Cranes are a necessary and useful piece of equipment on most construction sites, but extreme caution must be taken when working with them, as any failure could be catastrophic or, at the very least, very costly.
Read more[VIDEO] Man Driving Stolen Construction Machine Leads Police on a Slow Speed Chase
A lot of construction equipment is stolen from construction sites every year. Some are looking to sell it or a quick buck, but others are just looking to take it on a joy ride and cause mayhem in the streets. Earlier this year, a teen stole a bulldozer, ran over a police car, and lead officers on a 3 hour long chase in Illinois. Last year, a man in Florida stole a backhoe and also led police on a 3 hour long slow speed chase, dragging the hammer attachment and sending sparks flying over the road the entire time.
Just last week, another police chase ensued when a 29-year-old man stole a SkyTrak telehander, similar a Lull, in Central Texas. Travelling around 20 miles per hour, the man refused the stop when police officers attempted to pull him over.
After backup was called, officers were able to subdue him with a non-lethal projectile and pull him out of the machine. According to the Lorena Police Department, he was medically cleared, transported to the nearby county jail, and charged with two third degree felonies: theft of more than $30,000/under $150,000 and evading arrest while in a vehicle.
For contractors, the lesson is to secure your equipment, so you can save the police and yourself a lot of time.
The video below was shared by the Lorena Police Department on Facebook.
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[VIDEO] Second Attempt at Pontiac Silverdome Implosion is Successful
On Sunday, demolition contractors tried to bring down the upper portion of the Pontiac Silverdome, former home to the Detroit Lions, but several of the explosives didn’t ignite and the structure was still upright after the smoke cleared. After videos of the failed demolition were posted online, the internet had a field day.
Read more[Timelapse] Watch 8 Years of Construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi in 3 Minutes
Construction timelapse videos make extremely complicated and long projects look much easier to build than they actually are. The recently opened Louvre in Abu Dhabi took 8 years to complete, but you can watch the full process in only 3 minutes.
Read more[VIDEO] Several Injured in NYC After High Winds Cause Scaffolding Collapses
High winds can cause problems in many situations on a job site, especially with cranes and scaffolds. A horrific crane collapse in downtown New York City was caught on tape after a gust of wind knocked it down in early 2016. Last week, high winds caused more problems at construction sites, as it knocked over a scaffold above a busy sidewalk and sent a suspended scaffold swinging out of control and crashing into a building.
Read more[VIDEO] Guy Hilariously Yells at Bus After Bus Ruins His Perfect View of Georgia Dome Demolition
Getting the perfect view of a major building demolition can get you millions of hits, or even better, shared by us right here on Construction Junkie. Have your video get epic-ly photobombed and you’ll get even more views and definitely shared by us.
Read moreVideo of Arcing Power Line Shows You Exactly Why To Stay a Safe Distance Away
Contact with overhead power lines is a major hazard when working on most construction sites and especially when working from elevated platforms or with heavy machinery.
Read more[VIDEO] Florida Construction Workers Encounter 5 Foot Alligator in Sewer Line
When construction workers cut through nature and dig in the ground, it shouldn’t be a surprise when wildlife is encountered, although some are a little bit more frightening than others. Last year, crews had to help free a giant bear that was stuck in a cesspit and the bear was happy at all about it.
Read more[VIDEO] Semi Hauling 50 Foot Long Prefab Concrete Beam Tips Over in Intersection
As annoying as it may be to deal with sometimes, there is a good reason why trucks carrying oversized loads have spotters and flaggers. We’ve seen the worst of what can happen when the spotter fails to alert truck drivers in time, like the one that caused a 2013 Washington State bridge collapse, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Read moreChemical Reaction Causes ‘Explosions’ on New Jersey Construction Site
Residents living near a Jersey City, New Jersey construction site were frightened as they watched “explosions” of smoke coming out of holes in the ground.
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While still new in the construction industries, robots are typically designed to perform a specific task in a highly precise and efficient way, like the rebar tying robot, Tybot or the brick-laying robot Hadrian X. More recently, though, robots are being imagined as platforms for 3rd party companies to develop hardware and accessories to attach to the base robot, like the Boston Dynamics robotic dog, Spot. I recently came across a new robot, called Baubot, which hopes to one day perform tasks using every tool on a typical jobsite.