see cameras become ‘smarter.’ Part of this is about overall enhancing the safety of the jobsite.”

Excavator OEMs have an end-goal in mind when it comes to sophisticated camera systems: “They’re all after that 360-degree view,” says Mike Fuller, senior product manager for Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas.

LED lights and approach lighting (excavator lights that can be turned on remotely by the operator) are also becoming more common on excavators.

“We’re seeing a trend towards approach lighting. We offer that on our excavators. Approach lighting increases your safety. On some of our machines now, we have a key fob to activate the lights, like a car, as an operator approaches,” says David Reid, sales manager for earthmoving equipment at Liebherr Canada.

Here’s a look at what else is new or noteworthy in excavators safety features.

PHOTO:HYUNDAI

PHOTO:JOHN DEERE

PHOTO:JOHN DEERE

JOHN DEERE John Deere excavators have optional high-visibility orange seatbelts, LED lights and engine compartment lights.

“Once you open the service panel, there is a light on a switch … a decal tells you where the switch is,” explains Steger.

SmartGrade control technology is available on some John Deere excavators, including the 210G LC, 350G LC and 470G LC models. This offers virtual fencing and over-dig protect.

Virtual fencing allows operators to input work parameters for their machines.

An alarm is triggered when the excavator approaches pre-set limits. Settings can be input for virtual ceiling, floor, wall, front and swing – the left and right limits for the operator’s working envelope.

Over-dig protect is ideal in situations where operators are wary about hitting unidentified buried pipes and cables, possibly causing an accident or injury.

“If you think there’s a utility buried four feet underground, and you’re only excavating three feet, you can set over-dig protect,” says Steger. The system makes use of grade control and GPS data to track the excavator. “It will limit you, and not allow you to dig more than three feet deep.”

As for other safety measures, “our compact excavators are all zero or nearzero tail swing,” he adds, explaining that the ability to swing inside, or nearly inside, the footprint of the tracks can reduce the risk of unintentional contact when an operator doesn’t have 360-degree visibility.

HYUNDAI Hyundai’s new A-Series of wheeled excavators are loaded with safety features. In addition to LED working lights and joystick steering, the A-Series comes with an auto safety lock and a seatbelt warning alarm.

The auto safety lock function prevents the machine from being accidentally engaged by the operator. “If you bump into any controls, nothing moves,” explains Fuller.

The seatbelt warning system sounds an alarm, augmented by a visual alert on the cab monitor when an operator forgets to buckle up.

A-Series excavators are also fitted with All Around View Monitoring (AAVW), a high-tech system that dramatically improves visibility by using video cameras to provide a 360-degree view

on the cab monitor. The AAVW system also features Intelligent Moving Object Detection (IMOD), a solution for recognizing workplace hazards.

“Hyundai was the first to have a full 360-degree view,” states Fuller. “AAVW gives you a bird’s eye view around the machine, which greatly protects workers on the jobsite.” The IMOD will alert an operator about the presence of anything within a 16.5foot range of operations, he adds. “It lets you know by colour changes on the monitor as well as an audible alarm.”

An optional radar system that posts information on a secondary monitor in the cab about stationary and moving objects behind the excavator is also available. on-sitemag.com / 17

PHOTOS: VOLVO

EXCAVATORS

VOLVO The new EWR130E mid-sized wheeled excavator from Volvo Construction Equipment features anti-slip plates, spacious cab, short front and rear swing radius, and standard LED rear lights.

An optional lighting package is operated from a key fob.

18 / FEBRUARY 2022

“Once you get within range, you click it, and you have what we call ‘welcome home’ lights,” says McLean. “The lights will pop on so you’re not trying to figure out where that first step is to get into a wheeled excavator. You can have your lights on at three in the morning, so you can get in safely.”

Volvo excavators also feature an emergency stop switch, orange seatbelts and orange handrails. “We want everyone to find them quickly. The orange handrail sticks out,” explains McLean. There is also an optional green LED beacon for the cab roof, which only turns on when operators buckle up. This lets supervisors know who has fastened their seatbelt.

Other wheeled excavator options include Volvo Smart View—a multi-camera system that provides a 360-degree view— and Volvo Dig Assist machine control.

PHOTOS: CATERPILLAR

EXCAVATORS

CATERPILLAR Caterpillar excavators can be fitted with orange seatbelts and 1,800 lumen LED work lights which are, as Ryan Neal, regional product applications specialist for large excavators at Caterpillar, puts it, extremely bright. “They light up like a Christmas tree at night,” he states.

The Cat 2D E-Fence function for excavators offers virtual fence, floor and ceiling, among other settings. If the excavator goes past certain pre-determined work ranges, this sensor-based system shuts operations down.

Cat excavators also boast an elaborate camera system.

“We have two standard cameras on our machines. We have a rear and a right camera. We also have the option of a full 360-degree camera. It’s like a drone—a bird’s eye view. There are no blind spots,” says Neal.

Cat Detect and Cat Lift Assist are also available for Caterpillar excavators. Cat Detect is a blended radar/camera system that warns operators when their excavator is getting too close to people, machines, or other hazards. Cat Lift Assist prevents excavators from exceeding their rated load to avoid tipping.

20 / FEBRUARY 2022

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Liebherr is a firm believer in enhancing safety through illumination.

“I think lighting is one of those things you can add to a machine and improve safety on a job site, especially in Northern Canada where this time of year we don’t exactly have the most daylight,” says Reid.

To this end, Liebherr’s A 920 Litronic wheeled excavator has LED lights, as well as standard rear and side cameras.

An optional camera system is available to provide a 360-degree view. Liebherr excavators can be equipped with approach lighting and maintenance lights for engine compartment work.

The A 920 also boasts an overload warning feature, controls designed to minimize operator distraction, and a roll over protection system (ROPS) cab structure.

The A 920 has “a very large cab” and the

PHOTO: LIEBHERR

LIEBHERR

rear-window serves as an easily accessible emergency exit, adds Reid.

“If there ever was an issue, heaven forbid, you can get out of the rear window quite simply. There’s not a bunch of engine components stacked around it,” he explains.

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on-sitemag.com / 23

PHOTO CONTEST

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

S

orting through the hundreds of jobsite photographs for this year’s contest, the almostvertigo-inducing perspective of this shot couldn’t help but rise to the top as our team of judges went through multiple rounds of ranking and culling the stacks of images to finally come up with the overall winner of On-Site’s 2021 Canadian Construction Photo Contest.

This year’s winning photo was submitted by COWI North America Ltd. The Quebec Ministry of Transportation engaged the company to develop a conceptual design for a cable dehumidification system for the main cables of the Pierre-Laporte Bridge in Quebec City as part of a longterm management plan for the structure. The shot, which captures the moment in a way that puts the viewer atop the bridge, is from the company’s work at the site in October.

Opened in 1970, the Pierre-Laporte Bridge is the longest main span suspension bridge in Canada. The bridge is located in an aggressive environment where corrosion caused by the use of de-icing salts has to be managed.

All we can say is that it must take a lot of guts to trek up the main cable of a suspension bridge to conduct an inspection, especially while traffic is flowing far below.

Thankfully, Eileen McEwen was there with a camera to capture the moment.

In recognition of COWI North America taking top honours in this year’s contest, On-Site has made a dona-

tion in the company’s name to Dress for Success Halifax, a non-profit organization that prepares women for employment through coaching, guidance and providing work-appropriate attire.

As with previous years, this was not an easy contest to judge. In addition to the winner and finalists presented in these pages, there were at least a dozen additional images that could have been included as finalists as well. On behalf of the team here at On-Site, we’d like to thank you for sharing these moments on your jobsites. We truly enjoy seeing your finest work.

And don’t forget to snap photos as 2022 unfolds on your jobsites. The next Canadian Construction Photo Contest will launch in December, and you can’t enter a photo that was not captured, so keep those cameras, drones and smartphones rolling! Happy, and safe, shooting.

View from high atop the Pierre-Laporte Bridge in Quebec City earns COWI North America top honours in the 2021 Canadian Construction Photo Contest.

Company: COWI North America Ltd. Photographer: Eileen McEwen, P.Eng. Location: Quebec City

24 / FEBRUARY 2022

on-sitemag.com / 25

PHOTO CONTEST

FINALISTS With hundreds of photos to choose from, from all parts of the country, this year’s crop of images was very difficult to narrow down to a list of finalists and a single winner. As you can see from the shots in these pages, there’s great work happening on jobsites right across Canada.

Thankfully, cameras were rolling to capture these impressive images.

A crane being built at the 81 Bay St. CIBC towers with the iconic CN Tower in the background. The project involves the construction of a 49-storey office tower containing three levels of underground parking, a two-level GO Bus Terminal, and a terrace/walkway over the rail tracks.

Company: EllisDon Construction Company: Pitt Meadows Plumbing

Photographer: Ryk Stryland

& Mechanical Systems (2001) Ltd.

Location: Toronto

Photographer: Ryan Broda Location: City of Lougheed in Burnaby, B.C.

Pitt Meadows had more than 70 plumbers at work on the four residential towers in this project. This photo was taken in March 2021 for International Women’s Day. It highlights the company’s highest concentration of female employees who have ever been working on one project at the same time. The nine women in the photograph filled various roles on the project ranging from site coordinator to apprentice plumber, and Red Seal plumber. One of the women in the photograph, Kym Green, was recently promoted to foreperson.

26 / FEBRUARY 2022

In October, workers carry out the preparatory work for the delicate installation of 28 paralume beams for the rehabilitation project on the two-kilometre-long Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine Tunnel. The tunnel is the most used crossing between the South Shore and Montreal for the transportation of goods.

Company: Pomerleau Inc. Photographer: Pierre Seager Location: Montreal

Helping reconnect communities during the B.C. flooding in November, the Merrit Division of Emcon Services had several pieces of equipment mobilized to help rebuild access to a bridge on Patchett Road.

Company: Emcon Services Photographer: Simon Rizzardo/BigPowerFilms Location: Merritt, B.C.

A sunny, summer day building the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre. This photo, taken this past July, shows some of the construction activity on a new outpatient facility on a 15-acre site in the Bayers Lake Business Park in Halifax. Once complete, the centre is expected to provide 28,000 clinic visits and 30,000 x-ray and blood collection visits per year.

Company: EllisDon Atlantic Photographer: Jeff Cooke/Cooked Photography Location: Halifax

on-sitemag.com / 27

PHOTO CONTEST Company: Clark Builders Photographer: Chris Ruiter/Site Partners Location: Edmonton

A meeting of the times. In August, Chris Ruiter caught a socially distanced early morning meeting with the trades ahead of a day of work on the Norwood Redevelopment Project in Edmonton. The $364 million, 40,000 m2 redevelopment project will help with the growing need for continuing care capacity in the region.

On a cool morning in August, Tower Crane 7 operator Jonathan Bloomer caught the fog bank in the Peace River Valley as the sun rose behind him. Morning fog is a common occurrence at the Site C Dam site as the cool, moist air coming off the river is trapped underneath a stable, warmer air mass in a temperature inversion.

Company: AFDE Partnership Photographer: Johnny Bloomer Location: Fort St. John, B.C.

A bird’s eye view of the Edmonton LRT. Construction of Stage 1 of the Valley Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) will connect Mill Woods to downtown Edmonton with about 13.1 km of light rail transit. This stage includes 11 stops, an elevated station incorporating a transit centre, and a transfer point to existing LRT routes.

Company: EllisDon Photographer: Blake Sovdi/Sovdi Media Location: Edmonton

28 / FEBRUARY 2022

Oakwood Station, part of the Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, undergoes some finishing work.

The station has a unique cylindrical shape that’s a remnant of the mining excavation method used to dig out the cavern sideways under Eglinton Avenue.

Company: Metrolinx Photographer: Stephanie Lake Location: Toronto

A tower crane at sunset. A drone was used to capture Clobracon’s crane on a nine-storey multi-residential build in La Prairie, Que, just outside of Montreal. The St. Lawrence River and Mount Royal can be seen in the background.

Company: Clobracon Construction Photographer: Nicolas Prieur Location: La Prairie, Que. Company: Priestly Demolition Inc. Photographer: Derrick Van Der Kolk/PAVIC Location: Etobicoke, Ont.

A processor attachment breaks up large pieces of concrete at the demolition of the Campbells Soup Plant in Etobicoke, Ont. A rapid demolition project, PDI took down 12 buildings and a 200-foot-tall chimney within a 10-week period.

on-sitemag.com / 29

INFRASTRUCTURE

IN THE

WAKE OF THE FLOOD Infrastructure rebuild gets climate-driven sustainability push.

T

he images were vivid: motorboats traveling over-top highways; farmers using Jet Skis to rescue stranded cattle; bridges standing precariously alone, their abutments caved in and washed away; lengthy stretches of road replaced by torrents of streams and small lakes; rail corridors fractured by cascading mud and rock.

COVID-19 may have been Canada’s longest running news story in 2021, but

30 / FEBRUARY 2022

severe weather at the end of the year left more than a few marks that will be felt for some time to come.

Even as British Columbia recovers from November’s record-setting rainfalls and embarks on what stands to be one of the most costly transportation infrastructure rebuilds ever seen in Canada, meteorologists warn that several climate change models suggest more of the same in the years ahead.

While the West Coast is known for its temperate, damp climate, four consecutive days of intense downpours exacerbated an already strong rainy season that had left the region drenched. The Fraser Valley was hit particularly hard, impacting routes west to Vancouver and east toward Alberta. In some cases, access was completely cut off.

Highways connecting the Lower Mainland with the rest of the province were also severely disrupted, as were major rail corri-

PHOTO: SIMON RIZZARDO/BIG POWER FILMS

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We saw little or no flooding whatsoever, but a few minutes away, in Chilliwack, they were slowly shutting down highways. dors, energy pipelines and hydro services.

With the Fraser Valley home to much of the province’s agricultural production, and coastal ports unable to ship inland, already strained essential services and supply chains faced further havoc. Multiple closures, including to the Trans-Canada and Coquihalla Highways, forced the Canada Border Services Agency to modify pandemic restrictions so Washington State could serve as a go-between to connect Vancouver with the rest of Canada.

Against this backdrop, RKM Crane

32 / FEBRUARY 2022

Services found itself close to the epicentre.

Located in Langley, B.C., it was on high enough ground that things seemed normal enough, even while the floodwaters were rising with astonishing speed in adjacent communities.

“We saw little or no flooding whatsoever, but a few minutes away, in Chilliwack, they were slowly shutting down highways,” RKM general manager Matthew Blackwell told On-Site. “It wasn’t just damage to the side of the road, it literally wiped out

entire roads and bridges. The water actually went around the abutments of some large bridges, taking out the road on either side and leaving the bridges standing in the middle of nowhere.”

RKM has nearly 30 all-terrain cranes and boom trucks well suited to hoisting bridge girders and all manner of heavy components and debris.

The only problem was that Langley was largely an island unto itself, so the company’s equipment had to stay put until

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INFRASTRUCTURE

a degree of access was restored.

“We were handcuffed and landlocked because you obviously needed to get to a bridge in order to repair it,” Blackwell explained.

Ian Pilkington, chief engineer with B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, said equipment suppliers and contractors from neighbouring locales literally repaired their way into the heart of the Coquihalla and Fraser Canyon.

At least one contractor working on the TransMountain pipeline already had heavy machines in some of the hardest hit areas,

34 / FEBRUARY 2022

PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM / RICHARD STAWN

When you look at a stretch of highway that’s been completely erased, with just a bridge sitting in the middle of a river, it really illuminates the severity of what we’ve gone through and how vulnerable we are. so they were able to switch gears to help restore highways and bridges.

When the floodwaters receded and very basic access was restored, RKM Crane Services was able to partake in a provinceled effort to return some semblance of normal to its transportation network.

“Road building isn’t really where our market is, but helping to put in temporary bridges, girders, abutments and new decks is a big part of what we do,” Blackwell said.

FUTURE PLANNING A MUST With last summer’s fires having decimated

entire tracts of forest, which normally act as a buffer from melting mountain snowpacks, forecasters warn flooding could recur again this spring.

While the work underway to fully restore access is in itself substantial, Blackwell recognizes the severity of the fall rains and acknowledges the longer-term challenges that lie ahead given the probability of further intense weather.

“When you look at a stretch of highway that’s been completely erased, with just a bridge sitting in the middle of a river, it really illuminates the severity of what we’ve

around the world, but they tend to be expensive, so it’s not practical to build them everywhere.” He did say, however, that risk assessments based on strong data can help inform decision making, and new and forthcoming cost-benefit analysis and decision-making tools also stand to help.

One notable failure in November was in the dike system used to protect low-lying areas from flooding. Jonathan Fannin, a professor of geotechnical engineering at UBC, described some of the processes that can cause failure in dikes, such as what led to the catastrophic flooding at the Sumas Prairie landform in the Fraser Lowlands.

“There’s a combination of rehabilitation, reconstruction and a lot of assessment ongoing as we speak,” Fannin said, adding that France, Germany and the United Kingdom have also recently experienced dike failures. He explained that flooding may occur due to overflowing of a dike, or from flow through a local breach where a dike is eroded.

“Some of the confidence in decision making moving forward is going to be informed by work that is done in other jurisdictions so that we’re not taking and defending decisions solely based on our

experience in British Columbia,” Fannin said. “The erosion processes that can lead to a breach are complex and involve long-term deterioration that programs of maintenance and inspection will be seeking to catch.”

The B.C. transportation and infrastructure ministry’s Ian Pilkington told On-Site he expects rebuilding will take a few years.

He said his ministry has been gearing up for some time to adapt its climate change standards. The ministry is also participating with Engineers Canada and Natural Resources Canada in an international Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) that produces risk assessments and analyses, and working through forums such as the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium at the University of Victoria to develop anticipatory data.

“We’ve learned we can no longer rely on historical data,” Pilkington said. “We have to look at ‘future’ data our designers can use to help account for climate change.”

Saul Chernos is a freelance writer and regular contributor to On-Site.

LEANING ON TECHNOLOGY Scott McDougall, an assistant professor of geological engineering at UBC, said aerial photographs have long helped identify and map areas prone to sliding mud and rock.

Modern equipment, such as satellites and drones using technologies like LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), have introduced increasingly accurate high-resolution imaging capabilities to help estimate volumes and velocities of debris flow.

“The patterns we identify help us develop predictive models that can be used for site specific risk assessment and mitigation design,” McDougall explained. “The information can then be used in the design of mitigation, which can take forms ranging from avoidance to structural protection.”

Mitigation efforts aren’t new to the region. Structures were installed along the Sea to Sky Corridor in B.C. after debris flows caused extensive damage in the 1980s. However, McDougall was quick to note limitations.

“These types of structures are used

EAST, WEST AND CENTRAL: FLOODING PRESENTS PROBLEMS While the flooding in British Columbia captured international attention, Atlantic Canada also experienced infrastructure damage from heavy rains this past fall. And the Red River is a perennial challenge in Manitoba. Manitoba Infrastructure owns and maintains community ring dikes within much of the Red River Valley to protect against at least 100-year water levels, and pumping systems enable additional land drainage.

Manitoba has also undertaken a $16 million project to pave an alternate route to a section of Provincial Trunk Highway 75 that has been significantly prone to closures, along with the raising of a particularly vulnerable stretch to match flooding levels sustained in 2009.

“Highway 75 is a major north–south corridor that supports significant international trade,” then-Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said when announcing the project in 2020. “Investing in our highways supports economic growth and will have a positive impact on Manitoba’s economy for years to come.”

on-sitemag.com / 35

PHOTO: MYSTICENERGY / E+ / GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO: EDB3_16 / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES

gone through and how vulnerable we are,” Blackwell said, adding that it’s obvious to him that existing flood control measures need upgrading to meet needs that aren’t so far into the future.

“We need a really long look at the infrastructure: what bridges are going to be able to withstand as far as water; what needs to be done to improve the durability of highways; and the impact forest fires have on the landscape.”

Blackwell isn’t alone in anticipating what lies ahead. In December, the School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia convened a panel to discuss the flooding’s impacts on critical infrastructure and the need to effectively manage future challenges.

“The climate events that took place… and the resulting catastrophic failure of civil infrastructure and the loss of lives, homes and livelihoods, raise a series of questions that need to be answered,” said James Olson, professor of mechanical engineering and dean of applied science at UBC, in his introductory remarks. “It raises questions about climate change and the need to adapt our infrastructure for an uncertain future.”

EQUIPMENT

Electric machines

ARE ON THE JOB Zero emissions and noise provide entry point for growing segment of the equipment market.

BY ADAM FREILL

W

PHOTO: VOLVO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

ith consumer interest in electric vehicles and decarbonization at an all-time high, it should come as no surprise that electricity is making in-roads into the heavy construction sector as well.

What some might find suprising, however, is that electric-powered machinery is not a new development in the world of construction. There have been electric and hybrid machines available for a number of years.

For example, access equipment manufacturer JLG has been offering electrified lifts for more than two decades, and John Deere introduced its first electrified construction machines in 2012.

What is new, however, is the volume of manufacturers who have entered, and continue to enter, this growing segment of the machinery market, as well as the breadth of machines that have been released recently, or that are in varying stages of development.

“Today’s demand for more eco-friendly products is accelerating the adoption of electric products into more and more construction applications, driving the need for larger, heavier electrified equipment,” says Jennifer Stiansen, director of marketing at JLG. “While it’s still a relatively small portion of the construction equipment industry, it is growing,” adds Grant Van Tine, solutions marketing manager at John Deere.

“There’s no doubt that electric equipment will become an integral part of the industry in general,” predicts Henry Lawson, director of sales for Takeuchi-US. Takeuchi recently

Charging up the Volvo ECR25 electric compact excavator.

36 / FEBRUARY 2022

PHOTO: CASE

PHOTO: TAKEUCHI-US

PHOTO: JOHN DEERE

The 944K hybrid wheel loader from John Deere.

FIRST UP: COMPACT EQUIPMENT While engineering research and development departments are working to bring battery power to all types and sizes of machinery, the starting point for many manufacturers has been the development of electric machines for the compact equipment category.

“Compact machines are where electrification will establish itself first because these machines are versatile and in high demand, and current low-voltage battery options work best on smaller machines,” explains Ray Gallant, vice-president, product management and productivity at Volvo Construction Equipment.

“You need less battery size to get an adequate working time before a recharge,” says Aaron Kleingartner, product and dealer marketing manager at Doosan Infracore North America. “I think that factors in.”

“The practical executions of electric equipment revolve around proximity to a suitable power source, and being able to establish a machine run time that makes it suitable for operating for a whole day, or most of a day, on site,” adds Brad Stemper, North American construction equipment product manager at CASE. “That’s why you’re seeing many of the initial waves of electrified construction equipment revolving

The Case 580 EV electric backhoe during a test session.

around lighter equipment.”

Having access to local power for a quick re-charge over the lunch hour and at other idle times will help some present-generation machines put in a full day of work, as will being able to shut down the motor to conserve power between tasks. That is a big difference from traditional diesel-powered machines that generally have to idle, burning fuel.

States Gallant, “Electric motors have full torque available at any rpm for fast response, and they can shut off when not working and start instantly when needed.”

That’s a power-saver that explains the wide

variance in estimated run times for some equipment, as the task will heavily influence battery performance.

THE BENEFITS OF GOING ELECTRIC The most apparent, and primary, appeal of battery-powered machinery is the reduction or elimination of machine emissions, but that’s not the only factor driving growth in this segment.

“Corporate sustainability goals, project specific emissions requirements, indoor or poor ventilation operation conditions, and the desire for low jobsite noise are some of the common reasons,” says Van Tine.

PHOTO:JLG

introduced a battery-powered compact excavator to North America.

Takeuchi’s new TB20e electric compact excavator will soon be available at select United Rentals locations in North America.

Mobile operation of equipment.

on-sitemag.com / 37

PHOTO:JOHN DEERE

PHOTO:JLG

EQUIPMENT

“Cleaner, quieter solutions are a big plus for indoor and environmentally sensitive work,” adds Stiansen, who explains that the new technologies have made it possible to expand into additional applications, such as operation of lifts in clean room facilities.

“Electric machine owners might be able to expand their offerings. Indoor jobs, food production facilities, high-dust environments and other applications where combustion engines and diesel fumes are a problem may now be open to them with electric machines,” concurs Gallant.

With fewer fluids and filters on a battery-powered machine, engine-related maintenance is also simplified, which can make the lifetime cost of ownership appealing, he adds. “Essentially, the only supplies required for a technician working on Volvo electric excavators are grease and hydraulic oil.”

Meeting environmental goals without sacrificing performance or power is also a plus for reduced or zero-emission machinery but, he continues, “it’s about more than environmental sustainability. Fully electric machines are also much quieter than diesel equipment.”

For contracting firms operating in tight quarters, in areas with noise regulations, or in close proximity to populated areas, the low noise and vibration levels of electric machines can help keep peace in the

38 / FEBRUARY 2022

Battery monitoring via smartphone.

PHOTO:VOLVO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

The 944K hybrid wheel loader from John Deere features a hybrid-electric drive that recaptures energy when the operator lets off the accelerator.

The Volvo ECR25 electric compact excavator produces zero emissions.

neighbourhood, in more ways than one. And it’s not just the residents who can appreciate a quieter jobsite.

“It’s also easier for the operator to communicate with crew members working on the ground,” reports John Deere’s Van Tine.

DIESEL IS NOT DONE YET “We say, regularly, that electrification in the construction market does not mean that diesel is going away,” says Case’s Stemper.

“There will be applications, and market segments, and site locations where electrification is not yet practical and diesel-powered equipment will still be dominant.”

He says that contractors will need decide what mix of equipment assets will work best for their company, based on the kinds of project work they do, assessing such things as the overall cost of ownership of the machines, jobsite emissions regulations, costs of fuel and the ability to recharge electric equipment.

“We’re still in the infancy stage of electric machines becoming a bigger part of the industry,” says Takeuchi’s Lawson. “There certainly is a big demand for the machines, and that’s because they work well in so many applications.”

“Long term, our goal is to offer battery electric and diesel electric models across

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PHOTO:HYUNDAI CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AND HYUNDAI DOOSAN INFRACORE

EQUIPMENT

Hyundai Construction Equipment and Hyundai Doosan Infracore presented the concept of unmanned and automation construction technologies at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

multiple machine forms,” says Van Tine.

For now, he says that some machines will lend themselves more easily to electrification. “We’ve learned that some machine forms can achieve greater efficiencies than others with electrification. Wheel loaders, in particular, have demonstrated the benefits of hybrid diesel electric technology.”

“Battery technology continues to advance; however, we don’t anticipate a complete shift towards electrification,” says Stiansen. “Internal combustion engines will continue to have a place in the construction and industrial industries.”

THE CHARGING CHALLENGE “One of the biggest challenges facing the industry today, as more and more equipment goes electric, is to think about how these machines will be charged on-site by users, particularly in the early stages of construction or in remote locations where power is not readily available,” says Stiansen of JLG. “Two-twenty outlets aren’t available everywhere,” explains Doosan’s Kleingartner. “If you are looking at adding an electrical machine to your project, one of the big factors you’ll have to work into that project plan is access to the proper dedicated electrical power to charge machines.

“What the industry doesn’t want to do is get a diesel power generator on site so that you can plug in your electrical machine to power it.”

“In these early stages of use and devel-

40 / FEBRUARY 2022

opment, charging infrastructure, charging time and battery life have room for improvement,” admits Gallant.

He says it might be possible to take advantage of the infrastructure changes happening in other industries, using AC and DC charging structures used by cars and other electric machinery.

“Plus,” he adds, “through third-party suppliers, we see the emergence of standalone, sometimes portable charging systems suitable for electric vehicles that can also be used to charge machines. One of the early adopters of Volvo electric machines is a property developer working in remote areas of the California desert who recharged his units using only the abundant solar energy available.”

“As the industry rises to make more equipment available, and charging more accessible, the volume of electric equipment will continue to grow,” predicts Stemper. “Additionally, national and statebased infrastructure investment for electric automobiles will carry benefit to electric construction equipment as the number of charging stations and spread of their locations increases.”

AIMING BIGGER “We’re starting to see some companies do aftermarket adjustments or installations of electrified power plants and even larger excavators, larger wheel loaders, and so the need is growing into larger equipment,” says Kleingartner.

“Low-voltage battery solutions are a good fit for compact equipment, but other technologies will be necessary as we move into higher power requirements and duty cycles,” says Gallant.

“Promising technical solutions include, but are not limited to, high-voltage battery electric machines, hybrid drives, hydrogen fuel cell and internal combustion with a variety of low- or zero-emission alternate fuels.”

WHAT’S NEXT? As machines turn to electric power, the ability to take advantage of additional onboard technology grows as well.

“We’ve got some autonomous prototypes running,” says Kleingartner. “On the horizon are remotely operated machines…

Electrical-powered machines allow you to control them more easily remotely versus having actuators control hydraulic components. The electrification of machines has definitely benefited the remote operation of machines.”

And an AI enabled jobsite may not be that far into the future, advises Stiansen.

“Hearing about the autonomous work sites, where machines communicate to each other and the people that manage them, can sound like some far-off concept that’s still years down the road but it’s actually closer than you think as technological advancements continue to redefine expectations and experiences in nearly every aspect of the construction industry.”

SOFTWARE

By Jacob Stoller

Equipment tracking: From reactive to proactive

Smart features can give fleet managers a heads up about their equipment.

E

doing it to help plan maintenance work with their service partner to make sure anything showing as a potential error is being fixed in a timely manner.”

That can mean that a vehicle could be sent for scheduled maintenance based on where and when the machine is needed.

“The fleet manager can see that an excavator is coming up to 1,000-hour service and might schedule it early, say at 985 hours, based on the timelines of scheduled projects,” says Kleingartner.

“That way, they’re not interrupted by an unexpected service truck showing up in the yard when they’ve got to move a bunch of dirt that day.”

CULTURAL CHANGE One of the major challenges with uptake on these new features is that many fleet managers currently have manual systems that have been in place for their entire careers.

“I’ve been in fleet managers’ offices, and they’ve got a grease board on the wall,” says Kleingartner. “They’ve got a line item for every piece of equipment, and they have magnetic markers that they move around. And that’s the way it’s been done forever.”

A major deterrent to going digital, especially common in mixed-

PHOTO: EYECRAVE / E+ / GETTY IMAGES

quipment monitoring has come a long way from the socalled “idiot light” — those dashboard lights indicating low oil pressure or coolant ahead of a possible imminent catastrophic failure.

Thanks to a combination of sensing devices, telematics capabilities and advanced software, companies have the tools to anticipate such problems weeks in advance to stay ahead of the curve and ensure reliable and efficient operation of their equipment.

Many contractors, however, have yet to take full advantage of these tools.

“We have had telematics in some fashion providing data to our customers since 2008,” says Aaron Kleingartner, product and dealer marketing manager with Doosan Infracore North America, “but we are still seeing relatively slow adoption of its full capabilities.”

There’s no lack of business cases to warrant the adoption of these technologies, however, especially given that much of the equipment in the field is already collecting the necessary data.

“Those contractors and organizations that do leverage the data do more than just trying to figure out the hours on their machines, or how much fuel is in the machines,” says Kleingartner. “They’re

on-sitemag.com / 41

SOFTWARE

fleet scenarios, has been the need to log into multiple portals go get the full picture. Newer software, however, is changing that.

“With our portal, Doosan Connect Telematics, you can get access to all the machines in your fleet in one spot,” says Kleingartner. “We’re trying to make it as easy as possible to leverage that data that is available to the fleet manager.”

The key is to manage the change properly, giving both fleet managers and operators the training they need, and the time to adjust to new ways of monitoring and reporting.

THE CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY CHAIN Regardless of how optimized the operation of a heavy equipment fleet is, its ultimate efficiency depends on the trucks that carry earth materials to and from the jobsite.

According to Noah Dolgoy, CEO of Toronto-based software start-up Tread, this aspect of the construction supply chain is often neglected by project owners.

“When we talk to site owners and site developers in the private sector, generally they’re not interested in the material supply chain, either in or out, because it’s subcontracted away,” he says.

The difficulty is that most dump trucks are independently operated and, consequently, difficult to coordinate, as evidenced by long lines of dump trucks at large job sites.

“In North America, the average size of the dump truck fleet

is three vehicles,” says Dolgoy. “Material producers don’t actually own their own trucks, so all of the material either going onto a site or off the site is being moved by independent operators.”

Tread provides a web-based platform that allows a material producer or other contractor to invite individual truckers to join a virtual fleet designated for a specific project. Upon signing into the company’s phone app and accepting the work for the day, that trucker becomes part of a virtual team.

“Basically, we allow all of those different operators to work together like they’re part of one fleet for a day,” says Dolgoy. “So, all these companies can improve their commercial utilization, and the efficiency of the supply chain.”

Delivery and pickup queues, consequently, can be optimized to ensure a smooth flow of work. The app also provides GPS tracking, driver performance, and payment processing.

“What is not often recognized is that projects could be completed faster, and you’d see higher margins, if we started by solving the material supply chain issue at the very base of the project,” says Dolgoy.

Jacob Stoller is principal of StollerStrategies. Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com

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RISK

By David Bowcott

Inflation risk in the construction materials market: It ain’t over yet!

T

here is no doubt that the pandemic has done a number on the supply chain in the construction industry. Last year was filled with dramatic price increases that hit many of the materials used in building projects of all sizes and scopes. The bad news is that the uncertainty is not over just yet, but there are steps you can take to help navigate this uncertain future.

Most prognosticators felt the upward movement on pricing would be temporary as the economy repaired the disconnections within the supply chain that were created or strained by COVID-19. As the pricing increase fervour heated up, it appeared to peak in early summer of

2021, leading some to believe the worst of the inflationary pressure within the construction sector was over as summer came to a close.

As the price for lumber dropped from its June 2021 high by as much as 62 per cent, many predicted an end to the steep construction material price increases.

Was this the beginning of the end for inflation within the construction materials economy? Nope. It seemed that prices for many of the other construction commodities continued to rise, despite lumber’s reversal.

Pricing for steel, wire, nails, gypsum, asphalt, mechanical systems, fixtures and many other products continued to climb

as the construction industry approached the end of 2021. Information shared by Associated Builders and Contractors in the U.S. illustrates the trend of rising prices for many of the major construction materials categories.

Many of these upward pricing trends in construction commodities, referenced in these graphs, don’t appear to be reversing and, what’s worse, is that we are seeing lumber prices creeping up once again as of November-December 2021.

Many factors related to the pandemic are creating this disconnection between demand and supply within the global construction marketplace. The following are but a few underlying causes for the inflationary pressure in the construction inputs sector: • • • •

• •

CHARTS: ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS

•

44 / FEBRUARY 2022

•

Reliance on a “just-in-time delivery” model within our global supply chain.

Centralization of our supply chain in countries with low labour costs.

Loss of domestic manufacturing capacity over the past several decades.

A highly fragmented supply chain (one chip from Taiwan can leave you with a non-functioning mechanical system).

COVID-19 workplace shutdowns.

Cross border requirements under the COVID-19 economy.

The impact of “the great resignation” on the supply chain and logistics industry (trucking has a staffing crisis).

The growing demand for material goods as consumers suddenly have more funds available for building projects since vacation plans, and expenses, were set aside.

To add gasoline to the fire, we are in the midst of the fourth wave of COVID19 as the Omicron variant rips through the global economy at a rate previously unseen. Though it appears this variant isn’t as severe as previous strains of the

3.

4.

5. virus, it is still causing varying shutdowns in parts of the global construction supply chain. This wave will no doubt exacerbate many of the above root causes, creating further inflationary pressure on construction material supplies.

As this inflationary cycle doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon, it is prudent to consider steps your organization can take to minimize risk. Here are a few suggestions that may be helpful to managing this risk on current and future projects: 1. Consider qualifying your bids to ensure your subcontracts align with your prime contract.

2. Educate your customers about the supply chain disruptions as this disruption is widely known at this point and it could be

6.

considered an event which allows you to share risk with other parties to the contract.

Use technology to better track supply chain disruptions.

Several technologies are in the market that can give you advance warning of supply chain disruptions.

Use supply chain risk finance solutions, such as subcontractor default insurance, supply chain insurance, and input price insurance. Input price insurance is a new product in the market that simplifies commodity price hedging and brings many benefits to the hedging process that could not be realized via derivatives hedging.

Press governments for support and encourage them to create a more resilient supply chain by enacting legislation that would grow domestic manufacturing capacity.

Consider sourcing supplies not solely on lowest price.

Consider the reliability of getting supplies delivered on-time.

The above suggestions are but a few that could help your organization deal with this risk that doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon — despite what the prognosticators are saying.

David Bowcott is Global Director – Growth, Innovation & Insight, Global Construction and Infrastructure Group at Aon Risk Solutions. Please send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.

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CONTRACTORS & THE LAW

By Andrew Punzo and Evan Ivkovic

Lien lawsuits and breach of trust claims Are construction lien lawsuits in Ontario to remain separate from breach of trust claims?

A

judgement in Ontario may impact whether breach of trust allegations should be included in a lien action.

Damasio Drywall Inc. v. 2444825 Ontario Limited, 2021 ONSC 8398 (Damasio Drywall) is a recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court Justice where the court held that a breach of trust claim cannot be joined with a lien claim, even though the Construction Act was amended in Ontario to remove the section expressly prohibiting the combining of breach of trust claims with lien claims.

The decision is the first of its kind in the province to clarify the law in relation to the removal of the breach of trust joinder provision from the act.

BREACH OF TRUST Breach of trust is a useful remedy for contractors and subcontractors to secure unpaid contract funds. A court may also impose personal liability against a director or officer of the contracting corporation, among others, even if the director or officer was not a signatory to the underlying contract.

A court-ordered judgment for damages in relation to a breach of trust may also survive bankruptcy and may have priority over the claims of certain secured creditors.

July 1, 2018, was amended to remove section 50(2) without any equivalent provision being inserted elsewhere in the act or related regulations.

As a result, parties may have been under the impression that if the current act applies, breach of trust claims may be brought in lien proceedings.

THE COURT’S DECISION In the Damasio Drywall case, notwithstanding the removal of section 50(2) of the lien act, the court interpreted the act to still prohibit the joining of a breach of trust claim with a lien claim.

The court stated that the provision of the Construction Lien Act that allowed a claimant to make breach of contract allegations in a lien action was carried forward into the act’s regulations.

The court interpreted this to mean that trust claims may again be prohibited from being joined with lien claims.

Furthermore, the court stated that, given the summary nature of the act, if the legislature intended to allow trust claims to be joined with lien claims, it should have stated so explicitly, given the complexity of a trust claim and that tracing project funds and remedies against directors and officers can be potentially complex.

Finally, it is worth noting that lien actions are subject to the procedural requirements of the act. For example, interlocutory steps, other than those expressly provided for in the act, cannot be taken without leave of the court. This includes the exchange of documentary productions and conducting examinations for discovery. Breach of trust actions often require these types of steps to be taken.

PROHIBITION AGAINST JOINDER IN THE CONSTRUCTION LIEN ACT Under section 50(2) of the Construction Lien Act (as it then was) states that a breach of trust claim must be separate from a lien claim.

In general, the lien act continues to apply if the prime contract between the owner and general contractor was entered into before July 1, 2018 or the procurement process for the prime contract was commenced before July 1, 2018.

The current version of the act, which applies if the prime contract was entered into on or after July 1, 2018 or the procurement process for the prime contract was commenced on or after

46 / FEBRUARY 2022

Although the subject matter of this article relates to statutory legislation in Ontario and may not be applicable to jurisdictions outside of Ontario, the court’s decision in the Damasio Drywall case suggests that a claimant should exercise caution before considering the inclusion of breach of trust allegations to a lien action. It is always best to seek appropriate legal counsel from a firm with knowledge pertaining to the applicable jurisdiction.

Andrew Punzo is a Partner and Evan Ivkovic an Associate in the Construction Group at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. This article provides an overview and is not intended to be exhaustive of the subject matter contained therein. Although care has been taken to ensure accuracy, this article should not be relied upon as legal advice.

PHOTO: © ANDREY POPOV / ADOBE STOCK

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