On November 9, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced that the newly updated EM 385-1-1 has been finalized. The manual details safety and health requirements for all USACE construction activities and operations, including Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) construction contracts.

On November 3, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel delivered their final report on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) potential Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Settings standard to OSHA. The agency has posted the report to the assigned regulatory docket and posted it on its Heat Injury and Illness SBREFA webpage.

On November 13, AGC along with twenty-two of its Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC) partners, submitted comments raising significant concerns about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) proposal to expand who can serve as the employee representative during the walkaround portion of enforcement inspections.

ConsensusDocs recently introduced noteworthy updates to its most used prime and subcontract agreements, detailed here. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the revisions made to the short forms, which are more frequently used than the long forms. These streamlined documents, particularly the ConsensusDocs 205 Agreement Between Owner and Constructor & General Conditions (Short Form), have undergone strategic changes to enhance clarity and efficiency while maintaining the integrity of essential terms and conditions.

The AGC Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA), sponsored by WTW, is the industry’s elite safety excellence awards program.

Overdose deaths and opioid use have risen significantly in the United States, with research indicating that the risk of opioid use and overdose fatality is higher in construction than in other industries. With the March 2023 Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the first over-the counter opioid-reversal drug Naloxone nasal spray, particularly the nasal-spray brand name Narcan, it is becoming more widely available and prevalent on construction sites.

On August 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a proposal to amend its regulation authorizing which individuals can serve as representatives of employees and employers during the physical inspection of a workplace. OSHA’s proposed amendment will revise the language to authorize participation by third parties who are not employed by the employer. Historically, these individuals have provided subject matter expertise specific to the focus of the inspections, such as industrial hygienists or engineers, on behalf of OSHA or the employer. If the proposal is finalized in its current form, these individuals could potentially include worker advocacy and environmental groups, union organizers, and community activists who may seize on opportunities to advance agendas unrelated to workplace safety.