Legal/Regulation

Which hazards top OSHA's 10 most-cited safety violations list?

Here is a breakdown of the total number of violations on this year's list per standard as well as details about each standard.

By Kim Slowey • Nov. 12, 2018
Atlanta City Council commits $2B for $5B Gulch development

Developer CIM Group has agreed to provide a community benefits package worth at least $58 million, but critics of the mixed-use project don't think it's enough to dodge gentrification.

By Kim Slowey • Nov. 08, 2018
Fairground advocacy group files injunction to stop construction of Nashville MLS stadium

The motion for a temporary restraining order is the latest salvo of the lawsuit, which Save our Fairgrounds filed on Sept. 4.

By Kim Slowey • Nov. 06, 2018
Massachusetts contractor fined $837K for wage violations

Force Corp. allegedly failed to make timely wage payments to employees and took illegal deductions from their paychecks for tools, safety equipment, discipline and advances.

By Kim Slowey • Nov. 05, 2018
OSHA cites Florida roofer in fatal fall, proposes $134K fine

The agency cited Kasper Roofing & Construction for the accident and for not training its other employees on fall hazards.

By Kim Slowey • Nov. 05, 2018
California contractors pegged in alleged $6M fraud

Charges against the company's owners include workers' compensation fraud and underpaying employees.

By Kim Slowey • Nov. 02, 2018
Advocacy group launches legal battle against Los Angeles Metro high-density plan

Fix the City claims the city's infrastructure should be up to standards before it proceeds with high-density growth along the light-rail Expo Line.

By Kim Slowey • Nov. 01, 2018
AIA addresses industry nuances with 13 contract updates

This round of revisions includes the option for a contractor and subcontractor to set terms and conditions for a deal with multiple scopes of work and updates to better address legal issues involved in joint ventures.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 31, 2018
ICC moves tall wood regulations forward to full vote

Fourteen proposed code changes that would expand tall wood construction in the U.S. survived the International Code Council's recent public comment hearing for consideration in the 2021 edition of the International Building Code.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 30, 2018
Sponsored
The cost of allocating design risk to contractors

Design flaws are a constant risk in construction, but the contractual allocation of that risk can sway considerably from project to project.

By Doug Tabeling of Smith, Currie & Hancock LLP on behalf of ConsensusDocs
Permitting head retires amid scrutiny of MGM National Harbor construction flaws

Haitham Hijazi is leaving the department that permitted the $1.4 billion Maryland project, which the FBI and local police are investigating following a child's severe electric shock from a lighted handrail.

By Kim Slowey • UPDATED: Nov. 7, 2018 at 8:33 a.m.
Deep Dive
Mass timber's striking case for sustainability

As mass timber lays claim to increasingly innovative technology and prefabrication, it also hopes to get an edge up on its traditional building material counterparts through its lower carbon footprint and renewability traits.

By Laurie Cowin • Oct. 26, 2018
Trump authorizes $6B of water infrastructure projects

The legislation, which the president signed into law this week, also reauthorizes the EPA's WIFIA program, allowing the agency to loan money to contractors and others for eligible water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 26, 2018
Construction industry raises millions to fight California gas-tax repeal measure

A defeat of Proposition 6 would pave the way for billions of dollars' worth of road, bridge and other infrastructure work during the coming years.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 25, 2018
City suspends $9.7M of Salesforce Transit Center funding, testing delayed

While denying the funding request, which would have brought rail service into the hub, the San Francisco Transportation Authority board questioned the Transbay Joint Powers Authority's management and financial capabilities.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 25, 2018
OSHA considers silica rule changes

The agency is seeking input on whether additional methods of silica dust control should be added to Table 1 to further minimize employers' requirements to measure workers' exposure.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 24, 2018
OSHA fines Pennsylvania contractor $331K for fatal electrocution accident

In addition to proposed penalties, OSHA added the deceased worker's employer, Insight Pipe Contracting, to its severe violator program.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 23, 2018
Top 6 OSHA fines levied since May

Once again, most of OSHA's biggest citations against contractors center around falls and trench safety, with $304,000 being the largest fine levied.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 22, 2018
Salesforce Transit Center GC sues owner for $150M

The Webcor/Obayashi joint venture alleges the Transbay Joint Powers Authority breached its contract on the flawed San Francisco facility and failed to make "critical decisions required to keep the project on time and on budget."

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 22, 2018
Two New York firms implicated in minority contractor fraud

The FBI alleged Bell Mechanical and Kaplan Schmidt Electric used a "pass through" to fraudulently credit a minority-owned company for work it did not perform in the Rochester school district.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 17, 2018
EB-5 investors sue Florida developer for alleged $99.5M fraud

Ninety Chinese plaintiffs claim that Nicholas Mastroianni II, head of the U.S. Immigration Fund, misused their investment in a mixed-use project through several shell companies.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 15, 2018
DHS waives environmental rules for Texas border wall work

The Department of Homeland Security can bypass environmental regulations to construct and fill gaps in the barrier in Cameron County, but it says it will remain "committed to environmental stewardship."

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 12, 2018
FAA act reauthorizes $3.35B annually for airport improvements

President Donald Trump signed the five-year bill into law, cementing federal funds for airport infrastructure and $1.7 billion for post-hurricane disaster relief.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 09, 2018
San Francisco looks toward tougher seismic building codes

City officials are targeting recommendations at the 100 out of 156 high-rises that were built before modern seismic codes went into effect.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 08, 2018
OSHA increases excavation and trenching enforcement after wave of fatalities

But before starting its new enforcement efforts, OSHA will conduct a 30-day educational outreach phase.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 04, 2018