Contractor Business Strategy ENR’s Contractor Business Strategy (CBS) contains stories on contractor-business-focused topics, including project delivery, virtual building, new preconstruction techniques, successful safety programs and initiatives, education and training, labor issues, collaborative partnerships, risk management and new materials and processes.//www.phoneitt.com/rss/666-contractor-business-strategy en-us Contractors' 2022 Outlook Turns Positive Despite Challenges, AGC Survey Shows

Associated General Contractors latest outlook is more positive for this year across most building segments.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53407 Wed, 12 Jan 2022 15:00:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53407-contractors-2022-outlook-turns-positive-despite-challenges-agc-survey-shows
Texas Crane Accident Problems Persisted in 2021 kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman)

OSHA records describe alleged errors in crane assemblies.

 

 

 

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53348 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 14:00:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53348-texas-crane-accident-problems-persisted-in-2021
Biden Finalizes EU Steel Imports Deal With Direction to Rework Exclusions

President Joe Biden has issued a proclamation on adjusting imports of steel into the U.S.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53345 Tue, 28 Dec 2021 15:00:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53345-biden-finalizes-eu-steel-imports-deal-with-direction-to-rework-exclusions
A Nuclear Fusion Facility Isn’t the Only Project Heating Up Central Massachusetts Construction Market

With more than $1 billion in development, the decommissioned Fort Devens base has become one of the top hotspots for construction in the state, including an estimated $500M facility for a revolutionary MIT-launched nuclear fusion startup .

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53327 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 10:08:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53327-a-nuclear-fusion-facility-isnt-the-only-project-heating-up-central-massachusetts-construction-market
Vermont Contractor to Pay $638K to Settle Federal False-Claims Charges ichniowskit@enr.com (Tom Ichniowski)

Allegations deal with federal-aid bridge contracts in the state.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53249 Tue, 14 Dec 2021 16:22:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53249-vermont-contractor-to-pay-638000-to-settle-federal-false-claims-charges
With Solid November Jobs Gain, Construction Workforce Nears Pre-Pandemic Level ichniowskit@enr.com (Tom Ichniowski)

The unemployment rate was up from October level but has improved year over year.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53130 Fri, 03 Dec 2021 10:27:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53130-with-solid-november-jobs-gain-construction-workforce-nears-pre-pandemic-level
Industry Groups Seek US COVID-19 Aid for Projects Slowed by Supply Chain

AGC, ARTBA, AASHTO and others want the US Treasury Dept. to clarify use of American Rescue Plan spending.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53118 Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:00:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53118-industry-groups-seek-us-covid-aid-for-projects-slowed-by-supply-chain
Settlement Enables Start of $464M Dam Expansion Near Boulder, Colo.

Agreement marks end of several years of legal disputes between Denver Water and Boulder County over the disruptive nature of Gross Reservoir construction.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53064 Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:20:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/53064-settlement-enables-start-of-464m-dam-expansion-near-boulder-colo
Project Running Late? Don't Be Shocked When Trying to Extend the Insurance Coverage kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman) Project extensions are becoming more difficult in today’s property/casualty insurance market. //www.phoneitt.com/articles/52978 Mon, 15 Nov 2021 10:57:00 -0500//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52978-project-running-late-dont-be-shocked-when-trying-to-extend-the-insurance-coverage US Appeals Court Halts OSHA Vaccine Mandate, Unclear How Long rubind@enr.com (Debra K. Rubin) < p >政府OSHA执法“unambiguo说us ... in addressing grave dangers to employees in the workplace," in rollout of COVID emergency temporary rule. //www.phoneitt.com/articles/52872 Sat, 06 Nov 2021 16:15:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52872-us-appeals-court-halts-osha-vaccine-mandate-unclear-how-long Construction 2020 Workplace Injuries Down but Illnesses Rise ichniowskit@enr.com (Tom Ichniowski)

Labor Dept. report shows spike in respiratory illness cases.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52890 Wed, 03 Nov 2021 18:30:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52890-construction-2020-workplace-injuries-down-but-illnesses-rise
Dodge: Overall Growth Will Continue, But at a Slower Pace in 2022 zevina@enr.com (Alisa Zevin)

Total construction starts are set to rise 6% in 2022, down from 12% this year, with warehouse and residential sectors continuing to lead the recovery, says Dodge Construction Network.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52889 Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:20:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52889-dodge-overall-growth-will-continue-but-at-a-slower-pace-in-2022
Boston Developer Sues Contractor Alleging Delays That Cost Millions

Contractor John Moriarty & Associates has filed to place liens on the property, alleging project payments it still is owed.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52655 Wed, 13 Oct 2021 16:00:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52655-boston-developer-sues-contractor-alleging-delays-that-cost-millions
Steel Prices Causing Construction Pain Point zevina@enr.com (Alisa Zevin)

Steel mill and energy prices have increased more than 100%, year over year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52267 Thu, 19 Aug 2021 18:22:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52267-steel-prices-causing-construction-pain-point
Construction Industry Gains 11,000 Jobs in July as Jobless Rate Falls ichniowskit@enr.com (Tom Ichniowski)

Despite the overall gain, some nonresidential construction segments still show job losses in July.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52221 Fri, 06 Aug 2021 11:31:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52221-construction-industry-gains-11000-jobs-in-july-as-jobless-rate-falls
Eyeing 2030, CII-CURT Attendees See Big Workforce, Climate Challenges Ahead judys@enr.com (Scott Judy) Construction’s future workforce is going to continue to trend older, and likely less mobile, which creates a challenge. //www.phoneitt.com/articles/52218 Thu, 05 Aug 2021 17:29:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52218-eyeing-2030-cii-curt-attendees-see-big-workforce-climate-challenges-ahead Builder of Halted Keystone-XL Pipeline Seeks $15B NAFTA Claim But TC Energy announces big clean energy push to operate other North American pipelines, as federal judge declines to dismiss still pending suit against the Biden-cancelled project; Alberta government also seeks trade claim for its investment loss. //www.phoneitt.com/articles/52197 Tue, 03 Aug 2021 08:07:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52197-builder-of-halted-keystone-xl-pipeline-seeks-15b-nafta-claim What HR Leaders Face: Plenty of Change and Uncertainty

“Nimble” is frequently used to describe how AEC human resources leaders responded to the cascade of challenges in the past year. On top of supporting field crews to help keep jobsites safe and productive amid Covid-19 outbreaks, HR teams scrambled to craft strategies for maintaining connections across a suddenly dispersed office workforce, sustain recruiting efforts with only limited access to prospective candidates and conduct sometimes difficult discussions of social justice issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52169 Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:20:47 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52169-what-hr-leaders-face-plenty-of-change-and-uncertainty vector man with a hammer and rest button Original image courtesy of Getty Images
NLRB Says Scabby the Rat, Other Inflatables, Can Remain at Secondary Boycott Protest Sites yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders)

The union protests were ruled protected speech by the National Labor Relations Board last week.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52146 Mon, 26 Jul 2021 18:25:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52146-nlrb-says-scabby-the-rat-other-inflatables-can-remain-at-secondary-boycott-protest-sites
Experts Predict a Strong Second Half of 2021 as the Economy Recovers zevina@enr.com (Alisa Zevin) Residential, warehouse construction continue to lead industry in an economy spurred by federal stimulus and vaccination rates. //www.phoneitt.com/articles/52092 Wed, 14 Jul 2021 17:10:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52092-experts-predict-strong-second-half-of-2021-as-economy-recovers Construction Sheds Another 7,000 Jobs in June ichniowskit@enr.com (Tom Ichniowski)

Industry's unemployment rate rises from May level but is down year over year.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52042 Fri, 02 Jul 2021 10:46:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52042-construction-sheds-another-7000-jobs-in-june
1000M Tower, Helmut Jahn's Last Chicago Project, Gets Approval to Restart Construction

After stopping construction due to pandemic-related uncertainty, architect Helmut Jahn's 1000M tower in Chicago has been approved to resume construction as apartments instead of condos.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52021 Wed, 30 Jun 2021 15:13:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/52021-m-tower-helmut-jahns-last-chicago-project-gets-approval-to-restart-construction
GAO Faults Corps of Engineers on Fast-Tracked Border Wall Contracts

About $4.3 billion was awarded without competition in the Trump era, a watchdog report says. Many awards lacked full scope details, raising the risk of higher project costs.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51961 Tue, 22 Jun 2021 07:20:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51961-gao-faults-corps-of-engineers-on-fast-tracked-border-wall-contracts
Who’s the Next Target in Feds’ Nuke Plant Fraud Investigation? judys@enr.com (Scott Judy) Government used an internal Westinghouse email chain to earn guilty plea from former project director Carl Churchman. //www.phoneitt.com/articles/51918 Mon, 14 Jun 2021 13:42:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51918-whos-the-next-target-in-feds-nuke-plant-fraud-investigation Latest Updates On The Coronavirus Pandemic

ENR tracks new industry impacts as COVID-19 forces project closures and interrupts global business.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/48879 Fri, 11 Jun 2021 05:01:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/48879-latest-updates-on-the-coronavirus-pandemic
US Labor Dept. Releases OSHA Temporary COVID-19 Standard for Health Care Workers yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) < p > OSHA发布紧急临时标准health care workers June 10, after it initially sought to create a broader standard that included more industries, including construction.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51907 Thu, 10 Jun 2021 15:58:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51907-us-labor-dept-releases-osha-temporary-covid-19-standard-for-health-care-workers
ENR FutureTech 2021 Opens With a Look at Construction Robotics and Startup Partnerships rubenstonej@enr.com (Jeff Rubenstone)

New advances in automation, data collection and the perils of too many pilot projects were the top line ideas at the first day of the 2021 ENR FutureTech conference. 

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51893 Thu, 10 Jun 2021 12:35:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51893-enr-futuretech-2021-opens-with-a-look-at-construction-robotics-and-startup-partnerships FutureTechSpotAcciona.jpg FutureTech 2021 opened with a lively keynote from Acciona roboticist Carlos Crespo on how technologists need to get out of the office and lab and be willing to get dirty on the jobsite with their innovations. Seen here is the Boston Dynamics Spot quadruped robot, deployed by Crespo's team to autonomously perform lidar scans of recently excavated tunnels. Photos Courtesy of Acciona
Innovator Doug Woods, the D in DPR Construction, Dies at Age 70 postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post)

Consensus-builder Doug Woods, the D in DPR Construction, died on May 19 at age 70. Considered an enlightened leader, Woods was a 2012 ENR Newsmaker for fostering collaboration, innovation and technology in construction.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51798 Tue, 25 May 2021 16:00:00 -0400https://www.新利18备用enr.com/articles/51798-innovator-doug-woods-the-d-in-dpr-construction-dies-at-age-70
Court-Halted $1B Canada-Maine Transmission Line Will Proceed rubind@enr.com (Debra K. Rubin)

New ruling clears Quebec-New England hydro power project, despite opposition; developers propose billions in new lines to route more clean energy to New York City.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51779 Thu, 20 May 2021 12:23:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51779-court-halted-1b-canada-maine-transmission-line-will-proceed
Former Iron Workers' Union Agent Sentenced for Jobsite Attack yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders)

Former Indiana union local manager Thomas Williamson, 70, receives four years in federal prison for 2016 extortion attempt and beating of non-union contractor.

//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51767 Tue, 18 May 2021 12:14:00 -0400//www.phoneitt.com/articles/51767-former-indiana-iron-workers-union-agent-receives-4-year-sentence-for-job-site-attack