The U.S. Department of labor has proposed an update to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage policy that would affect nearly 5 million workers in 2016. The purpose of the policy is to require employers to pay their employees overtime rates for any hours worked over 40 per week.
Read moreAn Inside Look at the $100 Million Restoration of the US Capitol Building
The United States Capitol Building, one of the most iconic buildings in the country, is undergoing a 3 year long, $100 million restoration, set to complete before the inauguration of the next US President. Built roughly 150 years ago, the building has not been restored since 1960, more than 50 years ago.
Read moreOSHA Fines Construction Companies Almost $2 Million Dollars for Exposing Employees to Asbestos
Photo by Joe P, CC BY SA 2.0
You’ve probably heard the commercials about it hundreds of times by now, but Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that is most commonly caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. It is estimated that those who develop mesothelioma only have a 10 month survival time, as the disease is nearly always fatal. In 1989, the United States and the Environmental Protection Agency effectively banned the vast majority of all asbestos containing material. Surprisingly, a court of appeals overturned the ban and there are still more than a few building materials not banned from using asbestos, including roofing felt, cement shingles, millboard, cement pipe, and roof coatings.
Read moreThe 10 Largest Construction Machines in the World
There’s no doubt that construction industry has some very impressively sized and powerful machines out there and unfortunately not many of us get to actually use them. Since most of will never be able to drive one of these, we can at least marvel at videos of them. Youtuber JD Rock recently put together a video compilation of the 10 largest construction machines in the world, which you can find at the bottom of this post. To help you understand just how big these things are, the descriptions of each will be listed directly below this paragraph.
Read morePennsylvania Construction Workers Uncover Century Old Mass Burial Site During Excavation
There are a lot of things that construction workers hope to avoid when digging, like gas, sewer, and electric lines, but I’m sure it was even more unsettling for Pennsylvania road workers to find human bones during their dig.
Read more8 of the Most Common Plumbing Mistakes Contractors Make
Photo by Keith, CC BY SA 2.0
Humans tend to take plumbing for granted, that is until something goes wrong. Major plumbing issues typically aren’t easy to fix either, since most of the piping is buried behind walls and under concrete, so it’s important to make sure it’s done right before it’s covered up.
Read moreFieldLens Integrates with Bluebeam to Combine Document Management and Jobsite Communication
As everyone in the construction industry knows, communication is the key to a successful project, no matter how big or small. In recent years, there has been an influx of software development for the construction industry in order to make communication between the job site and the construction offices much easier. Now, two of the construction communications powerhouses have integrated to bring construction professionals two of the best of job site communication and document management together in one system.
Read moreThese 3D Printed Power Tools are the Size of a Fingertip and Actually Work!
Sure, 3D printers can print houses, office building and all the furniture inside, and bridges, but that’s all nonsense compared to the fact that you can actually print a working circular saw or power drill that’s as small as your fingertip. In fact, they’re both the World’s smallest.
Read moreWatch a Construction Crane Lift a Crane, That’s Lifting a Third Crane, That’s Lifting a Fourth Crane
Sometimes it’s not enough for a company to tell you how much weight one of their pieces of equipment can lift, so they have to show you. Liebherr, a German manufacturer of construction cranes, did just that, and in impressive fashion, when they put on a very impressive display of strength and engineering as they had a crane lift 3 other cranes at their yearly customer event.
Read moreMilwaukee Expands Line of Heated Gear, Provides 8 Hours of Heating on Those Frigid Projects
It may seem a little crazy to be talking about needing heated gear in the middle of August, but cold weather will be here before we know it. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean the schedules get any longer, so you need to find a way to stay productive by staying warm.
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