As the year comes to a close, we take a look at some of the most popular stories on www.cleaner.com. If you missed any of these, now is your chance to catch up.
10. Staying Safe When Traffic and Job Sites Merge
August was National Traffic Awareness Month so we posted this timely article about how important it is that contractors be mindful of the ways vehicles can pose a danger on the job.
9. Respect Your Hand and Power Tools
Humans are unique in that we can develop tools to help us do our jobs easier, faster and safer. Manufacturers have been developing newer ways of making our hand and power tools safer so that we can get the job done and get home safe. Still, every year over 400,000 employees are sent to emergency rooms across the country with injuries caused by hand and power tools. This article provided some safety advice.
8. Coping with the Stresses of Business Ownership
For all its rewards, small-business ownership can also be a grind. On any given day, your attention might be consumed with budgetary constraints, a hiring deficit, or challenges keeping up with customer demand. The good news is there are some healthy habits you can form to help mitigate that stress and potentially save yourself from intense burnout.
7. Taking a Deep Dive into Financial Planning
Even if you’re great at things like fixing leaks and snaking drains, managing the finances is a different kind of beast. A good financial plan is like having a topnotch GPS in your service van — it helps you navigate through the ups and downs of business life without getting lost. Dave Bailey of Service Nation Inc. provided some insight about financial planning in this article.
6. Preparing for an OSHA Inspection
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s mission is to “ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” Sounds great, right? So why are many employers afraid of OSHA one day showing up at their door? The fear could be the result of having things to hide, but another reason could be that they just don’t know what to do if OSHA shows up. Is your company ready? If not, or if you’re not sure, this article from July is for you.
5. Small-Business Response Guide Following a Customer Data Breach
Data breaches are a real threat to small businesses everywhere, so make sure you’re doing everything possible to prevent them and know how to respond if they do occur.
4. How Digital Documentation is Revolutionizing Underground Construction
In the ever-changing landscape of underground construction, digital documentation has become an indispensable tool. It enables contractors to navigate congested easements, sidestepping the dangerous and costly pitfalls of cross bores. By closely monitoring equipment usage, operators can gain valuable insights into performance and identify areas for improvement. And leveraging digital documentation can help operators bid for jobs by taking into account the unique risks and challenges of each project.
3. Jobber’s Annual Survey Reveals Younger Generation’s Opinions About Trades Careers
Attracting the younger generation to a trades career is an ongoing industry concern. Thus the interest in the results of this survey from Jobber, based on survey responses from 1,000 students in the U.S. aged 18-20.
2. NUCA Raises Awareness of Trench Safety Month in June
You should never downplay the importance of trench safety, so it’s good to see that there were a lot of eyes on this article pertaining to June being Trench Safety Month.
1. Idaho Contractor Learns Valuable Lessons on Directional Drilling Job
It seems like most contractors encounter an unusually challenging job that teaches them an important lesson that helps propel the business forward. For JD and Tana Christensen and their Idaho-based business Platinum Plumbing, profiled in the April issue, that pivotal project occurred in 2013, around a year after the company morphed from a mostly plumbing-oriented business into a directional drilling firm. The story about that job was the most-read article on cleaner.com in 2024.
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