Construction contracts can be an unholy mess with their often unique provisions that too often thwart predictability and fairness. The ConsensusDocs coalition of 40 industry groups has formed over the past nine years to counter this trend, and its latest update offers wide-ranging revisions for its 2016 Design-Bid-Build prime and subcontract agreements.

Construction companies often have to battle weather when building a project, just as Stantec is doing at an international airport on an island in northern Canada where the average temperature is 11 degrees below zero.

All companies should have a plan of action for shutting down job sites for the holidays, along with an outside supervisor who is qualified to properly evaluate the site and make suggestions for improvements.

Construction companies often have to battle weather when building a project, just as Stantec is doing at an international airport on an island in northern Canada where the average temperature is 11 degrees below zero. This article looks at much of the technology and techniques developed to make construction possible in extreme conditions.

If all stakeholders aren’t on board with Lean, can it work? How do you use Lean principles on construction projects where the GC is not an advocate of Lean? You can still improve your project outcomes even if all the stakeholders aren’t on board. In this webinar, learn how Ted Angelo, with Grunau has been effective using Lean by focusing his team on what they control.

The 78% increase in the Occupational Health and Safety Administration's penalty structure is now in effect, as are new reporting and record-keeping rules. OSHA is working hard to get the word out and offer employers guidance, but contractors should stay on top of OSHA's efforts.

Although the general level of safety for construction workers has improved over the years, this isn't true for catastrophic and fatal events. The resultant exposure of employers to penalties suggests that underlying assumptions for the industry's safety pyramid are due for a reassessment, write attorney Lawrence Dany and loss prevention specialist Ray Master.

AGC of America is proud to announce the launch of our 2017 project award competitions! The Alliant Build America Awards (including the Marvin M. Black Partnering Excellence category) and AGC in the Community competitions are now accepting applications. These programs recognize the nation's most impressive construction projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy divisions; those contractors excelling in their partnering and collaborative endeavors; and the charitable contractors and chapters giving back to their communities.

Citing a contractor's control over employees at a worksite and the payment of hourly wages, among other factors, a Connecticut judge ruled the contractor could not evade Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines by claiming the employees were independent contractors. The decision in a case involving Royal Construction of Canton, Conn., "upholds a basic tenet of the OSH Act, the employer/employee relationship," said Kim Stille, OSHA's regional administrator for New England. EHS Today

Contractors apparently now have more direct access to manufacturers, who are approaching them and going around the traditional middlemen. The practice is said to be more common with makers of lighting. One information technology consultant and three electrical contractors relate their experiences. TED Magazine