Women in Construction Week, March 5 - 10
Women make up
just 9%
of the construction industry workforce, but they continue to rise to leadership roles at construction companies and in labor unions, or by starting their own businesses. These women are architects, site superintendents, carpenters, administrators and many other types of workers.
Women in Construction Week, March 5 – 10, celebrates women in the industry who are breaking barriers in this male-dominated profession and who are playing crucial roles in their companies and the industry.
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6 women construction leaders shaping the industry
To mark Women in Construction Week 2017, Construction Dive spoke with women leaders across the industry about why they chose their career and how they’re overcoming bias along the way.
There is no singular experience that defines what it's like to be a woman in the construction industry today. There is a common thread, however: underrepresentation. Women make up 47% of the overall U.S. workforce but just 9% of the construction industry. However, women are making a critical impact in construction and are gaining recognition that's helping draw more women to the field.
To mark Women in Construction Week 2017, Construction Dive interviewed six women leaders representing multiple facets of the business, from building material sales to homebuilding to architecture to large commercial contracting. As these women tell it, the construction industry can benefit from expanding the diversity of thought and background among the members of its ranks. And they are leading the charge to make it happen.
Read on to learn how these women are improving the status of diversity in their own businesses and the industry at-large, and the positive outcomes from opening the door to new ideas.
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McDermott Named To Wheeling Park Commission
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Gregory
“Greg”
McDermott will replace Dr. Donald Hofreuter as a member of the Wheeling Park Commission, City Manager Robert Herron announced late Friday. "
Mr. McDermott has an incredible passion for Oglebay Park and Wheeling Park, as well as the city of Wheeling,”
Herron said in a prepared statement.
“I believe his extensive background, along with his thoughts and ideas for the park system, will prove invaluable for years to come. I feel he will be an excellent addition to the commission..
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Prevailing wage a better value
Lowering wages reduces job productivity and lengthens the project schedule. Mistakes also happen when inexperienced, lesser-trained workers do the work. Michigan has already experimented with repealing prevailing wage in the mid-1990s. Costs went up and our skilled workforce went down. A study of highway and bridge work in 10 states found that high-wage workers built 74.4 more miles of roadbed and 32.8 more miles of bridges for $557 million less, compared to low-wage workers. Better and more efficient work for less money isn’t a difficult idea to get behind.
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Construction Career & Job Fair 2018
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This year’s 2018 Career Fair celebrated its most successful career fair to date. Thank you to all the contractors and crafts that participated. Contractors, schools, students and trades all agree it was a well-organized and beneficial day and look forward to next year!
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The Kiplinger Letter
The Dollar:
A weaker dollar is a boon for U.S exporters. but what's ailing the the greenback? Since early 2017, the dollar has fallen boon dollar for has U.S. fallen 16% against the euro, for example.
The trend seems odd, since the American economy is healthy and the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates, making dollar-based savings instruments more remunerative.
Chalk it up to currency market jitters about possible trade wars. Speculators figure that if the U.S. pulls out of existing trade deals or slaps new tariffs on imports, trade volumes will fall, which would hurt the dollar's value versus other currencies. Those concerns won't get resolved anytime soon ... a lingering cloud over the dollar.
The cheaper buck will boost many bottom lines ... half of the revenue earned by companies in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index comes from foreign sales.
When the dollar declines, their goods and services become more competitive abroad.
But inflation is a growing worry as the dollar loses value. The cost of imports rises as the dollar declines, making many consumer goods pricier. That's a concern for the Fed, which is already noticing signs that inflation is starting to creep higher.
Tech:
With human workers scarce, employers will keep relying on automated help. In most cases, that means software and touch screens, not robot assistants. Fast-food chains are rushing to replace cashiers with self-service computer screens. Most still have human attendants stand by to troubleshoot problems. But one person can cover a few stations at once. Burger King, McDonald's, Shake Shack and Wendy's are going that route, encouraging customers to place orders and pay via touch screen.
Some retailers are also looking to stop taking cash entirely, since credit cards and other electronic payments are easier to automate. But that push could run afoul of state laws in Mass. and elsewhere that require businesses to accept cash payments.
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OSHA budget seeks more enforcement funding, cuts training grants
OSHA has requested $212.7 million in funding for enforcement in fiscal year (FY) 2019, representing an increase of $6.1 million, or just under 3 percent, over the FY 2018 levels. However, the total requested budget for FY 2019 is identical to the 2018 level, meaning that the agency shifted requested money away from other areas to fund the increase in enforcement dollars.
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The opioid crisis: The construction industry's simmering threat
The construction industry is no stranger to the devastating effects of opioid abuse. In fact,
a 2017 study
revealed that construction workers are among the most susceptible to opioid abuse, second only to food service industry employees. Business insurance agent CNA estimates
15.1% of construction workers
have used legal or illegal drugs illicitly.
However, few construction company officials will talk openly about the issue, fearing a negative image for their firms and potentially higher insurance rates.
A recent
Cleveland.com article
took a detailed look at Ohio construction workers and their particularly high rate of death from opioid overdoses. Daniel Macklin, age 40, was one of 500 Ohio casualties of an opioid overdose last year, after battling a heroin addiction for nearly 20 years. Years of laying roof shingles subjected his body to wear and tear and his shoulders, especially, bore the brunt of the discomfort. After a doctor denied him a non-narcotic pain medication and suggested physical therapy, Macklin's fiancée found him dead in a bathroom of a fentanyl overdose.
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Officials issue hazard alert after rise in trench worker fatalities
Trenching and excavation
are two operations of OSHA's construction-industry safety focuses. According to the agency, they are among the most dangerous activities that take place on a construction site, primarily because of the potential for cave-ins.
In addition to stepping up inspections, OSHA is also using another enforcement tool to decrease the danger on jobsites — and thus big fines.
Read More....
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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Plan Room
News
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Ohio Valley Construction Employers Council
Ginny Favede, Executive Director
21 Armory Drive Wheeling West Virginia 26003
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