Opioid Use and Abuse in Construction November 01, 2018 Due to jobsite hazards and strenuous activity, pain afflicts construction workers, making them more susceptible than many other workers to substance abuse in the form of opioid misuse. Construction inflicts particular stress on backs, knees, shoulders, and other joints. The highly addictive drugs have caused 2.5 million Americans to become addicted. An estimated 15% of […] Read More
Suicide Rate High Among Construction Workers October 01, 2018 According to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control, workers in the construction industry have the second-highest suicide rate of all occupational groups. Researchers examined 12,000 suicides in 17 states from 2012 and found that farming, fishing, and forestry workers had the highest rate (84.5 per 100,000 workers), followed by construction and extraction (53.3) and […] Read More
Investment in Construction Technology Explodes September 01, 2018 Investment by venture capitalists in construction technology (ConTech) for the first six months of 2018 has outpaced last year’s total amount by 30%, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL). Some $1.05 billion has been invested globally. This investment outpaces overall tech startup growth in the U.S. Construction, according to a recent McKinsey study, is […] Read More
RCI, Inc. Works With U.S. Congress to Pass Responsible Construction Procurement Language August 01, 2018 Congratulates U.S. Rep. David Price for supporting best practices in the procurement of publicly funded construction renovation projects As our members are likely aware, RCI, Inc. has been working to improve the current laws regarding cooperative purchasing in construction, especially as they pertain to large government entities. RCI’s Director of Industry Affairs Brian Gardiner, Chair […] Read More
Mandated Reports Reveal UK Construction Firms’ Gender Pay Gaps July 02, 2018 In April, firms in the United Kingdom revealed through their first government-mandated compensation reports that the construction industry has the largest gender gap out of 27 business sectors. More than 100,000 firms with 250 employees or more reported, showing a 24% median gap in hourly pay between men and women in the construction industry. Among […] Read More
Women Experience Pay Gap and Discrimination in Architecture May 02, 2018 Multiple studies and surveys in the field of architecture show women still have a long way to go before they reach pay and opportunity parity. Sexual discrimination and harassment are also widespread. A 2016 British poll of 1,277 women and 340 men showed a widening pay disparity, with the salary gap broadening as seniority increases. […] Read More
Unemployment Continues to Fall March 29, 2018 The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest level in nearly 45 years in February, raising expectations of faster wage growth in 2018, according to the Labor Department. Initial claims decreased to a seasonally adjusted 221,000 for the week ending February 3, the lowest level since January 1973. This marked the […] Read More
BLS Study Touts Construction Productivity March 29, 2018 A new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) study, “Measuring Productivity Growth in Construction,” shows impressive productivity gains in an industry that had previously been thought to show negative or zero productivity growth. “By focusing on specific output indexes for subsectors of construction, BLS avoided relying just on the change in cost of the materials […] Read More
New Tax Rules Affect Expensing of Roofs February 28, 2018 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has expanded the definition of Section 179 expensing to effectively include improvements to nonresidential roofs, while raising the amount a taxpayer may expense on qualifying real property. Section 179 allows taxpayers to immediately expense costs of qualifying property rather than recovering such costs over multiple years through […] Read More
OSHA Fines Raised for Inflation February 27, 2018 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has raised civil penalties for violations of its standards and regulations to adjust for inflation. The rates are part of overall penalty increases by the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA penalties for other-than-serious, serious, and failure-to-abate violations increased by $319 from $12,615 per violation to $12,934 per violation. […] Read More
