Ergodyne Targets One-Fifth of All Job-Related Injuries with New Back Support

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Nearly 40 years after introducing the ergonomics category to the workplace, Ergodyne has announced the launch of the ProFlex 1675 Cooling + Warming Back Support Brace. Back injuries are a leading cause of workplace disability, accounting for over 1 million injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And Ergodyne’s latest back support is engineered to address these concerns by emphasizing the importance of pre-work and post-work routines in addition to encouraging proper lifting techniques during the shift. Integrated warming and cooling therapy aids in preparing the body for physical exertion and assisting in recovery post-shift. Warming therapy increases blood … Read more

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Analysis of Contractor Surveys Shows Construction Workforce Shortage is Disproportionately Impacting Nonunion Firms

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A review of 2018-21 Associated General Contractors of America surveys of more than 5,000 member firms nationwide reveals that nonunion construction firms are facing significantly greater workforce supply problems than their union counterparts. These problems preceded the COVID-19 pandemic. The surveys, which include responses from 1,768 union contractors and 3,893 nonunion contractors, were analyzed by researchers from the nonpartisan Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Associated General Contractors of America represents more than 27,000 construction firms nationally. It releases its topline survey data each September and, since … Read more

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Construction Reality Show Seeks to Close Income Gap

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The Percy Jobs & Careers Center launched Master Craftsmen, an online reality show, featuring craftsmen who use their skills and specialized knowledge to build today’s modern infrastructure. The show is designed to reestablish the skilled trades as an opportunity to move up the income ladder and comes at a time when skills are responsible for the growing disparity in income. Those with skills earn a lot and those without, according to some estimates, earn in real dollars what an unskilled worker did in 1973. “Globalization and technology have fostered high levels of income inequality and the unskilled worker has suffered most,” … Read more

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ABC Names Top-Performing Contractors in U.S. Commercial, Industrial Construction

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Associated Builders and Contractors released its 2019 Top Performers lists, which recognize ABC member contractors’ achievements in safety, quality, diversity and project excellence ranked by work hours, with special designations identified. “ABC Top Performers are leading the way in the merit shop construction industry, where diverse participants are constantly striving to achieve the highest levels of personal and company performance in an environment of fair and open competition,” said Michael Bellaman, president and CEO of ABC. “These rankings will help the industry identify contractors that have achieved world-class safety performance, demonstrated their commitment to their workers and their communities and … Read more

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Construction Input Prices Continue to Rise, Says ABC

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Construction input prices increased 0.9% in April on a monthly basis and 2.4% compared to the same time last year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Nonresidential input prices rose 0.9% compared to March and are up 2.8% on an annual basis. Among the 11 subcategories, seven experienced price decreases last month, with the largest decreases in natural gas (-8.7%), iron and steel (-1.7%) and steel mill products (-1.7%). The four subcategories that experienced monthly price increases were crude petroleum (+13.9%), unprocessed energy materials (+3.7%), prepared asphalt products (+2.7%) and concrete … Read more

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