Labor/Safety

  • A man works in the sun at a construction site during a heat wave on July 27, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
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    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    OSHA’s proposed heat rule: It’s time to get HIIPP

    Legal experts say regardless of whether the standard will be adopted, it’s a helpful tool and provides insight into the agency’s view of heat safety.

    By • July 25, 2024
  • Ab aerial view of several construction workers stretching on a jobsite.
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    Permission granted by Clayco
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    Q&A

    Clayco risk manager on success: ‘We want people to just feel safe’

    Todd Friis, senior vice president of risk management for the Chicago builder, says he sometimes has to get creative in order to improve jobsite safety.

    By • July 25, 2024
  • Construction site Explore the Trendline➔
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    sandsun via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Construction Dive

    Construction Dive editors curate some of the industry’s top stories from this year.

    By Construction Dive staff
  • A man straps a safety helmet onto a dummy's head.
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    Permission granted by Virginia Tech
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    Virginia Tech to study, rate construction helmets

    Researchers at the university’s Helmet Lab are turning their attention from the gridiron to the jobsite to better understand how to mitigate head injuries at work.

    By • July 24, 2024
  • A collage shows a notebook with the words "Equal Employment Opportunity Commission" next to a judge's gavel.
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    syahrir maulana/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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    California contractor settles EEOC transgender harassment charge

    An automatic sprinkler installer based in the Bay Area allegedly made verbal and physical threats against a worker due to his gender identity and sexual orientation, the agency said. 

    By • July 22, 2024
  • A street view of the National Labor Relations Board in Northwest Washington, D.C.
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    Screenshot: Google Maps

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    NLRB withdraws 5th Circuit appeal of joint employer final rule injunction

    The Board said it would “like the opportunity to further consider the issues identified” in a district court’s injunction while citing other, ongoing legislation relevant to its rulemaking.

    By Ryan Golden • July 22, 2024
  • Close up of male site worker wearing black protective head gear.
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    Permission granted by Malta Dynamics
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    Sponsored by Malta Dynamics

    Malta Dynamics levels up on protecting workers with new and improved head protection

    Acknowledging the expense associated with advanced head protection, Malta Dynamics is also introducing new lower pricing on all APEX safety helmets and hard hats.

    July 22, 2024
  • Packaging boxes are wrapped and stacked on pallets in a warehouse, with a trailer at the dock.
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    1933bkk via Getty Images
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    Construction firm to pay $50K to settle claim it retaliated against HR manager for investigating harassment

    Pro Pallet allegedly chastised the HR manager for investigating the complaint, reassigned major parts of her job to others and excluded her from meetings.

    By Ginger Christ • July 19, 2024
  • The exterior of the Supreme Court.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    What employers can expect following the end of Chevron deference

    For one thing, the Department of Labor’s regulations may not fare well under federal courts’ scrutiny post-Chevron, a former DOL official told HR Dive.

    By Ryan Golden • July 18, 2024
  • A group of people in matching fleeces pose for a photo.
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    Permission granted by Skanska USA
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    Q&A

    The key to talking about mental health: ‘Make sure people feel comfortable.’

    Skanska USA says its outreach programs in Ohio and Tennessee have had a real impact in removing the stigma around sensitive subjects.

    By • July 18, 2024
  • A multiracial group of three construction workers, led by an African-American woman, at a construction site. The woman, in her 40s, is walking between two men in their 50s, talking and looking toward the Hispanic man.
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    kali9/E+ via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    4 ways supplier diversity helps you win in construction

    Engaging with underrepresented subs and disributors can give you a business edge and strengthen the depth of your procurement channels, according to a small business liaison officer. 

    By Stephanie Sherwood • July 17, 2024
  • The trainee works on an electric-powered bike.
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    Sean Gallup via Getty Images
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    Biden announces investments in workforce development, apprenticeships

    The funding aims to create training pipelines, reach underserved communities and enhance public-private partnerships across in-demand fields such as infrastructure construction.

    By Carolyn Crist • July 16, 2024
  • A crane is mangled under twisted and collapsed metal beams.
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    Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP

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    Workers’ families file suit over Boise, Idaho, hangar deaths

    Relatives of two workers have sued several contractors, claiming rushed work and shoddy materials led to the fatal jobsite collapse in January.

    By • July 11, 2024
  • two engineers look at blueprints in front of a construction crane
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    Saranyoo Chantawong via Getty Images
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    Opinion // Business Matters

    A contractor’s success or failure starts at the top

    Many seemingly thriving firms deal with employee burnout, high turnover or an unhealthy culture. It’s up to company leaders to fix that.

    By Matt Verderamo • July 11, 2024
  • A rendering of an airport terminal's exterior, with planes docked at several gates.
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    Courtesy of John Glenn Columbus International Airport
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    After stalled labor talks, $2B Columbus airport project receives more funds

    Negotiations between local unions and contractors did not yield an agreement, but Hensel Phelps and the airport authority say they’re dedicated to hiring local, disadvantaged businesses.

    By • July 10, 2024
  • Two construction workers in orange safety vests and hard hats discuss plans at a construction site, surrounded by scaffolding and other workers in the background.
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    Permission granted by Power Design Inc
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    Sponsored by Power Design

    Getting back on track – finding solutions to project obstacles

    As labor shortages and lack of skilled workers loom, one MEP contractor creates pathways to ease project takeovers and meet critical deadlines. 

    July 8, 2024
  • A construction worker walks through the Stamford Transportation Center on August 28, 2023 in Stamford, Connecticut
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    Photo by John Moore/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Economic Reports

    Job openings remain flat

    Construction counted 339,000 open jobs in May, a less than 1% decrease from the month prior.

    By • July 3, 2024
  • workers toil on a hot construction site with the orange sun in the background
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    SonerCdem via Getty Images
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    OSHA proposes rule to protect workers from extreme heat

    Released Tuesday, the standard would require employers to provide water and rest breaks when high heat creates a hazardous work environment.

    By • July 2, 2024
  • Loper decision ending Chevron deference doctrine
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    Anna Moneymaker / Staff via Getty Images
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    Supreme Court deals big blow to federal agencies

    In a landmark ruling, the justices overturned a 40-year-old precedent and significantly reduced the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer.

    By David Weisenfeld • July 1, 2024
  • Women inspector at work
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    Permission granted by Malta Dynamics
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    Sponsored by Malta Dynamics

    Annual fall protection inspection requirements

    Fall protection equipment is vital for protecting individuals working at heights. To ensure the equipment works efficiently and is in excellent condition, you must have your fall protection equipment inspected annually.

    July 1, 2024
  • The U.S. Supreme Court building's facade with flowers blurred in the foreground.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    SCOTUS overturns Chevron doctrine, limiting federal agency reach

    Federal courts will no longer have to defer to agency regulations for interpretation of ambiguous statutes.

    By Ryan Golden , Ginger Christ • June 28, 2024
  • Close up shiny wooden law gavel in dark brown color on top of a wooden table in an office.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Texas judge puts hold on prevailing wage rule

    Nine months after a Davis-Bacon update raised pay for workers on federal projects, a judge has halted the change.

    By • June 27, 2024
  • Deere and Co.
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    Permission granted by Deere and Co.
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    Deere to pay $1.1M over racial discrimination allegations

    The company was cited for allegedly discriminating against 277 Black and Hispanic job applicants at facilities in Illinois and Iowa.

    By Kate Magill • June 27, 2024
  • Four people stand around a table with a hard hat and construction drawings.
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    Permission granted by Tommy Whitehead
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    Q&A

    Florida contractor brings Pride to construction

    TomCo Solutions founder and LGBTQ+ advocate Tommy Whitehead is working to make the building industry more welcoming to all.

    By • June 27, 2024
  • New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin speaks at a lectern.
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    Courtesy of Office of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin
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    Racism in Construction

    New Jersey attorney general sues Iron Workers’ chapter for discrimination

    Bloomfield-based Local 11 skipped over Black workers for jobs in favor of White members and promoted a hostile work environment toward women, a lawsuit claims.

    By • Updated June 27, 2024
  • A photo of construction workers walking around a jobsite at a tall, stone building during a bright, blue-skyed day. There are lines of tape separating walkways.
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    Portland Public Schools. (2024). "IMG_7570" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Family of worker crushed by forklift sues Oregon contractor

    The estate of deceased ironworker Samantha Deschenes claimed that Portland, Oregon-based Andersen Construction violated the state’s Safe Employment Act in a lawsuit filed June 10.

    By • Updated June 27, 2024