How Our Crews Take Paving Precaution

There’s no getting around it: Thanks to heavy machinery, multiple users and hot materials, job sites are full of accidents waiting to happen. Proper training and precautionary measures can protect those on site and keep a project on track. Learn more about how we keep our crew members and jobsites safe during projects and beyond below.

When the paving season starts, crew members receive safety gear and equipment training to get them on the right footing, but it doesn’t end there. “Every season, each team leader gets a binder with safety talks, and every two weeks they give a class to their members,” said Jose Valdez, Director of Field Operations. These safety talks contain lessons about topics such as proper lifting and sectioning off areas, and help our crews stay up to date with and exceed OSHA standards for workplace safety.

There’s more to safe paving than making sure our crews are safe. We’re also responsible for the safety of job-site users, such as our clients’ residents, tenants and customers. Many property managers are reluctant to close their businesses for a paving job, so we work to accommodate their needs, working around their peak hours or in phases so their entire lot isn’t closed for a day.

Our best practices dictate that crews are trained to section off job sites using barricades, cones and caution tape. This helps restrict traffic from entering busy areas and protects crewmembers and parking lot users alike. Crew members protect passersby as well by making sure pedestrians are keeping a safe distance from construction zones to prevent exposure to open flames, sparks, fumes and dust or debris.

A property manager is responsible for safety throughout the premises, and that begins with the parking lot. Cracks, potholes and uneven surfaces are trip hazards that can lead to car accidents or pedestrian injury. Learn more about how regular preventative maintenance can help you address and prevent these risks and keep your parking lot safe for all.

Insurance companies that conduct annual inspections of properties often require trip hazards to be fixed before the policy is renewed. Prevent risk by conducting regular assessments and noting problematic cracks and potholes or loose bumpers on your pavement, and scanning your sidewalks for uneven surfaces or crumbling curbs. Taking inventory of these imperfections and where they most frequently occur enables you to get ahead of the damage and informs your long-term pavement maintenance strategy.

Taking a proactive approach to risk management saves you time and money. Instead of addressing repairs every time they arise, work with an experienced paving company to develop a pavement management plan (PMP) that reduces trip hazards and parking lot imperfections overall. A PMP consists of regularly scheduled maintenance and lot assessments, and once it’s in place, you can rest assured your parking lot is in good hands.

Catch basins are a parking lot’s best friend when wet weather hits. As the first line of defense against heavy rain, catch basins collect and drain pavement runoff to prevent standing water on your lot. Not only is standing water unsightly and inconvenient for visitors, but it can also accelerate crack growth and damage the rest of your pavement. Whether your parking lot faces summer rain or melted snow, it’s important to keep your catch basins maintained year-round for maximum efficiency.

A catch basin is an inlet to a storm drain system and typically includes a grate to filter out large debris, and a sump to catch sediment and debris. Water collects in the basin until it reaches a pipe connected to an underground storm drain system that takes the water to a local water treatment plant or stream. Catch basins are predominantly made out of concrete and can be reinforced with concrete collars.

Given a catch basin’s exposure to the elements, some common causes of deterioration are water erosion, recurrent freeze-thaw cycles and the presence of salt or other chemicals in the stormwater. Not only that, weak mortar, aging and vehicular traffic can damage catch basins and render them less efficient. Parking lot managers should ensure that the sump is regularly cleared of debris—either by hand or a vactor truck—and conduct regular inspection of the areas around the catch basin.

During a replacement, our team will locate all the utilities, excavate the existing catch basin and install a new one connected to the proper drainage lines. Then, we’ll install the iron frame for proper drainage and backfill the excavated levels with hot asphalt mix or reinforced concrete. When it comes to repairs, we often install adjustment rings to reset the level of the catch basin for proper drainage and add concrete collars to reinforce the mouth of the catch basin.