AGC of America unveiled a new study designed to improve the safety of construction workers as it announced that two-thirds of metro areas added construction jobs during the past 12 months. The association commissioned this study with the goal of taking a deeper dive into existing information on fatalities with an eye towards learning new methods of preventing worker fatalities in the construction industry. The study, conducted by the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech, involved analyzing detailed, confidential fatality reports from 2010-2012 because the industry wants to develop employer-employee strategies to reduce the risk of workers being injured. Learn More...

 

To get a better handle on the impact of vehicle crashes at AGC member work sites, the association has prepared this brief survey. Please take a few minutes today to complete it. AGC will use the results of the survey to help educate the media and driving public about the need to slow down, drive with care and stay away from mobile devices while operating in highway work zones. AGC plans to release the survey results and launch a public awareness campaign in the days leading up to Memorial Day and the traditional start of the summer driving season. Learn More...

 

Double-digit price increases for key construction materials pushed up construction costs in March, while the prices charged by contractors remained moderate, according to a new analysis of federal producer price data released recently by AGC of America. Association officials urged policy makers to avoid adopting restrictions on international trade that would add to materials costs and potentially drive up the price of infrastructure, buildings and new homes and apartments. Learn More...

 

• Feature: Artificial Intelligence on Jobsites• Infographic: Construction Technology
• Feature: Demolition and Wrecking
• Feature: CSEA winners
• Special Section: Regional Resource Guide (access last year’s guide here)

This issue gives you the opportunity to advertise nationally or regionally, with the popular Regional Resource Guide section. To get involved, contact Jamie Williams at 352-333-3393. You can download the 2017 Constructor media planner here. If you would like to make an editorial contribution to an issue, please contact Jeanie Clapp, editor-in-chief, at 352-333-3453.

 

Thanks in part to AGC’s advocacy efforts, contractors are enjoying a major victory today: permanent nullification of regulations implementing Pres. Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, often referred to as the "blacklisting" rule. On March 27, Pres. Trump signed into law a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) by which Congress expressed disapproval of the rule and stripped it of all force and effect. Under the blacklisting rule, both prime and subcontractors were required to report violations and alleged violations of 14 federal labor laws and "equivalent" state labor laws during the previous three years, and again every six months, on federal contracts over $500,000. Prime contractors were also responsible for evaluating the labor law violations of subcontractors at all tiers. A single alleged violation could have led a contracting officer to remove a contractor from an ongoing project or to deny to a contractor the right to compete for a contract. The rule also required contractors to provide certain pay information to employees and independent contractors, and it limited the use of mandatory arbitration of employment disputes. All but the paycheck transparency provisions had been on temporary hold since a federal court issued preliminary injunction in October 2016. Learn More...

 

On April 6, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it will delay enforcement of the respirable crystalline standard for construction for three months—until Sept. 23, 2017. In its announcement, OSHA explained that the construction silica standard has a number of unique features warranting development of additional guidance and educational materials before enforcement begins. AGC continues to believe that implementation of this standard is technically infeasible and continues to challenge it in court. Learn More...

 

President Trump issued an Executive Memorandum Regarding Pipeline Construction, which directed the Department of Commerce to develop a plan to use only materials produced in the United States for all pipeline construction. AGC submitted comments to the Department of Commerce detailing the construction industry’s concerns with the Memorandum and its practical implications on members. Learn More...

 

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BEST PRACTICES SERIES
BY CHRISTINE DELUCA, DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AECOM
Grow, increase, expand. These concepts form the foundation of a company’s strategic goals. Although not all strategies require entering new markets, at some point, firms must expand beyond existing clients or geographies to achieve significant growth. Whether you’re on the executive team or serve in the business development space, answering these questions honestly can help your team determine where your company should focus its resources to achieve realistic and meaningful growth. Learn More...

 

BY LONNIE FRITZ, HEAVY CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CONSULTANT
CATERPILLAR INC.
Most contractors agree that project success is largely determined by four factors: time, cost, quality and safety. But there isn’t a "one-size-fits-all" approach. The same is true of technology, in that each company’s journey is unique. This article will help you take a quick look at key areas where technology can make a difference. Learn More...

 

C.W. Driver Companies, an AGC of California and San Diego Chapter member, has announced the completion of Irvine Unified School District’s Portola High School. Constructed to meet criteria developed by the High Performance Index Schools (HPI), which facilitates improved student success by providing exceptional learning environments through high-performance design, construction and operation, Portola High School is set to accommodate 2,400 students and will provide a healthy, energy efficient and state-of-the-art education experience. The 237,000-sq-f facility which totaled $126 million in construction costs is located on a 43-acre site at 1001 Cadence in Irvine, California and includes 16 campus buildings and three parking lots with a total capacity of 791 vehicles, in addition to an aquatics facility, football stadium, varsity softball and baseball fields along with other various outdoor field facilities. Learn More...

 

McGrath & Associates, an AGC of Missouri and a Central Illinois Builders of AGC member, has completed construction on the new $5.6 million St. Louis Heart and Vascular, a high-tech ambulatory surgery center and medical office facility at 3550 McKelvey Road in Bridgeton, Missouri. Learn More...

 

Moss & Associates, a South Florida AGC member, recently celebrated the topping out of Riva, the first luxury condominium along Federal Highway north of Sunrise Blvd., adding to the rapidly growing redevelopement of this area of Fort Lauderdale. Learn More...

 

Current Builders, a South Florida Chapter-AGC member, announced that equity partner Scott Remer has been appointed vice president of operations (VPO). The company also announced that equity partners, Aaron Buttress and Ryan Kelley, have each been promoted to vice president of construction (VPC). Learn More...

 

Parsons, a member of multiple AGC chapters, has signed a global framework agreement to provide engineering, procurement, technical, and construction services to Shell spanning its refining and chemical projects and across its upstream and midstream businesses. Parsons will deliver a full-spectrum of services from concept and scoping, to design, construction, and start-up. Learn More...