The industry is seeing a seismic shift in the need for alternative tools and machines
An indoor renovation or construction job comes with a series of special issues and considerations. The most important of these typically involve cutting costs, maximizing efficiency and adhering to safety standards, both for workers and for the environment. Here are a few of the main challenges and how battery-powered machinery meets them:
Labor costs and limitations
You might have a fleet of the industry’s best workers who will work tirelessly until a job is done, but each one of those employees could cost you over a thousand dollars in wages every week, and each one of them still has very real human limitations.
Average weekly labor costs are close to $7,000, assuming a 5-man team working 10-hour shifts. Although a 10-hour shift is the accepted industry standard for indoor construction, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t start slowing down after hour five or six. This presents a very real problem: the traditional way many companies get the job done is expensive and runs out of steam after just lugging heavy material in and out of buildings.
If you’re like the vast majority of firms that want the job done efficiently, then you may want to consider exploring something that can haul bigger loads more effectively, safer, and faster than a 5-man team – without getting tired. When you compare its cost to the potential labor savings, the Sherpa 100ECO battery-powered mini skid steer could pay for itself in as little as a month. By removing fuel costs and significantly lowering wage expenses (not to mention costs associated with personal injuries) the savings quickly accumulate.
Health and safety
There are a slew of safety concerns when talking about indoor construction and demolition. Airborne pollutants like molds, asbestos, lead, and bird waste is often stored in the walls and released upon demolition, not to mention all of the regular dust.
According to Mass.gov, construction-produced toxins are to blame for some of the most serious indoor air quality threats to our health, and the machines being used are also producing toxic biproducts. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that refuse from machinery used in indoor spaces be disposed of in a way that will not result in harmful exposure to employees, and this includes the fumes produced by internal-combustion equipment.
OSHA requires work in all indoor spaces using traditional equipment to be adequately ventilated, which drives additional delays and overhead costs. And in 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raised fines for violation of the Clean Air Act from $25,000 to a $93,750.
Consumers are also educating themselves and frequently want to know how your business model operates with respect to safety and environmental responsibility; and as the green construction boom takes off, soon they will demand it.
Fortunately, the construction industry has access to innovative new machines like the Sherpa, which removes many of the personal and environmental health concerns associated with indoor work. It’s got no internal-combustion engine – so no fumes. And its whisper-quiet operation vastly cuts down on noise pollution as well.
The right size for indoor work
A standard-sized skid steer is often too big to fit through regular doors and too heavy to ride up elevators; your crew is responsible for hauling materials in and out of buildings and sometimes up and down stairs. In other cases, you’ll find yourself passing on jobs that you just don’t have the machinery or manpower to economically or safely complete.
We are seeing more and more contractors turn to smaller, battery-operated alternatives to solve these problems. A Sherpa plugs into any standard 110-volt outlet for charging and only weighs just under 1,600 pounds; combined with its turning radius of only 48 inches, it can easily be moved via elevators, and fit through normal doorways and other tight spaces. There are even remote-controlled options available which are perfect for spaces where your crew should not be working.
These lighter and more-efficient alternatives are retrofitted for several attachment options, so branching into new services and accepting those jobs that you may have passed on before are well within reach.
Contractors are looking to improve their approach to construction and demolition done indoors, and it’s important that you remain competitive in this space. To learn more about how to incorporate battery power into your business model, contact Triple E Equipment at (954)-978-3440 or reach us through our contact form.
