Safe + Sound Week Aug. 10-16

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Sound safety practices such as management leadership, worker participation and finding and fixing hazards are now more critical than ever. As construction companies continue or restart work during the ongoing pandemic, having a strong workplace safety and health program in place can help contractors and workers address jobsite hazards, including those related to COVID-19. CPWR is an organizing partner in OSHA’S Safe + Sound Campaign — a year-round, nationwide effort to raise awareness of the value of workplace safety and health programs. While the campaign is ongoing, one week is set aside each year to draw attention to this topic. This year’s … Read more

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New AGC, HCSS Survey Catalogs Work Zone Risks for Motorists, Workers as Construction Activity Increases

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Construction employment increased in 329 out of 358 metro areas between April and May as a new survey finds that two-thirds of highway construction firms had at least one crash in the past year at highway work zones they operate. Officials with the Associated General Contractors of America and HCSS, which conducted the survey, urged drivers to slow down and be aware while driving through highway work zones during their summer travels.   “As industry employment increases, it is safe to assume that more people are working in highway work zones that are typically close to moving traffic,” said Ken … Read more

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Virtual Mock-Ups, VR Lead Way to Delivery of Medical Examiner Facility

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Construction has been completed on a new 32,000-square-foot, single-story medical examiner facility, located in Olathe, Kansas. The building was designed to increase autopsy rates to meet appropriate national benchmarks, create a high-functioning facility that can be known for excellence and leadership, facilitate National Association of Medical Examiners accreditation by meeting scientific requirements and provide reliable data for public health to identify trends and emerging diseases. The project team included construction manager McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., PGAV Architects, SmithGroup JJR, Henderson Engineering, McClure Engineering and Confluence. The facility will have a staff of eight, including toxicologists, a medical death investigator, autopsy … Read more

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Construction Input Prices Rise in May, Says ABC

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Construction input prices rose 0.8% in May compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released recently. Nonresidential construction input prices rose by 0.8% for the month as well. Of the 11 subcategories, only three experienced monthly decreases, with the largest decrease in steel mill products, which fell 3.1% in May. The rise in prices was driven primarily by the three energy subcategories, which experienced significant increases over the previous month. Crude petroleum was up 41.6%, while natural gas and unprocessed energy materials were up … Read more

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Virtual Topping Off Ceremony Celebrates NextGen Precision Health Institute Construction Milestone

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The University of Missouri hosted a virtual topping off ceremony to celebrate the last steel beam being placed atop the $220.8-million NextGen Precision Health Institute. As the cornerstone of the statewide NextGen Precision Health Initiative, the institute will be the home of translational research and life-saving precision health solutions that will benefit Missourians and the world. The 265,000 square-foot, five-story precision health facility will provide space for more than 60 principal investigators to conduct research in areas such as engineering, medicine, arts and science, veterinary medicine and animal sciences. The building will include laboratories, classrooms and innovative space for faculty, … Read more

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