March 2011 Concrete Openings

w w w. c s d a . o r g

cutting and demolition at the pinnacle, london

californian water treatment works cut

underwater cutting at missouri lake

A U G U S T. 0 7M A R C H . 1 1

The sky is the Limit for cutting contractors

Project runway

concrete openings | 1www.csDA.org

President’s Page

jim dvoratchekCSDA President

h ow are you managing the “new normal?” this question came

to mind recently after i read an article in a construction pub-

lication. After 30 years in this industry, i have experienced the

challenges faced by companies in both good and tough times, but the

past couple of years have been unlike anything i have faced before.

Like many of you, i have had to go back to the very core of my busi-

ness, retrain myself and others in the company, modify the company’s

mission and challenge the established paradigm of what is expected in

return for our efforts. Being part of an association like csDA can help

any business manage this new normal.

one contributor to the article i read commented that, “if you don’t

change, you’re out of business.” this article prompted me to ask myself

several questions. what are these changes? How do i make these changes

efficiently? what are my customer’s expectations in this new market place?

How do i set my company apart from competitors? How do i identify the

core work that will provide the required profitability for the company?

what new equipment do i invest in and when? these, and many other

questions, are ones that i and many other contractors must try to answer

and implement.

the good news is that many national forecasters have indicated things

have stabilized and, in several sectors, will be improving in 2011. the U.s.

economy has dropped significantly from where it once was, but some

economists say that the country is close to returning to a more healthy

position. this is encouraging news, but, depending on your regional or

local economy and industry, you may be better or worse off.

the resources that i believe are vital to help you find your new

normal are already available through csDA. the association has industry-

specific technical, risk management, safety, estimating and operational

documentation and training available to all. csDA has focused on training

for many years, recognizing the value of training for its members. in

addition, plans are underway to expand this training into other areas to

help members with maintenance, administration and marketing.

At a time when you must try to set your business apart from competitors

and prove to customers that you are the best solution for their specialty

cutting work, you need a resource that can help your business do both. the

on-line, classroom and hands-on training sessions offered by csDA, both

now and in the near future, are always available. the vast knowledge and

experience offered by the membership is available at seasonal meetings

and annual conventions with networking, presentations and roundtables.

All it takes is to participate in csDA and be willing to engage members

in conversation.

in addition, a new csDA company certification program has been

launched. this program consists of an independent consultant reviewing

your business and certifying your company’s ability to operate in a

professional, safe and financially-sound manner. this process is similar to

the pre-qualification required by many governmental specifiers and project

managers. A presentation and workshop on this new program will take

place at the csDA convention on thursday, March 10.

As i begin my term as csDA president, i look forward to the challenges

set. one of my goals is to work with the members of the csDA Board to

provide a viable resource for this industry of cutting professionals. i invite

you to join csDA at one, or all, of its future functions.

We understand what contractors like George Cramer go through every day. So every day, we push ourselves to perfect our tools and technology to makea rough, dirty job a little easier and you even more effective.

©2011 ICS | Blount Inc. All rights reserved. 1110. 695F4 pictured.ICS | Blount Inc. · 4909 SE International Way · Portland, OR 97222 USA · Ph 800.321.1240 · Fax 503.653.4393

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CSDA OFFICERS

president, Doug walker Atlantic concrete cutting, inc.

[email protected]

Vice president, Jim Dvoratchek Hard rock concrete cutters, inc.

[email protected]

secretary/treasurer, Judith o’Day terra Diamond industrial

[email protected]

past president, tom stowell norton pro Diamond

[email protected]

executive Director, patrick o’Brien concrete sawing & Drilling Association

[email protected]

CSDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS (terms expiring 2011)

roger Allen Diamond tools technology

[email protected]

Larry Liddle Diamond products Limited

[email protected]

Mike orzechowski DiteQ corporation [email protected]

John van Dyk canadian cutting & coring Ltd.

[email protected]

Kellie Vazquez Holes incorporated

[email protected]

Kevin warnecke ics, Blount inc.

[email protected]

CSDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS (terms expiring in 2012)

Kevin Baron western saw, inc.

[email protected]

tim Beckman cutting edge services corporation

[email protected]

steve garrison Hilti, inc.

[email protected]

Donna Harris concrete renovation, inc. [email protected]

ron rapper Husqvarna construction products

[email protected]

Jack sondergard central concrete cutting, inc. [email protected]

t h e o f f i c i a l m a g a z i n e o f t h e c o n c r e t e s a w i n g & d r i l l i n g a s s o c i a t i o n

c o n c r e t e c a s e s

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The Purity of Concrete CuttingCSDA Member Makes it Crystal Clear

The Truman ShowAll Eyes on Contractor’s Wire Saw During Pillar Removal

Project RunwayThe Sky is the Limit for Cutting Contractors

Towering Over LondonConcrete Cutting Reaches its Pinnacle

4 | MArcH.11

COnCRETE OpEnIngS MAgAzInE

official Magazine of the concrete sawing & Drilling Association

Volume 20, number 1

issn: 1093-6483

Concrete Openings magazine is published by o’Brien international, inc., four times each calendar year in March, June, september and December. editorial contributions are welcomed

and advertisements are encouraged. please contact the concrete sawing & Drilling Association 13577 Feather sound Drive, suite 560

clearwater, FL 33762 tel: 727-577-5004 Fax: 727-577-5012

www.csDA.org

Magazines, newspapers and private individuals are welcome to reproduce, in whole or part, articles published herein

provided that acknowledgements are made in the following manner: “reprinted courtesy of the concrete sawing & Drilling

Association, Concrete Openings magazine, issue Date.” no alterations should be made in the text of any article.

puBlIShER

patrick o’Brien

EDITOR

cherryl o’Brien

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

russell Hitchen

COnCRETE CASE COnTRIBuTORS

John robinson rob white

tracy campbell tauna prince

neil wood

EDITORIAl REvIEw COMMITTEE

skip Aston rod newton

pat stepanski

the information and recommendations in this magazine are provided for use by fully qualified, professional personnel.

the concrete sawing & Drilling Association and the publisher disclaim any responsibility as to their use by

readers and shall not be liable for damages arising out of the use of the foregoing information.

All bylined articles published in this magazine represent solely the individual opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of the

concrete sawing & Drilling Association.

c o n t e n t s

1 President’s Page

12 World of Concrete 2011

26 The Business of Business Leaders Make Selling a Priority

28 Tech Talk Diamond Chain Technology™: Proper Care and Maintenance of Chains, Guidebars and Sprockets

38 Core Health Too Sick to Work?

40 What is Drillers Mud?

42 Safety Counts Addressing Distracted Driving

43 OSHA / CSDA Alliance Latest

46 Insurance Corner Negligent Entrustment

50 Industry Bits

58 Certified Operator Companies

60 Calendar

61 New Members

64 Director’s Dialogue

cover Photo: the Bay runway at JFK Airport, new York.

42

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6 | MArcH.11

John F. Kennedy airport is one of the busiest airports in america. annually, it handles

48 million passengers and is the leading freight gateway to the country in terms of

shipment value. the 14,572-foot-long Bay runway is the most widely-used route in and

out of JFK. When work to resurface the runway began in July 2009, one csDa member was

“flight-ready” to start the project’s concrete and asphalt cutting work several months later.

The Sky is the limit for Cutting Contractors

concrete cutting the 14,572-foot-long Bay runway at JFK Airport.


C O n C R E T E C A S E S

The Sky is the limit for Cutting Contractors

the Bay runway is the longest runway at

JFK Airport and is one of only three in the U.s.

long enough to land a nAsA space shuttle. the

runway was last resurfaced in 1993, when it

was overlaid with asphalt. the existing surface

was now approaching the end of its lifespan,

so the port Authority of new York and new

Jersey developed a $348.1 million project to

resurface the runway in order to increase the

utility and efficiency of the runway and decrease

the maintenance costs. in addition, high-speed

aircraft exit and entrance taxiways were part of

the port Authority’s delay-reduction program

so that planes could take off and land on the

runway faster than ever before, decreasing the

amount of aircraft queuing. these improvements

were estimated to reduce flight delays by 10,500

hours a year.

A concrete surface was deemed to be a

suitable replacement for the existing asphalt

surface, as a concrete runway would last 10 to

15 years longer than one covered with asphalt.

this choice of surface would also provide the

port Authority with estimated cost savings of

$500 million in maintenance and repairs over

its approximate 40-year lifespan.

the new concrete surface is expected to last around 40 years.

An aerial view of JFK Airport, with Bay runway highlighted.

8 | MArcH.11

the general contractor for the work,

tutor perini corporation of sylmar, california,

began searching for a contractor that could

take on a scope of work that included green

cutting 141,000 feet of expansion joints to a

depth of 7 inches, 265,524 feet of 2-inch-deep

joint widening from 0.5 to 0.625 inches wide,

installation of 265,524 feet of a 1-inch cold

compression neoprene seal and saw cutting

42,714 feet of 0.5-inch-wide by 1-inch-deep

asphalt butt joints around the perimeter of

the concrete slabs. Further sealing, together

with 18 to 23 inch-deep concrete slab sawing

for slab replacement, was also required. in

February 2010, tutor perini chose csDA

member Atlantic concrete cutting of Mount

Holly, new Jersey, to work on the Bay runway.

“our greatest challenge was to keep

up with a very fast-paced operation and

schedule,” said rich cannon, project manager

for Atlantic, referring to the four-month

period in which the majority of work was to

be completed. the runway was to be closed

between March and June of 2010 so the

majority of the resurfacing work could be

completed. During this period, 10,925 feet

of runway was to be completed. then, two

additional phases would be completed to

resurface the remaining 3,647 feet after the

runway reopened in november 2010.

Atlantic’s first task was to create the

7-inch-deep expansion joints in the green

concrete. Just 12 hours after the first sections

of the new concrete runway surface had

been poured, Atlantic arrived on the job

site and got to work. it took two operators,

working staggered shifts and equipped with

a 66-horsepower Husqvarna slab saw with a

24-inch-diameter blade, close to 18 weeks to

complete the required 141,000 feet of cutting.

this equaled 1,119 feet of cutting on each of

the 126 days the general contractor poured

the concrete.

the joint widening aspects of the job

included power washing and vacuuming

slurry and debris. Vacuuming and sweeping

was performed on-site using an elgin geoVac®

truck. Atlantic collected, contained and

disposed of approximately 60,000 gallons

of slurry and waste water over the course of

the project. cutting of the 265,524 feet to

A total of 264,524 feet of 2-inch-deep joint-widening cuts were made.


C O n C R E T E C A S E S

widen the joints was also completed using

the Husqvarna saw, this time with 14-inch-

blades. this took two operators 43 days to

complete, working day and night shifts and

accompanied by two laborers to wash the

surface and vacuum the slurry.

the 1-inch cold compression neoprene seal

installation required sandblasting the joints

and required all operators to wear respirators

for safety. An installation machine from D.s.

Brown and reel trailer were then employed

to place the neoprene. An automatic installer

compressor, or “tucker,” was purchased

specifically for the job, with a rental unit on

standby, while a dedicated reel trailer was

also purchased to lay the neoprene from

the 2,000-foot rolls supplied. First, the joints

were sandblasted by two operators. one

operator was then responsible for feeding the

neoprene into the machine, where it was fed

into compression wheels and lube adhesive

dispensed onto it. the compressed neoprene

continued to a discharge blade and was then

tucked into the joint.

the 265,524 feet of sealing on the runway

took 31 days. nancy L. walker, president

and owner of Atlantic concrete cutting,

believes that proper care and maintenance

of the neoprene tucker went a long way in

making the job a success. “our crews went to

great lengths to keep the new tucker clean,

maintained and operational,” she said. “we

took care of it, and it took care of us.”

the saw cutting of the 0.5-inch-wide butt

joints took around five weeks to complete.

Atlantic cut 42,714 feet of asphalt to a depth

of 1 inch around the perimeter of the concrete

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COMpAny pROFIlE

atlantic concrete cutting, Inc. has been in

business since 1991 and is based in Mount

Holly, new Jersey. support operations are

located in totowa, new Jersey and spring

city, Pennsylvania. a csDa member for 20

years, the company has 22 operators and

31 trucks, and offers services including

core drilling, wall sawing, wire sawing, flat

sawing, curb sawing, sawing and sealing,

highway diamond grinding, sawcut grooving,

grinding and polishing, selective demolition

and ground penetrating radar.

RESOuRCES

general Contractor:

tutor Perini corporation

Sawing and Drilling Contractor:

atlantic concrete cutting, Inc.

Mount Holly, new Jersey

phone: 609-261-7200

Email: [email protected]

website: www.atlanticconcretecutting.com

Methods used: slab sawing, Joint sealing

slabs, which were then sealed. Atlantic’s dry

cut vacuum system was used for this portion of

the work. the company also performed some

diamond grinding work at the airport.

safety issues at such a high-profile job

location were thoroughly covered. Atlantic

concrete cutting conducted daily job briefings

at its onsite trailer prior to the start of work.

All necessary items of personal protective

equipment were used, where applicable. the

cutting contractor has the advantage of having

several csDA certified operators on its staff,

so this level of skill and experience proved to

be helpful when working at an airport like JFK.

the port Authority, Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), airlines and contractors

all worked diligently together to prevent

delays during the four-month construction

period. All of the materials for the project

were pre-ordered and stored at JFK with two

concrete plants constructed on-site to help

speed up the work. contractors even built

a road designated solely for construction

vehicles.

to carry out this job, Atlantic concrete

cutting used 57-horsepower Mercury slab saws

from sanders saws/Multiquip and a Husqvarna

slab saw with 14- and 24-inch-diameter

blades. the team from Atlantic consisted of

superintendent tom Mihutz and operators

Brandon Bird, eric Bottali, rob chamberlain,

skip Dell, Dean grim, eddie Mogrovejo and

shawn wood. the cutting contractor also

received regular support from tutor perini

during the project, enabling the work to

progress smoothly through to completion.

cannon was pleased with his team’s

success, “not only did we keep up, but we

actually were able to stay ahead of schedule.

i’m extremely proud of the crew. they got

the job done.”

on november 12, 2010, Atlantic completed

all of the scheduled cutting work on the Bay

runway. construction for the project took

approximately two years and used enough

concrete to fill the entire new Meadowlands

stadium, home of the new York Jets and new

York giants nFL football teams, to a height of

64 feet. the new concrete surface is expected

to last 40 years, 27 years longer than the

previous surface, and will produce estimated

long-term savings of $500 million.

the Bay runway project provided 2,500

jobs, including direct construction work,

asphalt and concrete production, running

aeronautical lighting and food services. A

total of $15 million was obtained through

the American recovery and reinvestment

Act, with the rest funded by the FAA and the

port Authority. everyone at Atlantic concrete

cutting appreciated the opportunity to be part

of this important rebuilding effort, and wishes

to thank both the port Authority of new York

and new Jersey and tutor perini construction

for the work.

the contractor cut 141,000 feet of 7-inch-deep expansion joints.A 1-inch neoprene seal was installed after the joints were cleaned.

concrete openings | 1 1www.csDA.org

1 2 | MArcH.11

Now iN its 37th year, the world of concrete (woc) trade

show and exhibition was held in Las Vegas during January

2011. this year’s trade show and seminars brought close

to 49,000 industry professionals to the Las Vegas convention center

between January 17th and 21st and featured over 1,200 indoor and

outdoor exhibits in more than a half-million square feet of show space.

these numbers included a healthy representation from the concrete

sawing and Drilling Association (csDA).

Aside from the 39 exhibit booths occupied by the association and its

manufacturer, distributor and affiliate members, csDA also conducted

a wall sawing and Drilling 101 class where students worked with the

association’s instructors to increase their knowledge of these disciplines.

in addition, a host of contractor members were at woc to attend csDA

Board and next generation meetings. For those readers of Concrete

Openings who could not make the show, here are some of the highlights.

Diamond award Ceremonythe international Association of concrete Drillers and sawers

(iAcDs) announced the winners of the Diamond Award, an international

competition for excellence and innovation in the field of concrete

cutting. the winners were presented with their awards at a press

conference at the convention center on the opening day of woc 2011

in front of representatives from several iAcDs member associations

and members of the industry press. Following opening comments

from current iAcDs president peter white of the British Drilling and

sawing Association, the awards were introduced and presented by csDA

executive Director and iAcDs past president patrick o’Brien.

the 3rd place award was won by csDA member D-Drill Master

Drillers Ltd. of the United Kingdom for the contractor’s care and

precision in removing a 100-year-old tile mural with a wire saw during

a hospital renovation. A custom-made 110-volt wire saw was engineered

to complete the job that had strict noise and vibration tolerances. “it’s

fantastic to be recognized,” said Julie white, owner of D-Drill. “we’re

honored to have been awarded for what was a relatively small but

intricate job. the most fulfilling aspect is that the job was completed by

world of Concrete 2011New Products, New approaches, New optimism

Diamond Award winners (from left to right): Julie white of D-Drill, iAcDs president peter white, rodolfo spessato representing tondin srl and Victorria garcia de la torre Acosta of thayer sl.


operators who have progressed through the company’s apprenticeship

scheme,” she added.

taking 2nd place was thayr sl of spain, for its work on a wharf

expansion project at the port of Huelva in the southeast region of the

country. the cutting work was performed underwater using diamond

wire sawing techniques to cut and remove 26 reinforced concrete

pilings that were 4 feet in diameter. “it was difficult to determine the

underwater cutting depth—a real challenge—so we are very satisfied

with winning our first Diamond Award,” said Victorria garcia de la

torre Acosta of thayr sl, who was present with Fabian Alcudia Aranda

to receive the 2nd place award.

the 1st place award was presented to another csDA member and

2nd place winner from the 2009 competition, tondin srl, of italy. the

company performed outstanding work in the tunnels of a rail system

that connects Bologna to Florence. the project involved large quantities

of concrete cutting over a two-year period to increase safety in the

tunnel system. the cutting contractor used a great deal of innovation

to perform some of the work, using mechanical arms mounted to the

front of an excavation vehicle with wall saw and chain saw attachments

to cut the tunnel walls. while tiziano tondin could not make the trip

to Las Vegas, he was represented by rodolfo spessato who received

the award on his behalf. “Mr. tondin did not know he had won 1st

place, so i am sure he will be very pleased when i contact him,” said

spessato. “it was a very tough project for the company that took a long

time and a great deal of innovation to complete.”

the Diamond Award competition allows concrete sawing and

drilling industry professionals to present their most complex and

innovative projects. entries were judged on the degree of difficulty,

planning, complexity, innovation and the quality of the work produced

to ensure project success. Following a detailed review of each entry, the

judging panel representing members of various country-wide sawing

and drilling associations, chose the winning projects. the winners were

notified and awarded complimentary flights by iAcDs to Las Vegas

and complimentary accommodations by Hanley wood, the sponsor of

world of concrete. More details on the winning entries can be found

by visiting www.iacds.org and clicking on the Diamond Award banner.

iAcDs is an international trade association of sawing and drilling

associations from the concrete construction and renovation industry.

the organization was formed in 1995 and is composed of associations

from Australia, Austria, germany, Japan, spain, sweden, switzerland,

the U.K. and the U.s. the Diamond Award began in 2000 in germany

and award ceremonies are rotated around the globe in conjunction

with major exhibitions. the next Diamond Award ceremony is scheduled

to take place in 2013 during the bauma exhibition in Munich, germany.

CsDa eventsAs a woc cosponsor, csDA had a number of planned events and

activities for the 2011 show, from exhibits and contests to meetings and

training. csDA moved to a bigger booth in the central Hall and, for the

fifth straight year, shared its booth space with the occupational safety

and Health Administration (osHA). As part of its Alliance program,

csDA and osHA continue to raise awareness of work-related hazards

and encourage companies to implement tight safety procedures when

working in the field or in the shop. examples of Best practice documents

produced by the Alliance program were available at the booth, both

in english and spanish, while representatives from both organizations

were on hand to inform and endorse safety and health regulations and

documentation.

training is a key element to the success of any business in the concrete

cutting industry. Following the positive results from training provided

at the 2010 woc, csDA held a wall sawing and Drilling 101 class at this

year’s show. registered students took part in this four-day class, which

consisted of classroom sessions and hands-on training at the exhibit

booths of several manufacturer members. this gave the students the

opportunity to increase their knowledge and skill by learning from

experts in the field. in addition, class sessions were structured so that

there was adequate time for students to explore the show. training

continues to be a focus for woc organizers, and it is hoped that the

csDA classes can be developed and expanded in the future to be one of

the main certification classes available at this event.

in addition to the exhibit booth and training class, csDA held a Board

meeting and a next generation meeting at woc. Both meetings were

open to all and well-attended. the association’s accomplishments for

2010 were discussed at the Board meeting while the next generation

group discussed its plans for the year ahead, and beyond. the group held

its first meeting at the 2010 show and the number of group members is

growing. “it is great to have such an interest in the group, and woc is

an ideal venue to bring new and existing members together,” said erin

o’Brien, next generation representative. “we have some events planned

for the csDA convention and tech Fair in March and an exciting project

in the works for the association’s 40th anniversary in 2012,” she added.

the goal of the group is to increase association participation by younger

industry professionals.

For more information about csDA training classes or the next

generation group, visit www.csda.org, call 727-577-5004 or email

[email protected].

New Productsof course, the main draw for attendees of any world of concrete

show is the new products and services on display. industry professionals

are continually looking for new technologies and innovations that

will help their businesses succeed. over the past 12 months, some

manufacturers have focused on developing new tools and equipment

wall sawing and Drilling 101 class at woc.

1 4 | MArcH.11

while others have honed their existing offerings

to increase efficiency of both the equipment and

the operator.

the number of compact demolition robots

on the market continues to increase. Brokk

inc. displayed its all-new Brokk 160 demolition

robot at the show. this remote control model

can produce over 410 joules of hitting power

with a 18.5-kilowatt motor output and has

a 14.5-foot reach. Husqvarna construction

products added to its range of demolition

robots with the release of the DXr 140. this is

the smallest model produced by the company

so far, and has a 14.75- or 20.12-horsepower

motor with a reach up to 12 feet, including

the breaker. the DXr 140 is also capable

of performing an unobstructed 360-degree

rotation and can be adjusted to 30 inches in width to fit through

standard doorways. new csDA distributor member company wrench

was also at the show to help showcase the F16 demolition robot from

stanley LaBounty. the F16 weighs in at 3,417 pounds, has a 16.4-foot

telescopic boom and includes a proprietary hydraulic circuit that can

operate over 100 hydraulic hand tools.

concrete sawing equipment continues to be introduced to help

cutting contractors complete jobs quicker, safer and more efficiently. the

updated cc4100 slab saw from Diamond products now has a 3-speed

gearbox, can achieve over 14 inches of cutting depth with a 36-inch-

diameter blade and has a differential lock that provides positive drive

to the rear wheels for increased traction. gDM was at the show to

exhibit its recently-released Handicut 21 hydraulic handsaw, which

weighs 26 pounds and is available in 7 or 15 gallons per minute motor

displacements. Hilti also had some new concrete sawing products to

exhibit for the professional diamond cutter, including the DsH 700 and

900 handheld gas saws, but all eyes were on the company’s Ds-Bg 80

track-mounted wall saw and its two new wire saws that will be released

later in the year. the all-new 695gc diamond chain saw was shown at

the ics booth. complete with a 6.4-horsepower motor, the saw can cut

up to 16 inches deep and uses the company’s Force4tM technology.

there was no shortage of new core drills and bits at woc either.

DiteQ showcased its new AriX dry bits, which range from 1.5 to 6 inches

in diameter and can cut soft to medium concrete without the use of

water. the company also displayed new handheld rH-1531 and rH-1532

core drills from shibuya. these drills come equipped with a 3-speed,

15-amp motor, weigh only 15 pounds and have a 4-inch-diameter bit

capacity when handheld that can increase to 6.5 inches in diameter when

mounted. Also in the outdoor exhibit area, expert equipment introduced

the Vortex 625 core drill from cardi. this 6-speed drill has a 120-volt,

25-amp motor and can produce 1,100 rpm under load. pentruder also

had new Model MDU 30U core drills at the show. these electrical hi-cycle

models feature brushless motors and can be powered from generators

that range from 60 to 400 hertz.

not all csDA member companies at the show, however, dealt with

the cutting or breaking of concrete. several exhibitors were at the trade

show to highlight how their products can assist cutting contractors with

their projects, including those that manufacture ground penetrating

radar (gpr) equipment. geophysical survey systems, inc. exhibited its

popular structurescan Mini, MALA geoscience displayed the features

of its cX11 concrete imaging system, James instruments showcased

the r-Meter Mk iii and sensors & software gave demonstrations of its

recently launched eKKo_project software package. there is an increased

need for grp and concrete scanning and imaging in the industry, and

these manufacturers continue to develop their software and equipment

to obtain accurate results from greater depths.

other exhibitors like gölz and Liebherr concrete technology were

present to show attendees how their products can process slurry and

wastewater produced by concrete cutting. gölz manufactures slurry

filter presses that allow for slurry disposal within epA regulations.

polypropylene plates are pressed together by an air-actuated hydraulic

press. slurry is pumped though the press and the solids are filtered out

to form a semi-dry cake while the water can be reused or safely disposed

of. Liebherr’s Lrs 606 water reclamation unit collects concrete grit and

chips from slurry and adjusts the pH level of the remaining water so

that it can be reused.

with all the new products and industry advancements exhibited

at woc 2011, it is easy to see why many industry professionals remain

optimistic for the future. sales representatives from manufacturer

and distributor companies were keen to reinforce the message that

although attendance could have been higher, the company decision-

makers continue to attend at a healthy level and sales from the show

have been more than encouraging. if new equipment is being bought,

then work is being done. training programs and seminars brought in

good numbers once again, meaning that many companies are preparing

for busier times in the future by investing in well-trained and educated

employees. while new products and new approaches are introduced,

a new optimism runs through the industry.

the csDA next generation group meeting.

reView AnD coMMent on tHis ArticLe At: www.CoNCreteoPeNiNgs.Com/ForUm.CFm


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1 6 | MArcH.11photo courtesy of the U.s. naval Academy

a major construction project is taking

place in the heart of London’s financial

district. Anticipated for completion

in late 2012, The Pinnacle, also known as The

Bishopsgate Tower, will stand as the second-tallest

building not only in the United Kingdom but also

the entire European Union. In order for the new

tower to take shape, however, an existing building

had to be demolished on the proposed site. The

building had several levels of concrete floor slabs

and reinforced piles that required cutting and

removal before work on the new construction

could begin.

Concrete Cutting reaches its Pinnacle

iMAge coUrtesy oF cityscApe DigitAL, LtD.


C o N C r e t e C a s e s

the 288-meter- (945-foot) tall, 63-story

tower was designed by architects at Kohn

pedersen Fox of new york. the pinnacle was

originally proposed to stand at 307 meters (1,007

feet) but had to be scaled back due to concerns

from the U.K.’s civil Aviation Authority.

the existing building was demolished to

ground level by Keltbray Limited of esher,

england, with three basement levels retained

and new piles installed through the basement

slabs to support the new structure. Keltbray

then needed to form 140 octagonal and 150

circular openings, ranging from 1.4 meters

(4.6 feet) to 3.1 meters (10.2 feet) in diameter,

through four levels of reinforced concrete floor

slabs from the ground floor to the basement

raft slab. this would allow for the installation

of 2.4-meter- (8-foot) diameter piles. the floor

slabs were 600 millimeters (23.6 inches) thick

while the raft slab varied in thickness from 3

meters (9.8 feet) to 6 meters (19.7 feet).

in addition, there were several concrete

floors and walls of the remaining structure

that required cutting. some of these walls

adjoined neighboring properties, so tight

restrictions on noise and vibration were put

in place to protect the structural integrity of

all buildings and keep the disruption of nearby

occupants to a minimum. in order to adhere

to these restrictions, Keltbray had to find a

specialist concrete cutting and controlled

demolition company that could complete this

£2.25 million ($3.5 million) job as quickly and

quietly as possible. csDA member Kilnbridge

construction services, Ltd of London, was

given the nod to perform the cutting work.

Kilnbridge began work by creating the 140

octagonal openings on the three upper basement

levels. these openings would range in size from

1.5 meters (4.9 feet) to 3.1 meters (10.2 feet)

in diameter. the operators from Kilnbridge

decided that a Ds-ws 15 wire saw from Hilti

would be the best choice to form the openings,

as the techniques associated with this type of

saw produced much lower levels of noise and

vibration than traditional demolition methods,

plus this sawing technique was faster and created

a smoother cut surface than other techniques.

octagonal openings were created through five concrete floor slabs.

the renovation of the existing structure will enable construction of the pinnacle.

iMA

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1 8 | MArcH.11

the wire saw setup consisted of a series

of eight 50-millimeter- (2-inch) diameter

holes positioned around the cutting area

to produce the eight cuts through the

600-millimeter- (23.6-inch) thick floor

slabs, after which the position and angle

of the pulleys were adjusted to change the

direction of the cut and form an octagonal

shape. it took two days to cut free each of

the 140 octagonal concrete sections. the

isolated 2-ton sections were then removed

Regular readers of Concrete Openings

may remember another U.K.-based story

from our December 2009 issue about

core drilling and sampling at The London

Shard site. Located approximately one

mile south of The Pinnacle, The Shard

will be the tallest building in the country

when completed around six months earlier

than The Pinnacle. The Shard will stand

310 meters (1,016 feet) tall when finished,

however because the building is located on

the South Bank of the River Thames it is

not technically in the City of London, and

therefore not the tallest building in the city.

The Pinnacle gets to claim this accolade.

by a 30-ton crane to the ground level of the

building. in total, it took seven months to

complete the required number of openings

to the specified shape.

to create the 150 circular openings at the

site of the pinnacle, Kilnbridge switched from

using a wire saw to a stitch cutting technique

using 107-millimeter-diameter (4.2-inch) core

drills with 100-millimeter- (4-inch) diameter

bits. this was because the underside of the

raft slab was inaccessible to run diamond wire

around or through. in addition, the thickness

of this basement slab varied from 3 meters (9.8

feet) to 6 meters (19.7 feet).

operators core drilled holes in a circular

pattern to create openings 1.4 meters (4.6

feet) to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). the number of

holes required to create the openings ranged

from 50 for the smaller openings to 80 for

the largest. Kilnbridge completed stitch cuts

on the circumference of each opening, before

a 3-phase Brokk 330 demolition robot was

track-mounted wall sawing was used to renovate adjoining walls.

stitch drilling created 150 circular openings in the basement raft slab.




ComPaNy ProFile

Kilnbridge Construction Services,

Ltd has been a member of CSDA for

10 years. Based in London, England,

the concrete cutting and controlled

demolition division of the company has

100 employees and 50 trucks. Kilnbridge

offers services that include core drilling,

slab sawing, wall sawing, hand sawing,

wire sawing and selective demolition.

resoUrCes

general Contractor:

Keltbray Limited

sawing and Drilling Contractor:

Kilnbridge Construction Services, Ltd.

London, England

Phone: 44-207 511 1888

email: [email protected]

website: www. kilnbridge.com

methods Used: Core Drilling, Wall

Sawing, Wire Sawing, Selective

Demolition

used to break out the concrete to form

the opening. this part of the work took an

additional five hours per opening. the team

from Kilnbridge spent five months in total

creating the 150 circular openings.

the creation of slurry was closely

monitored and Kilnbridge took steps to

make sure that the slurry formed from cutting

the concrete was controlled and contained

appropriately. while operators used core

drills and a wire saw to make the specified

openings, settlement tanks were in place to

prevent slurry from spilling out from the work

area and into the building’s drainage system.

Approximately 190,000 liters (50,193 gallons)

of slurry was collected over the course of the

cutting work.

in addition to the creation of the octago-

nal and circular openings, track-mounted wall

saws from Hilti were utilized to perform cuts

to walls adjoined to neighboring buildings.

this cutting work consisted of sawing separa-

tion walls and took four weeks to complete.

the use of diamond tools allowed Kilnbridge

construction services to complete a large

amount of concrete cutting with speed and

safety while staying within the recommended

levels of noise and vibration. operators

worked in shifts on a 24-hour, seven-days-a-

week schedule to meet the strict time scale

set by the general contractor.

Health and safety played an important

part while working at such a high-profile loca-

tion, and Kilnbridge was well prepared. the

company operates an integrated Management

system (for health, safety, quality and environ-

ment) accredited to U.K. standards. Kilnbridge

ensures that its employees have the neces-

sary skills and competence through instruc-

tion, information, training and supervision. All

operators have passed the U.K. construction

skills certification scheme and hold trade-

specific national Vocational Qualifications.

“we recognize that the quality of our service

is how we will be judged, from our very first

interface with our clients, the quality of our

design input and submission, delivery on site,

through to completion and handover of our

works,” says Dermot McDermott, managing

director of Kilnbridge.

to help the new building reach its pinnacle,

Kilnbridge used a Ds-ws 15 wire saw from Hilti

to create octagonal openings in floor slabs and

107-millimeter-diameter (4.2-inch) core drills

to stitch cut circular openings in the basement

raft slab. in addition, a Brokk 330 was used

to break concrete from the raft slab and Hilti

track-mounted wall saws cut various concrete

sections free from adjoining walls.

in total, 290 openings were created at

the job site over a period of one year, which

resulted in around 600 tons of concrete cut

and removed from the remaining levels of the

building. By using diamond tools and organiz-

ing an aggressive work schedule, Kilnbridge

was able to complete the concrete cutting

work on time and within the specified bud-

get. the Drilling and sawing Association has

confirmed that this is the U.K.’s largest ever

drilling contract.

“Kilnbridge undertook a complex scheme

of concrete cutting, drilling and sawing to

effectively cut and sever the heavily-reinforced

concrete structure to facilitate the most

effective and environmentally acceptable

demolition process on both the superstructure

and substructure phases of the works,” said

Andy Mcclaffertey, project director for

Keltbray Limited. “the works were in a city

center building that had a lot of logistical

challenges, but Kilnbridge persisted and

overcame these challenges without fail.”Demolition robots broke out the concrete from the raft slab.

2 0 | MArcH.11

The Purity of Concrete Cutting

CsDa member makes it Crystal Clear

the contractor cut and removed 36 concrete troughs measuring 25 feet long.


the Henry c. garnett water purification

plant was built to treat 38 million gallons of

water per day. in 1971, a geographic area

was defined with the aim of providing a

supplemental drinking water supply for the

metropolitan area of Bakersfield. the area of

land, known as improvement District no. 4, was

chosen as the location for an expansion project

in response to the need for improved drinking

water quality, reliability and supply. this project

would double the drinking water capacity at the

purification plant.

the project involved upgrades to many of

the plant’s concrete buildings and structures,

including the controlled demolition and

removal of an existing underground highway

crossing bridge, chemical feed control building,

raw water pump station, bulk storage tanks

and associated concrete docks, slabs, footings

and walls. the project also called for the

cutting and removal of interior concrete

structures and catwalks within the confines

of sediment, flocculation and filter basins, the

drilling of numerous holes ranging from 24 to

52 inches in diameter and the wall sawing of

weir openings in all of the plant’s basins.

Due to the quantity of the cutting work

and varied methods necessary to remove

the required concrete from areas of limited

access, the general contractor for the project,

ssc construction, inc. of corona, california,

decided to enlist the help of a professional

cutting contractor to complete the work. csDA

member Austin enterprise of Bakersfield was

chosen to perform the cutting and removal

of the specified buildings and structures. “we

have built a solid reputation for the work we

perform and were pleased that the general

contractor selected us for this large job,” said

ty conner, owner of Austin enterprise.

portions of the work were to be performed

through reinforced concrete in confined work

areas, so surrounding structures and slabs had

to be protected. Diamond tools offer reduced

noise and vibration compared to traditional

demolition tools, so it was easier for the con-

tractor to isolate the required concrete sections

for cutting and removal. time was also a fac-

tor, with Austin enterprise having to work with

tight schedules for some elements of the work.

Dust and debris were to be kept to a minimum

in all parts of the purification plant. the use of

diamond core bits, blades and wire addressed

both of these issues.

the first task for the operators was to

remove 36 existing 25-foot-long concrete

troughs from three flocculation bays. each bay

contained 12 troughs. each trough measured

3 feet wide, 25 feet long, 2 feet deep and

stood 15 feet tall. the end of each trough

In September 2008, a major expansion and upgrade project began at a waste

water purification plant in Bakersfield, California. The project involved a large

quantity of reinforced concrete cutting in confined work areas with restrictions

on noise and vibration levels. The work included cutting various buildings and

structures and core drilling holes up to 52 inches in diameter, so a professional

concrete cutter was required to join the project to perform this work.

Diamond wire saw techniques were used on concrete support structures. twelve troughs were removed from each of the three flocculation bays.


2 2 | MArcH.11

was attached to an existing concrete wall, so

operators had to chip out and expose each

end in order to burn through the steel using

long-neck torches. the contractor shored each

trough before cutting commenced. with the

ends of each trough exposed, a 250-ton crane

was used to sling each one and remove them.

it took two operators 12 hours to cut each of

the 36 troughs free with a ws25 wire saw from

Diamond products.

the removal of the concrete troughs

was completed first in order for the cutting

contractor to be able to access the main

concrete support structures in each bay, as

these structures also had to be removed. the

main 40-foot-long, 5-foot-wide, 4-foot-high

and 16-inch-thick support structures were

difficult to remove using cutting techniques

like wall sawing, so Austin enterprise utilized a

wire saw for the cutting and removal of these

working with one saw, approximately one

week to complete each bay. A total of 12 wire

saw cuts were required to break each structure

down into six sections weighing between 2,500

and 7,500 pounds each, and this process was

repeated in each of the three bays.

each structure was “U” shaped and

pick points for the cut sections were cored

so that the structures could be removed by

crane. Dimas and Meco hand-held core drills,

together with rotary hammers from Hilti, were

also used for the picking and some breaking

of the sections. wire sawing averaged 13 feet

per cut, giving a total of 468 linear feet for the

cutting of the troughs and support structures.

the contractor determined that there would

be distinct time and cost advantages to using

the wire saw for this project. it took two days

to finish the cutting in each bay with the wire

saw, compared with an anticipated six days

of cutting per bay using a wall saw. this also

minimized the amount of time that the crane

was used on the job providing important

savings for Austin enterprise.

the biggest challenge facing this csDA

member at the water purification plant

was the limited space for cutting. Austin

enterprise had to make sure that all existing

concrete structures and supports underneath

the work area were not disturbed or

damaged. preserving the structural integrity

A number of other interior concrete structures within the plant were cut and removed.

items. the plan was to split the structures into

smaller sections so that they could be removed

by crane. each of the cut sections were shored

before cutting started. it took one operator,


Concrete Openings 2_3 Page December 2010.indd 1 10/13/2010 1:28:27 PM

of surrounding buildings and structures was

made easier by the use of diamond wire, as

this application provided the required levels

of noise and vibration to complete the work

quickly, safely and efficiently. the cutting team

estimates that the use of the wire saw increased

their production by 80 percent, enabling them

to remove large pieces of concrete in a short

period of time while eliminating the need to

construct false walls to protect the existing

structures from debris.

in addition to the restricted access at

the plant, there was a series of scheduled

shutdowns during which the cutting work had

to take place. these strict time frames were

specified so that the plant could continue to

function with as little disruption as possible.

these shutdowns ranged from 10 hours for

new tie-ins to 24-hour shutdowns for the

sawing of weir wall openings, and even

a 90-day shutdown for the sawing of the

sediment basins.

the project involved cutting in areas

of limited access and overhead working

conditions. in instances where the cutting area

was without the use of a fire or smoke alarm

system for more than four hours, a person was

designated to stand as a fire watch. the work

area was properly ventilated and the crane

rigging was secured to meet federal standards

at all times.

in addition to the wire saw and hand-held

core drills used on the job, Austin enterprise

employed two Meco 65-horsepower slab saws

from Diamond products and a Longyear wall

saw to cut and remove the concrete troughs

and main support structures from the three

flocculation bays. A gDM hand saw and

partner ring saw were also utilized during

the job. in total, the contractor made 500

linear feet of wire saw cuts through 14-inch-

thick concrete and 300 feet of wall saw cuts to

the same thickness. over 100 core drill holes

were made, ranging from 24 to 72 inches in

diameter and 14 to 24 inches in depth, and

950 rock drill holes were created for new

dowel bars. A flat saw cut through 14-inch-

thick concrete to remove catwalks, totaling

275 feet of cutting. Altogether, over 24,300

cubic feet of concrete was cut and removed

from the plant.

the project was completed on time and

within budget. Due to the success of this job,

2 4 | MArcH.11

ComPaNy ProFile

Austin Enterprise has been a CSDA

member since 2005 and has been

in business for 19 years. Located in

Bakersfield, California, the company

has a staff of 45 and has 26 support

vehicles. Austin Enterprise offers

concrete cutting services of slab sawing,

wall sawing, hand sawing, wire sawing,

core drilling, grinding and grooving,

sawing and sealing and bridge joints.

resoUrCes

general Contractor:

SSC Construction, Inc.

sawing and Drilling Contractor:

Austin Enterprise

Bakersfield, California

Phone: 661-589-1001


website: www. austin-enterprise.com

methods Used: Core Drilling, Wall

Sawing, Wire Sawing


Austin enterprise received two more jobs

from ssc construction at the site, performing

cutting work on concrete columns in the new

parts of the plant and demolition work at the

existing site maintenance yard.

the site supervisor for Austin enterprise,

Darold Buskirk, was extremely satisfied with

the project, “we finished early, picked up

additional work and went the duration of

the project—three years—without incident.

so overall the job was a great success,” he

said. “At any one time we had 5- to 10-man

crews performing diamond cutting, demolition

work, or both.”

new portions of the Henry c. garnett

water purification plant were open for use in

2009, while the dismantling and demolition

work associated with the existing buildings

and structures was due for completion at the

end of 2010. the plant now has the capability

to provide 72 million gallons of treated water

each day to the Bakersfield metropolitan area.

the cutting work has helped the plant increase production to 72 million gallons of treated water per day.

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Concrete Inspection for the Sawing and Drilling Contractor

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2 6 | MArcH.11

Leaders Make Selling a Priority

By George Hedley

the BUsiNess of BusIness

“I have some deep concerns about the future of your company. I have some deep concerns

about your leadership. I have some deep concerns about the management team you have

assembled. Your business is not growing for one reason: You and your management team are

not leading by example.”

t his was the opening to a letter recently sent to a start-up company from an investor. the

intention was to shake up the company and help identify where its problems truly lie.

often times, business owners and managers tend to blame their bottom line woes on

the economy, competition, customers, salespeople or their employees. in reality, results are the

biggest indicator of leadership.

leaDers leaD By examPle

Leaders lead. Leaders make it happen. Leaders get big results. Leaders set the pace. Leaders get

people to follow. Leaders create excitement. Leaders take accountability. Leaders do what it takes.

Making a profit and expanding a company is simple. it starts with creating enough revenue

to cover job costs, overhead and profit goals for the year. no revenue equals no business and

therefore, no profit. successful business leaders are almost always the big-time revenue genera-

tors who create lots of sales. the fastest way to fix a company’s profit or growth problems is to

generate more revenue. Here are some quotes to consider from successful leaders:

“Anyone can manage. Leaders go out and create revenue.”

—sam waltoN (walmart)

“Anyone can write procedure manuals. Leaders go out and sell stock.”

—JeFF Bezos (amazoN)

“Anyone can mind the store. Revenue takes inspiration and excitement.”

—JaCk welCh (geNeral eleCtriC)

“Anyone can organize. Leaders cold call and close sales.”

—lee iaCoCCa (Chrysler)

“Anyone can tell others to do it. Leaders go out and make it happen themselves.”

—ross Perot (eleCtroNiC Data systems/Perot systems)

“Anyone can build great buildings. Leaders get people to sign contracts!”

—george heDley

selliNg is Not easy

For some, selling does not come naturally.

Many business owners do not like to spend

their time cold-calling on potential customers

who do not really want to talk to them. selling

is uncomfortable. selling is not everyone’s gift,

so many business owners try to address this in

the same way—by hiring a salesperson. For the

business owner, it is hoped that the appoint-

ment of a dedicated sales person will remove

them from the sales process. Unfortunately,

this is often not the case. in some instances,

the salesperson will ask the business owner

to accompany them on sales calls in order to

close deals. this is not the situation the busi-

ness owner wants to be in, but he or she finds

it hard to come up with an alternative and

does not want to be without any salespeople.

it goes without saying that a business cannot

grow without anyone in place to bring in sales.

in the construction business, clients want

to know the owner and project manage-

ment team before making a decision to hire.

customers want to know who they will be

doing business with. they want to build rela-

tionships and develop a sense of trust during

the sales and contractor selection process.

it is almost impossible to expect a sales-

person to get a construction contract signed

without the owner’s help. it is easy to hire a

salesperson, but the hard part is to get them

to sell and close well without any coaching,

direction and hands-on involvement. owners

cannot rely exclusively on salespeople to grow


the business and bring in sales, as the likelihood

is that this won’t happen. without the owner

and management team involved, it is hard to

meet the business’ sales goals.

leaDers Commit to sell

As a business owner, the only way to grow

a company is to take personal responsibility to

get it done. the owner must also be the leader,

and must lead by example. to be successful, a

business owner must spend time with their cus-

tomers and make the sales. owners should ask

themselves what is their personal commitment

to selling. is it this week, this month, this quar-

ter or this year?

Leaders generate revenue. A personal sales

approach, utilizing face-to-face appointments

with the top 20 to 50 prospective customer tar-

gets, is what it takes. every breakfast and lunch

is an opportunity to be with one of these pros-

pects. it is possible to arrange at least one or two

meetings with potential and current customers

from the company’s list every day. weekly prog-

ress reports can be distributed to a company’s

management team to show that the business

owner is committed to making sales happen.

A business owner should lead by example.

only by this example of leadership will the rest

of a management team get on board as well.

A good way to move a company forward is

to make selling everyone’s priority. get sales

commitments from every management team

member. if some are not willing to, or simply

cannot make it happen, then these people

can be replaced with others who can and will

sell. Business owners cannot grow a company

without 100% commitment from everyone

at the top.

make selliNg a Priority

in response to the letter sent to the start-

up company, the ceo got on board and made

it happen. He made a personal commitment

to make ten sales appointments every week.

He also committed to personally generate

$15,000,000 in revenue within six months. His

leadership inspired those under him to get

on board as well. each team member com-

mitted to make selling their priority. this also

improved productivity, customer service and

profitability. in addition, the company’s sales-

person showed a marked improvement as well.

with the full support of the company leaders,

he was more aggressive, created leads and

turned them into sales.

As the leader of the business, the respon-

sibility to create growth and profit lies ulti-

mately at the feet of the business owner. it is

their responsibility to lead the company’s man-

agement or project team and to set the priori-

ties. it is recommended that business owners

make selling a priority and lead the company

in this endeavor. A company needs leadership

and employees need someone to follow. the

challenge for business owners in construction

is; where will you lead your company?

George Hedley is a professional speaker and author. His company, Hardhat Presentations, is based in Newport Beach, California, and specializes in presenting business growth ideas and leadership techniques to the construction industry. Hedley can be reached at [email protected], where companies can also receive a free copy of his book “Everything Contractors Know About Making A Profit,” or by phone at 800-851-8553. For more information, visit www.hardhatpresentations.com.

2 8 | MArcH.11

teCh Talk

Tech Talk is a regular feature of Concrete Openings magazine, focusing on equipment, maintenance and operational issues of interest to concrete cutting contractors. Readers wishing to have a particular subject addressed can call or email CSDA with their suggestions at 727-577-5004 or [email protected].

By Joe Taccogna

Diamond Chain Technology™:Proper Care and Maintenance of Chains, Guidebars and Sprockets

C oncrete chain saws and Diamond

chain technology™ have been part of

the professional concrete sawing and

drilling industry for over 20 years. whether a

concrete cutting contractor has been using

this technology for many years or is just get-

ting started, there can be certain aspects of

Diamond chain technology™ that are often

not fully understood. this article will focus

on the care and maintenance of the primary

components of the diamond chain cutting sys-

tem, with the aim of clarifying some common

views on this subject while providing timely

reminders for operators. Understanding how

to care for these primary components will help

maximize the investment made in this technol-

ogy and improve the capabilities of cutting

contractors.

DiamoND ChaiN

ProPer ChaiN seleCtioN

it is important for operators to select the

correct chain for the job. there may be more

than one type of chain available at the shop,

so choosing the right one is crucial. Like other

cutting systems and technologies, there are

different diamond segment “recipes” for cut-

ting different types of material like brick, block

or concrete. each recipe is formulated to spe-

cifically cut that particular type of material.

choosing the right chain with the right seg-

ments will not only improve performance, but

will save time and money.

New ChaiN iNstallatioN aND Break-iN

A new chain may be installed in either

direction. new chains usually require a few

minutes of cutting to break in. Avoid cutting

heavy steel with a chain that has not yet been

broken in. this is because some chains arrive

from the factory without diamonds exposed

on the segments, and cutting a material like

steel will not expose these diamonds. cutting

briefly on a coarse material like concrete will

expose the diamonds and produce better cut-

ting performance.

ProPer ChaiN teNsioN

the chain must be tensioned so that one

drive link is completely out of the groove and

the rest of the drive links are, at least par-

tially, inside the groove. the chain should be

loose enough so that an operator can easily

pull the chain around the guidebar by hand.

Horizontal cutting and longer chain lengths

require greater chain tensioning, because

there is a higher chance of the chain coming

out of the groove during cutting. excessive

loose chain tension may also allow the chain to

skip over the teeth of the drive sprocket, caus-

ing damage to the drive links. over-tensioning

the chain will increase nose sprocket and drive

sprocket wear, accelerate chain stretch and

decrease the power of the cutting system.

UseD ChaiN re-iNstallatioN

Before re-installing a used chain, operators

should inspect the segments and drive links for

damage. Just like with other diamond tools,

the chain has been used and a direction of cut

has been established, so operators should look

for the diamond crystal and bond tails on the

segment. the chain should be installed so the

diamond crystals lead the bond tails during

the cutting process. this helps avoid wasting a

layer of diamonds when cutting begins again.

gUiDeBars

ProPer Bar rail maiNteNaNCe

guidebars are designed to be used on both

sides. the bar will last longer if the wear on

the bar is evened out. this can be likened

to rotating tires on a vehicle. the guidebar

should be turned over periodically to maximize

performance. A guidebar is at the end of its

life when both sets of the guidebar rails are

worn to a point where the drive links bottom-

out in the groove.

An example of drive link damage.

concrete openings | 2 9www.csDA.org1250 NW Main Street • Lee’s Summit, MO 64086

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Diamond particles are specifically arranged throughout the segment - not just on the surface of the segment like our imitators.

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DIAMOND TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

Don’t Be Fooled by Imitators

ConCreTe openIngs onlIneCSDA has a dedicated website for its

official magazine, www.concreteopenings.

com. All job stories, regular columns—

and much more—can be accessed 24/7.

The website incorporates the latest

page-turning technology to allow readers

to page through the entire magazine

or print out sections to be read later.

The home page of the website is

organized with the same headlines as

the magazine to make navigation easy.

The website showcases the techniques

of sawing and drilling and helping to

educate specifiers of concrete cutting

services about just what can be done

with diamond tools. Comments

about job stories, or the magazine as

a whole, can now be shared online in

the discussion forum. Visitors can join

discussion threads to share knowledge

and information on specific topics

covered in the columns, or start new

threads on industry-related subjects.

Back issues are contained in the

Archives page and individual stories

are categorized by technique to help

readers find exactly what they’re

looking for on the Techniques page.

The website can be accessed through

home computers or internet-enabled

portable devices. For more information,

call Russell Hitchen at 727-577-5004

or visit www.concreteopenings.com.

3 0 | MARCH.11

SprocketS

proper care and Maintenance of

noSe SprocketS

The nose sprocket inside the guidebar is

cooled and lubricated with water. The guide-

bar has water channels inside it that deliv-

ers water to the chain drive link groove and

also into the roller bearings inside the nose

sprocket. Dirty water, or water scum, inside

portable storage tanks can clog the internal

water ports of guidebars and starve these criti-

cal components of cooling and lubrication.

To improve the longevity of the

nose sprocket:

• Ensurethatcleanorfilteredwater

is supplied

• Freerunthesawwithwaterflowing

for several seconds after cutting to

thoroughlyflushthenosesprocket

with water

• Beforecutting,applyafilmof

lightweight oil to the entire cutting

system, with particular attention to the

nose sprocket

• Understandthatheavyplungecutting

will shorten nose sprocket life

• Avoidover-tensioningofthechain,

which puts more stress on the bearings

inside the sprocket nose

If properly operated and maintained, the

nose sprocket should last the life of the guide-

bar. However, nose sprocket replacement kits

are available to service guidebars in the event

a nose sprocket becomes damaged before the

guidebar is worn out.

proper care of drive SprocketS

The drive sprocket on a concrete chain

saw is a critical part of the cutting system,

because this is where power is introduced to

the chain. Drive sprockets do wear out over

time.Exceedingthenormaloperatinglife

of the drive sprocket will lead to chain and

sprocket interface slippage. This can cause

severe damage to the chain drive links. It is

important for operators to understand how

toavoidexcessivewearandwhenitistime

to replace drive sprockets.

Grooving of teeth on the drive sprocket is

a normal wearing action that occurs because

of abrasive slurry moving between the chain

and the drive sprocket during operation.

when using a portable water supply

from a truck

• Screenorfilteranyportablewatertank

exittoensureacleanwatersupply

• Periodicallyreplacetheinlinehose

screen at the hose bib if using a

conventional water hose

Adequate water pressure is the key to

maximizingguidebarnosesprocketlife.

Beforecuttingconcreteusinganytypeof

saw, it is imperative that the operator under-

stands how the equipment works and how to

get the most out of it. Diamond chains can cre-

ateavarietyofcutsinconcreteinanefficient

manner while maintaining a good life span.

Byfollowingtheadvicegiveninthisarticle,

operators can make their jobs easier and save

their employers money.

Joe Taccogna is the marketing services manager with ICS, Blount Inc., based in Portland, Oregon. Taccogna can be contacted at 503-653-4644 or by email at [email protected]. For more information on ICS, Blount, visit www.icsbestway.com.

Although new drive sprockets are not direc-

tional and may be installed either way, the

direction of rotation should be maintained for

the entire life of the drive sprocket. Reversing

the direction will lead to drive links pinching

in the groove.

Forbestresultsandtoimprovethe

longevity of a drive sprocket:

• Avoidexcessivechaintension.This

accelerates drive sprocket grooving

• Ensuresufficientwaterflow,as

inadequate water supply accelerates

drive sprocket grooving

The drive sprocket should be replaced

when the drive link groove has worn 75 per-

cent across the sprocket tooth tip for a hydrau-

lic sprocket, or when the teeth become sharply

pointed on a gas saw sprocket.

final note about Water Supply

Water is necessary to keep the cutting

system working properly and a good water

supplywillhelptomaximizethelifeofallof

components.

Here are a few points of note and

some suggestions about water supply:

• Minimumwaterpressurerequiredis

20 psi

• Ensurethatthepumpissupplying

adequate water pressure output

A comparison of new and worn sprockets.

concrETEoPEningS|3 1www.cSDA.org

3 2 | MARCH.11

HUSQVARNA CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS17400 West 119th Street • Olathe, Kansas 66061 • T 800-288-5040 • F 800-825-00282077 Bond Street • North Bay, Ontario P1B 8J8 • T 800-461-9589 • F 800-728-1907

www.husqvarnacp.comCopyright © 2011 Husqvarna AB (publ.). All rights reserved. Husqvarna is a registered trademark of Husqvarna AB (publ.).

We’ve got you covered.

Husqvarna’s line of demolition robots are the very latest in compact demolition robot technology. High power, low weight and functional design make them the choice for demolition work. Each robot has unique features that put it in a class of its own. The DXR 310’s telescopic boom has a range of approximately 18', including breaker; while the DXR 250 is smaller and lighter to fit into compact spaces. The newest robot, the DXR 140, features an arm system that rotates 360°, without restrictions. These highlymaneuverable machines can pass through normal-sized doorways, climb stairs and the low-profile bodies ensure operators can see over them when working - creating a safer and more efficient working environment. Each machine is controlled with the market’s most unique, user-friendly remote control featuring Bluetooth technology, an innovation for this type of machine.Husqvarna’s demolition robots were built to be sturdy, powerful and smart. They were built for demolition.

Husqvarna introduces its newest remote-controlleddemolition robot, the DXR 140.

DXR 310

DXR 140

DXR 250




We’ve got you covered.

Husqvarna’s line of demolition robots are the very latest in compact demolition robot technology. High power, low weight and functional design make them the choice for demolition work. Each robot has unique features that put it in a class of its own. The DXR 310’s telescopic boom has a range of approximately 18', including breaker; while the DXR 250 is smaller and lighter to fit into compact spaces. The newest robot, the DXR 140, features an arm system that rotates 360°, without restrictions. These highlymaneuverable machines can pass through normal-sized doorways, climb stairs and the low-profile bodies ensure operators can see over them when working - creating a safer and more efficient working environment. Each machine is controlled with the market’s most unique, user-friendly remote control featuring Bluetooth technology, an innovation for this type of machine.Husqvarna’s demolition robots were built to be sturdy, powerful and smart. They were built for demolition.

Husqvarna introduces its newest remote-controlleddemolition robot, the DXR 140.

DXR 310

DXR 140

DXR 250

3 4 | MARCH.11

using diamond wire to cut concrete is one of the most challenging

applications for sawing and drilling contractors. This innovative

technique originated in quarries to extract stone and is ideal for

cutting thick concrete where access is limited. Careful planning and set-up

procedures insure the work is completed quickly and safely. When a CSDA

member was chosen to cut and remove 20-foot-tall concrete pillars from a lake

in Missouri, wire sawing offered a safe and efficient solution.

all eyes on contractor’s Wire Saw during pillar removal

the truman Show

The cylindrical concrete pillars stood 12 feet tall and

measured 4 feet in diameter.


TheHarryS.TrumanDamandreservoir,

also known as Truman Lake, is located between

the cities of Clinton and Warsaw in Missouri.

The 56,000-acre lake is the largest man-

made lake in the state and is surrounded by

more than 100,000 acres of land for outdoor

recreation activities such as hunting, hiking

and horseback riding. The dam, located at

the lake by the Osage River, sits about 1.5

miles northwest of Warsaw, Missouri, and

regulateswaterflowtoproducehydroelectric

powerwhileprovidingfloodcontrolforthe

SouthwestPowerAdministration.

TheU.S.ArmycorpsofEngineerscom-

pleted construction of the dam and reservoir

in 1979 and still manage the site today. In the

early 1960s, a series of concrete pillars was

installed close to the water’s edge to run elec-

trical and utility services across part of the lake.

Sincethepillarswereinstalled,severeweather

and corrosion had caused many of the pillars

to tilt. This rendered the pillars structurally

unsound so the decision was made to have

them removed. The task facing the chosen con-

tractor was to cut and remove the 12 cylindri-

cal reinforced concrete pillars that were each

4 feet in diameter. The pillars stood 20 feet

tall from the bottom of the lake, and it was

specifiedbytheU.S.ArmycorpsofEngineers

that they be cut as close to the bed of the lake

as possible.

Concrete cutting in Truman Lake, Missouri,fromfloatingworkplatforms.

c o n c r e t e c a S e S

3 6 | MARCH.11

Massman Construction Co. of Kansas City,

Missouri, was selected as the general contrac-

tor for the planned work. The company then

neededtofindacuttingspecialistthathad

therightequipmentandexperiencetoper-

form the underwater demolition aspects of the

project.MassmanchosecSDAmembercoring

andcuttingofSpringfield,partofThecoring

and Cutting Group, to complete the work.

“We could set up the wire saw close to the

bottom of the lake to make the cuts. We were

alsoabletominimizedebrisinthewaterand

make a really clean cut,” said Kenney Robling,

branch manager at the Coring and Cutting of

Springfieldoffice.

Thefirsttaskforthecuttingcontractor

was to assess the environment in which the

cutting would take place. The lake varied in

depth from 4 to 9 feet at the locations of the

12 pier structures, so a diver was required to

enter the water and set up the pulley systems

totheconcretesurface.Afloatingworkbarge

was employed to carry a crane and the sawing

equipment.Pulleyswerepositionedtorun

the 50-foot length of 0.375-inch-diameter

diamond wire from Husqvarna that was used

to make the planned cuts. It was the diver’s

job to run the wire through the pulley system

and connect it around the wire saw and pillar.

Operators then ran a two to three-minute test

of the system to check that it worked properly.

Then divers went back into the water to make

sure all pulleys remained intact and the wire

was still running its intended route.

As soon as the setup had been tested,

sawing commenced. On average, it took three

hours to saw through the 4-foot-diameter

concrete pillars. Two pillars were cut each day.

A diver assessed the base of the pillars and set up 50-foot-long wire saw runs.

Each4-foot-diameterpiertookthreehourstocut.


rEViEwAnDcoMMEnTonTHiSArTicLEAT: WWW.concreteopeningS.coM/foruM.cfM

coMpany profile

The Coring and Cutting Group has been

a CSDA member since the year 2000. The

group’s headquarters are in Kansas City,

Missouri, and there are an additional

20 branch locations across nine states

in the U.S. The Coring and Cutting of

Springfield branch has been in business

for 32 years, has 12 operators and 12

trucks and offers the services of core

drilling, wall sawing, wire sawing, flat

sawing and selective demolition.

reSourceS

general contractor:

Massman Construction Co.

Sawing and drilling contractor:

Coring and Cutting of Springfield

Springfield, Missouri

phone: 417-725-4534


Website: www.theccg.us

Methods used: Wire Sawing

It took the team from Coring and Cutting

ofSpringfieldfivedaystocutthroughall12

of the 4-foot-diameter, 21,000-pound pier sec-

tions and safely remove them from the lake.

This totaled 252,000 pounds of cut concrete.

The job was completed without any delays,

and was on time and within budget. “This was

achallengingbutgreatjobfortheSpringfield

office to perform,” said carl Jones, safety

director for The Coring and Cutting Group.

“The potential safety risks were reviewed and

managed well which made for a highly-suc-

cessfuljob,”Jonesadded.

The cutting contractor credits the

company’s success in winning the project

to a couple of important points, as Robling

explains, “The coring and cutting of

Springfieldofficehasbuiltasolidreputation

over the years, and has a large customer base

to show for it. In addition, we had the required

expertise in wire sawing. our reputation

helped us to win the bid for the job at Truman

Lakeandourexpertisemadesurethejobwas

a success.”

Rigging was set up to attach the cut sections

to the crane for removal before each pier was

cut free from its base. When the cutting of

each pier was completed, the crane removed

the 21,000-pound cut section from the water.

The sections were held on the platform until

being loaded onto a truck for removal from

the work area. Cutting work was completed in

fiveshiftsbyfiveoperatorsandadiver.

Underwaterwiresawingisnotwithoutits

challenges. Working in the 60-degree waters

of Truman Lake during October 2010 was one

thing, but the windy weather conditions above

the water and the little-to-no visibility in the

watermadethewiresawset-updifficultas

well.Unabletoseeveryfaraheadunderthe

water, the diver relied on his sense of touch to

run the wire through the pulley system. The

two to three-minute test runs of the saw were

very important, as the run had to be accurate

from the start of cutting before speed could

be increased.

The use of a diver was a necessity for the

job, so The Coring and Cutting Group took steps

tomakesurethattheSpringfieldofficehada

qualifieddiver.Thechosendivertookseveral

classesandwascertifiedinthisdisciplinebefore

completing the dives in the lake. Operators and

laborersonthefloatingworkbargeworeall

necessary personal protective equipment and

life vests at all times.

To cut the 12 concrete pier structures free

and remove them, operators used a 26-horse-

power cS2512 wire saw from Husqvarna

together with a hydraulic power pack from

Diamond Products. A 50-foot length of

0.375-diameter wire was also supplied by

Husqvarna.

Cut sections weighed an average of 21,000 pounds.

c o n c r e t e c a S e S

3 8 | MARCH.11

By Erin O’Brien

Too Sick to Work?

core HEALTH

theaverageU.S.employeetakes5.8sick

days per year, a number that probably

seems too high to employers but pretty

low to employees. There is a quiet battle be-

tween the two parties about the subject of ill

time and this raises the question, how sick is

“too sick” to work?

coldsandthefluaretwoofthemainrea-

sons for employees missing work, although

other related illnesses and conditions can

accountformisseddays.Forthemostpart,a

mild cold or minor allergy symptoms do not

require complete rest, and the employee does

not need to stay home. The important thing

for employees to remember is that if, by going

to work, the employee could make their con-

dition worse, fail to do their job effectively,

or risk infecting coworkers, staying home for

a day or two is the best course of action. If an

employee is feeling very sick, they are likely

to have a hard time functioning and perform-

ing at their normal level. Also, trying to “push

through” or “tough out” an illness can actu-

ally make a condition worse and prolong the

amount of time an employee is sick. Going

to work while contagious also increases the

risk of infecting coworkers. If an employee is

so sick that a doctor prescribes antibiotics or

any controlled substance to control pain, the

employee should stay home, especially if his

or her job entails driving or operating heavy

or dangerous equipment.

It is important to know the difference

betweenacoldandtheflu,however,and

determine when it is preferable to stay home.

Thefluisahighlycontagiousviral infection

and employees should stay home during the

worst of it. A cold, however, is usually less

severe and may not require an employee to

missanytimeatwork.Symptomsofacold

includeasorethroat,headache,sneezing,

congestion and coughing. These symptoms

usually emerge gradually over a few days.

Acold iscontagiousforthefirsttwodays

after symptoms start. It is during the conta-

gious period that a person is advised to stay

home to recover to avoid infecting anyone

else. Occasionally, symptoms of a cold can

include a fever, although it is usually low-

grade(100degreesForlower). ifthefever

isabove100degreesF (high-gradefever),

the person should stay home until the fever

subsides.Similarsymptomscanapplyforthe

flu,whereahigh-gradefeverisacommon

symptom.otherflusymptomsincludemus-

cle aches, headache, runny nose, sore throat,

cough,weaknessandfatigue.Flusymptoms

tend to be more severe and come on abruptly.

Employeesshouldstayhomeduringtheworst

daysofthefluandcanreturntowork24to

48hoursaftertheirtemperaturehasreturned

to normal.

Other illnesses and conditions that may

warrant time away from work include seasonal

allergies, sinus infections, pinkeye and staph

infections.Seasonalallergiesaremostcom-

mon in the spring, although they can occur

during any time of the year. About 25 percent

of the population has some type of allergy,

whether it is to dust, mold, pollen, animal dan-

der, insect stings and bites or other airborne

irritants. An allergic reaction happens when

aperson’simmunesystemaggressivelyfights

irritants that enter their system. These irritants

are perceived by the immune system as dan-

gerousandtheresultingsymptoms—sneezing,

red, watery, itchy eyes, congestion, fatigue

and trouble breathing—are the result of this

attack. Typically, allergies do not require the

employee to miss work, unless the symptoms

becomeextremelysevere,astheyarenotcon-

tagious. However, allergies can lead to sinus

infections, which may result in missed time

from work.

If allergic symptoms have lasted longer

than a few days or are getting worse, a sinus

infection is a likely culprit. In the case of a sinus

infection, it is recommended to see a doctor,

whomayprescribeantibiotics.Symptomsofa

sinus infection include green or yellow nasal

discharge, nasal congestion, facial pain or pres-

sure,fatigue,muscleaches,dizziness,head-

ache or aching in the upper jaw and teeth. This

sinus pressure and aching is what usually pre-

vents an employee from going to work, as the

pressure is so intense it can be painful just to

open their eyes or move their head. The worst

of the symptoms can last for two to seven days,

although mild symptoms will likely linger for

uptotwotothreeweeks.Sinusinfectionsare

not contagious, so in this case, the employee

should use their best judgment in deciding

whether or not to go to work.

Pinkeye,orconjunctivitis,canresultfrom

a viral or bacterial infection, allergies or envi-

ronmentalirritation.Symptomsofpinkeye

include redness, tearing, itching, burning or

swollen eyelids. If the cause of pinkeye is a

viral or bacterial infection, it is highly con-


tagious and the employee should stay home

untilthesymptomssubside.Viralpinkeyewill

not respond to antibiotics, but the condition

willimproveonitsowninthreetofivedays.

Bacterialpinkeyewillrespondtoantibioticeye

drops and the employee can return to work 24

to48hoursafterstartingtreatment.Pinkeye

caused by allergies or irritation is not conta-

gious and employees can continue to work.

Staph infections are another type of

highly-contagious infections. Staph infec-

tions usually present as an abscess or some-

thing that looks like an infected cut or insect

bite. They are easily treated, as long as it is

community-acquired (compared to hospital-

acquired, which can be much more serious

anddifficulttotreat).Earlydetectioniskey,

as the longer the infection goes untreated,

the worse it becomes. Treatment comes in

the form of antibiotics and avoiding contact

with the infected area. Methicillin-resistant

Staphylococcusaureus(MrSA)isamoresevere

form of staph infection that is resistant to typi-

cal antibiotic treatment, as well as being highly

contagious. In both cases, it is important to see

a doctor and make sure the affected area is

covered at all times to prevent spreading the

infection.Employeeswhosejobincludespos-

sible skin-to-skin contact with other employees

should use caution to avoid infecting cowork-

ers.Leftuntreated,staphandMrSAinfections

can lead to more severe complications.

One of the most important things an

employee should consider when deciding

whether he or she are too sick to work is the

welfare of their coworkers and the effect their

illness will have on them. If the employee

worksincloseproximitytoseveralothers,or

is so sick that he or she is unable to function

effectively at work, it is advised that he or she

takeadayortwotorestathome.Employees

should follow the golden rule—treat others

as they would like to be treated.

Erin O’Brien, MS, ATC is a Certified Athletic Trainer and Marketing Coordinator for O’Brien International, the association management company that manages the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association. O’Brien received her Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training from Ohio University and her Master of Science degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida. She is a regular contributor to Concrete Openings magazine. She can be reached at [email protected] or 727-577-5002.

Safety and firSt aid guidelineS and reSourceS

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Check out our web site to see how you can deal with Saw Slurry.Start saving money and help the environment!

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Converting hazardous waste rinse water into a landfill safe solid!

4 0 | MARCH.11

for a number of months in 2010,

national news featured up-to-the-

minute coverage of the oil spill in

thegulfofMexico.reportsoften

referred to the use of “drillers mud” in the oil

drilling process, and at one point the media

described an attempt to seal the well with it

inordertostoptheflowofoilintothegulf.

Butwhatisdrillersmud?Atthetime,veryfew

people in the concrete industry knew anything

about it. It cannot be found in many indus-

try publications because it doesn’t fall within

the jurisdiction of many trade associations.

It falls under the guidelines set forth by the

AmericanPetroleuminstitute(APi),andithas

beendiscoveredthatthereisn’tastandardmix

because the requirements of each well appli-

cation are unique.

drillers MudThere are two types of mud: drillers mud

and cement slurry. When an oil well is drilled,

contractors place drill bits at the bottom of

drill pipes, turning them to do the actual drill-

ing. The drill bits create a much larger hole

than the drill pipe, so workers install a large

steel pipe casing to protect the hole as they

go down to prevent the sides of the hole from

caving in. As the drilling gets deeper, it’s com-

mon to reduce the diameter of the outside

casing, making the structure of a well more

complicated.

As a drill cuts through dirt and rock, the

tailings must be cleared away constantly and

brought to the surface. Drillers mud is used for

thatpurpose.itflowsthroughaholeinthe

center of the drill to keep the bit free of tail-

ings.Thismudismixedwitheitherfreshorsalt

watertoflushground-upmaterialawayfrom

the bit and bring it to the surface between

What is “drillers Mud?”oil industry uses class H portland cement during drilling operations

By Joe Nasvik

the drill pipe and the casing. This noncementi-

tious material is formulated to meet the special

requirements for each well.

cement SlurryJim Jarl, the quality control manager

ofclassHoil-wellcementforTexasLehigh

cement,Buda,Texas,saysthecementingopera-

tionforanoilwell isverydifficult.Thechal-

lengeinvolvesfillingthespacebetweenthe

steel casing and the dirt or rock sides of a well

withamixtureofcementandvariousother

materials designed to best secure the forma-

tions and bond to the casing. The void is typi-

cally 1 to 2 inches, and must be completely

filledtosecurethecasingandpreventwater

or anything else from corroding the steel cas-

ing or escaping from around the outside of the

casing pipe. “The cement slurry must adhere to

thepipeandcompletelyfillthespacewithno

voids,”Jarladds.

A typical drilled hole. A steel pipe casing is inserted into the drilled hole to prevent the possibility of collapse. Typically, there is a 1- to 2-inch void space between the casing.

Tofillthevoidaroundthecasing,ameasuredamountofcementslurryisplacedinsidethecasing.next,arubber plug is placed on top of the slurry and water or seawater is typically pumped on top of the plug to pressure.


In the case of the leaking well in the Gulf,

cementing the casing started more than a mile

below the surface where temperatures can

startatfreezingandsoonexceed300degrees

Fahrenheit in the ground below. “At 300

degreesFahrenheit,normalportlandcement

cansetinstantly,”saysJarl.“Sothemixture

mustbedesignedtomeetthespecificexpec-

tations of each well.”

Drilling slurries can be very complicated,

startingwiththecement.classHPortland

Cement is only used by the oil drilling indus-

try and there are few cement producers who

make it, as the product is considered high risk.

Manufacturers remove the calcium aluminates

(c3A)fromthecementinordertoprovidea

longer setting time.

Thefineaggregateusedisentirelydepen-

dent on well conditions. Companies develop

mixesbasedontheconditionsofawell.Mixes

that must be heavier use hematite aggregate

(anironcompound),mixesthatmustbelighter

usefine-gradedsilicaorsilicaflour,andclay

materials can be added to reduce shrinkage.

retardingandsuper-plasteringadmixtures

also are common.

How drillers install cement SlurryTime is of the essence when installing

cement slurry, because the cost of drilling

per hour is very high and drilling operations

cease while slurry is placed around casings.

Themixescreatedforanapplicationmustgive

the installer just the right amount of time: The

slurry must not set before placement is com-

plete but should ideally set shortly afterward

so drilling operations can proceed. Companies

thatdesignandinstallthesemixesoftenmake

theirownproprietyadmixturestomorecare-

fullymanagetheseexoticmixes.

To place cement slurries, contractors care-

fully calculate how much material is needed

tofillaspace.Thentheypumpthatamount

down through the casing to the bottom of

thewelltofillthevoidfromthebottomup.

next,theyinsertaplugorwiperplugontop

of the slurry and press it downward with non-

cementitious mud or water, pushing the slurry

around the bottom lip of the casing and up

intothevoid,completelyfillingthevoidspace

around the casing. This process continues until

the slurry moves all the way upward to the sur-

face or previous placement, leaving the casing

opensothedrillingmayproceed.Sometimes

drillers will perforate through the casing and

cementtoexposeoilbearingformationsto

the well.

whenawell’sflowiscutoff,thesame

cementslurryisusedtofilltheinsideofthe

casing, completely sealing it.

The worldwide search for oil has become

much riskier now. Oil companies are search-

ing for oil under conditions that are much

moredifficult.inthegulf,forexample,drill-

ing starts at ocean depths of 5000 feet or

more, making cement slurry operations very

intense. In response to these new environ-

ments, the requirements for cement slurry

products are changing too, and becoming

more sophisticated.

This article has been reprinted courtesy of concreteconstructionMagazine.

The article was written following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, and the staff at Concrete Openings felt that it would be of interest to readers.

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4 2 | MARCH.11

Safety CounTS

Addressing Distracted Driving:Employers Need to Keep Their Eyes on the Road

By Mark A. Lies II and Meagan Newman

employers whose businesses require the

use of cars, vans or trucks must under-

stand that the policies and training they

have in place regarding the safe operation of

those vehicles—and the inclusion of a clear pro-

hibitionagainsttextingwhiledriving—areof

stronginteresttooSHA,thelawenforcement

community, insurance carriers and potential

civillitigants.Failuretoaddressthepotential

hazardsofdistracteddrivingcanresultinsig-

nificantemployerliability.

oSHa requireS tHat eMployerS ban

texting WHile driving

In a recent open letter to employers,

AssistantSecretaryofLaborfortheoccupational

SafetyandHealthAdministration(oSHA)David

Michaels said, “It is your responsibility and legal

obligation to have a clear, unequivocal and

enforcedpolicyagainsttextingwhiledriving.

Companies are in violation of the Occupational

SafetyandHealthActif,bypolicyorpractice,

theyrequiretextingwhiledriving,createincen-

tives that encourage or condone it or structure

worksothattextingisapracticalnecessityfor

workerstocarryouttheirjobs.oSHAwillinves-

tigate worker complaints, and employers who

violate the law will be subject to citations and

penalties.”oSHAwilluseitsgeneralDuty

clause,Section5(a)(1)oftheoccupational

SafetyandHealthAct,toissuecitationsand

proposed penalties in these circumstances.

oSHAconsiders“distracteddriving,”which

canincludetexting(andpotentiallytheuse

ofcellphonesfortelephonecalls),tobea

recognizedhazardtoemployeesafetyunder

thegeneralDutyclause.Penaltiesforwillful

violations of the Act under the General Duty

Clause can be as high as $70,000.

coStS greater tHan

regulatory penaltieS

oSHAcitationsandasso-

ciated penalties are not the

only liabilities that employ-

ers must be concerned about

when it comes to distracted

driving.Forexample,thirty

states have already enacted

bansontextingwhiledriving

and in many of the remain-

ing states similar bans are in

place at the county or city

level. Additionally, in 2009

more than 200 state bills

were introduced that ban cell

phoneuse—bothtextingand

talking.Theselawsmaketex-

ting while driving illegal and

also open employers to liabil-

ity for accidents that result

from the distracted driving

of their employees.

Employeesfacebothindi-

vidual civil and criminal lia-

bility for damages that result

fromaccidentscausedbytex-

ting while driving a vehicle.

Likewise, employers face liability for the acts

of their employees under agency law with

increased costs. An employer is potentially

liable when an accident happens as a con-

sequence of distracted driving, whether the

employee is on company time or even run-

ning a work-related errand, which includes a

quick trip to pick up lunch for themselves and

a supervisor. If the employer has not clearly

prohibitedtextingwhiledrivingandenforced

that policy, the employer faces potential liabil-

ity as a result of the accident.

Fordecades,employershavefacedliabil-

ity for the acts of their employees that occur

during the course of the employment rela-

tionship. If it is considered that the demands

of an employer have led to a distracted driver

causing an accident, the employer can be sub-

ject to vicarious liability claim. Consider the

claimsmadeagainstpizzadeliverycompa-

nies whose drivers were instructed to deliver

apizzain30minutesorless.Thetimecon-

straints placed on the delivery drivers were

causing these drivers to become more con-

www.cSDA.org concrETEoPEningS|4 3

oSHa / cSda alliance latest

t he Alliance between the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association (CSDA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is now in its sixth year and continues

to educate contractors, prevent on-the-job accidents and injuries and provide vital materials to advance a safe work environment for sawing and drilling professionals. Here is the latest news from the Alliance Program.

redeSigned oSHa SMall buSineSS Web pageS

oSHArecentlyredesigneditsSmallBusinesswebpagestohelpsmallbusiness

employersandworkersfindinformationonoSHA’ssmallbusinessresources.

TheSmallBusinesswebpagesincludeinformationabouttheadministration’s

on-siteconsultationProgramanditsSafetyandHealthAchievementrecognition

Program(SHArP).Theredesignedhomepageprovidesanswerstothesmall

businesscommunity’smostfrequentlyaskedquestionsaboutoSHA’ssmallbusiness

resources, programs and policies. It also features success stories highlighting how

employers have improved their workplace safety and health performance by using

oSHA’son-siteconsultationservices.Thenewon-siteconsultationProgramweb

pagereviewsthebenefitsofthisfreeandconfidentialprogramforsmalland

medium-sizedbusinessandguidesbusinessesthroughtheprocessofinitiating

andparticipatinginanon-siteconsultationvisit.TheSHArPwebpageprovides

amoreuser-friendlylayoutforsmallbusinessesseekinginformationonoSHA’s

recognitionprogramforon-siteconsultationparticipantswithexemplarysafetyand

healthmanagementsystems.ThewebpagesarealsoavailableinSpanish.Formore

information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html.

oSHa alliance SupportS 2011 naoSH Week

ThroughtheoSHAandAmericanSocietyofSafetyEngineers(ASSE)Alliance,

oSHAiscontinuingtoworkwithASSEtosupportnorthAmericanoccupational

SafetyandHealth(nAoSH)week,whichwilloccurMay1-7,2011.Thethemeforthe

2011campaignis“celebratingacenturyofSafety.”The2011nAoSHweekkick-off

eventwillbeheldattheDepartmentofLaboronMay2.nAoSHweek,anannual

campaignledbyASSEandthecanadianSocietyofSafetyEngineering(cSSE),is

aimed at increasing the focus of employers, workers and the general public on the

importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. This year’s event

markstheseventhyeartheAllianceProgramwillbeinvolvedwithnAoSHweek

activities.Formoreinformation,visithttp://www.asse.org/newsroom/naosh11/

whatisnaosh.php.

scious about the clock on the dashboard than

on their surroundings, and accidents increased.

inthecontextofdistracteddriving,theprice

of vicarious liability can be significant. in

Florida,alumberwholesalersettledforover

$16 million after one of its salesmen (while

talkingonacellphone)hitandseverelydis-

abledanelderlywoman.inVirginia,amajor

california-basedlawfirmwassuedfor$30mil-

lion by the parents of a 15-year-old girl, who

waskilledbyacardrivenbyoneofthefirm’s

lawyerswhilethelawyerwasutilizingacell

phone. A jury ordered the attorney to pay the

family$2millionandthelawfirmsettledfor

aconfidentialamount.

Beyond potential oSHA administra-

tive penalties and civil and criminal liability,

employers should also consider how their

policies and practices can affect their insur-

ance rates. There is no question that with an

increase in accidents caused by distracted driv-

ing, the cost of worker’s compensation and

other insurance coverage will rise.

WHat SHould eMployerS do to

reduce accidentS cauSed by

diStracted driving?

Employersneedtoputintoeffectclear

policiesthatunequivocallyprohibittexting

and talking on a cell phone while operating

anykindofmotorizedvehicle.Thisincludes

cars, buses, trucks, forklifts, construction and

agricultural vehicles. The “workplace” includes

any location where the employee is operat-

ingaworkvehicleduringworkhours.For

example,manyemployersrequireemployees

who are operating a motor vehicle to take the

vehicleoutofmovingtrafficlanes,stopthe

vehicle completely and then use a cell phone

or electronic device to communicate.

Employers should also carefully evalu-

ateexistingpoliciesandthenatureoftheir

workplaces to ensure that there are no incen-

tives or un-written policies and practices that

encourage the use of hand-held communica-

tiondevicesfortextingordataentrywhile

operating a vehicle.

whileoSHA’srecentmessageaddresses

texting,employersshouldconsiderwhether

the use of other forms of hand-held com-

munication or data entry while operating

vehiclesiscreatingahazard.iftheanswer

is “yes”—or even “maybe”—further evalua-

4 4 | MARCH.11

driver Safety docuMentS froM cSda

TheconcreteSawing&DrillingAssociationhasanumberofdriver-relatedsafety

documents in place for its members, the most recent release covering the subject of dis-

tracteddriving.cSDAToolboxSafetyTips(TSTs)continuetobeausefulresourceforall

members,notjustcontractors.releasedinDecember2010,TST191providesinforma-

tion on the various forms of distracted driving and how industry professionals can avoid

beinginvolvedinroadtrafficaccidentscausedbythesedistractions.

ThroughtheoSHAAllianceprogram,cSDAhasalsoproducedaBestPracticeon

thesubjectofdefensivedriving.Thedocument,cSDA-oBP-1003,canbeviewedor

downloaded via www.csda.org and is available

inEnglishandSpanish.ThisBestPracticedetails

the steps a driver should take to make sure

the vehicle and its passengers remain safe

both before and during a journey.

Therearealmost100cSDATSTs

incirculationtogetherwithsixBest

Practicedocumentsproducedwith

oSHA.Formoreinformation,call

727-577-5004 or visit www.csda.org.

tion of these policies and practices is needed

to ensure that employees are protected from

recognizedhazards.

Consider the use of certain applications in

company-issued devices that can block the use

ofcellphones,includingtextingandinternet

access, while a vehicle is moving.

Enforcebansontextingwhileoperatinga

vehicle.Enforcementofthesepoliciesmustbe

consistent and cover both management and

non-management employees alike.

iftextingordataentryisanecessarypart

of an employee’s job while on the road, con-

sider devising a schedule that allows for rou-

tine breaks during which vehicles are stopped

to allow for the communication or data entry

to be completed.

onoctober4,2010,oSHAannounced

a new online resource intended to inform

workers of their rights and employers of

their responsibility to provide safe workplaces

while offering best practices and policies on

achieving safe workplaces in motor vehicles.

MoreinformationfromoSHAisavailableat

http://www.osha.gov/distracted-driving.

Additional information is available from

thenetworkofEmployersforTrafficSafetyat

http://trafficsafety.org/drivesafelyworkweek/

about-dsww.php.

concluSion

AsoSHA’senforcementofthisnewagenda

gainsmorenotoriety,itcanbeexpectedthatit

willhaveasignificantimpactonlawenforce-

mentatalllevelstoregulatethishazard.ifthe

foregoing recommendations are considered

and adopted by employers, they will reduce

potential individual civil and criminal liability

of employees as well as the vicarious liability

of the employer.

Mark A. Lies II is a labor and employment law attorney and partner with Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Chicago, Illinois. He specializes in occupational safety and health law and related employment law and personal injury litigation. In addition, Seyfarth Shaw has assisted CSDA members by holding presentations and moderating roundtable discussions at annual conventions. He can be reached at 312-460-5877 or at [email protected].

Meagan Newman is an associate with Seyfarth Shaw LLP. Ms. Newman’s practice focuses on environmental and occupational safety and health law and related litigation. She can be reached at 312-460-5968.

4 6 | MARCH.11

inSurance CornEr

Negligent Entrustment

By Paul Zeni

S tories of serious vehicle crashes are

covered by the media on an almost-

daily basis. It is often the case that the

driver who caused the accident had a string

of serious driving violations. Typical responses

include, “How could that person be behind the

wheel?” and “Didn’t anyone check them out?”

These are also the types of questions that

many injured parties ask the courts to decide

upon. As a result, the number of negligent

entrustment verdicts continues to increase.

Judgmentsareoftenlargeandcaninclude

punitive damages, which, depending on juris-

diction, may not be covered by insurance. The

risk of uninsurable multi-million dollar awards

threatensacompany’sreputation,profitabil-

ity, insurability and ultimately its viability.

Fortunately,therearestepsthatcanbetaken

to guard against the allegation of negligent

entrustment.

WHat doeS negligent entruStMent

Mean?

In basic terms, negligent entrustment

means to charge someone with a trust or duty

in an inattentive or careless fashion or with-

out completing the required process steps. In

commercial auto operations, a case of negli-

gent entrustment may arise when someone

allows another person to use a vehicle know-

ing, or having reason to know, that the use of

the vehicle by such a person creates a risk of

harm to others.

WHat eleMentS Make up negligent

entruStMent?

There are several issues which are gener-

allyexaminedinacaseorclaimallegingneg-

ligent entrustment. They include:

• thecompetenceofthedriver

• theemployer’sawarenessofthedriver’s

competence

• theemployer’sentrustmentofthe

vehicle to the driver

• thedriver’snegligenceontheoccasion

in question

• thedriver’snegligencebeingthe

proximatecauseofthecrash

HoW can it be SHoWn tHat tHe

driver iS incoMpetent?

Cases in many jurisdictions have focused

on establishing the minimum competency of

driversbyusingtheFederalMotorcarrier

Safetyregulations(FMcSr)asareference.in

simple terms, these regulations require that

a driver:

• beoflegaldrivingageforthestate

where his/her license was issued

• beabletoreadandspeaktheEnglish

language

• byreasonofexperienceortraining,be

able to safely operate the vehicle

• byreasonofexperienceortraining,be

able to determine whether the cargo is

securely loaded

• bephysicallyqualifiedtooperatethe

vehicle

• holdavaliddriver’slicense

• completeanapplicationformfor

employment

• completeadrivingtestinthetype

ofvehicletheapplicantisexpected

tooperateandbedeemedqualified

to operate the vehicle or have not

committed a criminal offense

Although enacted to govern compa-

nies who are under the authority of the

Department of Transportation (DoT), the

FMcSrareincreasinglybeingreferencedasa

benchmarktomeasurethequalificationsofa

“professional driver” (a person who drives a

vehicleasaregularpartoftheirjobduties).

When allowed as evidence in cases involving

companies who are not under the author-

ity of the DOT, this principle can make a big

impact on the outcome of a court decision.

Of course, the easiest way to demonstrate a

driver’s incompetence is a long history of traf-

ficviolationsand/orcollisions.


eMployer kneW or SHould

Have knoWn of tHe driver’S

incoMpetence?

Typically, all pertinent employment records

of the driver will be reviewed by the plaintiff’s

counsel. They will also do a thorough investi-

gation of the driver’s background, including

his or her driving record. If the employment

records do not contain an accurate and com-

plete driving history of that employee, then

the plaintiff’s attorney may assert that the

employer “knew or should have known” of

the incompetence. If the plaintiff’s counsel

independently discovers records indicating

incompetency, then the employer should have

been able to discover the same knowledge.


eMployer entruSted tHe veHicle to

tHe driver?

Unlessit isproventhatthevehiclewas

taken without permission, it is presumed that

the vehicle was entrusted to the driver by the

employer.



driver WaS negligent on tHe

occaSion in queStion, and tHat tHe

driver’S negligence proxiMately

cauSed tHe craSH?

An investigation of the accident scene,

interviews with the parties involved and wit-

nesses and presentation of other evidence can

beusedtoproveafindingofnegligence.

WHat can a coMpany do to reduce

expoSure?

There are several areas of human resource

andsafetyprogramsthatshouldbeexamined:

• Driverrecruitingandselectionpractices

• new-hireevaluationandorientation

• ongoingdriverreviewandtraining

• Post-accidentreviewsandtraining

driver recruiting and Selection

practiceS

How a company attracts and then selects

drivers is very important. Regardless of neg-

ligent entrustment allegations, it just makes

good business sense to attract and hire the

very best candidates for the job.

When recruiting drivers, the company

should make it clear in the advertisement that

the position requires driving, and that candi-

datesshouldrequirecertainqualificationsin

ordertobeconsidered.Thesequalifications

should be spelled out in detail to avoid inter-

viewingunqualifiedprospects.Thesequalifi-

cationswillvaryfromjobtojob,butexamples

could include:

• thepossessionofavaliddriver’slicense

• thepossessionofaspecifictypeof

license (i.e., commercial license with

applicableendorsements)

• havingaclearMotorVehiclerecord

(MVr)

• havingexperienceoperatingavehicle

similar to the one that is used on the job

Somecompaniesmayneedtofocuson

selecting people for their technical skills or

salesskillsasafirstprioritybeforeconsider-

ing their driving ability, depending on the core

requirements of the vacancy. In this situation,

the company should set and follow certain

standards for driving ability. If the person can-

not meet the standards set, they should not

drive. If they meet the minimum standards but

are considered “conditional” (i.e., the candi-

date could fall below the standard with one

newviolationoraccident),thenatrainingand

monitoring plan should be enacted to enhance

their driving skills and to watch for inappropri-

ate risk-taking behaviors which could endan-

ger the driver or the public.

Companies should review driver recruiting

and selection practices annually to be sure that

theycontinuetoattractasuitablyqualified

driver for each position. The review should

also note any changes in position descriptions,

especially if driving time increases or is added

to a position’s responsibilities. Changes in state

or federal regulations affecting the position

should also be reviewed and incorporated into

company policy as needed. The bottom line

is that job requirements need to be clearly

communicatedandonlyqualifiedcandidates

should be placed into jobs requiring driving.

neW-Hire evaluation and orientation

Once an employee has been hired, addi-

tionalverificationofqualificationsmaybe

necessary. Medical reviews, drug and alcohol

screening, road testing and other types of

required evaluations may need to be com-

pleted in order to meet state or federal reg-

ulations. Any newly-discovered shortcom-

ings should be documented and addressed.

For example, a driver who demonstrates

inappropriate behaviors during a road test

should receive documented training aimed

at improving those demonstrated behaviors.

If a driver has serious problems in this phase,

they should not drive until the problems have

been corrected.

Companies also have the opportunity to

communicatethedutiesandexpectationsthat

come with the job. This may be accomplished

in a number of ways:

• Delivera“driverhandbook”

• Deliveran“employeemanual”

• Provideclassroominstruction

If delivering written materials, the

employer should have the employee sign

an acknowledgment that the employee has

received the manual and is required to read

it. It may also be necessary to follow up with

each employee at a later time to verify that

the manual has, indeed, been read.

Companies should monitor driver orienta-

tion, testing and training programs to be sure

that poor driving is discovered and addressed

promptly.Periodicreviewoftheeffectiveness

of the programs will ensure that programs

which are becoming outdated can be replaced.

Foramulti-locationcompany,periodicreviews

of each location should occur to make sure

company evaluation and orientation standards

are followed consistently.

ongoing driver revieW and training

It is not prudent to qualify a driver only

once, at the time of hire, and then never reval-

idatetheirqualifications.Peoplechangeover

time and so do their habits. Drivers who are

subjecttoFMcSrneedtoparticipateinan

annual review of their performance conducted

by their employer. This often includes obtain-

inganup-to-dateMVrfromthedriver’sstate

of license.

Companies who are not subject to the

authority of the DOT should carefully consider

implementing some form of annual review.

This may be as simple as obtaining an updated

MVrforeachdriverorasextensiveasholding

a formal performance review, including annual

road tests designed to validate behind-the-

wheel performance.

Ongoing training is also helpful in main-

taining safety awareness among drivers.

Training can take many forms:

• SkilltrainingdeliveredviacD(forthe

employee to listen to while operating

thevehicle)

• Videotrainingprograms(inthe

classroom)

• Self-ledtrainingprograms(athome)

• oralpresentationsbymanagementora

technicalexpert(intheclassroom)

Safetyposters,newsletterstodriversand

safety announcements in payroll checks can

also build awareness of the company’s view of

the importance of driver safety. Training shows

a commitment to safety by management, but

attendance should be carefully documented to

verify precisely which drivers actually attended

and/or completed the coursework.

poSt accident revieWS and training

Most companies have established spe-

cificaccidentreportingprocedures.Typically,

a driver completes a record-keeping kit at

the scene of the collision and then reports

the details of the crash to a supervisor at the

headquarterslocation.Follow-upinvestiga-

4 8 | MARCH.11

tions may be completed by special teams, com-

mittees,specially-trainedmanagersorexperts.

Although the purpose of these investi-

gations is not to establish blame or fault, the

records associated with the investigation may

appear to do so. These records could become evi-

dence, especially if the driver in question has had

multiple accidents which have been investigated.

The process is important to improving

safety by understanding why accidents hap-

pen. The investigations should not be aban-

doned simply because the report may be dis-

coverable.investigatorsshouldexhibitcare

when documenting their case to avoid misin-

terpretationandkeepthefileanditscontents

confidential.Additionally,whenitbecomes

clearthatalawsuitisbeingfiled,therecords

should be secured to ensure their availability.

The results of any investigation should be

carefully considered by management. If a gap

in safety procedures is found, an action plan

tocorrectthedeficiencyshouldbemadeand

carried out. Ignoring the report’s conclusions

invites trouble by potentially painting a pic-

ture to which management may be indifferent.

If the driver was responsible for the acci-

dentandspecificbehaviorsoralackofknowl-

edgeorabilitywasinvolved,adriver-specific

action plan should be devised and imple-

mented. This might include driver training

or coaching by a supervisor. Again, to ignore

skillorknowledgegapsmayreflectpoorlyon

management’s commitment to safety.

WHat about contracted eMployeeS,

loanS of veHicleS and uSe by

non-eMployeeS?

Contract employees, occasional employee

drivers and non-employees who operate com-

pany-ownedorleasedvehiclescouldexposea

company to allegations of negligent entrust-

ment.Examplesofthistypeofsituationcould

include:

• atemporaryemployee(froman

employmentservice)whomakes

deliveries

• amaintenancecontractorwhoneedsto

run out for a part or to another location

to do work

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• transportationoperationswhocontract

with the owner or run on other

companies’ DOT rights

• loaningacompany-owneddelivery

vehicle on the weekend to help with a

household move to a new residence

• permittingspousesofemployeestouse

company cars

iftheseexposuresexist,itisrecommended

that companies adequately qualify operators

of work vehicles and restrict those who are

considered incompetent from driving such

vehicles. Companies should take action to

correct all situations involving a driver with a

poorrecord.Byallowingadriverwithapoor

record to operate company-owned vehicles,

thefinancialhealthofthecompanyisatrisk.

Paul Zeni is the vice president of CSDA member company Apollo General Insurance Agency, Inc., a full service commercial insurance broker and managing general underwriter based in Sonoma, California. For more information, visit www.apgen.com or contact Zeni directly at 707-996-2912 or by email at [email protected].


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induStry BiTS

James Instruments Introduces Chlorimeter™James Instruments Inc., manufacturers of non-destructive test equipment

for construction materials, announces the launch of the Chlorimeter™ field

test for the determination of chloride ion content in concrete, fresh cement,

masonry, other construction materials and water. This unit has improved

features from its predecessors. The Chlorimeter™ covers a wide range, from

0.002 percent to 2 percent chloride by weight and results can be identified

within minutes at the job site. The unit has an internal memory to store

readings for later upload to a computer via USB and has a digital display in

English and Spanish for direct reading of percentage of chloride by weight.

The meter conforms to AASHTO-T-260 standards. For more information, visit www.ndtjames.com or call 773-463-6565.

New Appointment for K2 DiamondK2 Diamond is pleased to announce the return of

Cliff Hansen to the company. Hansen has been in the

concrete sawing and drilling industry for over 40 years,

working for Felker, Cushion Cut and K2 Diamond

until his retirement from the industry five years

ago. Based in Torrance, California, Hansen will be

involved in customer service, manufacturing and sales

at the company’s main office. His years of industry

experience provide him with a great knowledge

of products, applications and service. For more information, contact Hansen at 800-539-6116 or by email at [email protected].

Husqvarna Introduces Automatic Drilling System

The new AD 10 automatic drilling unit from

Husqvarna Construction Products works in

conjunction with the company’s drill motors and

DS 450 drill stand. Features of the AD 10 include

a variable speed of 0 – 10 feet per minute, in both

directions. While in motion, the unit can sense

when the drill head has gone through the material

and can automatically stop both the power supply

and drilling motor. Operators can remain upright

instead of bending over to operate the drill which

can be helpful when drilling holes over 6 inches in

diameter. The unit is lightweight and snaps into

place at any angle on the drill in seconds. With the

aid of a controller knob, the operator can direct the

feed rate, direction and power of the AD 10 and the

drill. For more information, call 913-928-1442 or email [email protected].

Gölz Introduces KS 400 Mini Wire SawGölz has produced a portable, compact

wire saw with an adjustable cutting width range

from 12 to 32 inches for small openings. The KS

400 mini wire saw works without high voltage

current or hydraulic power units to reduce

set-up time. The saw was designed around the

established KB 400 drill stand utilizing the

roller carriage and quick disconnect motor. The

KS 400 is driven by a 3.3-kilowatt, 120-volt,

3-speed core drill motor and the wire tension

system is driven by a BorMatic 500 auto

feed. An 8.8-millimeter (0.4-inch) wet or dry

diamond wire has been specially designed for

this system, which requires approximately 15

feet of diamond wire in order to make 32-inch

by 32-inch openings, similar to egress windows.

For more information, call 573-445-8587 or visit www.goelz-online.com to watch a video demonstration.

www.CSDA.ORG

I N D U S T R Y B I T S

Sensors & Software Introduces Noggin 100 for Concrete StructuresSensors & Software’s Noggin 100 scanning tool is now available. The unit has been

developed to aid contractors in the investigation of voids or changes in composition. The

unit can be used in large scale concrete structures such as dams or spillways. The Noggin

100 operates with a frequency 10 to 20 times lower than other concrete imaging ground

penetrating radar equipment, delivering lower resolution but increased penetration and

rapid coverage of large areas. The SmartCart and SmartTow configurations provide

complete, integrated mapping solutions. Geo-referenced mapping of large structures can be

achieved with full digital data recording and integration with GPS positioning.

For more information, call 800-267-6013 or email [email protected].

New Fuel-Efficient STIHL Chain Saws STIHL introduces two new compact chain saws. The MS 261 and MS 261 C-Q saws reduce emissions

up to 50 percent and provide up to a 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency as compared to previous models.

The chain saws come equipped with a decompression valve for easier starts and an advanced anti-vibration

system to help reduce user fatigue. The compact, space-saving design of the split-barrel carburetor and the

stainless steel muffler reduce overall weight. Captive bar nuts are retained in the sprocket

cover to prevent their loss and are designed for self-guided mounting.

Pre-separation air filtration provides greater air cleaning efficiency and

longer run times between filter maintenance. The MS 261 C-Q also

includes STIHL Quickstop® Plus, an additional chain braking system

designed to stop the chain in less than one second of releasing the rear handle.

For more information, contact Anita Gambill at 757-486-9151 or email [email protected].

New Website Launched by Expert EquipmentExpert Equipment Company, based in Houston, Texas, launched its new website in

January. The site features information on all of the company’s sawing and drilling products

and accessories, together with data sheets, spare parts lists and C.E. declaration documents

that are available to download. Expert Equipment is the exclusive distributor of Cardi

products in North America. For more information, visit www.expertequipment.com or call 713-797-9886.

New Diamond Blade Lineup from BoschBosch has created a high-performance diamond blade lineup.

The blades deliver up to five times longer life and 20 percent more

speed than standard diamond blades. The new blade formulations are

specially designed for concrete, tile and hard material applications.

The blades feature segmented rims designed for fast, rough cuts in

concrete, brick and pavers. Industrial diamond and metal matrix

segments extend the overall life and performance of the blade, and

an upgraded usable segment rim height provides consistent cutting

depth. The blades are available in sizes from 4 to 14 inches in

diameter for use with grinders, paver and tile saws and high-speed

gas-powered saws. For more information, call 877-267-2499 or visit www.boschtools.com.

COnCRete OpeninGS | 5 1

5 2 | MARCH.11

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G & S Concrete Cutting Appoints New Operations Manager

CSDA member G & S

Concrete Cutting of Rockville,

Maryland, is pleased to

announce the appointment

of Paul Rivera as its new

operations manager. He will be

responsible for the company’s

concrete cutting and selective

demolition projects in the

Washington DC and Baltimore

metropolitan areas. Rivera

brings many years experience to

G & S, having previously owned

PMR Construction Services

and also worked for the Virginia

office of Penhall Company. For more information, call Rivera at 240-565-1223 or email [email protected].

Wolverine Equipment Announces New Hydraulic Power PackWolverine Equipment introduces the WP-18 power pack, the smallest portable hydraulic

power pack in the Wolverine line. At just 330 pounds, the WP-18 is a lightweight, but sturdy,

portable unit. The 18-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine has an adjustable flow rate of 5

or 8 gpm at pressures up to 2,000 psi. Key features include an automatic low oil level shut-

off sensor, a spin-on hydraulic filter for continuous cleaning of the hydraulic fluid and foam-

filled tires that will never go flat. The WP-18 is suitable for use with low gpm handsaws,

chain saws, ring saws, breakers and other handheld hydraulic tools. For more information, contact Tom Monaghan at 561-994-2750 or [email protected].

Hilti Unveils TE 3000-AVR BreakerDesigned for heavy breaking applications and demolition work at floor

level, Hilti unveils its newest electro pneumatic tool, the TE 3000-AVR breaker.

Weighing 65 pounds, the TE 3000-AVR delivers 50 foot-pounds of impact energy

to break up to six tons of material per hour, at rate comparable with a 60- to

65-pound air tool. The breaker does not require an air compressor and accepts

standard 1-1/8-inch chisels. The TE 3000-AVR incorporates Hilti’s active vibration

reduction (AVR) system to decrease vibration passed along to the operator.

An active cooling system reduces wear and tear on the motor, electronics and

hammering mechanism. Plus, the TE 3000-AVR features a brushless SR motor

that eliminates the need to replace carbon brushes. For more information, contact Hilti customer service at 800-879-8000 in the U.S., 800-461-3028 in Canada or visit www.us.hilti.com in the U.S. or www.hilti.ca in Canada.

Rivera

COnCRete OpeninGS | 5 3www.CSDA.ORG


MIT Announces Groundbreaking Research to Set New Standard for Life-Cycle Assessment

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has released preliminary

research findings that will help set a new standard in life-cycle assessment (LCA)

modeling. The studies, which are part of an ongoing research initiative at the MIT

Concrete Sustainability Hub, will quantify the cradle-to-grave environmental costs of

paving and building materials and will ultimately result in the most comprehensive

LCA model produced to date.

The scope and detail of MIT’s LCA model will set its current efforts apart

from previous work. According to MIT professor and research team leader John

Ochsendorf, the expanded life-cycle window—50 years for paving materials and 75

years for building materials—combined with the level of detailed analysis conducted on

the use phase of structures and pavements will distinguish MIT’s latest research. Initial

reports have shown the importance of including the use phase, with MIT researchers

finding that more than 90 percent of residential building life-cycle carbon emissions

and up to 85 percent of highway pavement emissions occur during this period.

MIT’s ongoing work on measuring the life-cycle carbon emissions of these

materials is scheduled to be completed by August of this year. The environmental

findings will then be supplemented by economic analyses this year to provide the most

accurate assessment of the economic and environmental impacts for buildings and

pavements yet produced. As policymakers and political leaders work to account for the

environmental and economic costs of public building and paving projects, this type of

comprehensive costing model of key materials may provide a roadmap to those who

plan these major initiatives.

Established in 2009, MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub is a collaborative effort

to integrate the best science on concrete and similar building materials into industry

practices. The hub includes researchers from multiple schools at MIT, including MIT’s

School of Engineering and MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning. For more information, visit http://web.mit.edu/cshub.

Diamond Innovations Announces Leadership Change

Diamond Innovations announces that Tanya

Fratto has left her position as the president and

CEO effective December 31, 2010, a position she

held for over a decade.

Mark Schweizer,

previous the CEO

of Sunpower, Inc. in

Athens, Ohio, succeeds

Fratto. A 20-year

veteran of General

Electric Company,

Fratto joined Diamond

Innovations in July

2000. During much

of her tenure she was

focused on building relationships with Diamond

Innovations customers in Europe, Asia, and

the Americas. Schweizer officially became the

president and CEO of Diamond Innovations

on January 3, 2011. For more information, contact Libby Culley at 614-418-2379 or email [email protected].

New Dyma-Sert Accessory from EDCOEquipment Development Co., Inc. introduces

a new addition to its range of PCD Dyma-Sert

accessories for concrete floor grinders. The new

Dyma-Sert uses polycrystalline diamonds to

aggressively strip hard and soft coatings from concrete

surfaces. The accessory can strip thick coatings

of urethane, waterproofing membrane and epoxy

in response to customers asking the company to

incorporate polycrystalline diamonds into its line.

The new Dyma-Sert is compatible with existing

holding cases and can be used with EDCO 2GC,

2EC and SEC grinders, as well as several grinders

from other manufacturers. The maximum speed for

EDCO concrete floor grinders is 562 rpm when using

the Dyma-Sert. For more information, email [email protected] or call 800-638-3326.

New EZ Tension™ System from Diamond Chain InternationalDiamond Chain International introduces EZ TensionTM, a unique handle system

that attaches directly to concrete chainsaws. This innovation allows the operator

to tension the chain without turning off the saw. The operator takes off the cover,

unscrews the bolts and moves the guide bar before adjusting the chain manually and

closing up the saw. The EZ TensionTM is a small, sturdy two handle system that attaches

to any chain saw. The tensioning kit comes with all necessary parts and no changes

are necessary to existing chain saws. The EZ TensionTM maintains the proper tension

throughout the life of the chain, producing longer chain life, less down time and a faster

cutting chain. For more information, call 877-778-3765 or visit www.dciconcretechain.com.

Schweizer

5 4 | MARCH.11


Star Diamond Tools, Inc. Supplies Negative Air Machine

Star Diamond

Tools, Inc., a

distributor of

Novatek products,

is pleased to stock

the Novair F2100

air scrubber and

negative air machine.

The unit has a 2-horsepower, 115-volt, 15-amp motor that has

two speeds – 1,000 and 2,000 cubic feet per minute. The F2100

has two pre-filters that protect the main filters and can clear a

10-foot by 20-foot area with a 10-foot ceiling in one minute.

The machine can be placed close to where sweeping, chipping,

drilling or grinding of concrete is required to remove silica, and is

fitted with a vacuum gauge to indicate when filters need cleaning.

Weighing 136 pounds, the unit can be transported by two

operators. For more information, call 800-282-6470 or email [email protected].

European Diamond University Launched in The Netherlands

To launch the European

Diamond University in The

Netherlands, an event was held

on November 18, 2010 and was

hosted by Carbodiam in Tilly,

Belgium. The university is a

training center aimed at bringing

together key players from the

diamond industry to share

experience and knowledge with others. The event sponsors, Carbodiam,

Eiche, Samedia and Ultradia, launched the event with representatives

from leading organizations in the Dutch diamond tools industry. This

follows similar events to launch the university in Belgium and France

earlier in 2010. Several presentations and roundtable discussions were

held to review current market threats and opportunities relating to health

and safety, sustainable development, local and European Community

norms and the risks associated with non-compliance of new regulations.

The European Diamond University’s training program was also

presented. A testing center has been provided that includes machines,

tools, asphalt, stone and concrete slabs, to allow participants to learn

the best applications from industry experts and engineers. For more information, visit www.eurodiamonduniv.com.



Multiquip Introduces Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Light Tower

Multiquip introduces

its first hydrogen fuel

cell-powered light tower,

part of a planned series of

hydrogen fuel cell powered

products. The light tower

is environmentally friendly,

fuel-efficient, virtually

pollution-free, allowing it

to be operated indoors, and

can be operated for up to 50

hours at a noise level of 43

decibels at 23 feet. A plasma

light bulb produces 22,000

lumens, consuming only 255

watts with a life expectancy of

up to 50,000 hours.

For more information, call 800-426-1244 or email [email protected].

Bosch Introduces New Brute BreakerThe new Brute BH2760VC breaker hammer from Bosch

is the successor to the 11304 Brute. The new Brute’s hammer

mechanism provides up to 60 percent more impact energy than

the 11304, while reducing vibration levels by up to 50 percent.

Weighing 65 pounds, the BH2760VC delivers up to 68 feet

pounds of impact energy. Using its patented Active Vibration

Control™ technology, Bosch has created a built-in air cushion on

the hammer mechanism to reduce vibration levels at the source

and has added ergonomically-designed shock absorbing handles.

The BH2760VC has heavy duty springs and bolts and a larger

spring dampening system. Bosch’s

Service Minder™ brush system shuts the

tool off when brush replacement,

lubrication or preventative

maintenance is needed and the

breaker has a grease-packed gear

box and hammer mechanism. The new

Brute comes complete with a non-slip

rubber cover to prevent it from tipping while

in storage, a cart and four chisels. For more information, visit www.boschusa.com or call 877-267-2499.

5 6 | MARCH.11

$525 $1,090 $810

$1,375 $1,030

$2,040 $1,525

$2,465

$355 $630

$3,295

$4,420

$5,495

$855

$1,285

$1,730

$2,175

$2,750

CSDA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

$130

PRINCIPAL BUSINESS ACTIVITY

*AFFILIATE: A person, firm, corporation, society, government agency or other organization providing services to the concrete sawing and drilling industry.

C S DA • 1 3 5 7 7 F e at h e r S o u n d d r i v e , S u i t e 5 6 0 , C l e a r w at e r , F l 3 3 7 6 2 t e l : 7 2 7 . 5 7 7 . 5 0 0 4 Fa x : 7 2 7 . 5 7 7 . 5 0 1 2 w w w. C S d a . o r g


t o b e c o m e a c S D a m e m b e r18reasonsNETWORkING AT THE ANNUAL CONVENTION AND SEASONAL MEETINGSthe number one benefit for members has always been the opportunity to network with cutting professionals at the annual convention and seasonal meetings. this networking provides opportunities to forge new relationships and learn from other experienced professionals.

CSDA TRAINING Over 2,000 members have graduated from more than 20 classroom, hands-on and online training programs: Cutting edge, Slab Sawing & Drilling, wall Sawing, wire Sawing, Operator Certification, OSHA Construction Safety and estimating. CSDA offers online training at www.csdatraining.com for those not able to afford the time or the money to send operators to remote classes. Owners/managers can monitor testing, scoring and documentation.

CONCRETE OPENINGS MAGAZINEConcrete Openings (www.concreteopenings.com) is the only professional magazine dedicated to concrete cutting with a circulation of 16,000 per issue. Members can advertise at significant discounts and the opportunity to have their job stories reach over 7,000 architects, engineers, general contractors and government officials.

CSDA INSURANCE PROGRAMthe CSDA insurance program offers members coverage that includes workers’ Compensation, auto, comprehensive general liability, environmental pollution, professional liability, equipment, employment practices Liability (epL) and other lines specifically geared for the concrete cutting industry.

CSDA WEBSITEthe CSDA website at www.csda.org contains a wealth of information available 24/7 in the “Members” section. the online discussion boards provide members a forum to discuss technical issues, sell equipment, hire employees or any other relevant topics.

CSDA SAFETy RESOURCES AND TOOLBOx SAFETy TIPS (TSTS)the 230-page CSDA Safety Manual, CSDA 57-page Safety Handbook and five safety DVDs are designed specifically for concrete cutters and are available to members at a significant discount. tSts can be used in employee safety meetings and can be an important part of your company’s safety program. new tSts are released every quarter.

ROUNDTABLESthe roundtable sessions at the annual convention and other meetings give members a chance to share their wisdom and acquire additional knowledge. information gained during the roundtables gives members new ideas to implement within their companies and can save them money.

FREE WORLD OF CONCRETE REGISTRATIONMembers receive free registration and reduced seminar fees for the industry’s annual exhibition of concrete-related equipment and supplies.

MENTOR PROGRAMnew members can receive personalized assistance from a current CSDA Board or committee member during their first year of membership.

SPECIFICATIONS, STANDARDS, TOLERANCES AND BEST PRACTICESSpecifications, Standards, tolerances and Best practices are available for all types of cutting disciplines. twenty-four documents have been developed and new ones are always in production.

MANUALS AND PROMOTIONAL LITERATUREMembers can market their company with How to Market Your Concrete Cutting Business and make presentations with the Diamond Advantage Seminar Planning & Presentation Manual. Four-color brochures and flyers are available for members to promote their business to customers and are easily personalized so members can avoid the cost of developing their own.

SPECIFIER RESOURCE GUIDE AND MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORythe CSDA Membership Directory is available in print form and on the website. the searchable web directory is especially valuable as the CSDA website averages 150,000 page views per month. the Specifications, Standards, tolerances and Best practice documents are included in the print version of the resource guide and are also available online.

MEMBERSHIP PROFILE ANALySISA periodic survey of members to collect statistical information on operating and financial information such as wages, profit and loss, safety, equipment and diamond tool costs.

SLURRy ANALySIS REPORTthis is an Association-sponsored, 60-page report for members. the slurry analysis was performed by an environmental engineering firm with data compared to federal standards and contains recommended guidelines for slurry management.

REPRESENTATION WITH GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONSCSDA has formed an Alliance with OSHA to advance the safety of cutting contractors. this partnership includes issuing Best practice and toolbox Safety talk documents, joint exhibitions at trade shows, review of safety materials and roundtables. CSDA also actively participates with niOSH on field testing.

DISCOUNT PROGRAMSCSDA offers its members exclusive programs for insurance and online training, plus discounts on freight services, credit collection services, drug testing and safety services.

COOPERATION WITH INDUSTRy ASSOCIATIONSCSDA is a founding member of the international Association of Concrete Drillers and Sawers (iACDS) and works with other associations around the globe to promote concrete cutting and the sustainability of concrete as a building material.

CSDA NExT GENERATION GROUPthe CSDA next Generation group is made up of members and non-members age 45 and under. the purpose of the group is to continue to grow the association while serving the needs and wants of the younger generation with the goal of continuing the excellence of the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association. the group meets during the seasonal meetings, at the annual convention and at the world of Concrete.

5 8 | MARCH.11

Companies listed here have invested time and money to send their operators to CSda’s operator Certification. if you are committed to professionalism in the concrete cutting industry, consider sending your operators through the training programs offered by the Concrete Sawing & drilling association.

CeRTIfIeD OpeRaTOR Companies

A.E. BRICE & ASSOCIATES, INC.1510 aspen St Baltimore, Md 21226tel: 410-354-8890 Fax: 410-354-8894 www.sawconcrete.com

ABC CUTTING CONTRACTORS– BIRMINGHAM3060 dublin Cir Bessemer, al 35022tel: 205-425-7711 Fax: 205-425-7769 www.abccuttingala.com

ABC CUTTING CONTRACTORS–MOBILE26181 equity dr daphne, al 36526tel: 251-625-1100 Fax: 251-625-1103 www.abccuttingala.com

ADVANCED CORING & CUTTING CORP.1766 route 34 Farmingdale, nJ 07727tel: 732-681-7733 Fax: 732-681-8733 www.advancedcoringandcutting.com

AMBERCROFT LABOURERS’ 506 TRAINING CENTRE1600 Major Mackenzie dr e richmond hill, on l4S 1P4Canadatel: 905-883-4268 Fax: 905-883-4894 www.506tc.org

ATLANTIC CONCRETE CUTTING, INC.Po Box 98 Mt. holly, nJ 08060tel: 609-261-7200 Fax: 609-261-7246 www.atlanticconcretecutting.com

B.T. RENTALS LIMITED#13 Buller St woodbrook trinidad & toBagotel: 868-628-2703 Fax: 868-622-4244

CAL WEST CONCRETE CUTTING, INC.1153 vanderbilt Cir Manteca, Ca 95337tel: 209-823-2236 Fax: 209-823-0740 www.calwestconcretecutting.com

CAL WEST CONCRETE CUTTING, INC.3000 tara Ct union City, Ca 94587tel: 510-656-0253 Fax: 510-656-8563 www.calwestconcretecutting.com

CENTRAL CONCRETE CUTTING, INC.w719 leroy St edgar, wi 54426tel: 715-352-2552 Fax: 715-352-2625 www.centralconcretecutting.com

CON-COR COMPANy, INC.w146n5790 enterprise ave Menomonee Falls, wi 53051 tel: 262-781-3660 Fax: 262-252-3832 www.con-cor_co.com

CONCRETE CUTTING & BREAkING CO.11226 Phillips Pkwy dr e #2 Jacksonville, Fl 32256 tel: 904-262-9985 Fax: 904-262-1477 www.concut.com

CONCRETE CUTTING SPECIALISTS, INC.10333 hercules rd Freeland, Mi 48623tel: 989-695-5344 Fax: 989-695-5345

CONCRETE PENETRATING CO.2303 Shorecrest dr dallas, tx 75235tel: 214-634-2990 Fax: 214-634-0953 www.concretepenetrating.com

CONCRETE RENOVATION, INC.6600 randolph Blvd San antonio, tx 78233tel: 210-653-6120 Fax: 210-590-2316 www.concreterenovation.com

CORING & CUTTING SERVICES, INC.1107 n redmond rd Jacksonville, ar 72076tel: 501-779-4072 Fax: 501-985-9781 www.sawconcrete.com

CORING & CUTTING SERVICES, INC.2711 Se otis Corley dr Bentonville, ar 72712tel: 479-271-9672 Fax: 479-271-9674 www.sawconcrete.com

CORING & CUTTING OF SPRINGFIELD, INC.2074 n James river Ct nixa, Mo 65714 tel: 417-725-4534 Fax: 417-725-0073 www.sawconcrete.com

CUT-RITE CONCRETE CUTTING CORP.22 lockbridge St Pawtucket, ri 02860tel: 401-728-8200 Fax: 401-727-2953 www.cutriteccc.com

CUTTING EDGE SERVICES CORP.1535 old S.r. 74 Batavia, oh 45103tel: 513-388-0199 Fax: 513-732-1248 www.cuttingedgeservices.com

DARI CONCRETE SAWING & DRILLING421 raleigh view rd raleigh, nC 27610 tel: 919-278-8145 Fax: 919-772-4311 www.dhgriffin.com

DEANDREA CORING & SAWING, INC.9630 dallas St henderson, Co 80640tel: 303-422-3885 Fax: 303-431-9661 www.deandreacoring.com

DELTA CONTRACTORS & ASSOCIATES, LLC605 S Caton ave Baltimore, Md 21229tel: 410-624-0990 Fax: 410-624-0991 www.deltacontractorsllc.com

DERRICk CONCRETE CUTTING & CONSTRUCTION LTD.7039 gateway Blvd nw edmonton, aB t6h 2J1Canadatel: 780-436-7934 Fax: 780-435-4389 www.derrickconcrete.com

DIxIE CONCRETE CUTTING CO.5297 Port Blvd S College Park, ga 30349tel: 404-761-1100 Fax: 404-669-2550

DIxIE CONCRETE CUTTING, INC.16 Maple Creek Cir greenville, SC 29607tel: 864-299-6600 Fax: 864-299-5009

EAST COAST CONCRETE CUTTING CO., INC.7229 Montevideo rd Jessup, Md 20794tel: 410-799-4540 Fax: 410-799-1978 www.eastcoastconcretecutting.com

EASTERN CONCRETE CUTTING CORP.37-31 29th St long island City, nY 11101tel: 718-361-6123 Fax: 718-361-6101 www.easterncutting.com

GRONEMEIER CONCRETE CUTTING, INC.22 white Pl Bloomington, il 61701tel: 309-829-7991 Fax: 309-829-2685 www.gronemeier.com

HAFNER AND SON, INC.90 atlas rd northampton, Pa 18067tel: 1-800-anChorS Fax: 610-262-4809 www.hafnerandson.com

HARD ROCk CONCRETE CUTTERS, INC.601 Chaddick dr wheeling, il 60090tel: 847-699-0010 Fax: 847-699-0292 www.hardrockconcretecutters.com


HARD ROCk SAWING AND DRILLING SPECIALIST CO.Po Box 718 Keshena, wi 54135tel: 715-799-3823 Fax: 715-831-7840 www.hardrocksawanddrill.com

HOLES INCORPORATED9911 Franklin rd houston, tx 77070tel: 281-469-7070 Fax: 281-469-6207 www.holesinc.com

HOLES OF SAN ANTONIO, INC.118 Braniff dr San antonio, tx 78216tel: 210-349-5256 Fax: 210-349-0727 www.holesofsa.com

INTERNATIONAL DRILLING & SAWING, INC.Po Box 250013 Montgomery, al 36125tel: 334-288-2355 Fax: 334-288-7299 www.idscuts.com

k.C. CORING & CUTTING CONSTRUCTION, INC.7240 Central St Kansas City, Mo 64114tel: 816-523-2015 Fax: 816-523-8493 www.sawconcrete.com

LOMBARDO DIAMOND CORE DRILLING CO., INC.2225 de la Cruz Blvd Santa Clara, Ca 95050tel: 408-727-7922 Fax: 408-988-5326 www.lombardodrilling.com

M6 CONCRETE CUTTING & CORING1030 S McComas St wichita, KS 67213tel: 316-263-7251 Fax: 316-264-3517 www.conacc.com

OkLAHOMA CORING & CUTTING, INC.6025 n douglas Blvd arcadia, oK 73007tel: 405-715-2500 Fax: 405-715-2504 www.sawconcrete.com

PACIFIC CONCRETE CUTTING & CORING, INC.Po Box 662261 lihue, hi 96766tel: 808-245-7171 Fax: 808-245-9393 www.pccchawaii.com

PENHALL COMPANy/CONCRETE CORING COMPANy OF HAWAII99-1026 iwaena St aiea, hi 96701tel: 808-488-8222 Fax: 808-487-6679 www.penhall.com

PROFESSIONAL CONCRETE SAWING8539 oliver rd erie, Pa 16509tel: 814-566-5555 Fax: 814-866-5555

ROUGHNECk CONCRETE DRILLING & SAWING8400 lehigh ave Morton grove, il 60053tel: 847-966-6666 Fax: 847-966-6577 www.roughneck1.com

TRUE-LINE CORING & CUTTING– CHATTANOOGA LLC1903 S highland Park ave Chattanooga, tn 37404 tel: 423-624-7369 Fax: 423-624-7977 www.sawconcrete.com

TRUE-LINE CORING & CUTTING– kNOxVILLE LLC1902 Middlebrook Pike Knoxville, tn 37921tel: 865-637-2131 Fax: 865-637-1973 www.sawconcrete.com

TRUE-LINE CORING & CUTTING– NASHVILLE LLC280 hermitage ave nashville, tn 37210tel: 615-255-2673 Fax: 615-255-9685 www.sawconcrete.com

FS20 Saw w/ Upright Handle Kit

S16 HydraSaw

HV1810XL HydraPak

MiniSaw w/ 13” Bar

CD616HydraCore

Drill

www.rgcproducts.com • 1-800-RGC-TOOL

Visit RGC in

Booth #S10126

at the 2011Con Expo!

6 0 | MARCH.11

CaleNDaR

2011

CSDA SPRING MEETINGSMarch 8-9, 2011hyatt regency Coconut PointBonita Springs, Fltel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

CSDA ESTIMATING CLASSMarch 8-9, 2011hyatt regency Coconut PointBonita Springs, Fltel: 727-577-5004www.csda.orgemail: [email protected]

CSDA 2011 CONVENTION AND TECH FAIRMarch 10-12, 2011hyatt regency Coconut PointBonita Springs, Fltel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

CONCRETE DéCOR SHOWMarch 15-18, 2011Nashville Convention Centernashville, tntel: 877-935-8906www.ConcretedecorShow.com

CONExPO/CONAGG 2011March 22-26, 2011las vegas Convention Centerlas vegas, nvtel: 414-298-4138www.conexpoconagg.com

BRAZIL ROAD ExPO 2011april 4-6, 2011Sao Paulo, Brazilwww.brazilroadexpo.com.bremail: [email protected]

CSDA SLAB SAWING AND DRILLING 101 TRAINING CLASSapril 5-7, 2011diamond Productselyria, ohiotel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

FASTENERS & MACHINE SUPPLIES SHOW 2011april 15-17, 2011Cairo International Convention CenterCairo, egyptemail: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONCRETE DRILLERS AND SAWERS ANNUAL CONFERENCEMay 6-8, 2011Brugge, Belgiumwww.iacds.org

CSDA SUMMER MEETINGSJune 9-10, 2011hyatt regency tulsatulsa, oKtel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL CONCRETE SUSTAINABILITy CONFERENCEaugust 9-11, 2011Boston, Matel: 847-918-7218email: [email protected]

CSDA FALL MEETINGS august 18-19, 2011 hyatt regency vancouvervancouver, Canadatel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

ACCESS PLATFORM ExHIBITION AND CONFERENCESeptember 14-16, 2011Maastricht exhibition and Conference CentreMaastricht, the netherlandswww.apexshow.com

CSDA OPERATOR CERTIFICATION 201november 14-19, 2011St. Petersburg CollegeClearwater, Fltel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

CSDA ESTIMATING CLASSnovember 15-16, 2011St. Petersburg CollegeClearwater, Fltel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

CSDA WINTER MEETINGSdecember 1-2, 2011The Canyons ResortPark City, uttel: 727-577-5004www.csda.org email: [email protected]

2012

CSDA 2012 CONVENTIONMarch 7-9, 2012 Sheraton Maui lahaina, hawaii tel: 727-577-5004 www.csda.org

NATIONAL DEMOLITION ASSOCIATION 2012 CONVENTIONMarch 11-14, 2012 the henry B. gonzalez Convention Center & grand Hyatt Hotel San antonio, tx tel: 800-541-2412 www.demolitionassociation.com

the Concrete Sawing & drilling association is a nonprofit trade association of contractors, manufacturers, distributors and affiliates from the construction and renovation industry. Membership in CSda is open to concrete cutting contractors, manufacturers and distributors

of concrete cutting equipment and affiliated companies who provide products and services to the concrete sawing and drilling industry. Founded in 1972, CSda reached the milestone of 500 member companies in 2006.

www.CSDA.ORG COnCRete OpeninGS | 6 1

My company is now celebrating its 24th

year in business. For the majority of this

time, I have been a member of CSDA.

Recently I was asked to ponder what

made me join CSDA when the business

was just getting started and, more

importantly, why I am still a member.

From the beginning, I saw tremendous

value in networking with industry

leaders. I sought knowledge, and the members of CSDA were

willing to openly share their knowledge with me. After a few years,

I felt I had learned all the industry secrets, made connections and

traveled more than I felt I deserved. So, why didn’t I just sit back,

read my free issues of Concrete Openings and enjoy life listening

to Jimmy Buffet? Because I truly began reaping the rewards of

CSDA membership when I got involved at conventions, joined committees

and became a member of the Board.

Having been given the opportunity to give back to CSDA and the industry,

I felt the real value of the association. Over the years, I have seen progressive

programs implemented, key business leaders volunteer their time, industry

experts offer their knowledge to better the sawing and drilling industry for

all and friendships develop at CSDA events and activities. In fact, some of

my closest friendships have been made through the association. So, why am I

still a member now? It is more important now then ever to have all the right

tools to run a successful business. I believe you can get most of them through

CSDA, and the association is open for business!

Jim Dvoratchek Hard rock concrete cutters, Inc. Wheeling, Illinois email: [email protected]

Jim Dvoratchek

Why I Stay a Member

NeW members

North American ContractorBERNARD CONCRETE CUTTING richard Bernard 1441 gest St Cincinnati, oh 45203 tel: 513-421-1950 Fax: 513-421-0098 email: [email protected] www.bernardconcretecutting.com

CENCAL DEMOLITION, INC.Michael gonzales3299 S Cedar aveFresno, Ca 93725tel: 559-291-3366Fax: 559-291-3369email: [email protected]

CONCRETE CORING COMPANy, INC.larry treadway 286 Bonniebrook rd Butler, Pa 16002 tel: 724-283-9030 Fax: 724-283-3056 email: [email protected] www.concretecoringinc.com

G SEVENgeno Cotrone19751 hwy 108Sonora, Ca 95370tel: 209-743-2529Fax: 209-532-2277email: [email protected]

INTERSTATE SEALANT & CONCRETE, INC.Cheryl Sment108a wilmont drwaukesha, wi 53189tel: 262-547-6316Fax: 262-547-6844email: [email protected]

MARVEL BUILDERS, INC.Bruce Marvel102 Pigeon Creek lnPottstown, Pa 19465tel: 610-469-2787email: [email protected]

NATIONAL CONCRETE CUTTING, INC.Matthew Finnigan7715 Pacific highway eastMilton, wa 98354tel: 800-551-0511Fax: 253-735-6777email: matthewf@nationalconcretecuttinginc.comwww.nationalconcretecuttinginc.com

PG CUTTING SERVICESJuan garciaPo Box 695lake elsinore, Ca 92531tel: 951-245-6464Fax: 951-471-1476email: [email protected]

QUICk CUTTING AND CORING LTD.Christopher galka661 newport avevictoria, BC v8S 5C6Canadatel: 250-888-1829Fax: 250-382-2742email: [email protected]

Overseas ContractorATOMTECH INFORMATION CO., LTD. Charles Ho no. 257 Sanmin rd Chionglin village Chionglin village, hsinchu 30741 taiwan tel: 886-3 592 4920 Fax: 886-3 592 4011 email: [email protected]

CONQUEST CUTTING & DRILLING PTy LTD.anthony PercyFact. 11 / 13 Molan Stringwood, viC 3134 AUSTRALIAtel: 61-03 9879 1918Fax: 61-03 9870 8894email: [email protected]

M HALL SERVICES LTD.Sean Finch 11 the leysings Basildon, essex SS16 5Sl united KingdoM tel: 44-12 6845 0473 email: [email protected] www.mhallservices.co.uk

AffiliateHARD ROCk TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Emily Hammer 200 South Pkwy Prospect heights, il 60070 tel: 847-275-4007 email: [email protected] www.hardrocktechnologies.com

ManufacturerPRISM CORPORATIONterry Fenelon1251 arundel StSt. Paul, Mn 55117tel: 651-488-4250Fax: 651-488-6091email: [email protected]

DistributorDITEQ TOOLS (M) SDN. BHD.Alan Tan18, Jalan Kuchai Maju 6, off Jalan Kuchai Lama58200 Kuala lumpurMALAYSIAtel: 60-3 7987 8770email: [email protected]

6 2 | MARCH.11

5 Brokk, inc. 800-621-7856 [email protected] Company wrench 740-654-5304 [email protected] Congelz 888-440-4250 [email protected] Diamond pauber srl 39-05 85 830425 [email protected] 54, 55, inside Front Cover Diamond products 800-321-5336 [email protected] Diamond tools technology 612-408-9253 [email protected] 15 Diamond Vantage, inc. 816-268-8310 [email protected] 29 DiteQ Corporation 816-246-5515 [email protected] expert equipment Company 713-797-9886 [email protected] 25 Geophysical Survey Systems, inc. (GSSi) 603-893-1109 [email protected] Gölz Diamond tools & equipment 49-171 5677701 [email protected] Grabber power products 480-967-2545 [email protected] inside Back Cover Hilti north America 918-872-3553 [email protected] 32, 33, Outside Back Cover Husqvarna Construction products 913-928-1442 [email protected] 2 iCS, Blount inc. 503-653-4644 [email protected] 52 James instruments, inc. 773-463-6565 [email protected] MALA Geoscience 843-852-5021 [email protected] 23 norton pro Diamond 800-854-3281 [email protected] 31 pentruder, inc. 562-445-6429 [email protected] Reimann & Georger Corporation 716-895-1156 [email protected] Sensors & Software 905-624-8909 [email protected] 49 toolgal USA Corp/DCi 706-283-9556 [email protected] 11 western Saw 805-981-0999 [email protected]

paGe aDVeRTISeR pHONe eMaIl to receive additional information about products advertised in this issue, visit the advertisers page on concreteopenings.com, or contact the vendors below.

Want to Target the Specialized Industry of Sawing & Drilling?Advertising in Concrete Openings magazine is the only way to reach the specialty market of sawing and drilling contractors who cut concrete, asphalt or masonry because it is the only magazine in the market specifically targeted to this segment of the sawing and drilling industry.

How Do You Reach 16,000+ Sawing and Drilling Professionals?each issue of Concrete Openings magazine is sent to more than 9,500 sawing and drilling operators, manufacturers of sawing and drilling equipment and suppliers to the industry and more than 6,500 specifiers of concrete cutting services around the world.

Who Reads the Magazine?Concrete Openings reaches sawing and drilling contractors, as well as specifiers of sawing and drilling services including engineers, architects, general contractors and governmental agencies. why waste your message on unnecessary circulation? Advertising in Concrete Openings guarantees a targeted audience of industry professionals.

Circulation 16,000+ minimum, per issue

9,500+ member and prospective member companies made up of sawing and drilling contractors,manufacturers, distributors and affiliates

6,500+ general contractors, engineers, architects and government officials who specify sawing and drilling

Concrete Openings WebsiteConcrete Openings has its own website. Advertisers have direct links to their websites placed on our Advertisers page as a complimentary addition to ad placement. A full copy of the magazine is also available for visitors to read on the website. Visitors to the site can now access our advertisers at the touch of a button. the Concrete Openings website also has advertising opportunities available throughout the year. Visit www.concreteopenings.com for more information.

Readership Per Issuein a recent poll, a section of Concrete Openings subscribers revealed that 66% pass on their copy of the magazine to at least one other person, with almost 25% stating that the magazine is passed on to four or more people each issue. this translates to an average of 3.75 people reading each issue of the magazine for a total readership per year of approximately 60,000.

ReaDeRSHIp BY pROfeSSION

• Specifiers

• cutting contractors

• manufacturers, Distributors

• United States

• asia, africa, australia

• europe

• canada, South america

ReaDeRSHIp BY lOCaTION

52%

8%

40%

85%

6%

5%4%


6 4 | MARCH.11

DIReCTOR’S Dialogue

paTRICk O’BRIeN

Executive Director

Outlook for 2011

T he annual world of Concrete trade show is viewed by some

as a precursor for business activity during the year ahead.

while the early January 17-21 world of Concrete saw a lower

total attendance than previous years, the attitude of exhibiting

manufacturers was very positive.

when asked why they were experiencing good sales figures at

the show, manufacturers shared a couple of common theories. Many

felt that while attendance was obviously down, the number of orders

taken at the show was up. the majority of those attending the show

had the authority to make purchases for their companies. in previous

years, when the going was good, a contractor may have taken 6-10

people to the show. two of this group may have been the decision

makers, while the rest were employees being given a reward trip

for their hard work. For this year’s show, however, it was felt that

the two decision makers had still made the trip but the number of

additional people had been cut back drastically. Furthermore, these

decision makers were placing orders.

Some manufacturers also felt that contractors had been

putting off purchasing new equipment during the recent economic

difficulties, but now these contractors could no longer delay acquiring

new equipment. Contractors need to update their inventory to

profitably run their businesses. in addition, manufacturers have

continued to invest in research and development during the

economic downturn. this shows a commitment to the advancement

of the industry and bodes well for the future. For the contractor,

this means access to the latest technologies that can help their businesses

become more competitive when bidding for jobs. the competition for

new business has never been fiercer than it is right now, so the purchase

of new equipment can help a contractor’s business thrive in these current

business challenges, or at least allow it to survive.

Another sign of improvement in the industry is that interest in the

March 10-12, 2011 CSDA Convention in Bonita Springs, Florida, has been

excellent. the CSDA room block has filled quickly, a marked change

from last year, and the association looks forward to hosting a big crowd.

interest in the CSDA tech Fair has also been excellent. new companies

have joined CSDA and are excited to exhibit at this event. Often, smaller

trade shows offer a good alternative for manufacturers that are looking

to reach new clients. exhibit costs are lower than larger shows and a more

intimate setting allows for greater one-on-one interaction between the

manufacturer/distributor and the customer.

Business levels have declined for such a long time and many thought

that lower levels might be the new “norm,” but it seems like we are

definitely closer to the end of these challenging times than the beginning.

while business activity levels in the industry are unlikely to return to the

lofty heights of the past, the outlook seems more positive than it has for

some time. A gradual increase in sales from the start of the year would

seem to reflect this notion. this increase in sales activity, together with the

positive actions and attitudes of many manufacturers, should provide us all

with a new-found confidence in the industry as we continue through 2011.

On behalf of CSDA, i wish you all the best for a successful year.

Hilti Diamond Systems 1-800-879-4000 www.us.hilti.com • en español 1-800-879-5000 • www.hilti.ca

Hilti Lifetime Service

Service that lasts a lifetime.

Hilti. Outperform. Outlast.

If a tool goes down, Hilti understands you need to get it back on the job quickly. That’s why Hilti repairs and returns most tools in less than 5 business days, including transit time. With Hilti Lifetime Service, you incur absolutely no repair costs for up to 2 years or 200 hours from the date of purchase. Industry leading repair service – that’s the Hilti difference.

Taking it to the next level.



Husqvarna’s extensive line of wall saws ensures there is a saw to meet your needs. Wall sawing involves a lot ofpreparation; Husqvarna makes equipment easy to transport and quick to assemble at the site. Every detail is carefully planned and designed to ensure efficient operation.

Husqvarna’s line of high frequency electric wall saws include the new WS 482 HF and the WS 440 HF. The new WS 482 HF wall saw boasts more power, larger blade size capacity (62") and offers the best power-to-weight ratio on the market. The saw is operated by radio remote control which allows total control of the sawing process and freedom to move around the workplace. The WS 440 HF wall saw features a powerful, water-cooled electric motor that supplies constant high power to the spindle over a wide rpm range for faster and more efficient sawing. The motor generates 17 hp to the shaft, despite the fact that the saw only weighs 55 pounds.

Husqvarna’s WS 460 hydraulic wall saw is built on a modular system where the weight is evenly distributed, making the saw easy to transport, handle and set-up. The two-speed hydraulic motor provides optimal speed depending on material, blade diameter and type of blade.

Documents

March 2011 Concrete Openings