Pounding Hubs All Day, Plus The Liability?
:good:
The noise, the dusty working conditions, the angry Site Super (they are always just angry individuals it seems), the rush rush of the work and the liability if you screw up because you're rushing!
I notice you have a Trimble controller hooked to a Leica gun via cable in your avatar.
Could you please give me a quick lesson on the set up on both gun and controller to get a proper connection. And yes, I am an industrial surveyor, it is both rewarding and maddening, for many of the reasons mentioned. I have a massive amount of respect for the professionals (Land Surveyors) but fell into my trade rather late in life and am fortunate enough to have a well paying job in the oil sands. Bit of a dinosaur with some of the computer applications, but am slogging my way through. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Construction crew chiefs in NYC area make close to $65/hr plus $35/hr in benefits.
I understand the liability, short time tables, and dangers...but that's why we can charge much higher rates for this work. You take on just as much liability when doing monitoring or some other tasks. And liability can be managed.
When we stake something we are very careful with our QA/QC. Every setup is checked into multiple off site control points (even things like building corners hit reclectorless), all layout is reviewed by two people before going in the ground (CAD Tech and Crew Chief), and when it's done everything is checked and reported to ensure it was within tolerance. Our crew chiefs know CAD and have the laptop in the field with them to comp additional stuff as needed...and that stuff is checked as soon as it comes in. We also take a picture of every stake we set using our Leica data collector and attach it to the point in the system. We do panoramic pictures every day on site with our phones as well. It seems manageable to me and coming from a background in production (theater, concerts, etc) where everything is always an emergency or where we had to set up an entire show in 6 hours then tear it down in 2...the fast response times do not bother me. Especially when they pay for it. We have made it a point in our contracts that if we have less than 24 hours notice...they pay a mobilization premium.
Tom
Roadhand,
Construction staking is nice when you are not the one being held liable. It sounds as though you work for the GC which limits the liability to to near nil. I would suspect that if you made too many blunders you would be looking for a new job but your boss would be eating the cost of ripping out and replacing any mistakes. As a business owner it is me that the GC comes looking for and I like my house. Most projects we work on require a $1m in E&O, I'm just not sure I could or would self insure for that.
As for the whole schedule thing, which by the way is the main reason I tend to pick my layout jobs carefully, most survey firms are not working on one project at a time. I currently have about eight ongoing project spread up and down the west coast. When you work for the GC they get to make a choice which of their jobs is more critical. When you sub to them they seem to forget that they do not own you and just can not seem to understand why you can not be there at the exact time they request. I've got enough balls to juggle without some GC throwing me flaming chainsaws.
As the saying goes, "Price, Time, Quality" pick two. These days, GCs want all three plus a side of liability on the side.
Finally, you made some sarky comment about lack of capable construction surveyors in California. I don't know the last time you visited the state but I can almost guaranty that surveyors there have laid out some of the most complicated structures in the North America. I don't know how they became the 8th largest economy in the world with the lack of a built environment.
Rant over, I have to go layout some track.
>There is nothing more satisfying than being a part of and watching some engineering marvel grow from the sands to completion. "I love the smell of diesel and topsoil in the morning, smells like..victory."
:good:
The Devil's Advocate...
> I understand the liability, short time tables, and dangers...but that's why we can charge much higher rates for this work. You take on just as much liability when doing monitoring or some other tasks. And liability can be managed.
I'm with you in this. As the pain of the projects increases, so too does the fees (for private work). Having said that, I have been in field surveys for over 15 years now. It's all topo, and construction work. Being a state surveyor the liability is limited, but still very much a concern. Trying not to get killed is our main concern when on project.
But there is a certain adrenaline push from construction that gets me pumped even today after 39 years. When I retire I will be able to look back and see the results of my work. I will take some pride in knowing I had a part in bringing that project into being.
> Finally, you made some sarky comment about lack of capable construction surveyors in California.
I did not intend to be snarky or insinuate that there is a lack of capable construction surveyors there. What I did intend to convey was that there is a lack of licensed land surveyors, not just there but everywhere, that are capable, willing and financially able to take on this work. That brought me to the question of why do they (the land surveyors) try so hard to include construction surveying into their regulations?
I never intended to make this a licensed v unlicensed debate, I was merely expanding on the OP's question.
Out of curiosity, are you laying out rail for S&W?
For me its a weakest link issue that keeps it near the bottom of preferred work.
If the General is good, if the Super is good, if the . . . is good, if, & if, & if. Its more of a fast paced large team sport that CAN be fun & profitable if the links are good. With the noise, dust, mud, dumber than dumb subs, & the slower small team manageability for most of my other work I just don't seek construction work out or reply to RFP's unless I've done work on the site already or at least have good history with the General AND the Super.
plenty of licensed guys here to do stakeout, the only unlicensed people doing it in NC, work directly for the contractors. There really is no question as to why surveyors include stakeout in the definition of surveying. The large liability, the required setbacks from property lines, the increasing complexity of sites, etc. The only people who seem to ask the question can't or won't get licensed for whatever reason. Not a knock on you, I think they should allow construction folks to get licensed. But most boards want their surveyors to know something about boundaries and most projects are somehow tied to boundaries...
> .. and most projects are somehow tied to boundaries...
I disagree. Some, maybe, but most is a stretch.
