In what seems to be an all-too-common occurrence recently, a partial building collapse yesterday has sadly cost the lives of 3 construction workers and injured one additional worker.
Read moreNew Documentary Examines the Plight of Immigrant Construction Workers in the Southwest
via Latino Public Broadcasting
When I worked in the construction industry in Texas a few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the hardest working, most intelligent, and nicest people I’ve ever met in the construction industry, many of whom happened to be first and second generation immigrants from Mexico and South America. Thankfully, those people were treated fairly by the companies they worked for, but the unfortunate reality is that it isn’t the case for all of the immigrants working throughout the state or country.
Read moreSurvey Reveals the Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Contractors
For the past six months, we’ve known the construction industry In the US has been highly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but how much? A new survey conducted by Autodesk and AGC of America is giving us a deeper look into the impacts so far.
Read more5 Free Construction Safety Resource Guides that are Worth Your Time
One of the key components to building a proper safety culture is first building awareness. That awareness is built through training, tool box talks, and jobsite experience. The good news is that construction companies don’t need to come up with safety topics and information by themselves, there are actually a lot of fantastic resources available online and many of them are free.
Read moreFire Safety Provisions for Tall Mass Timber Buildings to Be Adopted by the NFPA
Cross Laminated Timber. Photo by the Oregon Department of Forestry, CC BY 2.0
Tall mass timber buildings have been gaining steam across the globe over the past few years, but their detractors argue that they are at a much greater risk of burning to the ground than traditional tall structures made of steel and concrete. The National Fire Protection Association has recently adopted provisions to allow for taller mass timber buildings within NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code.
Read more22 Construction Workers Injured Following Crane Accident on Austin, TX Jobsite
Well, I didn’t really intend for Construction Junkie to be filled with a bunch of articles to bum you out, but when dozens of people are injured from a jobsite incident, it’s important for us all to learn from it in order to avoid similar circumstances in the future.
Read moreSafety Nonprofit Releases Collection of Construction Safety Resources
ASSP
Safety training and awareness building are a core fundamental of building a proper safety culture on your jobsites, so it’s important to know the resources that are available to you. The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has recently released a collection of free construction safety resources to help build and share safety knowledge.
Read more6 Atlanta Construction Workers Injured After Parking Deck Collapses Twice in 2 Days
photo by Arvell Dorsey Jr, CC BY 2.0
Multiple construction workers were transported to local hospitals in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday after an 11th floor parking deck collapsed onto the 10th floor and then collapsed again while workers were shoring up the site the next day.
Read moreOSHA Revises Final Beryllium Standards for Construction After Industry Group Pushback
After being enforced for a little over 2 years, the 2018 beryllium standards for construction are being revised to clarify the administration’s standards, and simplify and improve compliance, after pushback from industry groups. This move was also announced in the recently released Spring 2020 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions from the White House.
Read moreEkso Bionics Unveils EVO, a New Lighter Weight Exoskeleton for Construction
The Ekso EVO, via Ekso Bionics
A Couple of years ago, exoskeleton maker, Ekso Bionics, released the EksoVest, which was a lighter weight, upper body support mechanism that provided lift support to the wearer. After real world testing and customer feedback, Ekso Bionics has released the next generation of the EksoVest, called EVO.
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