WASHINGTON, D.C. —OSHA  announced that Erich J. (Pete) Stafford has been appointed as the new chair of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. Stafford, who is a current member of the committee, replaces long serving member Frank L. Migliaccio Jr. as the committee chair. “Pete’s wealth of knowledge and experience on a wide range of construction health and safety matters makes him an ideal choice to chair this important committee,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “We appreciate his commitment to protect the welfare of our nation’s construction workers and … Read more

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Lend Lease is managing the construction of the new 236-bed medical center in New Port Richey, Fla. Scheduled to be completed Fall of 2011, the medical center will provide care for the New Port Richey region, as well as Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The five-story, 400,000-square-foot hospital with a four-story, 90,000-square-foot attached medical office building sits on a 55-acre greenfield site, which provides an abundance of space for future hospital expansion and standalone buildings. The reinforced concrete and structural steel building will have an EIFS skin with stone wainscot and punched opening windows, first … Read more

DENTON, Texas —The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the University of North Texas" Apogee Stadium a LEED Platinum Certification, making it the first newly constructed collegiate football stadium in the nation to achieve the level of LEED certification.  The UNT System led the construction of the stadium, which was designed by HKS Sports and Entertainment Group and built by Manhattan Construction Company. “This is a great accomplishment for UNT and strongly underscores our commitment to sustainability,” said UNT President V. Lane Rawlins. “UNT is a leader in environmental research and sustainability, and the fact that we have the first … Read more

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Scientists at the University of California, Riverside's Center for Environmental Research and Technology have received a $2 million contract for a first-of-its-kind study of hybrid construction vehicles. The two-year project, which is being funded by the California Air Resources Board, will allow researchers to evaluate the emission-reduction benefits of two commercially available hybrid construction vehicles: a Caterpillar bulldozer and a Kamatsu hydraulic excavator. “Hybrid construction vehicles are just now becoming available,” said Kent Johnson, an assistant research engineer at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology and the principal investigator on the project. “We have been asked … Read more