Tag: workforce: Page 19

Business

In wake of safety manager’s death, California construction company continues to pay his salary; coworkers raise $120k to support family

A construction company in Milpitas, California is honoring a former employee by making sure his family is well taken care of after a tragic accident took his life more than five months ago. Lindsey Van Why, a 42-year-old husband and father to two young boys, was killed in a skiing accident on February 14 in […]

July 24, 2014

Workforce

Second-career farming proves popular: Why not second-career construction?

A recent article in the American Conservative talked up the merits and challenges of second-career farming, where middle age professionals drop the white collar life and take up small-scale, often organic, farming as a vocation. Many of these urban refugees find it tough slogging, to nobody’s surprise. But the popularity of the trend would indicate […]

July 23, 2014

Safety

Concrete beam collapse kills construction worker, injures 2 others at Ft. Lauderdale jobsite

A massive concrete beam collapsed at a jobsite in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Monday, killing one construction worker and injuring two others. Police told Local 10, the city’s ABC affiliate, that the beam collapsed shortly before 8 a.m. Monday at the construction site for a BMW dealership. According to the report, the beam struck all three […]

July 23, 2014

Business

Building the future of your construction company: Matching tech-savvy, young employees in a mentorship with seasoned crew members

When I listen to contractors tell me how they first became involved in construction—usually a tale of early exposure and family tradition—it has hit me that what this industry needs is a corporate adoption program. But as the chances of our own Orphan Train Movement are slim, the best option we’ve got is growing the […]

July 18, 2014

Workforce

Construction newbies: How to find your place at the right company and launch a successful career in the industry

In the previous installments of this series I wrote about what it takes to survive your first week and month as a construction newbie (see here,  here, and here). Assuming you survived and have proven to be a dependable employee, here’s some final advice on how to make a career in construction. The key in […]

July 17, 2014

Business

4 tips for developing a health and wellness program at your construction firm (and why you should)

Construction company owners are in a unique position when it comes to assessing and helping their employees manage their health and wellness. Construction is difficult, demanding work, and having employees at the top of their game both mentally and physically is crucial. The firms are also often small enough for company owners to be able […]

July 16, 2014

Business

STEM graduates are finding a weak job market. Why that could be a big opportunity to fix construction’s skilled labor woes

A recent article at Business Insider revealed an odd wrinkle in the job market. According to Census Bureau statistics, less than half the college graduates with STEM degrees (science, technology, engineering and math) find jobs in STEM related fields. This wouldn’t be surprising except for the fact that so many people bleat on like a […]

July 11, 2014

Workforce

Construction adds 6,000 jobs in June as industry retains grip on highest employment in 5 years

For six straight months, the U.S. construction industry has added jobs and held tight to its highest employment figures in five years. However, there have been signs of slipping as growth of its workforce slowed considerably in May and fell off even more in June. During June the industry added 6,000, compared to May’s revised number […]

July 3, 2014

Workforce

Construction workers save elderly woman struck by cab in NYC by lifting the SUV off of her

An 83-year-old woman is recovering from a broken wrist and several fractures in her right leg at Bellevue Hospital in New York City after being hit by a cab Monday morning. But it could have been a lot worse if a certain construction crew weren’t on their coffee break, according to a report from the […]

July 2, 2014

Workforce

Western Pennsylvania road builders launch “virtual apprenticeship” video game for recruiting teens

The Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania has come up with a promising way to attract more recruits to the industry. They’ve set up a “virtual apprenticeship” video game in which young people can find out if road building construction is right for them. According to this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette visitors to the Future […]

July 1, 2014

Workforce

Documentary “Tim’s Vermeer” shows how valuable the intersection of the arts and technology is to a nation re-learning how to make things

If you are any kind of craftsman, if you’ve ever had to build your own tools, jigs or fixtures to solve a problem, you’ll get a kick out of the recently released DVD documentary Tim’s Vermeer. It’s a clever technological mystery story that illustrates the oft-ignored relationship between art and technology. Tim Jenison, the subject […]

June 24, 2014

Safety

OSHA releases online video game that helps contractors and construction workers identify jobsite hazards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released an online video game to help with training exercises. Released at the American Society of Safety Engineers conference in Orlando, Florida, the interactive OSHA Hazard Identification Tool assists in training workers to identify hazards in the workplace and was developed in partnership with OSHA’s Training Institute. You […]

June 20, 2014