02-07-2007, 07:23 AM
One customer was installing a batching plant, which required several new foundations, in specific locations to accomodate various mounting points of some very large pieces of equipment, structural towers, conveyors, etc. After several phone calls from the concrete contractor, during which he'd say something like, "I just don't see how all this is gonna fit on this little site. Are you sure you measured stuff right?", my boss and I went to the site. The contractor spread the drawing out on the table and asked us to explain how he was supposed to put concrete in the ground when there's an existing building in the way. We looked at the drawing, looked around, picked up the drawing and rotated it 180 degrees, and said, "North is THAT way!" Solved all his problems....
Another customer asked us to come to look at some equipment that seemed to be sinking into the ground, so we visited the site. The equipment turned out to be a large screen that was 4 floors up in a screening tower. Upon climbing the stairs, we saw a 36-inch deep beam that was sagging horribly under the weight and vibration of the screen. There were two sections of 4" pipe under it, near the center, acting as braces. Between the two pipes, was a section of the bottom flange and the web that had been torched out! It seems, the plant maintenance worker thought that the beam was plenty big enough that he could cut out 3/4 of the web near the center to route a 6-inch dust collection duct that, in his own words, "would have cost us about $75 to have 2 elbows fabricated to have it miss the beam." Oh, and the screen was still in operation, 24/7!
Trust me, there is some serious lack of gray matter out there......
Another customer asked us to come to look at some equipment that seemed to be sinking into the ground, so we visited the site. The equipment turned out to be a large screen that was 4 floors up in a screening tower. Upon climbing the stairs, we saw a 36-inch deep beam that was sagging horribly under the weight and vibration of the screen. There were two sections of 4" pipe under it, near the center, acting as braces. Between the two pipes, was a section of the bottom flange and the web that had been torched out! It seems, the plant maintenance worker thought that the beam was plenty big enough that he could cut out 3/4 of the web near the center to route a 6-inch dust collection duct that, in his own words, "would have cost us about $75 to have 2 elbows fabricated to have it miss the beam." Oh, and the screen was still in operation, 24/7!
Trust me, there is some serious lack of gray matter out there......
1983 911SC
2006 Nissan Titan LE CC
1980 Renault Alpine A310
1968 912 (R.I.P.)
Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
2006 Nissan Titan LE CC
1980 Renault Alpine A310
1968 912 (R.I.P.)
Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.