The University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as Kansas State University and Boise State University were named the nation’s most outstanding student construction chapters of 2021, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The student chapters were each honored for one of three categories: Emerging Student Chapter Award, Community Service Award and Construction Management Skills Award. “These student chapters offer a vital connection between the future leaders of our industry and the construction employers of today,” said Bob Lanham, the association’s former president and president of Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. in Houston, Texas. “These three student chapters stand out for … Read more
Construction Companies Make Switch from Hard Hats to Safety Helmets
To coincide with Construction Safety Week, two construction companies have announced they are switching gear from hard hats to safety helmets in order to further protect their workforce. Safety helmets have slowly entered the market and will eventually become the norm on construction sites. Type 2 safety helmets are an improved design compared to traditional suspension-based hard hats as they will stay secure in the event of a fall. TDIndustries is providing safety helmets to the workforce. The company is also continuing to educate workers on head protection safety innovation and how upgrading from hard hats to safety helmets can … Read more
Hard Hat Inventor Being Posthumously Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
Edward W. Bullard, inventor of the first commercially available hard hat, will be posthumously honored as part of the latest class of National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees. In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office , NIHF will honor the inductees May 5 during “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation.” The event will take place at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Realizing the need for greater safety within the mines, Bullard designed a hard hat for miners inspired by the steel doughboy helmet he wore as a soldier. Bullard first produced the Hard Boiled Hat by … Read more
United States’ Largest State Public Health Laboratory Is Critical in the Fight Against COVID
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the award of an initial design contract to advance the creation of a new $750-million public health laboratory on the Harriman State Office Campus Complex in Albany to serve New York State’s public health needs. The joint venture of Gilbane/Turner in association with the design firm HOK has been selected for the design and construction of a new Wadsworth Laboratory that will seek to consolidate operations spread out among several Capital Region facilities. The contract will be comprised of several phases: this initial investment will explore options for a new basis of design, ranging from partial to full consolidation … Read more
AISC Celebrates Earth Day with Updated EPDs
To help celebrate Earth Day, the domestic structural steel industry has issued updated environmental product declarations to help designers and building owners design more environmentally friendly buildings and bridges. The American Institute of Steel Construction develops industry-average EPDs for three products: fabricated hot-rolled structural sections, fabricated steel plate, and fabricated hollow structural sections, with the latter developed in conjunction with the Steel Tube Institute. These documents are designed to facilitate an accurate, apples-to-apples comparison of the structural materials on the market today. The EPDs illustrate what the industry has achieved through decades of innovation. “Many people associate steel with old … Read more