OSHA releases free silica compliance tools for contractors

The new resources include instructional video series and a free, confidential on-site consultation service for small- and medium-sized businesses.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 24, 2018

Sacramento latest city to mandate local hiring

The new ordinance requires a 50% local workforce for covered projects, which some say is contentious and harmful to the industry.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 23, 2018

San Francisco to expand background checks on contractors after deadly tunnel accident

The city will intensify its screening of contractors following a revelation that a contractor being investigated in the Twin Peaks Tunnel incident may have had a history of undisclosed safety violations. 

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 22, 2018

LaGuardia subcontractor accused of stiffing workers $40K

Asbestos removal contractor Emlo Corp. and its owner have been charged with failing to pay prevailing wages and benefits on an airport project.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 22, 2018

Oregon first state to codify timber high-rises

Wood buildings in Oregon can now be built up to 18 stories high without the design having to undergo special testing prior to permitting.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 22, 2018

New NTSB report on FIU bridge collapse stops shy of naming a culprit

The investigation has unveiled photos showing fissure-like cracks, but has still not named a probable cause of the deadly March collapse.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 17, 2018

Women hit jackpot on $2.5B Massachusetts casino project

As a condition of their casino license, developers must target the underemployed and minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 14, 2018

Lawmakers push for innovative materials in national infrastructure

The IMAGINE Act calls for new asphalt and concrete formulations, advanced alloys and metals, reinforced polymer composites and aggregate, geosynthetic and other materials meant to accelerate construction times and last longer.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 10, 2018

Glass equipment suppliers plead guilty to $1.3M fraud

Charges against the New York-based glass installation company owners include taking orders from customers and laundering money from the deposits with no intention of providing products.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 10, 2018

FERC re-allows Mountain Valley Pipeline construction

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday said construction could resume on roughly 200 miles of the Mountain Valley Pipeline project in Virginia and West Virginia.

By Kim Slowey • Updated Aug. 31, 2018

Deadline nears to comment on EPA's asbestos proposal

The agency will stop taking comments on Aug. 10 regarding its "new use" proposal to allow asbestos in some roofing and other construction materials on a case-by-case basis. 

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 8, 2018

Army Corps of Engineers credited for saving vets hospital

A state official said the agency's construction management turned around the delay-ridden, budget-busting $1.7 billion Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Aurora, Colorado. 

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 8, 2018

DC Attorney General alleges electrical contractor misclassified 535 workers

The lawsuit seeks monetary and injunctive relief for the employees and recovery of penalties to the District of Columbia, which could be up to $5,000 per misclassified worker.

By Laurie Cowin • Aug. 7, 2018

Canadian contractor fined CA$90K for nonworker's fatal fall

Dominus Construction Corp. pleaded guilty to not having adequate signage to warn of an open elevator shaft.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 6, 2018

OSHA proposes rollback of injury and illness reporting requirements for large employers

The U.S. Department of Labor agency said the proposed revision would better protect worker privacy, but some industry advocates have vocally opposed it.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 2, 2018

Critics blame NYC's scaffold law for rocketing insurance fees

Originally slated to cost $93 million, insurance costs for the East Side Access tunnel have ballooned to $584 million.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 2, 2018

Appeals court: Subcontractor doesn't need to conduct investigation for 'justifiable reliance'

The appeals court found that an electrical subcontractor did not need to conduct its own investigation to verify the general contractor's representations.

By Kim Slowey • Aug. 1, 2018

New coalition to develop international fire safety standards

More than 30 professional and building standards organizations will work to develop a more consistent global approach to fire safety.

By Kim Slowey • July 30, 2018

Several states begin making contractors wage guarantors

Both California and Maryland have new laws that make general contractors responsible for the wages of even their subcontractors' employees.

By Kim Slowey • July 30, 2018

Drywall company charged nearly $2M for wage theft violations

Fullerton Pacific Interiors did not properly compensate 476 workers on 26 projects, according to California labor authorities.

By Kim Slowey • July 30, 2018

Drywall contractor ordered to pay $250K for fatal jobsite fall

Phoenix, Arizona-based Design Plastering West's employee fell 23 feet to his death while working on a project in Dallas in 2015.

By Kim Slowey • July 26, 2018

San Jose contractor pays $250K to settle labor trafficking suit

U.S. Department of Labor alleged that 22 Full Power Properties workers were not paid and were held in captivity by one of the company's unlicensed subcontractors.

By Kim Slowey • July 26, 2018

Contractor in deadly South Dakota building collapse may need to liquidate

Hultgren Construction filed for a Chapter 11, but an observer said that Chapter 7 liquidation is a more likely alternative. 

By Kim Slowey • Updated Aug. 17, 2018

New York construction execs charged with minority fraud

Two heads of the now-defunct, Albany-based Eastern Building & Restoration were charged with stealing identities of minority-owned businesses to obtain millions in public works contracts.

By Kim Slowey • July 24, 2018

Experts say Trump's job training plan addresses only the tip of the iceberg

In response to an executive order that created two entities — the President's National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board — an expert told HR Dive that a lot more must be done.

By Ryan Golden • July 23, 2018