Construction Industry News

The United States House of Representatives is set to vote today on a $484 billion relief package that has already passed the Senate. 

MENASHA, Wis.

WASHINGTON—The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued 

Last week, President Donald Trump released a three-step plan to reopen the economy—one that uses a "phased and deliberate approach" to restart work and open companies in areas that have strong, capable COVID-19 testing processes in place and have seen a decrease in the number of new cases. 

NEW JERSEY (April 15, 2020)—Total construction starts declined 5% from February to March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $746.9 billion. Volatility caused by the presence or absence of large projects in healthcare and the utility/gas plant category, however, skewed the analysis.

Birmingham, Ala. (April 14, 2020)—Construction Business Owner, the leading business magazine for contractors, is pleased to announce a free webinar presented in partnership with Procore.

The live, online event, “The ABCs of VDC” will take place May 21, 2020, at 2 p.m. EDT, and will explore tech that actually works and how to make it work for your business.

NATIONAL—The United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued temporary guidance for contractors on whether a COVID-19 case on the jobsite should be recorded as an illness under OSHA forms, such as OSHA Form 300: Log of Work-Related Injuries. 

NATIONAL (April 10, 2020)—With the covid-19 pandemic worsening by the week, an ever-increasing share of contractors are reporting cancellations of upcoming projects and shortages of equipment or materials, forcing nearly 40% of firms to lay off employees, according to an online survey released by the Associated General Contractors of America.

WASHINGTON (April 14, 2020)—In an effort to assist architecture firms with navigating adverse business conditions, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is releasing a new resource: 

WASHINGTON—The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an 

Birmingham, Ala. (April 8, 2020)—Construction Business Owner, the leading business magazine for contractors, is pleased to announce a free webinar presented in partnership with Acumatica. The live, online event, “3 Advantages of Operating in the Cloud” will take place May 7, 2020, at 2 p.m. EST. Registration is free at constructionbusinessowner.com/webinars.

IRMO, S.C. (April 6, 2020)—Diesel Laptops will host a virtual trade show on April 29th and 30th. In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, a lot of industries have come to a halt while the trucking industry continues to move forward which is why the theme for this year’s show is “Keep it Moving!”

NATIONAL—The United States Department of Labor reported 6.6 million more workers filed for unemployment last week. Over the past few weeks, those jobless claims have continuously increased, reaching 16.8 million this week. Economists expect that number will be 25 million or more by the end of April. 

WASHINGTON—The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) released a new survey on multifamily construction that found more than half (55%) of respondents said that they are currently experiencing construction delays in the jurisdictions where they operate.

WASHINGTON (April 7, 2020)—As communities across the country race to expand available hospital bed space in response to COVID-19, an American Institute of Architects (AIA) task force is providing a new tool for public officials to quickly identify buildings suitable to be adapted for patient care.

ClearSpan Structures has quickly adjusted their manufacturing facility to provide governments, medical centers and communities with rapidly deployable disaster response structures and medical buildings. ClearSpan is now able to ship these buildings in fewer than 24 hours.

WASHINGTON—National nonresidential construction spending fell 1.8% in February, but is up 2.5% compared to the same time last year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the United States Census Bureau.

IRVINE, Calif. (April 1, 2020)—BigRentz announced it closed $15 million in private funding that will enable it to broaden its rental category expansion and maintain business continuity.

NATIONAL—Last week, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially suspended the enforcement of environmental laws, including those pertaining to construction. The suspension exempts any company that can prove it is unable to comply with environmental laws due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

NATIONAL—The United States Department of Homeland Security has issued guidance on what and who makes up the "essential critical infrastructure workforce." While not meant to be an all-inclusive list, the advisories identify workers who conduct operations and provide services that are essential to the U.S. infrastructure, which include: workers who support crucial supply chains, those who maintain and repair critical infrastructure, construction work, etc.