Author: Holly Uverity, Microsoft® Office® Specialist — Outlook® , Office Organizers You may be a work from home pro or this may be new for you but regardless, you are undoubtedly impacted in some way by COVID-19. Your clients may cancel or your company work may halt so I invite you to look at this as…
The use of mobile phones for wireless streaming of music, podcasts or other entertainment is everywhere. Walk down any street in the country and you’ll often see more people wearing headphones than those that aren’t. Some of these listening devices even come equipped with sound-canceling features that completely block off noises from the outside world….
Project “Daily Reports” are some of the most important, yet overlooked aspects of a construction project. These reports serve many beneficial roles such as holding parties accountable to their obligations, providing the basis for an as-built schedule, recording manpower, documenting site conditions, and recording any other important and relevant information that happened on the job…
Robots, machinery and software promise to aid with the skilled labor shortage, or at the very least free up managers’ and other workers’ time so they can focus on more important tasks. In the next three decades, as many as 2.7 million construction jobs could become automated, according to a report from the Midwest Economic Policy…
Why are so many digital transformation efforts stalling? Because leaders remain fixated on technology, at the expense of humanity. The pressure to radically reshape organizations is only accelerating: industries keep converging, new competitors appearing, and societal and stakeholder expectations rising. Yet digital transformation efforts at many organizations are stalling. The reason? Transforming in a way…
OSHA issued a letter of interpretation in response to an employers question regarding the use of headphones to listen to music on construction sites. The employer stated that some headphones are advertised as “OSHA approved” and asked whether OSHA had any specific regulation that prohibits the use of headphones to listen to music on a construction site….
Each year, Federal civilian employees sustain work-related injuries and illnesses. In 2018, Federal workers filed almost 107,000 new claims and received approximately $3 billion in workers’ compensation payments. Many of these work-related injuries and illnesses are preventable, and executive departments and agencies can and should do more to improve workplace safety and health, improve efficiencies,…
5G technology has been touted as the next leap forward in the digital technology arena, and Houston is one of the first cities to roll out the new tech, but what does this mean for Houston’s economy? Well, it could mean a lot. 5G networks need smaller and more closely deployed antennae that can attach…
The City of Dallas Office of Economic Development has won Business Facilities’ 2019 Deal of the Year Bronze Award for Uber Technologies’ U.S. Administrative Hub. Uber’s new hub, based at The Epic in Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood, will create 3,000 new jobs and more than $75 million in capital investment. Uber will provide a new…
More than 1 out of 3 U.S. working adults aren’t getting enough sleep, and the prevalence of sleep deprivation has increased significantly since 2010, according to researchers from Ball State University. The researchers analyzed 2010-2018 data from more than 150,000 working adults who participated in the National Health Interview Survey to determine the frequency of short sleep…
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) fiscal year (FY) 2019 final statistics show a significant increase in the number of inspections and a record amount of compliance assistance to further the mission of ensuring that employers provide workplaces free of hazards. OSHA’s enforcement activities reflect the Department’s continued focus on…
New wearable technology could help prevent struck-by and caught-between injuries and incidents, found a study from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas released last month by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR). The study outfitted workers with waist belts with vibrating motors to detect possible nearby hazards. The tactile system, designed to notify workers through…
At a 2016 conference for women in construction, iron worker Bridget Booker stood up and recounted how, as a second-year apprentice, she miscarried after a very heavy day on the job. Booker told the audience she felt she had had no option but to continue to work when she became pregnant. Without work, she would…
The ConsensusDocs Coalition just published the new Standard Master Subcontract Agreement Between Constructor and Subcontractor and the Standard Project Work Order. The master agreement (ConsensusDocs 755) provides the general terms and conditions between a Constructor (general contractor, design builder, construction manager) and a Subcontractor. The 755 addresses terms and conditions such as indemnification, notice requirements,…
The Department of Defense (DOD) will roll out its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) in January 2020 so that it can ensure contractors on government projects have the necessary cybersecurity practices in place to protect the controlled unclassified information (CUI) to which they are privy. The type of information the DOD is trying to protect includes data…
Major manufacturers in Houston are bullish on their expansion plans in the region, which could help bolster Houston’s identity as a hub for various segments of the industry. That was one of the main discussion points at the Greater Houston Partnership’s Manufacturing Industry Forum on November 6. Mike Molnar, Founding Director of the Office of…
Effective Oct. 1, OSHA put a new weighting system in place for workplace safety and health inspections for fiscal year 2020. The new OSHA Weighting System (OWS) replaces the former time-centric program, which was implemented in 2015. OSHA said that the new OWS, which was based on an evaluation of the existing program and on recommendations…
In today’s ever-evolving world of employment law, it is far from an easy task for construction industry employers to operate their business while successfully navigating all of the potential legal potholes that continue to abound and multiply seemingly with every passing day. This is particularly true in the face of the onslaught of claims lodged…
Adoption of project management and data collection technology will not only make contractors’ operations more efficient but could reduce the risk of litigation as well, according to Resolution Management Consultants of Marlton, New Jersey. Three main construction technology categories that have the biggest potential to reduce the chances of contractors and owners fighting it out in court…
Technology is changing at a rapid pace, and the construction industry is not without its opportunities to automate processes and adopt the latest industry advancements. The increased availability of partially automated vehicles is the latest example of how companies everywhere can improve the efficiency and safety of their fleets. But that doesn’t mean contractors should…
