Legal/Regulation
-
OSHA: Faulty wiring at Universal Orlando caused electric shocks to employees, guests
The theme park was not fined for the incident, but one legal expert says the company and contractors that built the park could be sued by individuals who were injured.
By Kim Slowey • Nov. 14, 2019 -
AIA updates construction management contract documents
The AIA's revisions address the larger industry trend of early collaboration in preconstruction and integrated project delivery methods.
By Kim Slowey • Nov. 14, 2019 -
SponsoredThe value catalyst for building advantage
Create value in your company by taking a proactive approach throughout the construction process.
By Jason Peace, Director Product and Marketing Management, Georgia-Pacific • Nov. 08, 2019 -
Here's an interactive guide to the most common commercial building code violations
Subcontractors make most of the violations that inspectors uncover, so it's important to know what to look for.
By Kim Slowey • Nov. 06, 2019 -
Plumbing sub on New York healthcare project sues Walsh-Consigli for $22M
In the lawsuit, Brian Trematore Plumbing & Heating claims a "defective design" and lack of communication led to major setbacks on the $545 million Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.
By Jenn Goodman • Nov. 04, 2019 -
Grenfell Tower materials likely didn't meet code, 'fueled' deadly fire
Officials in the U.K. have concluded in the first phase of their official inquiry that the fatal June 2017 incident in London was due to a combination of unsafe building materials and human error in the design process.
By Kim Slowey • Nov. 04, 2019 -
Trump allows Texas border wall construction to begin without standard environmental reviews
The border wall won't be subject to more than 30 typical regulations, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, a historic preservation act, and safe water acts.
By Kim Slowey • Nov. 01, 2019 -
Council: No amount of marijuana OK for 'safety sensitive' jobs
The National Safety Council's position is complicated for those in construction, as it's hard enough to find workers to fill ostensibly dangerous field positions even without drug screening.
By Jennifer Carsen • Oct. 31, 2019 -
Deep Dive
When construction companies need to build a new identity
Using a DBA or creating a new corporate entity are ways contractors can distribute liability, expand geographically, update brand identity or even take on work that would put them in political crosshairs.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 30, 2019 -
Deep DiveThe Dotted Line: The growing perils of using undocumented workers
Contractors risk heavy financial penalties, legal fees, a bad reputation and even jail if they hire laborers who aren't cleared to work in the U.S.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 29, 2019 -
Victims of the Hard Rock Hotel New Orleans collapse file lawsuits alleging negligent construction practices
Those injured in the fatal Oct. 12 incident are claiming that, among labor-related and other shortcuts, flawed engineering processes are to blame.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 29, 2019 -
San Francisco's office development fees set to more than double
The costliest city to build in is set to get even more expensive, with the higher fees, according to a city economic report, even making some projects "financially infeasible."
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 25, 2019 -
E-verify to be mandatory for contractors in Pennsylvania and maybe more states
President Donald Trump has expressed interest in making the federal, online legal employment status verification system more widespread, possibly as part of a larger overhaul of U.S. immigration law.
By Jennifer Carsen • Oct. 24, 2019 -
White House advances plan to revise NEPA, wants faster infrastructure permitting
National Environmental Policy Act rules, which were issued in 1978, have not seen a significant revision since 1986.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 22, 2019 -
NTSB determines probable cause for deadly FIU bridge collapse
The board determined that FIGG's design had underestimated demand on the bridge structure, overestimated its capacity and failed to include redundancies that could have prevented the collapse. An independent engineering review failed to catch the errors.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 22, 2019 -
The construction industry's costliest OSHA fines of Q3 2019
Excavation, fall and trenching hazards dominate the list, although there is one entry that deals with asbestos violations.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 21, 2019 -
'Human error' cited for deadly Google Seattle crane collapse, 3 firms fined $107K
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries indicated that workers took shortcuts when dismantling the crane in April, which made it more susceptible to the wind that toppled it, taking four lives.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 21, 2019 -
Report: KCI airport JV contractor allegedly withheld late pay, delay history from application
The issue raises the question of what aspects of a contractor's history should be brought to light during a bidding process.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 17, 2019 -
Illinois senator resigns from transportation role amid fed's construction fraud investigation
The FBI obtained search warrants last month to look into corruption related to state construction work alleged against state Sen. Martin Sandoval, but no charges have been filed.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 14, 2019 -
Escalation clauses can help contractors mitigate price increases
With savvy planning, contractors can often get owners to help pay when material prices go up during the course of a project.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 11, 2019 -
Could a deadly fire like the one at UK's Grenfell Tower happen in the US?
Questions about codes' and building materials' roles in fire safety were addressed by experts at the Construct conference.
By Jean Dimeo • Oct. 10, 2019 -
What builders should know about construction on sacred land
As evidenced by the recent Hawaii telescope project, crews working on historic sites can be stalled by protests or, in other cases, by the findings of artifacts or even human remains.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 09, 2019 -
New OSHA weighting system could lead to more inspections
The process, rolled out this week, could put increased emphasis on the Fatal Four, a former Department of Labor official said.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 04, 2019 -
How technology can help contractors prevent lawsuits
When all project players have access to the same tools — such as scheduling software, 3D modeling and data collection — experts agree disputes are more easily avoided.
By Kim Slowey • Oct. 02, 2019 -
As federal overtime rule drops, experts recommend audits, training
The new rule, which will impact industries including construction, may face legal challenges, but experts say companies shouldn't delay compliance efforts.
By Ryan Golden • Sept. 30, 2019
