New Mexico, our nation's 47th state, lands at #32 on our continued state-by-state countdown. After adjusting for the state's lower cost of living (5.9% lower than national average), New Mexico jumped roughly 8 spots on the list. There were 3 construction professions ranked in the top 10 versus all other states, including solar panel installers, reinforcing iron and rebar workers, and welders.
Read moreVideo Shows How Highways Were Paved in the 1940s
As America’s infrastructure is continually described as “crumbling,” I thought it would be a good time to take a look back to how highways were paved around 70 years ago. A lot has changed in the past seven decades, but you might be surprised by how similar paving still is.
Read moreProcore Launches New Labor Tracking Platform, Including Digital Time Sheets
Procore, one of the country’s most popular construction project management software, has officially launched the first product in their newest platform: Field Productivity. The newest platform joins Procore’s 3 other existing platforms: Project Management, Quality & Safety, and Construction Financials.
Read moreUpdate on Miami Beach Hi Rise Demolition Collapse
Last Monday, a 13-story building in Miami Beach was in the process of being manually demolished when the building suddenly came crashing down, some of it horizontally, and critically injured 1 of the demolition contractor’s project managers. There have been some developments in the story that we would like to update you on.
Read moreShould You Choose Tracks or Wheels for Your Jobsite’s Compact Loader?
One of the most highly versatile and useful pieces of equipment on any construction site is a compact loader, also known as a skid steer, or “Bobcat.” They're also the piece of equipment most often stolen from jobsites, due to their size and availability. There’s an inherent choice you have to make when choosing a compact loader, however, and it can make all the difference: tracks or wheels?
Read moreThe Top States to Work in Construction: #33 Idaho
I promised myself that I wasn't going to mention potatoes, so I won't. That doesn't count. Coming in at #33 in our countdown is the state of Idaho, often referred to as the "Gem State." Boosted by their relatively low cost of living at 8.7% below the national average, Idaho jumped 11 spots after adjustment.
Read more[VIDEO] Dump Truck with Raised Bed Gets Obliterated by Overhead Highway Sign
If you’re a general contractor in the Davie, Florida area, I have an idea why one of your deliveries might have been late last week.
Read moreOSHA Proposes Rule Rolling Back Injury and Illness Requirements for Large Companies
OSHA
When the Trump Administration released their Spring 2018 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions earlier this year, they promised a few regulation rollbacks that would affect the construction industry throughout the year.
Among those rollbacks was a plan to “reconsider, revise or remove provisions of Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, also known as the Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule in July 2018.” Just under the wire, on July 27, OSHA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would remove the requirement for companies that have 250 or more employees to submit information from OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report).
Just like smaller companies, these larger companies will now only be required to electronically submit OSHA Form 300A, which is merely a high level summary of work-related injuries and illnesses. The Department of Labor stated that the proposed change was issued in order to protect privacy and reduce burdens on employers. OSHA Forms 300 and 301 contain sensitive information about individual workers who are injured or made ill.
July 1, 2018 was supposed to be the deadline for large companies to submit the OSHA Forms 300 and 301 with 2017 data through the online system, but OSHA is not currently accepting them, pending the rule change. OSHA is, however, currently accepting OSHA Form 300A with 2017 data, though any forms submitted past July 1 will be counted as late.
Full story: The Department of Labor Proposes Rule to Better Protect Personally Identifiable Information | OSHA
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Take 15 Minutes to Participate in the 2018 Construction Technology Survey
Every year, construction technology company JBKnowledge administers one of the largest and most comprehensive construction technology reports in the country. After the surveys are completed by thousands of construction companies across the country, the data is compiled into an annual report, which identifies important industry trends. You can find the results of the 2016 survey here and the 2017 survey here.
Read moreNew App Uses Virtual Reality to Teach Construction Workers About Fall Protection
Falls from height are the leading cause of fatalities on construction sites by a long shot, as the account for around 40% of deaths. Fall protection training in the classroom can often fall short, because hearing words and learning definitions about fall prevention may not have the same effect as seeing and interacting with fall prevention techniques.
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Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.