News
Wheeling Suspension Bridge closed to vehicular traffic after continued public disregard of safety signs
Due to the traveling public's continued disregard of weight limit and safety signs on the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, officials with the Department of Transportation closed the bridge to vehicular traffic on Tuesday. The closure will continue on for the foreseeable future. Earlier this year, the bridge had to be closed for six weeks after a tour bus – which far exceeded the posted two-ton weight limit – attempted to cross the bridge, only to get stuck under a barrier. And, in the time since, operators of additional vehicles over the weight limit have continued to ignore restrictions, and have repeatedly driven on the bridge. Read More
West Virginia State Senate Confirms Byrd White for Transportation Secretary and Commissioner of Highways
After soothing concerns over his qualifications and his residency, Byrd White sailed through the confirmations process to become the permanent secretary of the Department of Transportation and Commissioner of Highways. The West Virginia Senate confirmed White and other appointees by Gov. Jim Justice 29-0 on Monday, with five senators absent, after the Senate Confirmations Committee unanimously confirmed the appointments, which also included new Public Service Commission chairwoman Charlotte Lane. Read More
If today’s construction organizations are to thrive in the future—particularly as more and more young people enter the workplace—their leaders will need to be intentional about addressing these deep parts of the human condition: creativity, character and craft.  Read More
Labor Shortage Coming in Skilled Trades
Wages are up and there are 91,000 more people in construction than a decade ago, but electricians, welder and ironworkers seem to be disappearing
The nationwide construction labor shortage has continued while a similar shortage for higher-skill trades could be on the way. Sixty-one percent of contractors reported difficultly finding skilled workers over the past few months, according to a survey released by the US Chamber of Commerce. Read More
More than half of construction and engineering companies continue to have no clear digital strategy, leaving the industry well behind others in terms of digital adoption, according to the Construction Management Association of America. However, improvement is apparent in the fact that nearly a quarter of these companies are now going thoroughly digital. Read More
The new head of the Directorate of Construction, Scott Ketcham, will help shape OSHA policy, according to an industry expert. Read More
Solving Construction Closeout Inefficiency: A Mindset Shift
When nearing completion on a large construction project, general contractors tend to start allocating their administrative resources to the next project. Yet it’s precisely at the end when one of the largest and most important administrative tasks begins: the closeout process.  Read More
Understanding the reasons why payment issues persist in construction will help contractors protect their business, prevent these issues from happening or at least minimize their effect on the current operations.  Read More
The Dotted Line: How contractors ensure the project owner can pay
Contractors know that prompt payment of their pay applications is critical to a construction project’s success. Timely and accurate payments allow them to pay their employees, lower-tier contractors, material suppliers and other vendors as agreed, which not only helps make sure there are no disruptions to the project schedule, but builds loyalty. High-demand specialty contractors, for example, choose to work on projects that pay on time and avoid ones that don’t. Read More
Safety

Falls accounted for more than one third of workplace deaths and remain among the most common cause of serious work-related injuries and deaths....  READ MORE 


The Department's efforts to protect injured federal workers has resulted in a  34% decline in overall opioid use  since January 2017.
Employers need to keep themselves informed about current Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, writes Ed Zalewski of J.J. Keller & Associates. "Just because you're in compliance now doesn't mean you will always be in compliance -- regulations can change quickly and without warning," he writes. Read More
Under Construction
Women in Construction, Tax Cuts & Job Act, Safety Cultures and more in our August publication.
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