It should be obvious that formal safety training is extremely important to running a successful safety program on any construction site. The most common route for construction employers to train their staff is through OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 courses, but, in the past, it was pretty confusing to determine who was actually authorized to teach the courses and where to find them.
Read moreReport Highlights 6 Leading Indicators That Can Make Construction Sites 670 Percent Safer
Every construction company wants to avoid workplace accidents on their jobsites. The problem is, far too many companies don’t have a structured safety program to help them achieve lower injury rates. The Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) recently released their 2018 Safety Performance Report, which showed how companies were achieving a 670% lower injury rate versus the national average.
Read moreFrequently Overlooked Winter Hazards for Construction
The following is a guest post written by Laurence Banville, Esq.
Winter is here and with it comes dangerous situations that construction workers don’t have to worry about during warmer weather. Nearly everyone is aware that construction workers should dress warmly in order to prevent medical conditions like frostbite and hypothermia, but what are some of the frequently overlooked risks associated with winter weather?
Read moreThis Robot Tracks Construction Progress While the Crew is Home Sleeping
Tracking progress on any jobsite is extremely important for your schedule and budget. But, as the project grows larger, tracking progress becomes that much more difficult. How do you accurately determine the percentage of work that the subcontractors have completed across 10 stories and hundreds of thousands of square feet?
Read moreHow to Apply for a Construction Job That Requires a Software You Don’t Use
10 years ago, the most computer knowledge any construction company would require of its applicants was a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel or a scheduling software. Now, construction companies are finally getting wise to the fact that project management and document management software like Procore, Bluebeam, and PlanGrid can provide an efficiency boost to their projects. Because of this, many employers now have job openings that require knowledge of their software of choice.
If you’ve never used that specific software, how can you make yourself eligible for that role?
Read moreAverage Hourly Wage of Concrete Finishers, By State
Concrete finishers smooth and finish concrete surfaces like curbs, floors, and roads. Most are also responsible for cutting control and expansion joints as the concrete hardens. OSHA's new silica dust regulations have added an additional wrinkle to the concrete finishers job, as they are now required to greatly limit their exposure to silica containing dust.
Read moreAverage Hourly Wage of Crane Operators, By State
Cranes can be some of the most dangerous pieces of equipment on any construction jobsite. Not only do workers need to worry about working underneath loads being suspended by cranes, operators need to exercise extreme caution when working with heavy loads and extreme weather conditions. Cranes are also pivotal in efficiently building multi-story buildings, especially high rise and supertall buildings. The profession itself, at least for tower crane operators, can be fairly lonely though, as there's no buddy system up in the cab. The long commute up to the top also restricts the amount of time operators can take breaks.
Read more2017 Construction Technology Report Highlights Industry Trends
The construction industry has been notoriously slow to adopt new technology, so much so that we’re probably –and sadly- keeping the fax machine industry afloat single-handedly. Heck, half of you are probably reading this article on a computer still using Windows 2000. I kid. However, Silicon Valley has recently zeroed in on the construction world, because they’ve realized it’s one of the least tapped into markets on the planet and there are billions of dollars up for grabs. That’s not a bad thing, either.
Read moreReminder: Employers Must Post 2017 Injury and Illness Summary by February 1
OSHA gives employees many rights in the workplace and employers many responsibilities. One of those is the employee’s right to see the company’s OSHA 300 Injury and Illness Summary Log and the employer’s responsibility to post it.
Read morePlanGrid Releases New Submittal Platform, Including Automatic Submittal Log Creation
Creating and tracking submittals on a construction project can be a pain-staking process. Many times, each submittal is tracked manually via emails or spreadsheet, which leaves companies vulnerable to allowing certain ones to fall through the cracks. Factor in lead times on materials and it could cost your project valuable schedule days or expedited shipping fees, not to mention hours that the office staff spends tracking down paperwork.
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