Masonry Magazine January 1975 Page. 50
Winter Construction Facts
An extremely versatile masonry scaffold that easily converts to all-weather use is helping owner-builder SAI Inc. avoid costly winter shutdowns. Known as "Hoist-O-Matic" and supplied by Patent Scaffolding Co., Fort Lee, N.J., it is being used on the 22-story apartment complex at St. Paul and Andrews Sts. in Rochester, N.Y.
Propane heaters keep the enclosed Hoist-O-Matic scaffold at working temperature for masons on this Rochester apartment job. A flame-resistant tarp fits over the plywood top for better insulation. The scaffold is easily converted from summer to winter work.
The self-raising scaffold is enabling the 25-man crew to work right through the worst that a northern winter can do. Once the initial canopy on the Hoist-O-Matic is ground-assembled, two men keep it moving up the face of the building. Propane gas heaters, spaced about 25 feet apart and each delivering 200,000 BTUs, keep the enclosed masonry platforms heated. They are turned on whenever falling temperatures approach 28° F., in keeping with the Rochester code.
The case with the ease with which the Hoist-O-Matic scaffold is converted to all-weather use dramatizes what is being done by equipment manufacturers and suppliers to help the construction industry avoid seasonal shutdowns. These shutdowns, according to Department of Commerce estimates, are costing this nation approximately $10 billion a year.
In an effort to focus private and public attention on the costly problem, the International Masonry Industry All-Weather Council was formed several years ago by a unique alliance of management and labor. The six participating organizations are the Bricklayers. Masons & Plasterers International Union of America, Laborers' International Union of North America. National Concrete Masonry Association, Portland Cement Association, Brick Institute of America, and the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA).
Random protrusions such as balconies are no problem for masons with the new all-weather Hoist-O-Matic scaffold from Patent Scaffolding Co. Scaffold bents are assembled at ground level and winched up as needed without further adjustment.
One of the council's initial steps was to compile and published a comprehensive reference, Recommended Practices & Guide Specifications for Cold Weather Masonry Construction, now in its fourth printing.
The council's chairman and secretary of MCAA, Eugene George of Kitchener, Ont., Canada, points out that the cost of seasonal shutdowns averages out to $50 for each citizen. This includes interest on capital, costs of idle equipment, overhead, and unemployment costs. A council survey shows that bricklayers, one of the many trades directly involved, work an average of only 35 weeks a year.
The BM & PIU believes that the federal government would help win the fight against seasonal shutdowns by putting all-weather specifications into all government build-(Continued on page 54)
masonry • January, 1975
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