The World’s first Ferris Wheel was designed and built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, IL in 1893 by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. Since then, the wheels have been a staple of many state fairs across the United States and many other places throughout the World. Much like tall buildings, the past few years has shown us that having the tallest Ferris Wheel is a strong source of pride for a city or country.
Read moreOSHA Fine Increase Rate and Effective Date Has Been Announced
Way back in 2015, a small provision in the newest Federal budget created the path for OSHA to raise their fines for offenders for the first time since 1990. In an effort to catch up to and keep current with inflation rates, the provision stated that OSHA can and should increase their fines a substantial amount in 2016 and also increase that penalty each year based upon inflation.
Read more[Infographic] 8 of the Most Incredible Green Office Buildings From Across the World
Green construction isn’t just a fad, it’s becoming a large part of the construction industry. It has been estimated that 1/3 of all construction projects in the United States will be green by 2018, which is now just a short 2 years away. It’s not just an American thing either, countries all over the world have embraced the trend and have brought incredible new designs and green features to light.Green construction isn’t just a fad, it’s becoming a large part of the construction industry. It has been estimated that 1/3 of all construction projects in the United States will be green by 2018, which is now just a short 2 years away. It’s not just an American thing either, countries all over the world have embraced the trend and have brought incredible new designs and green features to light.
Read moreCool Tools: New Smart Tape Measure is All of Your Favorite Measurers Rolled into One
Courtesy of Bagel
Tape measure, wheel measure, and laser measures are all great tools for their own situations, but why isn’t there one that can do all three of those jobs? That doesn’t have to be a question anymore, because there’s a new smart measure hitting the market that can do it all.
Read more[VIDEO] Wheeled Crane Flips Trying to Remove Water Tower Tank
Crane collapses can cause serious injuries and fatalities to construction workers and civilians. That’s why it’s so incredibly important to not only pay attention to the weather, especially high winds, as well as the total load that you’re able to lift. If either of those two things are ignored, disaster can strike.
Read moreZika: An Occupational Hazard for the Construction Industry
Photo by the US Department of Agriculture, CC BY 2.0
[Guest Post] Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a public health emergency – an extraordinary development as this was only the 4th time in WHO’s entire history that it issued such a declaration. Anticipated to exceed 4 million cases this year, the virus has spread rapidly, infecting people in more than 20 countries.
Read more[Timelapse] Watch 5 Years’ Worth of the Panama Canal Expansion in Under 3 Minutes
The Panama Canal has been undergoing a 5.5 billion dollar expansion project since March of 2011 and has finally officially opened, as of Sunday, June 26, 2016. The mega project included a new, third set of locks, which lift passing ships up and down the differing elevations of the Canal; a new Pacific access channel, which required the excavation of roughly 65 million cubic yards (50 million cubic meters); a navigation channel improvement; and improvements to the water supply.
Read moreThe Best Construction Podcast in 2016
Construction Junkie’s 2nd Annual Best Construction Podcast voting booth has officially closed, the votes have been tallied, and we’re ready to formally announce this year’s winner. It’s been an exciting couple years for construction professionals who wanted a podcast made specifically for them, as many new construction podcasts have launched recently. In fact, 2 of the 4 finalists in our contest weren’t even around when we ran our contest last year! If you’d like to check out the rankings from last year, click here to see the final results!
Thank you to all that voted this year. Our main goal was to gain some exposure to podcasts who are doing a great job and, hopefully, they have a few extra fans because of it.
Let’s get to it…
Read moreSteel Construction Barriers Hoping to Keep Workers Safer, Replace Concrete Barriers
Road construction work is dangerous. It changes driving patterns, which is especially hazardous if drivers are impaired or distracted. There have been several teams of researchers and manufacturers that are attempting to make road construction safer for contractors, like this autonomous TMA truck from Royal Truck & Equipment and this smart safety vest designed by engineers at Virginia Tech, which gives workers a few seconds of warning is an object is approaching too quickly.
Read moreShock Prevention Hard Hats Have been Recalled Due to Shock Hazard
If you have purchased a hard hat from 3M that claimed to protect you against an electrical shock, you may be due a free replacement hard hat, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced recently. The company has recalled a specific hard hat that was marketed as providing electrical shock protection, but they later found out that it does not. About 7,500 units of the specific hard hat have been sold online between January 2008 and April 2016. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported due to use of the hard hat.
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