Finding the Right Contractor for your Project

Finding the Right Contractor for your Project

Nov 9, 2018 | Insights

Museum of Discovery

The Capital Hotel

CALS | Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library & Learning Center

East Harding Construction has had zero recordable accidents in the last 6 years and was recently recognized at the Associated General Contractors of Arkansas with its “Excellence in Safety Award.”  We have a full time Health & Safety Director who will help our Site Superintendent develop a safety plan for each specific project we construct.

The first things to consider

when looking for a construction manager/contractor is how long they have been in business.

East Harding Construction has been building long-term client relationships in Arkansas since our founding in 1974.  Like our fellow Arkansans, we are hard-working, honest and accountable.  We are mid-sized by design and operate efficiently and with a low overhead that will result in maximum value to you.

The second consideration

should be their track record.  What types of work have they done in the past?

East Harding Construction has experience in K-12, Higher Educations, Commercial Office Buildings & Tenant Finish, Medical, Restaurants, Historic Renovation, Non-Profit, Private Client Group & Light Industrial Projects.

Our guiding business philosophy

of “Client Focused Construction” has made it possible for us to be the Construction Manager of Record for the Dollarway School District (since 2007) and the Watson Chapel School District (since 2013).  We are the Construction Manager for the Camden-Fairview School District (since 2014), the Fordyce School District (since 2015), and the McCrory School District (since 2015).  We have always met our budgets and schedules for public education projects.

We are intimately familiar

with complex, fast-track and historic renovations of all types, with particular expertise in University Housing at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville and at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.

East Harding Construction

has worked with the Diocese of Little Rock for over 30-years on multiple projects ranging from the House of Formation to the renovation of historic St. John’s Morris Hall and from the renovation of the historic Cathedral of St. Andrew to the recently completed renovation of St. John’s Fletcher Hall.  As a result, we have an outstanding working relationship with Jim Driedric, Diocesan Property Services Manager, which is based on honesty and mutual respect.

We have completed

several Award-Winning Projects…

A Street Building
CALS | Arkansas Studies Institute
CALS | Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Children’s Library and Learning Center
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock | House of Prayer
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock | St. John’s Morris Hall
Museum of Discovery
Stephens Inc.
The Capital Hotel

East Harding has been selected

as the Construction Manager for the new 34,000 SF Pine Bluff Main Library.  We will also manage the renovation and addition to the Watson Chapel Public Library in 2019, and we are the Construction Manager for the future renovation of the historic Hotel Pines.

The third consideration,

is what clients are saying about them.

East Harding Construction takes great pride in our work and we have earned a reputation for delivering high quality workmanship.

What is a Hard Bid?

What is a Hard Bid?

Jul 20, 2018 | Insights

A Hard Bid is where the Owner hires the designer/architect who then draws up the project plans. After the plans are approved, the Owner bids the work out to General Contractors either through invitation or advertising the bid. The lowest bidder wins regardless of qualifications. The General Contractor (GC) then hires subs based on their lowest bid. The Owner usually does not know the amount of the sub bids which means he/she may never know if they have overpaid for the project.

Be Proactive!

Be Proactive!

May 18, 2018 | Insights

Proactive

Versus Reactive Safety Approach

Many of the safety rules and procedures that are in place were “written in blood”, meaning they came about from a previous incident that caused an injury, property loss incident, or a fatality.

When we implement a safeguard

after an incident occurs we are taking a reactive approach to safety. We can look at the majority of rules and procedures that we follow today as a proactive approach towards safety, however many of them came from a reactive position.

Something bad

had to happen first before many of the rules and procedures were put into place.

Being proactive

is the best way to approach safety in the workplace. Addressing and eliminating hazards before work begins.

Many workers in some companies would rather take a reactive approach with some hazards rather than being proactive and eliminating them up front. This mindset puts everyone onsite and the company as a whole at risk for an incident or injury.

BE PROACTIVE

BE SAFE / STAY SAFE

  -Keith Broadway
Safety Director-East Harding Construction

Backing Up Safely!

Backing Up Safely!

May 11, 2018 | Insights

Operating heavy equipment

 or a motor vehicle is inherently a hazardous task, however, backing up creates more risk for incidents to occur. According to the National Safety Council,  backing accidents cause 500 deaths and 15,000 injuries per year. All too often unnecessary backing is responsible for injuries or property damage incidents.  It is important to consider the hazards of backing and what can be done to mitigate these hazards.

Hazards of Backing

With increased blind spots, backing leaves drivers and operators at more risk for error resulting in damage or injury. The most serious incident occurring due to backing is fatalities of ground personnel. OSHA states that dump trucks followed by semi-trucks and ordinary pickups are responsible for the majority of back over incidents in the past 10 years on the job. Outside of struck-by incidents involving ground personnel, there are many other hazards to consider. A few hazards include:

Less visibility/ more blind spots
Fixed objects
Moving equipment or vehicles
Uneven terrain (construction sites)

Best Practices

 and Safeguards to Mitigate the Hazards of Backing

The single best way to prevent backing-related incidents is to eliminate backing as much as possible. Most work areas and tasks can be setup in such a way that backing up is not necessary. Preplanning of movements is another way to eliminate unnecessary backing.

Look for pull-through parking before choosing to park where your first move is backing up. Always try to position yourself so that you can easily pull forward out of a parking spot.

Best Practices

If you need to back up after being in a fixed position, complete a walk around of your vehicle. This allows you to be aware of what is in your blind spots prior to making a move.

Install backup cameras on equipment and vehicles.

Use a spotter when appropriate. If backing is necessary and there are hazards such as other ground personnel or fixed objects in the area then a spotter may be necessary. Always consider the additional hazards created when a spotter is used in a work area with moving equipment or vehicles.

Mark fixed objects so they are more visible to those operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment in a work area.

Place protective barricades to protect critical or expensive equipment from struck-by incidents.

Summary

Backing can almost always be eliminated or greatly reduced when proper preplanning is used. Elimination should always be the first choice before relying on less effective safeguards such as backup cameras or a spotter.

  -Keith Broadway, Safety Director East Harding Construction
Be Safe!

Be Safe!

May 4, 2018 | Insights

Common Slip, Trip, and Fall Incidents

Falls from elevation are often deadly or result in serious injury and may include falls from ladders, falls off of mobile equipment, falls from roofs or other elevated structures, etc.. Wet floors due to moisture is also a common cause of slip incidents at work. Trips can be caused by a multitude of reasons including poor housekeeping, changes in elevation, improper footwear, etc.

Actions to Prevent Slip, Trip, and Fall Incidents

· Always use fall prevention or protection for work over 6ft in the construction industry. Protect workers by using proper guarding of any holes or wall openings using guardrails to prevent falls. Where guardrails are not feasible, use proper personal fall arrest system equipment using a full body harness and a self-retracting lanyard attached to an approved anchor point with 100% tie-off.

 

· Proper housekeeping is very important in preventing slip, trip, and fall incidents. Objects on the ground create a hazard for anyone walking or working in the area. Maintain clearly defined paths for walking in the work area. Have lay down yards for tools and equipment out of the way of employee foot traffic.

· Address any wet, slippery walking surfaces in your work area. Post signs of any hazardous surfaces until the situation is taken care of completely.

· When climbing up or down a portable or fixed ladder ensure that you use proper techniques such as using three points of contact and keeping your belt buckle within the sides of the ladder. Do not lean to reach objects- this can throw off your balance increasing the risk of a fall.

 

BE SAFE / STAY SAFE

 

-Keith Broadway, Safety Director
East Harding Construction