Problems in construction during the rainy season

If the rainy season occurs, the construction timeline will be extended. As for costs, you can check with your cost estimation department to see whether the budget estimate includes fees for work carried out during the winter rainy season; if it does, no additional fees will be required. If not, the contractor may demand payment of such fees； Another point is to check the specific provisions in the construction contract. Under normal circumstances, the local tariff rates for construction projects already include costs associated with construction during winter and rainy seasons. In the industry, these rates are determined based on the specific project, and the issue of such costs is addressed either before signing the contract or during the project bidding process.

1. The issues related to construction during the rainy season cannot be generalized; different decisions should be made based on various circumstances； Indoor construction projects should not be affected by rainy weather, nor do they need to be halted or delayed; of course, indoor welding work is excluded from this, as the welding process has strict requirements regarding the humidity of the air environment. 2. If the processes affected by construction during the rainy season are critical ones, it will result in a delay in the overall project timeline; the appropriate actions to take should be determined in accordance with the specific terms of the contract signed. 3. The usual construction costs during the winter rainy season are generally already included in the contractor’s contingency fees, but extreme heavy rains caused by abnormal weather fall under the category of force majeure. For reference!

It depends on the specific circumstances. If the rain isn’t heavy and the work is being done indoors, construction can continue by taking certain measures such as building temporary corridors (of course, tasks that are sensitive to humidity, like welding pressure pipes, need to be suspended). The costs can be covered by the measure fees. If there is already severe flooding, of course the project must also be halted. On the other hand, both the property owners and management companies should have taken into account local weather conditions when making progress plans and formulated corresponding contingency measures.

Do what can be done; where it’s not possible, there’s nothing but to stop

It’s indeed a rather troublesome issue; all good plans get disrupted, especially during the rainy season in the south – it’s simply unbearable. Rain has a particularly significant impact on piling and civil engineering work.

1. If it is EPC, the owner doesn’t need to worry about these issues； 2. If it is managed by the owner, the project manager’s project management plan should include adequate time for preparing for the impacts of the rainy season ； If it rains heavily, there should be a plan in place ； If there is a severe flood, it constitutes a natural disaster, and the appropriate procedures should be initiated. In short, for an experienced project management team, rain should be something that is taken into account in the plan; both the timeline and costs should be managed in accordance with the plans made in advance.

It reached the critical path, but the rain in the next two weeks delayed the plan. The workers from the construction site have also all left. Safety in the construction of outdoor civil engineering steel structures has become a major issue. 1. How is construction during the rainy season generally defined in contracts? 2. If it is the rainy season and the construction party insists on carrying out work, can the owner or management company consider safety reasons and prevent the construction party from working? If it’s not allowed, will there be compensation involved? Or just compensate for the delay in schedule?

Put it this way: project managers (or planning managers, control managers) in the south should, in the plans made before a project starts, try to avoid the rainy season (construction activities during the rainy season are not affected by it). Project managers (or planning managers, control managers) in the north should, in the plans made before a project begins, try to avoid winter (construction tasks during winter are not affected by it). For example, try to complete the roof construction before winter arrives. This is particularly important for the projects carried out in the Northeast, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia! If it is difficult to avoid due to schedule constraints, efforts should be made to shorten the project timeline by means such as increasing costs!

The rainy season is a period with a high incidence of construction and production accidents every year. How can we ensure safe construction work during the rainy season? Based on some experiences gained from on-site construction activities, as well as the specific characteristics of each project, the following safety precautions have been identified: 1. Electrical safety – In the hot summer weather, people wear lighter clothing and their skin sweats more, which increases the risk of electric shock. Additionally, the humid and rainy weather during this period has reduced the insulation performance of electrical equipment. This makes summer a season prone to electrical safety accidents. It is particularly important to ensure electrical safety precautions. 2. Heat prevention and cooling safety: The dry weather in summer makes it a good season for construction. As a result, many workers, in an effort to meet deadlines, work continuously under excessive load, which easily leads to heatstroke incidents. Only by taking effective measures to prevent heat and reduce temperatures can seasonal safety hazards be eliminated. 3. Safety of pressure vessels: During construction, gas welding and gas cutting have become common practices. Placing gas cylinders directly at the construction site is a common practice among some construction firms. In summer, the temperatures are high; under the scorching sun, high-pressure gases experience an increase in temperature and expand in volume. In severe cases, this can lead to cylinder explosions that result in casualties and property damage. Once an explosion occurs, it can lead to secondary accidents (such as fires), thereby increasing the losses. It is evident that the use and storage of pressure vessels during summer operations are very important. 4. Wearing personal protective equipment: To protect the safety of construction workers during construction, they must wear personal protective equipment. These items are generally quite thick, such as water-insulating gloves, insulating shoes, safety belts, etc. The weather is hot, and wearing these things makes one feel even hotter, so some workers stop wearing them while at work. Once danger strikes, even the most basic forms of protection are lacking, which turns what would otherwise be an accident with limited severity into one that is more serious. 5. For scaffolding projects, tower cranes, external elevators, and material lifters, it is essential to ensure proper drainage of the foundation, so as to maintain unobstructed drainage and prevent water accumulation. After the rain, it is necessary to promptly check whether the scaffolding structures, tower cranes, external elevators, and material lift foundations have suffered any deformation. If deformation is detected, construction must be halted immediately and corrective actions taken; work can resume only after approval is given by the project manager, safety officer, and technical supervisor. 6. Seasonal inspections and training: Project managers and safety officers must carry out comprehensive seasonal inspections and provide relevant training based on the actual conditions, while keeping proper records. Of course, there are many other things to keep in mind during construction in the rainy summer season; the points mentioned above are just a few of them. “The safety production principle of \"prevention first, safety foremost\" requires us to take proper safety precautions in order to avoid or minimize the occurrence of hazardous accidents. During the construction process, as long as we keep safety top of mind and take proper safety precautions, especially targeted safety measures, we can prevent potential hazards in our work. It truly puts safe production into practice, laying a solid foundation for safe construction work.

Let me talk about the things to be mindful of when applying coatings during the rainy season. 1. The quality of the coating, such as the presence of water spots and whitening. 2. Security issues.

If the rainy season occurs, the construction timeline will be extended. As for costs, you can check with your cost estimation department to see whether the budget estimate includes fees for work carried out during the winter rainy season; if it does, no additional fees will be required. If not, the contractor may demand payment of such fees； Another point is to look at the specific details in the construction contract

For installation work, the temporary facilities at various construction sites must be in good condition, and the main roads on the construction site need to be clear for traffic; proper grading and excavation should be carried out if these conditions are not met. All temporary ditches, open ditches, and hidden ditches installed on site must be cleared and dredged; any issues found must be resolved promptly, and all dredging work must be completed before the inspection. Steel structures and underground pipes stored outdoors should not be placed in low-lying areas; they must be raised on wooden blocks to prevent them from getting soaked by rainwater. Both ends of the pipe should be tied with plastic sheeting to prevent rainwater from entering and corroding the inner wall of the pipe. The pumps on site should be covered with plastic sheets to prevent rainwater from entering their interiors ； The flanges of heat exchange equipment and tower equipment should be tied up with plastic sheeting to prevent rainwater from entering the equipment. The prefabrication and installation of platforms and pipelines on the tower should be carried out on the ground as much as possible, in order to reduce work at heights during rainy days. The welding machine should be placed in a shelter that is waterproof, moisture-proof, sun-resistant, and well-ventilated. The welding wire must be well insulated. When performing welding and arc gouging tasks in humid environments, it is necessary to wear insulated boots, shoes, and gloves. When welding on site in rainy weather, protective measures such as rain umbrellas and rain shelters should be used. The rain shelters and covers set up on site must have sufficient space; the materials used for protection against rain should not be flammable substances such as plastic sheets or tarps, but rather fire-resistant materials like flame-retardant tarpaulins or asbestos shingles. Welding operations must not be carried out when the wind speed is >8 m/s and the relative humidity is >90%. When welding after rain, it is essential to dry the weld area and the 50 mm surrounding area using compressed air or other methods before proceeding with welding. Increase the degree of prefabrication of pipes and steel structures in the processing plant to reduce on-site welding. Welding rods to be used on site must be placed in a dry insulation tube. The enclosure of the welding machine, the workbench, the electrically heated electrode holder, etc., should all be properly grounded. The pickling of welds on stainless steel pipes should not be carried out on rainy days, and the pickling solution or paste should be stored in a cool and well-ventilated place. It is necessary to carry out proper settlement monitoring of buildings, structures, and important equipment; any issues detected should be reported promptly for handling, including reinforcement or demolition. For electrical work, leakage protectors should be installed in dry and spacious areas, while in humid, confined spaces or those with corrosive substances present, protective-type leakage protectors should be used. During the rainy season, it is necessary to strengthen the inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment and wiring; wires must not be exposed or damaged. In the event of an abnormality, the power supply should be cut off for maintenance; operation with faults is strictly prohibited. Insulating gloves, insulating boots and shoes, and voltage testers must undergo an AC withstanding voltage test every six months; those that fail the test must not be used. Working on live circuits is strictly prohibited ； The neutral wire must not be used as a ground wire ； Working ground cannot be used as protective ground. The production of cross-linked cable joints should be carried out in a clean, rainless, and wind-free environment. Cables and cable trays should be covered with plastic sheeting to prevent them from getting soaked by rain. Proper protection should be provided at the cable termination points. Water accumulation on the lines after rain should be cleared promptly; power supply must not be restored when there is water accumulation. For gauge operations, the air source of the standard gauge must be clean and dry, with stable pressure. ②When wiring electronic instruments, working on them while they are powered on is strictly prohibited. The power supply should be turned off when leaving the work area. The storage areas for standard instruments and industrial meters should be clean and dry. It must not be stored in damp or poorly ventilated areas. The instrument components installed on-site, especially the terminal blocks, should be wrapped with plastic sheeting to prevent them from getting soaked by rain. Welding of alloy steel: When welding alloy steel in rainy weather, a simple shelter against wind and rain should be set up to protect against sudden changes in weather during the welding process as well as during the pre-heating and post-heating stages. The wind and rain shelter erected on site must have sufficient space. Materials used for protection against wind and rain should not be flammable materials such as plastic sheets or tarps; instead, flame-retardant tarpaulins or fire-resistant materials such as asbestos shingles should be used. Stop welding in rainy weather without protective measures or when the relative humidity is above 90%. After stopping welding, it is necessary to preheat to the interpass temperature specified in the welding procedure qualification before resuming welding. Insulation materials should be kept dry and clean. Heat treatment operations: The engineer responsible for heat treatment and the staff involved in this process should keep abreast of weather conditions and try to avoid carrying out work on rainy days. The heat treatment shed should be kept clean, dry, and well-ventilated, with all power cables and signal cables arranged neatly. Rubber pads should be placed at the bottom of the heat treatment control cabinet to prevent electric leakage ； Heat treatment shed buildings should be properly grounded. Fire-fighting equipment such as portable fire extinguishers and sand should be available near the heat-treatment shed. Heat-treated wires should have good insulation; exposed, damaged, or aged power wires must not be used. The wiring of on-site heaters should be led down from a higher position and properly insulated from supports. It is strictly prohibited to place the heater’s power wiring (especially the connection points) on damp floors. On-site transportation and lifting: The roads at the site are muddy after rain; gravel should be spread on the roads or steel plates should be placed there before vehicles enter, to prevent vehicles from getting stuck and accidents from occurring. Steel plates should be placed under the crane legs, with an area that is no less than three times that of the plates used to support the legs themselves. Before lifting, contact the meteorological department to obtain information on weather conditions. Lifting operations should be stopped in case of rain or when the wind speed exceeds 10.8 meters per second, and the hook should be kept in a unloaded state. When the wind speed exceeds 10.8 meters per second, the retractable boom should be retracted, and the non-retractable boom should be lowered as much as possible; if necessary, the boom should be lowered to the ground. Prepare a plan for the transportation and lifting of large-scale equipment, determine the crane route in advance, and prepare the roads and lifting site. Others: Rainproof measures should be taken when working in rainy weather. Outdoor work should be stopped during thunderstorms. If scaffolding and walkways show signs of looseness, sinking, corrosion, or deformation, they should be reinforced and replaced promptly. When setting up scaffolding, safety belts should be used properly and anti-slip shoes should be worn. Anti-slip measures should be taken on roads, ramps, gangways, etc. Roads should have standing water removed regularly and mud cleared. Before the rainy season, drainage pipes and ditches should be cleared ； Apply rust prevention treatment to the tools and materials that are prone to rusting. Before the rainy season, temporary structures and lifting equipment at the construction site and living areas should be carefully inspected and maintained. When the scaffold is not within the protection range of the lightning rods of nearby structures (the protection range for the tallest structure is calculated as 600), a lightning protection system must be installed. The length of the lightning rod is 1–2 meters. Before the rainy season, a test of the grounding resistance of the lightning protection system should be conducted, with the impulse grounding resistance not exceeding 30Ω. . For mechanical equipment equipped with lightning rods, the power, control, lighting, and communication circuits should be protected using steel pipes. The steel pipe should also be electrically connected to the metal structure of the mechanical equipment.