From our file marked, “When in Rome…” comes this story about the construction of a Mormon temple in Philadelphia. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is forbidding caffeinated beverages, smoking, and foul language on the jobsite. LDS’ Continued Elder Robert Smith says the property is considered sacred ground. “We had a ground…(Read More)
Policymakers in Washington, DC are looking to break what they claim is a monopoly that’s held by the eco-friendly Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) building rating system. The Associated Press reports that several states have all but banned LEED from public contracts, making room for a new player in the market…(Read More)
If your team thinks AutoCad, BIM 360 Glue, and AutoDesk Fabrication help improve productivity and add some fun to the job, gamification may bring new levels of enthusiasm. The trend is growing, according to Blake Mccammon, a blogger on Blogging4jobs.com. “Redesigning tasks that are considered mundane or repetitive allows employers to not only keep…(Read More)
How can you manage risk in industrial construction projects? While there’s no way to avoid accidents, pre-construction and financial threats are two of the areas that should be evaluated before a job begins. “We recommend managing risk in four stages – identification, assessment, mitigation and monitoring,” says Tricia Corcuera of DRAXware Solutions, a construction…(Read More)
The jobless rate has dropped to a five-year low, as unemployment in the U.S. fell to seven percent last month. The stronger than expected November figures brought good news for the construction and energy sectors. Bloomberg.com reports that factories took on the most workers since March 2012, employment in construction accelerated, and…(Read More)
Economists are making some optimistic predictions for the construction sector. “The McGraw Hill Construction forecast for 2014 is certainly on the bright side, calling for a nine percent increase in construction starts next year. It also predicts strong double-digit growth in the dollar value of single-family housing, multifamily housing, and commercial buildings,” according…(Read More)
It was all about greed. Six people were killed and 13 others injured when a building in downtown Philly was being demolished earlier this year. District Attorney Seth Williams alleges contractor Griffin Campbell ignored safety rules so he could profit by selling joists and other dismantled parts of the four-story building. Williams said several…(Read More)
Men who lost their jobs are rejoining the workforce at a slower pace than their female counterparts. That’s because of the sluggishness in male-dominated fields, including construction and manufacturing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that men lost six million jobs during the recession and only 70 percent have been filled…(Read More)
Several jobs that made this list from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics are construction-related. And what’s also noteworthy is these dangerous jobs don’t pay very much. For instance, roofers, construction laborers, and structural iron and steel workers all have high fatality rates due to falls. The pay in each of…(Read More)
Lean practices—recommendations aimed at eliminating waste from construction projects—must be implemented in order for companies to gain a competitive edge. This is the main finding in a report from McGraw Hill Construction on Lean. A company press release explains that 84 percent of Lean practitioners believe the efficiency guidelines bring higher quality projects…(Read More)
