Who to Hire for Your Steel Construction Project

Everyday, across America, new buildings are going up as businesses are growing. Is your company sharing in this success? Are you beginning to think about hiring someone to design that new building? Have you already started thinking about what that new building would look like? Or maybe you are needing to build a new pole building or a church building. Regardless, just as important to what you build, is who you hire to build it. So, let’s look at the first two people you need to interview and hire for your project.

So, let’s fast foward to a half-way point in your project. Imagine being stuck in a legal contract because the person you hired to help in your building project is inexperienced and therefore unable to complete the project on time. What would you do? How would you handle this situation? Incompetent erectors can easily cause you numerous and costly headaches on your project. (The most obvious potential trouble is, of course, erecting the building incorrectly.) Therefore, professional certification and experience is essential and non-negotiable.

So, how important is it to check the credientials and experience level of your candidate of erectors? Very important. That should be obvious. Yet, what may not be obvious is that some erectors may have the credentials and all the right “initials” and even years of experience–yet not have any experience in the particular type of building system that you have in mind. Therefore, make sure that the candidate you are considering has experience with the building system you are considering. The next step in researching erector candidates, after determining the type of experience they have is to research the quality of experience they have in erecting buildings. How good is the work they claim to have? How many referals do they have? Do they have any unresolved complaints with the B.B.B.? We recommend that you look at an older as well as a more recent project. It is important to see if he and his crew have recently attended training sessions to update and improve their skills. The erector you are considering must be able to supply a copy of an OSHA-approved safety program. In addition, the erector must be current on all safety requirements and hold frequent worksite safety meetings. Work with only the best; trust your building with only the best. So, do your homework, check your referrences, and find the best erector for your project.

In addition to hiring an erector, you need to hire a project superintendent. This person has the responsibility to supervise and coordinate the project–on a daily basis–with the rest of the crew in order to take care of any problems that may arise during framing. Several parts of the project need to be inspected during the work process. For example, it is important to inspect the tools and equipment continually to ensure that they are being used and operated correctly. Also, it is necessary to carefully examine the temporary bracing in use. You will additionally want to check that design bracing requirements are being implemented for the permanent bracing; and that the appearance is not “out-of-plane.” Overall, adhering to these guidelines will help ensure that your building is properly erected and thus provide you with many years of satisfactory use of your new steel building.