Highest reading from architects since August 2008 Washington, D.C. — On the heels of a more than two point gain in February, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) was up again in March. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the March ABI rating was 46.1, up from a reading of 44.8 the previous month. Though this score reflects a continued decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings), … Read more
Tellepsen Earns Second Consecutive AGC National Safety Award
Houston Commercial and Industrial Builder Recognized with National Honor from Associated General Contractors of America for Second Consecutive Eligible Year HOUSTON — For its second eligible year in a row, Tellepsen announced that it has been awarded the national Willis Construction Safety Excellence Award in the Building Division with between 700,001 and one million work hours by The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). “People — whether employees, subcontractors, clients or the public — are important to us both personally and professionally, and we dedicate the resources necessary to ensure their safety. We are proud to have been recognized for … Read more
Reid Supply's New Catalog is Feature-Packed
Reid Supply Company now offers its new, full-color industrial products catalog for construction professionals. Packed with useful information, new products and indexing, the catalog makes the shopping experience fast and friendly. As a customer pointed out, “It is a masterpiece of page design.” Reid's products are divided into multiple color-coded categories, including apparel and footwear; safety; tooling components and material handling. The release of the new catalog comes on the heels of Reid's new web site, which features a smarter search function, category matrix and QuickNav tab to help visitors find supplies fast. ReidSupply.com features thousands of new workwear … Read more
NEMA and AIA Renew Call on Congress to Extend Commercial Building Tax Deduction
ROSSLYN, Va. — The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) renewed their call on Congress to support increasing the Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction from $1.80 per square foot to $3 per square foot in order to help stimulate immediate job creation. More than 80 organizations in the manufacturing, construction, and environmental arenas have now co-signed a letter to Congressional members asking for an increase in this particular tax deduction. This represents an increase of more than 40 percent in the number of signatures since December 2009. A copy of the letter is … Read more
ABC Urges OSHA To Abandon Proposed Musculoskeletal Reporting Rule
AHA Newsline ABC March 30 objected to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed rule that would revise the OSHA Form 300 to include an additional reporting column for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). The proposed rule would amend OSHA's recordkeeping regulation, although OSHA claims it would not require employers to implement any new controls in the workplace. In its comments, ABC expressed concern over the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) largely due to the vague and subjective definition of what would constitute an MSD. The NPRM defines MSDs as “disorders for the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, … Read more