Safety, Unitized Curtainwall Discussed During CGEC

Pictured above: Jim Waugaman of Turner Construction

Jobsite safety and unitized curtainwall were just two topics covered during yesterday afternoon's Contract Glazing Educational Conference (CGEC) sessions. The conference, sponsored by the Glass Association of North America, is currently taking placed at the Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel.

Jim Waugaman with Turner Construction gave a presentation on the importance of job safety.

"Everyone's involved with safety, wherever you're working," Waugaman said. "Pre-planning is the most important part; that's where we're proactive instead of reactive. You can head off a lot of problems then before they arise in the field."

Unfortunately, Waugaman said, the pre-planning stage is often skipped because contractors and subcontractors say they don't have time, costs, or they just see it as unnecessary. Pre-planning, though, can help reduce risk, create a safe work environment, and improve productivity and profitability.

"Pre-planning is a review of means and methods before and during construction, in order to identify and reduce risks associated with workers and the general public."

Henry Taylor of Kawneer also gave a presentation on unitized curtainwall systems and how they are different than stick-built systems.

With a stick system, Taylor said, the wall is assembled by components, piece by piece on site. "It's very dependent on field labor; but it's very flexible and you can start on it at different levels," Taylor said.