Open Web Steel Joists Reinforcement in New Restaurant

Written by admin, 24 January 2022

The new restaurant modern layout creates the need for new large HVAC units and associated with them open web steel joists reinforcements. Most property owners and/or general contractors focus in new restaurant project on electrical, plumbing and natural gas issues. Then they concentrate on walls and floors with beautiful and strong tiles. Certainly, in meantime they have talked to HVAC installers in order to land new HVAC units in new places and then connect them with new ducts to new exhausts. Every contractor is busy making the dream restaurant to come true. Weeks are passing by and then suddenly, somebody remembers about open web steel joists that should contain reinforcements and without reinforcements your dream restaurant will not ever open. This is reality.

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Sad reality….

The very sad reality is that most of general contractors, property owners and HVAC contractors do not realize that postponing making the reinforcements of open web steel joists for new HVAC units is not a good idea. This article describes in details what is going to happen if you do not contact the reputable welding company right after contacting HVAC contractor and long before other contractors will start working on your project. It is a good idea to finish reinforcements of Open Web Steel Joists prior any other contractor begins working.

Open Web Steel Joists reinforcement is part of structural steel

The steel joist reinforcement is part of structural steel of your new restaurant. This is a fact, and any structural steel issues must be resolved first before other contractors come on construction site. Please keep in mind, the heavy steel reinforcement element are not glued to OWSJs but they are welded in. And, welding creates multiple hazards such as fire hazard, noise hazard, and smoke hazard. Obviously, the welder, first, lift them and then place them into proper position. Due to the rather complicated welding, most welders do require space for such precise welding in rather thin materials.

This means that they require space to lift the element, space to place properly the element in right position, space for unobstructed view of a welding spot, and space to place the human body in welding jacket and wearing a welding helmet. As you can see welder working on open web steel joists reinforcements requires space to do a good job. Such welder needs space to make the proper weld and space to backs off from the heat.

When you stand on the floor your perception is misleading.

When you are standing on the ground floor of your new restaurant and you look up at steel joists you will see plenty of space and there is nothing more misleading than that. Once you take a ladder and you come up to the height that your head is almost touching the roof than you will suddenly become surprised that the place is actually very congested. Remember you still do not wear a welding jacket and a welding helmet. And, you have not dragged welding cables there yet either.

Lack of space is a most crucial factor contributing to quality of welding in steel joist reinforcement and it is the most important factor contributing to welder’s safety. If you do not provide space to a welder to work properly in very uncomfortable conditions, than ,unfortunately, welding tasks will ceased and you will not open your restaurant on time.

Factors impacting negatively welder’s performance on open web steel joists reinforcement

Lets talk about factors that cause welder’s refusal in open web joists reinforcement project in new restaurant. In this way you will become aware what conditions you have to provide for a welder to finish your project relatively quickly and at relatively lower cost. Some of these factors will probably look very foolish and obvious to more experienced general contractors but believe me, not all general contractors are so smart as you are.

1. The plumber is working on the drain system and cut our concrete floor right below the reinforcement. In such situation the welder can not place a scaffold or a ladder in this spot and therefore can not start working. Consequently, welder has to wait for plumber to finish its job.
2. The suspended ceiling prohibits access to lift and place the heavy structural reinforcing elements. The workers must take the suspended ceiling down, at least partially, prior welding will commence.
3. Duct prohibits placement and welding of reinforcements. Workers has to take the duct down and then re-worked.
4. Old water lines are in the way. Plumber has to disconect the old water lines and take them down.
5. Electrical junction boxes are in the way. These junction boxes have to be removed and placed somewhere else.
6. New plastic water lines and new electrical lines cause extensive fire hazard. Welder has to protect them with fire blankets but these fire blankets take precious space. Moreover, not everything can be protected and sparks are flying everywhere at long distances so welder has to employ a fire watch.

Minor other factors impacting negatively welder’s performance on OWSJ reinforcement

1. Walls erected under the spots where reinforcements have to be installed prohibit manual lifting of heavy elements and placing them in right spots. Surely, good welders can go around these obstacles but they will estimate the cost higher
2. Beautiful ceramic tiles are on the walls and on the floors and any tools or steel elements that falls from the scaffold or scissor lift will crack the tile. Additional protection of walls and floors will increase the project cost.
3. Stainless steel sheet metal installed on walls. Steel pebbles and sparks generated by welding will cause irreversible damaged to this beautiful sheet metal. Additional protection of these walls will increase the project cost.
4. Led paint. Thick coats of led containing paint impacts safety of the welder. Extensive grinding is necessary prior welding and welder has to wear the mask with suitable filters.
5. Any congested area that does not allow backing off from the welds will cause painful burns. Welders do get burns when working in uncomfortable and congested places even though they wear proper PPE. These burns usually happen where gloves meet the sleeve of the jacket while welding overhead and when pebbles land to the welder’s boot.

Proper planning of steel joists reinforcement

As in anything in live proper planning of open web steel joists reinforcement makes a huge difference. Firstly, creation of openings in the roof for HVAC units is very helpful since it clearly establish where the welder must place reinforcements. Of course, welder must have access to drawing of HVAC structure on top of the roof since placement of reinforcements must support the HVAC unit structure. At this point experienced general contractor lands the HVAC units on the roof anyway.

Secondly, the general contractor or property owner has to bring the cleaning crew to clean all old electrical wires, old water lines, and old natural gas lines that are in a way for the welder. Unfortunately, as simple as it sounds, the removal of these lines is nothing but simple. Many lines feed to neighboring units and cutting these lines will impact negatively neighbors’ business operation. Thirdly, no other work takes place prior welder will finish welding steel joists reinforcements.