There are some big shifts taking place in the field of construction equipment telematics. Starting with the integration of telematics devices in vehicles right from the manufacturers, to the standardization and integration of telematics data across various business functions, the future of telematics has never seemed so full of potential for fleet based businesses. Perhaps more than any other industry, the construction industry is set to reap the benefits of the seismic shift taking place in construction equipment telematics.

Noting their contributions to "the power of the purse" for their employers, women in construction are pushing for parity in compensation, which continues to lag behind that of male peers.

A survey of construction workers across the country finds that, at least sometimes, more than half purposefully ignore their training to take "calculated risks" on the worksite.

At these jobsites, sloppy practices seem to have been routine, or normalized, and deadly. A Kentucky trench excavation (above) was braced by a trench box, creating a feeling of security, but the trench box was too short. During a collapse, spoil piled at the edge of the trench poured in, killing a 19-year-old laborer, according to a report from the state’s Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program.

On Sunday, Feb. 12, California officials ordered the immediate, mandatory evacuation of 188,000 residents from towns below the Oroville Dam. Two days later, when federal and state officials deemed the dam safe, the evacuation order was rescinded, and people were allowed to return to their homes. It isn't often that hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. have to leave their homes because of worries about a catastrophic structural failure.

In a step toward meeting one of President Trump’s most prominent campaign pledges, the Dept. of Homeland Security is seeking firms to provide prototypes of a U.S.-Mexico border barrier.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is pushing legislation that would suspend the Davis-Bacon Act’s prevailing-wage provisions on federal highway construction contracts. Supporters of Flake’s bill include the Associated Builders and Contractors. But leaders of the building-trade unions blasted the proposal.

Crowds were somewhat subdued at the World of Concrete equipment show, held in Las Vegas on Jan. 17-20. But while many of the more than 50,000 attendees were eager to try out ride-on concrete trowels and carnival-style games at outdoor exhibitor booths, the largest crowds on the show floor lingered at displays explaining compliance with the silica-dust exposure rule, issued last year by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The rule, which limits workers’ exposure to harmful silica dust, went into effect on June 23, 2016, and construction companies have until June 23, 2017, to fully comply.

The controversial EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program enjoys bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, and potentially offers solutions for the country’s aging infrastructure. When used to fund public private partnerships these foreign investments offer a pool of low interest, long-term funding that doesn’t have to clear bank hurdles.

But, foreign investment from the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program has to create jobs in America, and one aspect of this program almost guarantees that construction jobs will count.

By training a cross section of construction team members and testing their knowledge in a safety certification program, leaders of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association believe they can put a dent in the 48,600 injuries and deaths that take place in highway work zones each year. The group announced an ambitious goal of 1,000 completed transportation-related training certifications in 2017, the program’s first full year.
Reprinted courtesy of Richard Korman, ENR and Janice L. Tuchman, ENR
Mr. Korman may be contacted at kormanr@enr.com
Ms. Tuchman may be contacted at tuchmanj@enr.com

Zac Atkinson keeps a desk in the corner of the living room of his one-bedroom apartment in Studio City, Calif. Not that he uses it much: The work-from-home television writer migrates from couch to kitchen table and back again as he churns out scenes for animated children’s programs. “The folks from the generation before me tend to have more of an office,” says Atkinson, 32. “Most people I know end up sitting on the sofa, and half the time the TV is on when they’re working.”