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Mobile Equipment Operation

Industry Code: 40604

Compulsory

This industry includes businesses that are engaged to undertake contracts which predominantly require the use of mobile equipment and are not elsewhere classified. Businesses may use any of a wide variety of equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, graders, forklifts, mobile cranes, etc.

Operation Details:

Typically, contracts undertaken in this industry will emphasize the use of mobile equipment. Types of construction endeavors can include, but are not limited to: road construction, golf course construction, sewer and water line installation, general excavation, grading, tunneling, land reclamation, land clearing, building demolition, snow clearing, mowing grass along roadways, etc.

The sale of bulk landscape products such as gravel, sand, shale and decorative rock with or without ancillary garden products is also included in this industry. Other businesses include sand/gravel pit and gravel crushing operations, including product delivery from the pit.

Workers will include equipment operators who may be supported by engineers, technical staff, mechanics, laborers, truck drivers, sales/estimators, and office/administrative staff.

This industry will cover employers engaged to join sections of plastic pipe using fusion technology. Using portable hydraulic fusion machines, which are self-contained, lengths of pipe are butted together and heat is applied to fuse or bond the segments together. This is primarily an on-site operation performed for principals such as utility companies, irrigation companies and municipalities. These businesses may also fit steel pipelines with plastic liners.

Mobile equipment is used in fighting forest fires and as such companies that provide this equipment to fight forest fires are classified in this industry. Companies that provide fire fighters but not equipment are considered to be providing a labour only service and are classified in Industry 86911 - Staffing Services - Labour.

All employers in this industry are members of the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA). Safety associations represent the interests of employers and promote workplace safety through education and other initiatives. Improved workplace safety can result in fewer claims and help lower premiums. A portion of premiums collected is allocated to the association to support these initiatives.

Underwriting Considerations:

The key feature of this industry is the use of mobile equipment. Businesses may require the use of trucks to transport equipment between work sites or haul away material which has been excavated; however, trucking activities are incidental to the operation of the mobile equipment. These businesses may do some infrequent custom equipment hauling for others and would not require a separate classification in such circumstances.

This industry will cover all the operations of employers who are general contractors in road construction and the development of subdivisions. These may be comprehensive contracts requiring diverse pieces of equipment and construction activities. All operations of the general contractor will be covered under this industry including the operation of mobile asphalt batch plants. Subcontractors engaged by these general contractors will be classified according to the contract undertaken, e.g., Industry 50714 - General Trucking, Industry 42104 - Concrete Construction, Industry 40602 - Paving/Surfacing.

Various construction activities may be enhanced by the use of mobile equipment; however, they are classified according to the overall contract undertaken, e.g., Industry 40905 - Pipeline Construction, Industry 42106 - Structural Steel - Erect, Industry 42161 - Precast Concrete - Erect.

The operation of mobile truck-mounted cranes will be covered in this industry when the contract is to perform onsite loading and unloading, which is not related to the transport of the goods being loaded or unloaded. The rental and erection only of stationary tower cranes is to be classified in Industry 89928 - Scaffold/Cranes - Rental/Erect.

Businesses engaged in land or brush clearing, with the use of only chain saws, are included here when the contract is for the clearing of land. Employers conducting land clearing for the purpose of harvesting merchantable timber are classified in Industry 03100 - Logging/Woodland Operations.

Scarification (the clearing/cleaning of land already logged by using heavy drag equipment) or site preparation is classified in this industry when performed separately from other logging activities. When done in conjunction with logging it is to be classified in industry 03100 - Logging/Woodland Operations. The activities of picking cones and planting seedlings may be performed by silviculture companies, and when performed in conjunction with the scarification, are classified in Industry 03902 - Timber Management.

The laying of swamp mats (which are usually large rubber mats manufactured from recycled tires), is used for crossing streams, wetlands, mud, sand, pasture, snow, muskeg, peat and any other unstable surfaces which cannot support heavy equipment or loaded truck and trailers passing over them without some type of reinforcement. The placing of these swamp mats typically require the use of a forklift, crane or backhoe which place the mats abutting each other until the unstable surface is covered enough to allow the piece of equipment to get to the other side. This type of operation is classified in this industry.

Weeping tile is a flexible perforated pipe surrounding the foundation of a building that collects excess ground water to keep moisture away from a foundation. Using a waterproof membrane placed against the foundation provides further protection. Often weeping tile and waterproofing are done together, when this occurs the entire operations should be classified in Industry 42139 – Industrial Coating Services. Companies that provide the installation of weeping tile only are to be classified in Industry 40604.

Premium Rate History:

Activities:

Blasting Operations
Brush Burning
Brush Clearing and Land Clearing
Buildings, Demolition or Wrecking of
Bulldozing Services
Cable, Telephone and Electric, Buried - Laying of
Cranes, Operation of
Culverts, Metal - Assembly and Installation
Demolition or Wrecking of Buildings
Dredging Services
Electrical Cable, Buried - Laying of
Excavating Services
Firefighting, Forest
Fireworks Displays
Forest Fire Fighting
Fusion of Plastic Pipe
Golf Course, Construction of
Grass Mowing Along Highways and Roads
Gravel Crushing
Gravel Pits, Including Gravel Crushing
Heavy Equipment, Operation or Rental With Operator
Highway Construction
Industrial Heavy Equipment, Operation of
Land Breaking
Land Reclamation
Line Clearing/Slashing
Loader, Light Front End - Operation of
Mobile Equipment Operations
Swamp Mats, Installation of
Telephone Cable, Buried - Laying of
Water Lines - Construction of
Weeping Tile Installation
Wrecking or Demolition of Buildings
Bulk Landscape Supplies, Sale of
Thinning of Brush and Land Clearing
Trenching, Mobile Equipment
Tunnelling
Operation of Heavy/Mobile Equipment
Pits, Sand and Gravel - Operation of
Plastic Pipe, Fusion of
Quarrying
Rail Lines, Abandoned - Dismantling of
Railroad Construction
Reclamation, Land
Road Construction
Road Construction using Swamp Mats
Sand Pits, Operation of
Scarification (as a separate business)
Sewer Lines, Construction of
Shale Pits, Operation of
Slashing/Line Clearing
Installation of Weeping Tile
Land Clearing

Rate Group History:

The Mobile Equipment Operations rate group was initially created in 1992. Effective 1997, landscaping-type activities along with right of way maintenance and powerline line construction were added to this rate group.

This industry includes businesses that are engaged to undertake contracts which predominantly require the use of mobile equipment and are not elsewhere classified. Businesses may use any of a wide variety of equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, graders, forklifts, mobile cranes, etc.

Premium Rate History:

Activities:

Blasting Operations
Brush Burning
Brush Clearing and Land Clearing
Buildings, Demolition or Wrecking of
Bulldozing Services
Cable, Telephone and Electric, Buried - Laying of
Cranes, Operation of
Culverts, Metal - Assembly and Installation
Demolition or Wrecking of Buildings
Dredging Services
Electrical Cable, Buried - Laying of
Excavating Services
Firefighting, Forest
Fireworks Displays
Forest Fire Fighting
Fusion of Plastic Pipe
Golf Course, Construction of
Grass Mowing Along Highways and Roads
Gravel Crushing
Gravel Pits, Including Gravel Crushing
Heavy Equipment, Operation or Rental With Operator
Highway Construction
Industrial Heavy Equipment, Operation of
Land Breaking
Land Reclamation
Line Clearing/Slashing
Loader, Light Front End - Operation of
Mobile Equipment Operations
Swamp Mats, Installation of
Telephone Cable, Buried - Laying of
Water Lines - Construction of
Weeping Tile Installation
Wrecking or Demolition of Buildings
Bulk Landscape Supplies, Sale of
Thinning of Brush and Land Clearing
Trenching, Mobile Equipment
Tunnelling
Operation of Heavy/Mobile Equipment
Pits, Sand and Gravel - Operation of
Plastic Pipe, Fusion of
Quarrying
Rail Lines, Abandoned - Dismantling of
Railroad Construction
Reclamation, Land
Road Construction
Road Construction using Swamp Mats
Sand Pits, Operation of
Scarification (as a separate business)
Sewer Lines, Construction of
Shale Pits, Operation of
Slashing/Line Clearing
Installation of Weeping Tile
Land Clearing

Operation Details:

Typically, contracts undertaken in this industry will emphasize the use of mobile equipment. Types of construction endeavors can include, but are not limited to: road construction, golf course construction, sewer and water line installation, general excavation, grading, tunneling, land reclamation, land clearing, building demolition, snow clearing, mowing grass along roadways, etc.

The sale of bulk landscape products such as gravel, sand, shale and decorative rock with or without ancillary garden products is also included in this industry. Other businesses include sand/gravel pit and gravel crushing operations, including product delivery from the pit.

Workers will include equipment operators who may be supported by engineers, technical staff, mechanics, laborers, truck drivers, sales/estimators, and office/administrative staff.

This industry will cover employers engaged to join sections of plastic pipe using fusion technology. Using portable hydraulic fusion machines, which are self-contained, lengths of pipe are butted together and heat is applied to fuse or bond the segments together. This is primarily an on-site operation performed for principals such as utility companies, irrigation companies and municipalities. These businesses may also fit steel pipelines with plastic liners.

Mobile equipment is used in fighting forest fires and as such companies that provide this equipment to fight forest fires are classified in this industry. Companies that provide fire fighters but not equipment are considered to be providing a labour only service and are classified in Industry 86911 - Staffing Services - Labour.

All employers in this industry are members of the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA). Safety associations represent the interests of employers and promote workplace safety through education and other initiatives. Improved workplace safety can result in fewer claims and help lower premiums. A portion of premiums collected is allocated to the association to support these initiatives.

Underwriting Considerations:

The key feature of this industry is the use of mobile equipment. Businesses may require the use of trucks to transport equipment between work sites or haul away material which has been excavated; however, trucking activities are incidental to the operation of the mobile equipment. These businesses may do some infrequent custom equipment hauling for others and would not require a separate classification in such circumstances.

This industry will cover all the operations of employers who are general contractors in road construction and the development of subdivisions. These may be comprehensive contracts requiring diverse pieces of equipment and construction activities. All operations of the general contractor will be covered under this industry including the operation of mobile asphalt batch plants. Subcontractors engaged by these general contractors will be classified according to the contract undertaken, e.g., Industry 50714 - General Trucking, Industry 42104 - Concrete Construction, Industry 40602 - Paving/Surfacing.

Various construction activities may be enhanced by the use of mobile equipment; however, they are classified according to the overall contract undertaken, e.g., Industry 40905 - Pipeline Construction, Industry 42106 - Structural Steel - Erect, Industry 42161 - Precast Concrete - Erect.

The operation of mobile truck-mounted cranes will be covered in this industry when the contract is to perform onsite loading and unloading, which is not related to the transport of the goods being loaded or unloaded. The rental and erection only of stationary tower cranes is to be classified in Industry 89928 - Scaffold/Cranes - Rental/Erect.

Businesses engaged in land or brush clearing, with the use of only chain saws, are included here when the contract is for the clearing of land. Employers conducting land clearing for the purpose of harvesting merchantable timber are classified in Industry 03100 - Logging/Woodland Operations.

Scarification (the clearing/cleaning of land already logged by using heavy drag equipment) or site preparation is classified in this industry when performed separately from other logging activities. When done in conjunction with logging it is to be classified in industry 03100 - Logging/Woodland Operations. The activities of picking cones and planting seedlings may be performed by silviculture companies, and when performed in conjunction with the scarification, are classified in Industry 03902 - Timber Management.

The laying of swamp mats (which are usually large rubber mats manufactured from recycled tires), is used for crossing streams, wetlands, mud, sand, pasture, snow, muskeg, peat and any other unstable surfaces which cannot support heavy equipment or loaded truck and trailers passing over them without some type of reinforcement. The placing of these swamp mats typically require the use of a forklift, crane or backhoe which place the mats abutting each other until the unstable surface is covered enough to allow the piece of equipment to get to the other side. This type of operation is classified in this industry.

Weeping tile is a flexible perforated pipe surrounding the foundation of a building that collects excess ground water to keep moisture away from a foundation. Using a waterproof membrane placed against the foundation provides further protection. Often weeping tile and waterproofing are done together, when this occurs the entire operations should be classified in Industry 42139 – Industrial Coating Services. Companies that provide the installation of weeping tile only are to be classified in Industry 40604.

Rate Group History:

The Mobile Equipment Operations rate group was initially created in 1992. Effective 1997, landscaping-type activities along with right of way maintenance and powerline line construction were added to this rate group.