The Construction Engineering Show

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I discuss project close-out. OK, so it's not the most glamorous topic that I could think of, but it is a crucial component of any construction project. The mantra "Your job needs to look as good on paper as it does in the field" goes a long way. If you are working for a government agency, then you already know the drill: There is a myriad of paperwork that needs to be secured in order to meet the agency standards.

On this show, I riff a little on the reasons we need to make sure our documentation is as good as it can be. Then, I discuss 4 ideas that all of us can apply to our close-out efforts:

1. Start talking about Close-Out at the Pre-Construction Meeting

2. Assign someone on your team to be "The Closer"

3. Use or create Project Close-Out Checklists

4. Train your team to finish their documentation Now rather than Later…

Here's a link to a Hildebranski.com accompanying article that discusses Project Close-Out. In the article, you'll find .pdf's and links to examples of Close-Out checklists that you can use & apply to your team's work.

Connect with me and let me know what you think - Cheers!!

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

Contact Page Link

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I discuss the 2, no wait, 3 performance criteria required for building quality embankments. This episode is a 100-level class review of density & moisture, but we dive into stability, which I believe, is the most-important performance criteria of the three. I close the show riffing about the need for construction engineers to get into the dirt - You need to have a ground-level understanding about soil behavior, and the only way you get that is by having your boots on the ground.

Example Density/Moisture Curve

Connect with me and let me know what you think - Cheers!!

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

Contact Page Link

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I discuss a few "Need to Knows" for young engineers who are considering getting into construction. The construction industry is exciting, fast-paced and tests all of your knowledge & skills everyday, and you need to have the right mindset if you want to be a valuable component of a construction team. Whether you are a college student who is pursuing a construction-based education, a young engineer who is just getting started in the industry, or a seasoned pro who likes talking shop, I think this discussion will help you understand a few basic concepts that make good construction engineers great.

1. Understand that Construction is a 24/7/365 lifestyle

2. Be Curious

3. Stay Squared Away, and

4. Work Hard both On the Job and In Life!

Connect with me and let me know what you think - Cheers!!

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Website: Hildebranski.com

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I discuss design document reviews. I have spent the better part of the last year as a design document reviewer. Performing a good plan review requires you to have a general system in-place so that you can be as thorough as possible in a limited amount of time to cover as much ground as possible. I've spent the better portion of this past year as a design reviewer and have developed some fundamentals that I think can help anyone who is tasked with reviewing plans & specifications.

I touch on 5 key components that I consistently use:

1. Start your review at the 30,000 foot level

2. Understanding what's underground.

3. Review each discipline & the details

4. Always use checklists

5. Don't forget to review the special provisions & specifications

I have several articles at Hildebranski.com that discuss plan review - You can CLICK HERE to read more on the subject.

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Cheers!!

This episode of the Construction Engineering Show focuses on ideas for developing a safety mindset. "Working Safe" requires us to be actively looking and thinking about our surroundings, the operations we are involved with and how we can keep both ourselves and the folks we are working with out of harm's way. In this episode, I discuss a couple of strategies that I'm implementing in my daily routine that are worth sharing.

Check out my article TAILGATE TALK – Pre-Inspection Safety Brief where you can download a copy of a simple Safety Check Sheet that you might find to be a nice addition to your tooolbox.

In this episode, I mention a great tailgate talk experience I had during an excavation operation on one of our jobsites - Check out the article TAILGATE TALK - Engineers NEED to Train.

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Cheers!!

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time discussing job progress and how construction engineers track it. You need to have simple tools to use on a daily basis that will allow you to, months later, assemble the pace & trajectory of your job in order to present, approve or refute a claim for time.

At several points in the show, I mention an article that I wrote several years ago that shows several ways that I've tracked progress:

Resident Engineer's Toolbox - Tracking Schedules

Stop by Hildebranski.com where you can find dozen of articles that deal with traffic control and thoughts on situational awareness.

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Cheers!!!

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time debriefing my recent training session on Traffic Incident Management (TIM). I spend some time discussing the hazardous environment that we, as construction professionals, find ourselves working in on a daily basis. We discuss ideas about incident notification, wearing the proper PPE (ie "Looking like a Super Hero...) and talk about ways in which we can use better situational awareness for ourselves and the people on our crews who we are working with. 

Stop by Hildebranski.com where you can find dozen of articles that deal with traffic control and thoughts on situational awareness.

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Cheers!!!

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time discussing training and the need for civil engineers and construction personnel to always be thinking about training. Making the excuse that there aren't enough hours in the day to train is no excuse - There is no reason to NOT be training in some form or fashion everyday. I expand on this subject in my article Engineers NEED To Train. 

Stop by Hildebranski.com where you can find dozen of articles that might spark you to want to train.

LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE

Cheers!!!

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time introducing myself, discussing my background in industry and as a college instructor. Although this episode could certainly be construed as a "Brag-A-Thon," just pretend we are sitting at a bar and you asked me "So, what do you do for a living?"  I take the opportunity to talk about my work experience and discuss my plans for this podcast. 

Stop by Hildebranski.com where you can get a taste of the kinds of topics that we'll be discussing here on future episodes.

Cheers!!!

This is the introductory episode to the Construction Engineering Show. I'm your host, Bob Hildebranski, a registered professional engineer with 30+ years of industry experience. This is my opener into the world of podasting: If you've come looking for a polished podcast....well, be patient, this is my On-The-Job training into what it takes to publish a podcast.

In future episodes, we'll dive into a wide range of construction related topics. I'm looking forward to this new venture.

Stop by my website Hildebranski.com where you can get a taste of the kinds of topics we'll be discussing here.

Cheers!!