A new ASTM International standard can now be used to better measure construction productivity at three levels: task, project and industry. The new standard, ASTM E2691, Practice for Job Productivity Measurement, was developed by Subcommittee E06.81 on Building Economics, part of ASTM International Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings. “Productivity cannot be improved to be at par with the rest of the nation unless it is correctly measured, and the measurement then needs to be acted upon for improvement,” says Perry Daneshgari, president and CEO, MCA Inc., and an E06 member. According to Daneshgari, the technique described in ASTM E2691 … Read more

Fifth Consecutive Year Turner Has Achieved $1 Billion Milestone NEW YORK — Turner Construction Company, the nation’s leading general builder, announced recently that during 2009 it awarded contracts in excess of   $1 billion to minority and women owned business enterprises (M/WBEs). This represents the fifth year in a row that the company has surpassed the milestone of awarding in excess of $1 billion of contracts to M/WBE firms. Since 1979, Turner’s total number of contracts with M/WBEs has surpassed 52,000 at a value in excess of $18 billion. Turner has achieved these milestones through a proactive approach of reaching … Read more

DES PLAINES, Ill. — The Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) will join with thousands of people and businesses worldwide, along with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), representing more than 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members, the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Alliance Program participants, in raising awareness of the importance of being safe at work during the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week this May 2-8 and Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) Day May 5.   The NAOSH 2010 theme is "Mission NAOSH 2010: … Read more