Indcon Inc. Indcon Supply Stratarock Industrial

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The process of grouting isn’t necessarily difficult, and the materials aren’t hard to work with. But the fact is: It’s important to the owner. So, we have to put a real emphasis on doing it right the first time.

If grouting is executed incorrectly, it can result in damage to the heavy equipment. Or worse, it can even cause cracks in the surrounding foundation, which can be very costly to repair.

1. Lack of Emphasis by Leadership

It’s best to assume that not all laborers know the ins and outs of the processes they’re helping to build. So, it’s up to the project leader to emphasize which tasks are critical. If the leader acts like it’s important, it will be. In contrast, if a leader says something like, “just get it done!” the task may be skimped over. This lack of direction from leadership often causes the grouting to end in disaster.

2. Inaccurate Assessment of Your Laborer’s Ability

Since there is no trade for grouting and no standard to test against, it can be easy to assume that it’s something anyone could do. However, few unskilled laborers have extensive experience with grouting and rarely know how technical it can be.

Based on decades of work with Industrial Contractors, here is the best advice on this topic:

Just because someone tells you they can do it, that doesn’t mean they really can!

So, before flippantly assigning the task of grouting to one of your laborers, it’s a good idea to have an expert help evaluate their abilities and offer expertise as needed.

3. Lack of Training

Since grouting is not technically a trade, there is no way that the laborer responsible for grouting was trained in a school or certification program. So, it’s important to utilize someone very experienced or a group who offers help in training.

Even though many laborers may have seen grouting done, or may have even helped do it, they may still not understand WHY certain practices are important or the basic techniques to apply them.

They need some basic training to have a foundation they can build on.

4. Still Using Traditional Techniques

Many of the most experienced laborers learned traditional techniques for grouting during their early years of work, and they’ve done it enough to successfully carry out the task. However, the traditional techniques are labor intensive, slow, and adequate at best. Newer techniques, tools, equipment, and packaging are helping to make grouting easier. And we all know the easier a task is, the better the chance of it being done right.

Alright, now that we’ve broken down these common grouting mistakes, you can take steps to avoid them by developing a game plan for your grouting beforehand.

Just like anything in life, having a plan of action is a good way to be as prepared as possible. A plan will also cut down on mistakes, wasted time, and budget overages. And we don’t know anyone who wants to go over budget!

Download our free “Grouting Plan” to ensure success on your next heavy equipment grounding.

Download Free Grouting Plan Now

 

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