GeoSonics/Vibra-Tech is committed to creating monitoring solutions that meet the needs of the construction industry.
If you are managing a construction project that uses heavy equipment or blasting, your project will create off-site vibrations that can put your organization and reputation at risk. GeoSonics/Vibra-Tech has been providing vibration and blast consulting services since 1949. We have the tools and experience to help you manage your construction risk.
Construction Vibration Risk
In order to manage your risk, you have to understand what the risk is. Once you understand what the risk is, you can develop a plan to manage that risk. A proper protection plan should contain these key elements:
- public communications plan
- inspections
- vibration criteria development
- vibration monitoring
- complaint & claim response
Let GeoSonics/Vibra-Tech help you better manage your construction vibration risk.
Learn more about the key elements in a proper protection plan.
Public Communications Plan
At Geosonics/VibraTech, we believe that communication planning is an essential part of your construction project. It is a critical planning step to stay on time and on budget. A public communications plan should identify the stakeholders for your project, develop a plan to educate stakeholders, and consider a neutral 3rd party when speaking with stakeholders.
Inspections
An inspection documents the condition of structures surrounding a project site prior to commencement of vibration producing work at the site. The pre-construction inspection is a snap shot in time of the structure and a helpful baseline for evaluating appropriate project vibration limits or alleged claims of damage. A seasoned inspector knows conditions that typically appear in a structure and has a careful eye trained towards documenting those areas, in addition to being able to observe unusual and atypical conditions.
Vibration Criteria Development
The single, most important factor for mitigating construction vibration risk is determining appropriate vibration limits for the project. If you have a project that requires vibration monitoring, you should ask yourself, “Why am I monitoring?” If the answer is, “to protect myself in case of a claim”, then the vibration limit is critical to your defense and must be justified by sound engineering decision and supported by science.
Monitoring & Control Plan
One of the key elements to managing construction vibration risk is to develop a vibration monitoring and control plan for the project. A vibration monitoring and control plan is usually developed by a professional engineer or geologist with many years of vibration experience. The plan should detail the exact location for the monitoring equipment, the type of equipment and sensors to be utilized, and the method for coupling the sensor. The plan should also specify the maximum allowable vibration level at each monitoring location based on all of the site-specific variables.
Complaint & Claim Response
Complaint response and damage claim investigations represent the pinnacle moment in a project’s risk management program. This moment determines whether a claim is resolved based upon fairness and accuracy of an evaluation, or if one or more of the involved parties leaves unsatisfied with animosity and proceeds to litigation.