Author: Jeanie Clapp

BY KEYAN ZANDYChief Executive OfficerSkiles Group, a TEXO Member While virtually everything in life seems to be moving faster and expanding in efficiency, productivity — succinctly defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as “a measure of economic performance that compares the amount of goods and services produced (output) with the amount of inputs used to produce those goods and services”—in construction is indisputably on the decline. Why? There’s no easy answer for that — there are a hundred reasons why. Books, white papers, dissertations, think tanks and more have been devoted to understanding and remedying this problem. There could…

What You Need to Know BY KEN GARCIA The Biden Administration is in its third year, and many rules and regulations are under review that are important to AGC of America and its members. It is common for rules to change from administration to administration, and keeping up with what is happening in Washington can be difficult. Recently, AGC of America held a webinar where staff members provided updates on upcoming and pending regulatory changes that will impact chapters and their members. Labor and Employment The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors and subcontractors working on federally funded projects to pay workers…

BY FRANK BAXTER AND TOM MADDENLoss Prevention Service Team Construction Risk Partners As a safety-minded professional, what’s your response when asked, “How are your KPIs looking?” Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are quantifiable measurements used to evaluate the success of an organization or employee in meeting objectives for performance. It offers a simple way to set goals backed by data to drive change. Setting up a KPI program for safety performance is simple because most professionals are already using KPIs in their annual safety calculations. Examples of those calculations include metrics related to Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR), Days Away and…

New AGC President Les Snyder follows family into construction – his lifetime adventure BY ROBBIE ANDREU Being the grandson of Les Snyder, and the son of Les Snyder Jr., Les Snyder III knew from an early age the career path he would be choosing. Construction. There was never any doubt. He always knew. “I sure did,” he said. It was in his blood. In his bones. In his DNA. Definitely in his DNA. This all started with the first, or shall we say, the original Les Snyder, who after returning home from World War I, took a job as a…

BY MIKE BURKEChief Operating Officer, Alberici Constructors, Inc.Chairman of Construction Safety Week 2023 Having devoted my career to the construction industry in a variety of roles, I can say with confidence that building strong teams that work safely is our most important job. At Alberici and throughout the industry, safety is a core value that drives us to ensure that every person, in every role, gets home safely every day. I am proud of the strides we have made to create a stronger and safer environment to accomplish that goal – but there’s still more work to be done. This…

AGC of America honors two construction individuals for their stand-out commitment to safety BY NICOLE NEEDLES Through the Construction Safety Excellence Awards for more than 30 years now, AGC has honored member companies that prioritize safety. In 2022, AGC extended its program to include front-line supervisors, field workers and safety and health professionals, making the award more competitive. Sponsored by Milwaukee Tool, the two new awards — Construction Safety Professional of the Year (CSPY) and Construction Safety Champion of the Year (CSCY) — honor specific workers who have assisted member organizations in achieving a high standard of safety excellence. The…

BY KEYAN ZANDYChief Executive OfficerSkiles Group, a TEXO Member When considering safety in construction, most firms think about OSHA’s Focus Four Hazards, the four leading hazards in the construction industry — falls, caught-in or-between, struck-by and electrocution. Yet our industry has only recently begun the conversation around the fifth hazard: suicide. It is jarring for many to learn that the suicide rate in construction is about four times greater than the national aver- age and five times greater than all other construction fatalities combined. But why does construction have such a high suicide rate? Could our industry’s culture be contributing…

AGC of Massachusetts makes an impact with its workforce development efforts BY KEN GARCIA The construction industry builds America. The houses we live in. The restaurants we dine in. The roads we drive on. The hospitals where we care for the sick. The list is virtually endless. These structures are possible thanks to the dedicated men and women of the construction industry. With an industry so vital to everyday life, thousands of projects are always needed to keep pace with the population. Those projects need — workers. However, there is an issue — a lack of workers. According to AGC…

Rule expected to stifle competition, raise costs, impair disadvantaged firms Project labor agreements (PLAs) – pre-hire bargaining agreements between contractors and labor unions that establish a construction project’s terms and conditions – have been around since the 1930s. But they didn’t become a source of debate until the 1990s when they sought to tip the scales in favor of their use on federally funded projects. The controversy spread into the 21st Century with Obama’s Executive Order 13502, which encouraged, but did not require, federal agencies to use PLAs on large-scale construction projects of $25 million or more. For roughly the…

BY NICOLE NEEDLES Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords that resound on a company’s website or external collateral. The terms are inherent to the betterment of all workplaces. Implementing diversity and inclusion (DI) practices in any workplace can seem daunting, especially in the construction industry, which has historically been occupied by mostly men, many of them white. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 89% of construction employees are men, and 87.9% of employees are white. This includes everyone 16 and older as of 2021. Despite these statistics, workplaces are slowly becoming safer and more open for minorities.…