6 Injured in New York Concrete Formwork Collapse

Just before 11 am on Monday morning, 6/26, firefighters were called to an under-construction residential building in Queens, New York after concrete scaffolding and formwork collapsed during a pour.

According to QNS, workers were on the 8th floor of the soon-to-be 18 story apartment building, when the collapse happened.  6 of the workers were transported to a nearby hospital, but none of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

QNS also reported that, since 2015, 20 complaints have been filed against this project to the New York Department of Business.  Among them were complaints about failing to comply with a stop work order. The FDNY shared a photo taken by drone of this week’s collapse in Queens on Twitter, which you can see at the bottom of this article. It's not yet known what caused the collapse.

Another recent formwork collapse in Oakland, CA made headlines a few weeks ago. Video of the aftermath of that collapse showed several workers dangling from rebar and others stuck in the fresh concrete.

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Elon Musk Might Start Selling Masonry Block Made of Compressed Soil

One of the biggest hassles of site work in construction is the hauling away of spoils.  It’s costly and time consuming to bring in truck after truck to take unneeded soil off to an unknown dump site.  When Elon Musk and his team, The Boring Company, started digging a tunnel for a HyperLoop system in Los Angeles, they knew there had to be a better way to handle to soil than to haul it away.

OSHA Proposes Rule to Alter, Enforce Long Delayed Crane Operator Qualifications

Last November, OSHA issued a final rule that would finally allow them to enforce language, which has been in their standards since 2010, requiring construction crane operators to be formally qualified to operate the equipment.  The first day of enforcement for that rule had been set for November 10, 2018, but the agency has recently proposed a new rule that would pull back some of the initial requirements.

The 7 Biggest Storylines from Milwaukee Tool’s 2018 New Product Symposium

Each year, Milwaukee Tool invites members of the media to join them at their annual New Product Symposium (NPS). At NPS, the company shows off most of the new tools they will release throughout the year and shares their most exciting news.  At last year’s event, Milwaukee previewed that big things were planned for the 2018 show. 

Did they deliver?  We were in attendance at NPS 2018 just a couple weeks ago to find out.  Below are the what we thought were the 7 biggest storylines of the even...
The Top States to Work in Construction: #44 Florida

Florida has no doubt had its fair share of strange news stories over the past few years, not only in general, but also specifically in construction.  Some have been tragic and scary, like the recent pedestrian bridge collapse that killed several people and a crane collapse that nearly missed several workers.  Other stories have been down right strange, like this slow speed police chase led by a man who stole a backhoe.

Report: Using “Subs of Subs” Causing Rise in Construction Deaths

Finding enough labor to complete jobs has been a problem for many companies in the construction industry over the past few years.  Amid a construction “boom” in many areas, general and subcontractors are accepting jobs without enough people to work them, so some have turned to hiring “subs of subs” to supplement their work, a report published by The Tennessean says. 

OSHA Enforcement of New Beryllium Exposure Standard is Now in Effect for Construction Industry

In March, OSHA announced that they would be enforcing their previously delayed beryllium exposure limit for the construction industry on May 11, 2018.  The agency has recently confirmed that enforcement date in a memorandum on May 9, 2018.

[VIDEO] A Horse Had to Be Lifted Out of a Construction Trench by a Helicopter

It’s a tale (tail) as old as time: a horse walks into a construction trench, gets stuck, has to be lifted out of it by a helicopter.  The trench didn’t appear to be that deep, so I don’t think OSHA is going to need to get involved with this one.

Milwaukee is Offering Free Service Upgrades to Any Tool That Does Not Fit Their New 12.0Ah Battery

Last week, Milwaukee Tool hosted their annual media event, the New Product Symposium (NPS), at which they offer sneak peaks of all of the new tools they’ll be releasing throughout the year. The biggest news of the show was the release of their new M18 12.0Ah battery, which uses new 21700 cells and is more powerful and efficient. 

The Top States to Work in Construction: #45 South Dakota

South Dakota, home of Badlands National Park and the only mountain with US president's faces carved on the side of it, has landed at #45 on our countdown. 

Place Your Vote for the Best Construction Podcast of 2018

Welcome to another exciting year of Construction Junkie’s Best Construction Podcast competition, 2018 edition. This is our 4th straight year running the competition and this year’s already shaping up to be the best one yet.