13%

The value of construction starts in April fell 13 percent from the previous month, to a rate of $674.3 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.

China’s Back, Back Again

Although it never really left, TBH. In the ever-continuing drama with China, United States Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced Sunday that President Trump’s administration would delay enforcement of tariffs with the country while discussions continue over a trade compromise.

He also said the two sides have agreed on a tentative plan to both reduce the U.S. trade deficit and take care of issues with tech tariffs. The U.S. trade deficit with China totaled $375 billion in 2017. Trump has asked China to make a goal of reducing the deficit by $200 billion by 2020.

Meanwhile, last week, India and the European Union (EU) gave the World Trade Organization (WTO) separate lists of U.S. exports that could incur tariffs in response to Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum. The lists include rice, bourbon, cranberries and peanut butter for the EU, and soya oil, palm olein and cashew nuts for India.

Tell a friend…

Like it or not, we import a lot of goods. And while the tariffs might help steel, aluminum and other manufacturers in the U.S., it will also hurt a lot of U.S. companies (read: construction) that currently import a high volume of materials. So, even if you’re tired of hearing all this tariff talk, stick around a little longer.

King of the Hill

Last week, Engineering News Record (ENR) released its 2018 Top 400 Contractors list. For the 20th consecutive year, Bechtel claimed the top spot. Rounding out the top five spots on the list were Fluor Corporation in second, Turner Corporation in third, AECOM in fourth and Kiewit Corporation in fifth place. Find commentary on the rankings here.

Look Out, Silica, There’s a New Standard in Town

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began enforcement of its new beryllium standard for the construction industry last week. The standard reduces the permissible exposure limit (PEL) from 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air during an 8-hour period to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter. OSHA originally delayed enforcement of the standard 60 days.

In other safety news, in New York City, the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) announced last week that it will now require construction workers to have a mandatory 40 hours of safety training, and 62 hours of training for supervisors. The requirements only apply to those projects where the DOB mandates superintendents, site-safety coordinators or safety managers to be on site. The ruling is a final decision to a months-long debate over safety regulations for NYC projects. However, this new mandate could spur other cities to look at enacting similar rules to cut down on on-site injuries and fatalities.

That Other 4-Letter Term You Keep Hearing

Feel like you’re seeing “GDPR” everywhere, but still not really sure what it means? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new law in the EU that dictates how companies and brands, like CBO and its parent company, Cahaba Media Group, can use your data if you are a citizen of the EU. It goes into effect this Friday, May 25. You’ve probably been getting a lot of emails and internet pop-ups addressing it. Get more information about it here. Learn what CBO is doing to protect that data here.