Online Exclusives

In the construction industry, the consequences of neglecting linguistic support for employees can be dire, as employee safety is dependent on properly communicating workplace safety procedures and protocols.

Contractors across the United States should take hurricane preparedness seriously. Here are a few key tips that could benefit any builder in need of updating or creating a hurricane preparedness plan.

SAFE PRACTICES IN THE CRANE INDUSTRY BY JAKE MORIN TRADE CONTRACTORS & BUILDING SERVICES PROGRAM EXECUTIVE PROSIGHT SPECIALTY INSURANCE With the economy on the upswing, construction is booming. Since the construction industry bottomed out in 2009, construction projects have tripled and according to the Commerce Department, construction spending as of January 2016 has reached its highest level in eight years. ...

BY MARK J. TROXELL, VICE PRESIDENT OF SAFETY SERVICES, THE GRAHAM COMPANY SHANE RICCIO, PRODUCER, THE GRAHAM COMPANY As many of you can attest, the economic recovery has continued to keep backlogs flush, but that has only heightened the need to find and retain skilled workers. The construction industry has some unique challenges in finding and retaining enough qualified candidates ...

BY RUSSELL MCEWAN LITTLER MENDELSON Precision and predictability are harbingers of a successful construction project. The failure to adhere to specifications or customer preferences can have serious consequences on the integrity, safety or profitability of a project. While not every aspect of a build can be reduced to a blueprint, general contractors know that their ability to minimize and adapt ...

3D LASER SCANNING KEEPS PROJECTS ON SCHEDULE AND IDENTIFIES UNKNOWN ISSUES BY BRIAN LAIRD, PRINCIPAL PROJECT MANAGER, RICK ENGINEERING COMPANY PATRICK EARLY, ESTIMATOR/PROJECT MANAGER, ALLGIRE GENERAL CONTRACTORS Hotel Churchill – a historic San Diego structure originally built in 1914 for the Panama-California Exposition, is being modernized to serve San Diego’s homeless veterans and individuals suffering from mental illness. Last year, ...

USING FLOOR-TO-CEILING WALLS AND SOUND MASKING BY NIKLAS MOELLER K.R. MOELLER & ASSOCIATES LTD. Closed offices and meeting rooms are built with the intention of providing occupants with both visual and acoustic privacy. While the first goal can easily be achieved, the latter often proves more challenging. Some argue that this failure indicates poor design or construction. However, this position ...

BY KEVIN KING AND GREGORY PODOLAK The complex world of construction risk transfer is a hotbed of emerging and evolving issues, with critical issues constantly being shaped by case law and the practical realities of day-to-day business transactions. Among the numerous issues that we see, there’s been a noticeable increase in discussion about the need for professional liability insurance and ...

BY NEIL B. CONNELLY, ESQ., BROWN GRUTTADARO GAUJEAN PRATO, LLC Business is slow. Nothing is in the pipeline and there are a few jobs on the horizon. Then, miraculously, an RFP pops up. It’s right in your wheelhouse, but you know there will be a lot of bidders. What to do? You cut your margin to the bone. After all, ...

BY SEAN O’KEEFE LAYER CAKE CREATIVE Construction challenges come in all shapes and sizes, and much like the nearly limitless diversity of potential challenges, solutions can be equally unique. For general contractor WW Clyde of Springville, Utah, a member of multiple AGC chapters, one such challenge and innovative solution recently presented itself on a road and bridge project in Pocatello, ...