Still Booming

The U.S. construction outlook is as bright as it seems. 

By Nathan Fisher

In business, there is such a thing as a good problem to have. For those in the construction industry who feel like business is booming, it might be because they find themselves declining to bid on good projects, grappling with work/life balance or struggling to hire enough of the right staff. But is the current U.S. construction boom just a feeling, or is the outlook as strong as it seems? According to economic data and your peers in the construction industry, the answer for now is yes. 

The State of Construction Safety

By Brian Binke

Some construction employers prioritize productivity over safety. Although meeting deadlines is important in the construction industry, it should never come at the cost of a human life. Collapsing building materials, overhead power lines and heavy machinery are just a few of the potential dangers in commercial construction jobs that can all be avoided with the proper safety protocols.

Continued Safety Concerns
A majority of Americans who were surveyed and working in construction feel that company productivity outranks their safety concerns. The National Safety Council survey also included some other interesting statistics regarding construction safety. EHS today first reported on a few of the important statistics from this survey:

• 32 percent feel management ignores an employee’s safety performance when determining promotions.
• 62 percent say everyone is involved in solving job safety issues.
• 63 percent of employees feel they work in areas or at stations that are ergonomically correct.
• 48 percent of employees believe safety meetings are held less often than they should be.
• 47 percent believe performance standards are higher for job tasks than for safety. This percentage is higher among construction industry workers, where 67 percent feel this way. 
• 33 percent of employees working in transportation and warehousing do not agree that management has a written policy that expresses their attitude about employee safety. 

Tools to Improve Construction Safety
Fortunately, there’s a growing number of new tools and trends being introduced in an effort to improve construction safety. The use of technology, like building information modeling (BIM), is already having a positive impact on project safety. Other technologies being used to help improve industry safety include mobile tools, drones and wearable devices.

• More than two-thirds of contractors who use BIM (69 percent) state that it has a positive impact on project safety, a 27-point increase over those who reported that in 2012.
• More than half of those reporting that positive impact attribute it to using BIM to identify potential site hazards before construction begins, to conduct clash detection, to support prefabrication and to create 3D images.
• Smartphone use is nearly ubiquitous onsite, and tablet use is widespread and growing. This allows for use of mobile tools like cameras to be used by 85 percent of all contractors onsite. The documentation of site condition and work progress is fundamental to many safety efforts.
• Nearly half of contractors (42 percent) also employ safety inspection checklist apps, but use of mobile tools for safety training (35 percent) and to access safety and health websites (28 percent) is less common.
• Almost one quarter of contractors (21 percent) use drones to promote safety onsite for functions such as reality capture that allow for digital analysis of existing conditions, and almost three quarters of them (70 percent) believe that these have a positive impact on safety.
• While wearable devices like badges with coded electronic information and smart helmets are only being used by 13 percent of contractors currently, 82 percent of those who use them report a positive impact on safety. This suggests that as these technologies become more widely known and more affordable, their potential for improving job site safety increases.

Brian Binke is the founder & CEO of The Birmingham Group (TBG). TBG is a globally recognized Executive Search and Consulting firm, specializing in the construction arena. Over the past 22 years, Brian has established himself as one of the construction industries most respected leaders. He has won numerous awards for his industry innovation and has been recognized as the No. 1 worldwide revenue producing manager for the largest recruitment network of more than 800 independent firms. Brian founded SC Bingham Farms in 1995. In January 1997, SC Bingham Farms acquired Management Recruiters Birmingham, established by Fred Bawulski in 1967. Fred was an early pioneer of the executive search industry, which was almost unheard of in the 60s. Today The Birmingham Group remains one of the nation’s most tenured search firms. You can reach Brian directly at bbinke@thebirmgroup.com

RMC Constructors Inc. – Delta Shores

RMC has persevered on the Delta Shores project, despite challenges.  

By the Editors of Construction Today 

When RMC Constructors Inc. takes on a project, it sets out to surpass client expectations. “We work closely with developers, owners, architects and regulating agencies to achieve superior results for our clients,” the company says.

In the Skin

Building skin failures can be avoided.   

By Jeffrey C.F. Ng, Jennifer Keegan and Matthew Ridgway

Building skin failures generally stem from materials, components or assemblies that do not comply with project requirements, building codes or industry standards. They are objective, observable and measurable, becoming apparent throughout a building’s use and operation or through simulated testing. This means failures can be assessed, predicted, managed and mitigated.

Come Together

Collaboration is critical to growing innovation. 

By Michael Boren 

Problem solving is one of my favorite activities. Recently, I’ve gotten into creating custom cabinetry as a weekend hobby. Sketching designs, calculating the amount of material needed, and making sure all the tools are nearby is a regular occurrence around my house. However, I’m a hobbyist at this art form. Often, I ask other people on how to best approach a specific nook or cranny detail.

Top Tech

You can use technology for increased flexibility and profit.  

By Paul Jakse

In the May 16, 2012, article for Construction Today, the Modular Building Institute’s Executive Director Tom Hardiman voiced the institute’s desire to enhance awareness and reputation of modular buildings both in the United States and beyond. It worked. Demand for high quality, modular buildings has started to increase according to a May 2015 Global Industry Analysts Inc. report. Many sectors including government, corporate, education, construction, retail and residential account for the upswing. Google uses modular buildings, as does Yale University. Hotel News Now reports more hotel chains are using modular vs. stick-built construction, with modular increasing by 31 percent according to a 2015 Permanent Modular Building report. The up-trending retail pop-up store phenomenon, reported by TREND HUNTER Inc., is another example of growing opportunities.  

Zero Tolerance

Take a proactive approach to sexual harassment policies.

By Brett Schneider and Michael Kantor

Unless you have been living under a rock the last few months, you have no doubt heard about the allegations of sexual harassment made against many high profile personalities, including Matt Lauer, Bill O’Reilly, Roger Ailes, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. 

However, Hollywood doesn’t have a monopoly on sexual harassment, and lawsuits have arisen in every industry. As more and more women enter previously male-dominated industries such as construction, employers must be very proactive to protect themselves from liability for employee claims of sexual harassment. 

There are three steps that can help construction companies reduce workplace harassment – make a plan, communicate the plan and make the plan work.