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Education/Training
No fees associated! Applications now open and due January 31, 2019. Qualifications Include:
Click here for full details. Safety
AGC Members receive a 10% discount on all UTA OSHA-taught classes. Please call (866) 906-9190 and provide the member code (AGCHOU). View the full list of courses here.
November 26-29: OSHA 2045: Machinery and Machine Guarding Standards November 26-29: OSHA 510: Occup Safety & Health Standards for Construction November 27-29: SH 925: Management of Change- Process Safety Management Standard December 4-6: OSHA 2055: Cranes in Construction December 4-6: OSHA 3015: Excavation, Trenching and Soil Mechanics December 10-13: OSHA 500: Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for Construction December 11-13: OSHA 3085: Principles of Scaffolding
The AGC-Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA) is the industry’s elite safety excellence awards program for contractors of all types and sizes. CSEA recognizes companies that have developed and implemented premier safety and risk control programs and that have achieved continuous improvement and maintenance of their safety and health management system.
AGC News
For more than 100 years, the AGC Annual Convention has been THE event successful contractors around the country count on for practical knowledge and industry-leading information to guide business decisions, improve operations and shape the industry. Registration details here. Tariffs and Tight Labor Market May Push Future Bid Prices Higher; AGC Of America Officials Call for End to Costly Tariffs, Resolution of Trade Disputes and More Funding for Career and Technical Education
The price of new nonresidential buildings accelerated in October as contractors attempted to recoup fast-rising costs for materials and labor, according to an analysis by AGC of America regarding new Labor Department data. Association officials said that trade tensions and labor shortages are contributing to higher construction prices, making it harder for public officials to improve aging and over-burdened infrastructure.
Metals and petroleum-based products registered the largest increases among construction inputs, according to Chief Economist Ken Simonson.
As the population of the U.S. becomes more diverse, construction companies will need to reflect the changing demographics in order to find workers and remain competitive. The arguments for a company including diversity and inclusion as a key business strategy go beyond the moral imperative of "doing the right thing" and focus on the measurable financial results that can be achieved.
AGC's report, The Business Case for Diversity & Inclusion in the Construction Industry, outlines six reasons why diversity and inclusion are strategically valuable in generating corporate/industry innovation, increasing profitability, and ensuring a positive and sustaining legacy of progress for your firm.
Events
Celebrating Safety - Holiday Happy Hour
Do you have questions about the new flood plain regulations, permitting issues, city compliance and building codes? Join AGC Houston November 30 for a panel discussion with: Building and Development Services: Al Raymond, Deputy Assistant Director Houston Permitting Center: Mark Savasta, Building Official Floodplain Management Office: Choyce Morrow, Acting Manager Engineer → Have a topic you would like our panel to address? Email it to William.M@agchouston.org by 11/26 for consideration. Registration Details HERE Member News
Why would some of Houston's top executives sleep outdoors, under adverse condition, on cardboard boxes? Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. COO, Mike Holland, says it's easy when compared to what many Houston youth are going through. Holland, who has been taking part in Covenant House's event for the past six years, raising awareness about what homeless youths face every day. Holland and the organization's director, Leslie Bourne, recently spoke to KPRC TV's Khambrel Marshall about National Sleep Out, which will take place tonight across the country and in Canada. The Covenant House's outreach program is not just to provide temporary housing and medical treatment to at-risk kids, but to offer skills training so that they can get back on their feet. The organization also helps youths caught in human trafficking. Mike Holland has raised more than $50,000 for Covenant House.
Gilbane Building Company recently joined museum leadership, civic officials, cultural leaders, community representatives, artists and supporters for the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the newly completed Menil Drawing Institute. The 30,000-square-foot $40 million building will serve as the first free-standing facility in the United States devoted to the acquisition, study, exhibition, conservation, and storage of artworks on paper, housing more than 2,500 works by notable 20th century artists.
Designed by Johnston Marklee, the building’s design shields sensitive works on paper from natural light, while at the same time filling the common space with carefully modulated sunlight.
An important element of the project is the innovative energy house, a separate facility located to the west of the Menil Drawing Institute building. The new energy house provides a central source of heating and cooling for the entire campus. The Gilbane team was heavily involved in the planning, coordination, and commissioning of the building as well as strategizing ways in which to bring the existing art building’s MEP systems online to the new energy house.
Vaughn Construction recently celebrated the topping out of the new Student Services Building at Texas A&M University in College Station. The new 95,000 square-foot office and administration building is located in the historic campus core, next to the Memorial Student Center (also built by Vaughn Construction.) Designed by Lake/Flato Architects and PBK, construction is expected to be completed by September 2019. Read further. News you can Use
This new program expedites resolution of inadvertent minimum wage and overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and provides a framework for employers to proactively resolve those violations without litigation.
Register today - all employers welcome
December 6, 2018 10:00 a.m. - noon at Houston Community College, West Loop
   The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the launch of the New and Small Business Assistance(link is external) and the Compliance Assistance Toolkits (link is external) webpages. These new online tools are intended to assist American small businesses and workers with simple, straightforward resources that provide critical Wage and Hour Division information, as well as links to other resources.
Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a lower court’s order quashing an administrative warrant for the inspection of a poultry processing plant. USA v. Mar-Jac Poultry, Inc., No. 16-17745 (11th Cir. 2018). The Court concluded that the mere recording of work-related injuries or illnesses does not mean that they were the result of a violation of an OSHA standard, rule or regulation. As such, recorded injuries or illnesses don’t "justify the issuance of an administrative warrant for evidence of OSHA violations."
OSHA's proposed $304,130 fine against Lanford Bros. in Marion, Va., for silica dust exposure violations is the largest OSHA fine since May, underscoring the importance of compliance with the new silica dust exposure standard. OSHA also has proposed $202,201 in fines for JK Excavation & Utilities for citations after a trench collapse that killed an employee.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released a set of 53 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance to employers and employees regarding OSHA's respirable crystalline silica standard for construction. AGC has assembled a four-page document with some of the clarifications and a PDF version of all the FAQs for members' convenience. AGC encourages its members to review all the FAQs to assist in their compliance efforts. For more information, contact Kevin Cannon at (703)837-5410 or cannonk@agc.org or Nazia Shah at (703)837-5409 or nazia.shah@agc.org.
Membership Benefits
Redeeming this private offer is simple!
Check out the fleet specials from AGC Houston member Knapp Chevrolet. Here's Looking at You
AGC Houston sends out a big "Thank You!" to Greg Lynch of Tellepsen for stepping in and leading the Project Managment Development Class module on "Risk Managment" November 6 and 7, 2018. The five-part national AGCC program is designed for early-career project managers and those looking to move into such a role. The final module on "Leadership" will take place December 4 and 5, 2018. Contact Charlene Anthony for more details and visit our website soon for the 2019 program dates!  It was a full house on November 13 as AGC Houston members heard Leo Linbeck, III, speak about the Fannin Innovation Studio. Linbeck is the Chairman and Founder of the firm, which provides capital and management for developing bioscience technologies and supporting life sciences startups. Fannin Innovation is a for-profit, early-stage, life sciences development group that bridges the gap between academic research and commercialization.
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