Construction Industry News

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. 

ORLANDO—Workforce Logiq, a provider of workforce intelligence, technology and services (power by artificial intelligence (AI)) to l

The Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) has made the decision to cancel its 2020 Annual Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for May 30 through June 3, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

Following cancellation of the ACI Concrete Convention in Rosemont/Chicago, Illinois, the American Concrete Institute has transitioned its popular spring convention into ACI Virtual Committee Days.

On Friday, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed a historic $2 trillion economic stimulus package that will provide United States businesses and citizens with much-needed aid during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

In its annual report released last week, Bechtel Corporation profit results of $21.8 billion in 2019. The company's 2019 revenue marked a 14.5% decline from 2018. 

From Dodge Data & Analytics Chief Economist Richard Branch 

NATIONAL (March 24, 2020)—The past 2 weeks have seen an unprecedented shuttering of the United States economy. Our expectations on the impact of the coronavirus on the U.S. economy have been significantly downgraded with a growing realization that the U.S. economy is in recession.