Friday, August 29th, 2008
Antique trucks since long have interested American inhabitants. It has become their favorite pastime. Collecting these trucks is not only a hobby but it is a passion for some. Special groups, clubs and museums have been created to showcase the collected automobiles.
Older trucks were used largely in agriculture. They belonged to the 20th century. The oldest and the most original truck was the Mack truck which was owned by John Mack. They were introduced during the 1800s and since then have seen their expansion to buses, dump trucks, semis and other 18 wheeler vehicles.
The popular brands include Chevy, Dodge, and Ford out of which the Dodge truck is a favorite one. The value and the cost of the truck depend upon its rarity and its present condition. The price ranges from anything few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Many museums and magazines have been designed to house these antique Dodge trucks.
The oldest Dodge truck model was the Dodge Model 30 which as built in the year 1914 by the dodge brothers company. It was a 4 cylinder truck with a body made entirely of steel. The features of this antique truck were 12 volt electrical system and sliding gear transmission. The other Dodge model was model T which had an antique planetary pattern but it was phased out of market very soon by the year 1927. During the years of introduction of the company only light duty trucks were manufactured but later during the 1930s and 1940s the medium and heavy duty trucks were also introduced.
During late 1930s, the Dodge Company introduced the 14 cylinder trucks which proved to be major breakthrough for the company. The company also introduced newer and more improved versions of trucks during the year 1939. But due to the Second World War the company was shut down. Later in the years from 1945 to 1949 a number of 6 cylinder trucks came into being which were named the ‘Power Wagon’.
Antique dodge trucks can be bought from auctions, trade shows, trade magazines or even web site biddings. An American truck Historical Society has been formed specially which deals with the buying and selling of antique trucks. They even have memberships and newsletters to keep the interested ones updated about antique dodge trucks. An antique truck museum can be found in almost all states of USA.
There are a number of antique dodge trucks to choose from. They include Dodge Model 30, Dodge Model T, Series 116 and many more. Even today some of these trucks are on display and even for sale. Interested people can participate in auctions and biddings to own one of the antique Dodge trucks. These trucks are extremely popular and are a symbol of prestige. Hence more and more people have opted for buying these antique Dodge trucks. Even though the Dodge trucks gained more popularity after the Second World War, even today there are many people who want to add these vintage automobiles to their collection.
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Friday, August 29th, 2008
Workers in the construction industry do not comprise a very big percentage of the total number of United States workforce. However, concerning worker injury and fatality rates, the construction industry sector has one of the highest percentages of such among all other industry sector in the country.
The basic causes of almost all construction accidents are fairly due to various heavy equipments used, work methods and site conditions. Here are some of the noted cases about construction accidents caused by equipments used:
- unsafe equipment
- improper installation of equipment parts and components
- inadequate maintenance of equipment
- misuse of equipment
- failure to use or misuse of safety equipments or gadgets
- workers’ lack of proper training in using equipments
Meanwhile, accidents occurring because of improper work method and unsafe work site condition may range from failure to install proper warnings and signs to failure in clearing or cleaning up a work area.
Many problems can be encountered involving ladders, scaffolds, areas of excavation, use of heavy equipments like bulldozers, cranes, backhoe, loaders, excavators etc. There are also severe incidents involving burns, electrocution, explosions and even poisoning.
It is a fact that some construction sites have poor attitude regarding safety and security that leads to many injuries and even fatalities.
First, regarding the federal government’s responsibility, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA is the agency in charge of enforcing the federal laws concerning the safety, security and health-friendliness in every workplace.
It works like this, the OSHA releases regulations based on the federal laws. Then, the head contractor of a construction site has the responsibility to take note of the OSHA regulations applicable to his or her work site. He or she will then impose measures and guidelines that will make sure that the entire site is safe and secure according to the regulations of OSHA.
Prime contractors have the main responsibility for ensuring compliance since they have the most influence regarding safety and security issues. They are the ones who supervise and coordinate the operation in the construction site and usually provide the equipment needed by the subcontractors and employees.
In cases when the head contractor delegates his responsibility to a subcontractor, then the responsibility for going over the safety rules and regulations in compliance with the OSHA rules falls into the subcontractor’s obligation. However, both the subcontractor and the head contractor still share the responsibility.
Owners and manufacturers of heavy equipment and the manufacturers of the equipment’s faulty component that caused the accident may both be charged with personal injury cases like product liability. Meanwhile, the contractor or subcontractor can also be charged with negligence in case they have been lax on imposing a safety guideline that resulted to injuries.
However, to get claims without having to file a lawsuit, the Worker’s Compensation Laws of a state can cover an employee who has sustained injuries or illness from a construction accident. The employee does not have to prove any one’s liability for the injuries and can still get monetary payment for damages. Filing for a lawsuit can also be helpful in getting to the bottom of a certain accident and learning lessons from it so that such accident do not happen again.
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