Green Seal Seeks Stakeholders for New Standard for Insulation

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Green Seal, the nation’s first independent nonprofit certifier of sustainable products and services, is developing a new environmental leadership standard for Architectural Thermal Insulation Materials, GS-54. Green Seal invites all interested parties to participate by registering as stakeholders at https://collaborase.com/gs-54-development. Green Seal seeks suggestions and comments from a broad audience including manufacturers, construction companies, institutional purchasers, consumer groups, health and environmental organizations and other interested parties. The new standard is being developed to help purchasers identify and choose insulation products that are environmentally preferable, and to guide manufacturers in the design of these products. The standard will … Read more

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AWC Releases Construction Fire Best Practice Manuals, Website

LEESBURG, Va. – The American Wood Council recently released three manuals and a website designed to inform developers, local building departments and fire departments on how to prevent and reduce fire losses in buildings under construction. “This is a timely and relevant topic, in large part due to the significant impacts large construction fires have,” said AWC Director of Fire Technology Kuma Sumathipala. “More importantly, the fires that have occurred were preventable by adhering to the best practices outlined in these materials.” A series of three manuals were developed in a cooperative effort between AWC and FireforceOne, a consulting firm … Read more

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National Safety Stand-Down Highlights Importance of Fall Prevention

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other federal safety agencies recently announced they have designated May 2-6 for the third annual National Safety Stand-Down. The event is a nationwide effort to remind and educate employers and workers in the construction industry of the serious dangers of falls – the cause of the highest number of industry deaths in the construction industry. OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Center for Construction Research and Training are leading the effort to encourage employers to pause during their workday for topic … Read more

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Construction Spending Ends Year on Mixed Note

Construction spending inched up in December from a month earlier and increased solidly over the year but the major components showed divergent trends, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned that slowdown in spending in a number of key, private nonresidential categories could reflect broader financial uncertainty and undermine the sector’s recovery. “Home and apartment construction continued growing strongly while public construction, particularly for highways, has also advanced,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But spending on most private nonresidential categories has stalled or turned negative in the past several months. Contractors … Read more

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Gilbane Big Winner at ASA Awards in Houston

HOUSTON, Texas – The American Subcontractors Association presented Gilbane Building Company with three of its highest honors at the ASA Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 29, in Houston, Texas. Members of the ASA nominate individuals and firms in eight categories. The nominations are then sent back to the membership for their vote. The votes were tallied and the “Top Five” firms and individuals were invited to attend the yearly event to find out the winners. This year, Gilbane was honored to receive the following awards: 2015 General Contractor Safety Award – Gilbane/Harvey 2015 Project Superintendent of the Year – Gerald … Read more

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