Masonry Magazine June 1997 Page. 44
Monsters, Myths & Masonry
Continued from page 7
tractors whom I call leaders, those who comply.
Then there was Barry Goldberg's letter to the editor, which sums up the other head of the monster. He acquaints us with his engineering profession which has undergone radical changes in design methodologies due to advances in technology and computer science. The masonry industry is greatly affected by new design criteria which utilize masonry as an economical means to compete with other materials. Mr. Goldberg states while we have advanced with high technology in the office, we have left the mechanic in the field fiddling with his abacus. (He means rule and level.) He has witnessed projects with inadequate rod lap or no lap at all, cores not fully grouted, bond beam reinforcement in the wrong place, etc. "We have elevated our art to the highest level ever. However, we have not elevated the awareness and appreciation of the very people we charge and trust with its execution." He intimates if this situation is not changed and quickly, then the masonry industry will suffer all the economic consequences that will result.
Mr. Goldberg, you are right on. The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is doing everything in its power to raise the awareness that the masonry industry is no longer just an art, but a science as well. Engineered masonry walls must be built with "masonry technicians" and not just bricklayers. An educated mason contractor using educated masons are just such technicians.
As a mason contractor you must include education as a primary consideration of your business plan. The education starts with you and your supervisory personnel. Your association throughout the year has numerous seminars, lectures, workshops and literature which will raise your knowledge of the industry materials and their applications. We are the responsible party for the education and training of our masons ("technicians") through our own personal involvement, journeymen upgrade, and material familiarization.
Long term business planning is vital to help insure your company's survival. If it doesn't start with education, which includes training, then your business is built on an unstable foundation. We all know what happens to masonry when we have a bad bad foundation.
We need to see the light, and believe this is the cutting edge for our existence. Aristotle said it best, "The difference between an educated and uneducated man is the same difference as between being alive and being dead."
Our work awaits us,
Let Us Begin.....
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