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News
How To Make Sure Your Subs Can Finish The Work
Earlier this month, a subcontractor default insurance company filed suit against an electrical subcontractor in New York state court. The claim: a $12.8 million loss caused by the subcontractor’s admitted failure to complete electrical work under a subcontract at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan.       
There is an ever-growing group of contractors who have been bitten by subcontractor default and have regretted not doing more to mitigate the risk beforehand.
The construction industry continues its strong growth since hitting rock bottom following the financial crisis. While contractors used to worry about finding work, the most common concern today seems to be finding qualified resources to perform new and ongoing projects. Read More...
Gov. Justice: State’s economy keeps growing, October marks 7th consecutive month of revenue surplus over estimates
CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice announced today that the state’s General Revenue Fund collections continue to exceed estimates. October General Revenue Fund collections of $359.2 million were nearly $2.4 million above estimate. That is 1.5% above prior year receipts.
 
“West Virginia’s economy continues to move forward and Revenue Fund collections keep exceeding the estimates for Fiscal 2019,” Gov. Justice said. “This is a great story that keeps getting better and the numbers keep supporting it.” Read More...
Grappling with an acute labor shortage, the construction industry is being forced to get creative
Larry Lopez, president of construction staffing service Green JobWorks in Baltimore, Maryland, needs about 20 skilled workers — a tall order for any small employer in a tight labor market. But even available workers often lack the experience he needs, Lopez says. Read More...
The 7 KPIs of construction, and how technology can measure them
Hard numbers and facts are often what precipitate and drive change. Shakers in the construction industry, for example, know well the 2017 McKinsey study that blames a  $1.6 trillion gap  in potential earnings mainly on the industry’s reluctance to adopt new technology that could help bridge that. Read More..
Corridors of Opportunity: Washington County energy goes beyond natural gas 

As it continues to put a prolonged energy slump behind it, Washington County is reasserting that its economy has always been about more than the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom.
The broader economic base of a Washington County whose identity was strongly tied to the Marcellus Shale was the basis for discussion at the 70th Corridors of Opportunity panel discussion, held at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe. Read more...
Surgeon General: Addiction Is a Disease, Not a Weakness
To finally get a handle on the opioid epidemic decimating the U.S. and disproportionately affecting  the construction industry , the public must change its attitude toward workers and others in need of help, take steps to help prevent opioid misuse and encourage recovery. So writes U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams in  Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids . Read More...
Federal government announces new physical fitness guidelines; fewer than one in three Americans meet standards
T he guidelines and related reports say the failure to meet the recommended levels of aerobic physical activity leads to nearly $117 billion in annual health care costs and 10% of all premature death. HHS called on employers, medical care industry, youth sports leaders and technology companies to help get people to be more active. Read More...
October's Under Construction is in your mailbox!! Here's whats inside....
Industry News

ROAD TO PROSPERITY
By Pat McCune
OSHA Inspections
By Nelva J. Smith
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
By Pat McCune - West Virginia/Ohio
HARRISON COUNTY, OHIO
NEW GLOBAL ECONOMY
By Nicholas Homrighausen
26 HISTORIC TAX CUTS IN WV
By glenn F. Elliott, Jr.
CONSTRUCTION BRIEFS
Safety and Education
Did You Know?

OSHA has  r e sources  to help keep employees safe during the holiday shopping season as they work to get merchandise from the warehouse to your home.
OSHA Renews Partnership with Electrical Contractors and Associations to Protect Worker Safety and Health
OSHA, the Electrical Transmission and Distribution Construction Contractors (ET&D); International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); and related trade associations renewed a national partnership to protect the safety and health of line workers, and other electrical transmission and distribution industry workers. Since the original 2004 agreement, the partnership has expanded and achieved several goals, including reducing the number of fatalities; providing an ET&D industry-specific OSHA training course for line workers, industry supervisors, and leadership; developing 14 best practices to reduce the frequency of hazardous incidents; creating a safety video and a mobile app; and establishing a national Electrical Safety Stand Down. For more information, read the  news release .
OSHA Tip of the Week
This Week's Tip of the WEEK
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OSHA
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Safety Tool Box Talk
Plan Room News
What Is the OVCEC Plan Room?
  • It is a conveniently located source of construction plans for the Ohio Valley area
  • It publishes a weekly Construction Report listing projects out for bid, due dates, apparent low bidders and contracts awarded
  • It provides updates on projects throughout the week by email
  • It provides online access to plans and specifications for your review and downloading
  • It provides bidders lists
  • It has staff that will get the plans you need whenever possible
Submit Plans & Specs
As an Owner or Architect of a project, placing your project plans in the OVCEC Plan Room will help to insure the success of your project.
The Plan Room will:
  • Help you publicize your project
  • Increase the quantity and quality of bids you receive for your project
  • Help you get addenda out to bidders
  • Reduce your cost of blueprint duplication by allowing electronic submission to Plan Room Online