TechBrief

Feeling disorientated away from your usual work routines? Working remotely (from home or otherwise) can either be a dream-come-true, not-so-ideal, or your standard work mode. Whatever bucket our global SketchUp community falls into, we’ve got a few collaboration tricks up our software sleeves that will help you make the most of remote working.

AGC fights hard for industry’s interests during pandemic
 

As the nation reels from the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic, with construction projects threatened, leadership at AGC of America continuously advocates for members.

AGC of America is launching a new, nationwide program designed to help expand the diversity of the industry by making jobsites more inclusive. The new program, called Culture of CARE (commit, attract, retain and empower), is designed to help firms create more welcoming workplace environments for staff, particularly those from diverse demographic backgrounds.

Few industries are as well suited to protecting workers as the construction industry. Contractors are used to following complex and ever-changing safety rules and finding ways to make inherently dangerous work safe. The coronavirus has forced firms to change the way they operate to maintain that commitment to safety. AGC of America has developed a new website designed to highlight how the construction industry is working to protect construction workers and the public from the spread of the coronavirus. This new site: workingsafe.agc.org highlights many of the steps firms are taking to protect workers and includes photos of different examples of these practices.

 

There are many industries that are risky for its workers. But it probably comes as no surprise that construction has consistently been ranked as one of the riskiest industries in the country. Yet, it has been one of the slowest to adopt new technologies. From pacemakers for cardiac patients to forward-collision warning in new vehicles, technology — when used correctly — can help save lives. MindForge is a behavior-based training technology provider that is on a mission to make technology easier to adopt, faster to implement and to ultimately save lives on the jobsite.

 

A 92 percent reduction in employee-involved rear-end collisions, a 5 percent reduction in insurance premiums and at least a 5 percent savings in fuel costs are the most significant results that Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing, a member of multiple AGC chapters, saw in the first one and one-half years of a new driver safety program.

One of AGC of America’s key focus areas for the foreseeable future is its Future Focus initiative. This initiative is premised on the fact that the commercial construction industry is on the brink of some very profound changes. The point is to track those changes and develop programming and educational materials to help member firms profit from them.

On this episode of AGC’s ConstructorCast, we talk with virtual design and construction (VDC) leaders from Barton Malow Company (www.bartonmalow.com), Matt Hedke and Alan Todd, about the benefits of VDC, technology selection and how to ensure successful companywide integration. Barton Malow defines VDC as the application of BIM and related technology throughout the project lifecycle (pursuit to closeout) to improve overall project performance. Barton Malow shares how it picks the right tools -- and how it uses technology to continually improve safety, quality and productivity during construction. Listen and learn how the company’s VDC team partners with project delivery teams, including design and trade partners, to ensure they are trained to use the technologies that can best help them plan and execute the work on their projects.  Search for ConstructorCast in your podcasts app, or stream and download the episode here.