DFW International Airport partners with Vanderlande for innovative baggage handling technology

DFW International Airport partners with Vanderlande for innovative baggage handling technology

Autonomous vehicles are being used to transfer bags and create a more seamless transfer experience Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is using innovative technology to help its customers with more seamless transfers, by introducing Vanderlande’s autonomous vehicle solution FLEET, in the recheck area in Terminal D. The first of its kind robotic system can handle…

The other fatal 4: report warns of less-considered major construction health hazards

The other fatal 4: report warns of less-considered major construction health hazards

Ask anyone familiar with construction hazards, and you’ll likely hear about those on OSHA’s Top 10 Safety Violations annual list or the agency’s Fatal Four — falls, struck-by incidents, electrocutions and caught-in-between accidents. The danger of falls, in particular, has garnered the industry’s attention as the most common cause of accidental construction injuries and deaths. And the agency has…

Prioritizing Worker Wellness: Combining Education and Technology for Injury Prevention

Prioritizing Worker Wellness: Combining Education and Technology for Injury Prevention

Construction is risky business. According to OSHA, one in every five private sector worker deaths in 2017 (the latest year recorded) was in construction. That’s 971 fatalities. Jobsite safety precautions can address the top culprits: falls, struck by object, electrocution and caught-in/between. However, there is another danger on jobsites that gets less attention but has a much…

Tracking Jobsite Workers with Wearables Boosts Safety and Productivity

If a worker fell on the jobsite, how fast would the operations and safety managers learn about the incident and be able to locate the worker to render assistance? When a construction company hires a subcontractor for a big job, does it always know if the sub has the promised number of crew members working…

New dump truck app the latest in Uber-style market trend

New dump truck app the latest in Uber-style market trend

Peer-to-peer marketplace apps are all about getting rid of the often expensive and usually time-consuming intermediary process and connecting users directly to the services they need. This way of doing business has become popular with everything from vacation rentals a la Airbnb to ride sharing via Uber and Lyft. That desire for convenience — and…

Why an Attorney is your friend?

Why an Attorney is your friend?

By: Nathan Estrada First, you may be asking yourself, “How can an attorney be my friend?” A valid question. Second, you may be thinking of the stigma that can be associated with having an attorney. However, an attorney’s job is to protect you and your rights, as well as your business. The road of business…

Where safety innovation fits in the heads-down construction environment

Where safety innovation fits in the heads-down construction environment

In the construction industry, the most threatening risks are the ones that go undetected for too long — design flaws that are spotted well into construction, bad habits that could get a craft worker hurt or a hazard that escapes a manager’s attention. Underlying most contractors’ safety programs is a group effort at vigilance on…

AI, robotics safety a bigger concern to construction industry than job security

AI, robotics safety a bigger concern to construction industry than job security

A Volvo Construction Equipment survey of 205 U.S. and U.K. construction workers found that 31% of respondents were fearful that artificial intelligence and robotics would replace them on jobsites. While that is a common conception about the technology, an even larger chunk, 46%, was concerned about perceived safety risks involved with that kind of machinery….

US intelligence wants to develop tools to detect construction projects around the world

US intelligence wants to develop tools to detect construction projects around the world

The U.S. Director of National Intelligence’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) office has issued a draft grant offer for the development of a system that can detect construction activity worldwide. The announcement is part of the agency’s Space-based Machine Automated Recognition Technique (SMART) program. The new machine learning technology must have broad-area search functionality…

Debt Collection, Part 2: Collecting the Debt

Debt Collection, Part 2: Collecting the Debt

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. You carried out the due diligence and performed all of the required background checks, application steps, and safety protocols before extending credit. Now that individual has balked on payments, so it’s time to step up your game. In Part 1, Reducing Your Risk, we…

5 Reasons Why Construction Companies Need a CRM Today

5 Reasons Why Construction Companies Need a CRM Today

Technology is rapidly changing the game in the construction industry, and the firms who are paying attention and embracing the change will be the ones who win. KPMG’s annual report, “Building a technology advantage — Global Construction Survey” reports that 55 percent feel the industry is ripe for change with 74 percent of respondents saying…

Mayor Turner Creates Smart Cities Council to Speed Tech Adoption

Mayor Turner Creates Smart Cities Council to Speed Tech Adoption

Mayor Sylvester Turner established a Smart City Advisory Council this week comprised of city and regional partners. The council was announced at a smart city planning workshop hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. The advisory council is charged with engaging community stakeholders, governments, academia and industry to develop a roadmap that will speed the adoption…

U.S. Department of Labor Provides Compliance Assistance Resources to Protect Workers from Falls

U.S. Department of Labor Provides Compliance Assistance Resources to Protect Workers from Falls

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a collection of compliance assistance resources to address falls in the workplace, the leading cause of worker fatality in the construction industry. OSHA’s goal is to promote awareness about common fall hazards in construction, educate job creators and workers on fall prevention,…

Safety professionals: Wearables can help mitigate the effects of jobsite fatigue

Safety professionals: Wearables can help mitigate the effects of jobsite fatigue

The American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation has released the results of a three-year study on worker fatigue that indicates that wearable technology could play a role in both better defining the problem of overtired workers and increasing safety on the job. In “Advancing Safety Surveillance Using Individualized Sensor Technology (ASSIST): Final Progress Report,” the…

Debt Collection, Part 1: Reducing Your Risk

Debt Collection, Part 1: Reducing Your Risk

It’s been three months and your client still hasn’t paid his overdue bill for the work you performed. What do you do now? Fortunately, the State of Texas has laws in place that protect business owners, allowing you to collect on a debt, but only when the proper protocols are followed. The Cromeens Law Firm…

Companies look to partnerships to survive digital transformation

Companies look to partnerships to survive digital transformation

Businesses are looking for partnerships to help guide them through a period of digital transformation, according to a report from Information Services Group (ISG). Areas of focus include lean project management, agile software development and customer journey mapping, among others. Stakeholder and product relationships, virtualization of some operations, and long-term feedback and analytics are key in enabling companies…